Crowns & Courtships Compilation Volume 1

by Carol Moncado

  Rather than answering, he stood. “I have better things to do with my time than have my brother’s paramour insult me.”

  This time Queen Eliana stood. “Benjamin, you may be king, but I am your mother. You will respect me. You will respect Edward as your father’s friend and a man you could learn a lot from. You will respect both your brother and your brother’s wife, whose marriage you witnessed, regardless of the paperwork.”

  Tears had begun to streak down the former queen’s cheeks. “I hope, I pray, that one day, you’ll be able to respect yourself. That you’ll be a worthy descendant of the Quatremaine name and your father’s throne. However, today isn’t that day. Until you can play nice and help your brother and sister-in-law find a way out of this, I would suggest you remain out of my way.”

  Benjamin started to say something, but instead his shoulders dropped as he turned and walked out of the room.

  Esther hugged herself again, her arms wrapped around her middle and the children she and Darius had created together. “Thank you, Queen Eliana. I appreciate your words.”

  “Please. Call me Eliana, darling.” She came to stand next to Esther, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “I wish I knew what happened to my son. I wish I knew how to fix it, but I’m starting to fear that won’t happen in my lifetime.”

  “Thank you.” It didn’t actually help, but it was nice of her to say.

  Esther’s phone buzzed, but she ignored it. “I think I’m going to go back upstairs and get some rest. I’m worn out.”

  “We’ll make sure Darius joins you.” Her father spoke those words, much to her surprise.

  “You don’t care that the marriage isn’t legal?”

  “As far as I’m concerned, it is. I stood by you as you both took those vows. I signed the license. If it all comes down to it, if Benjamin follows through with his threat and exiles Darius over it, we’ll go public.” He turned partly toward Eliana. “I know how hard it would be on you if we did go to the press. I know it could cost your family the throne and your country its form of government, but I can’t allow your son and his uncle to do this to my family. I can’t allow them to show such callous disregard for marriage and the rule of law without consequences.”

  Eliana nodded. “I understand. I agree even. When I return, I’ll see what I can find. It’s possible Isaiah got his hands on it. If so, I might be able to get it back.”

  “How?” Esther asked her.

  She laughed. “Sweet girl, you don’t spend fifteen years as the Crown Prince’s wife and later his queen, then over ten more years as the Queen Mother, without picking up a few tricks, and getting to know which security guards you can trust and which ones to be more wary of.” She winked. “Give me a couple of weeks. I’ll see what I can find. It might not even take that long.”

  “Thank you.” Esther hugged all three of them then went back to her room. Darius was nowhere to be seen.

  Would he even come back to her? Or would he remain convinced that the marriage wasn’t legitimate and stay away? Ironic, given how they spent their first few days together ten months earlier.

  She managed to fall into a fitful sleep but when she awoke, he wasn’t in the room and, when she went to the bathroom, she noticed his things were gone. Had he come in while she slept?

  Either way, she decided she wouldn’t go downstairs for lunch. The nervousness of the rest of the week couldn’t compare to the nausea that permeated her being.

  She texted a couple of people that she wasn’t feeling well, so they’d know they could leave for San Majoria without seeing her again. Darius’s family had likely left as soon as Eliana finished talking to Esther’s parents. She wondered if Darius would show up and act like everything was fine.

  Esther found her tablet and opened the Bible app, spending some time in Proverbs before dozing off for a while longer.

  This time when she woke up she wasn’t alone in the room. The other side of the bed remained empty, but her mother-in-law sat in the chair where Darius had been when he broke the news to her about their marriage.

  “Where is he?” Esther asked, not fully awake. “Why are you still here?”

  “I didn’t want you to be alone. My children went back to Eyjania. As did Darius a little while ago. I’m not sure how he managed to charter a plane on Christmas Eve, but he did.”

  “He has connections.” Esther managed to sit up. “There’s a local guy we know who helped us get additional staff and security for this weekend. He could help Darius get a plane if he really wanted one.”

  “He must have wanted one pretty badly, because he’s gone.”

  Esther swiped at a tear she couldn’t stop from leaking onto her cheek. Some first Christmas this was turning out to be.

  The look on Eliana’s face was the same as Darius’s most serious look. “I do think it’s time you and I had a chat about a few things that no one else will be straight with me about. Like why Louis was relieved of his duties and how exactly your father threated to take away my son’s throne.”

  31

  Darius had been in Eyjania for almost a week, but hadn’t returned to the palace. Instead, he’d turned off his phone, bought a cheap replacement and got as much cash as he could.

  He knew how to cook and take care of himself now, where he wouldn’t have known before. He had Edward to thank for that.

  Once he landed in Eyjania, he took a ferry to Auverignon, a trip that took eight hours. There, he spent Christmas alone, then found a barber who would shave his head for him. It wouldn’t last long, but it would be enough time to do what he wanted to do.

  Spy on his family or at least find out what the people in general thought of his family. He spent time at lunch counters, diners, and pubs, listening much, talking a little, and learning. The people missed his father, wanted to love Benjamin but couldn’t, and thought Isaiah had far too much influence, though no one really knew what kind of power Isaiah really had.

  He’d done his research into the resolution passed by Parliament that said he was no longer allowed to marry Esther without being exiled. The proposal had been put forth by Benjamin, though Darius would bet his life that his brother hadn’t known what he was signing when he did it. Maybe that’s why he was so adamant that it remain unchallenged. He didn’t want anyone to know exactly how many of his puppet strings were being controlled by Isaiah.

  When he mentioned the resolution to the people he met, they all thought it was ridiculous and wondered what the reasoning could be. Speculation included Kensington leaving Anabelle for one of Darius’s oldest sisters and wanting to prevent whichever one it was from being married to someone who hadn’t even made it a year in his first marriage.

  It also included Darius and Esther.

  They were the only other ones the right age and gender to match up. Neither had been seen in public in almost a year, except Esther when Astrid’s baby was born. Speculation had made the rounds that Prince William’s official wedding to Princess Margaret might have something to do with it, though no one had any idea what.

  “You’ve been around a lot lately.” The bartender at the pub Darius had been to most often set a pint in front of him. “You never drink the whole thing, but you strike up the most interesting conversations for someone who’s not a member of the royal family.” He leaned forward, mindful of the other patrons though there weren’t many yet. “Or are you? Prince Darius hasn’t been seen in almost a year. You’re the right age.”

  Darius tossed a bill on the bar. “You’ve never talked to me before. Why now?”

  The guy shrugged. “Something about you looks familiar. You’ve got your father’s eyes and your mother’s nose.”

  Darius didn’t confirm the suspicion, but he didn’t deny it either.

  “Here’s what I think. I noticed it last night, so I did a little digging. No one has seen Prince Darius since sometime in March. About the time Prince Kensington married an Eyjanian, actually, though no one knew about that until later. No one has seen Princess E
sther except once since the same time period. She was seen entering San Majoria when Crown Princess Astrid had her baby. Now there’s a guy who might, or might not, be Prince Darius asking random people what they think about the resolution that says he couldn’t marry Princess Esther even if he wanted to.”

  The bartender leaned even closer. “I think Prince Darius and Princess Esther have been shackin’ up somewhere, maybe in the States or Sargasso or even Athmetis. The rest of the royal family all went on a trip right before Christmas, as did the San Majorian family. Maybe they staged an intervention. Trying to convince Romeo and Juliet to stay apart, while also telling them about this new thing that would see Darius exiled.” He grinned. “What do you think about my theory?”

  Darius nodded slowly. “It’s a nice theory. But maybe Prince Darius and Princess Esther met somewhere else altogether. They wanted to get married, but wanted to tell their families first. Maybe King Benjamin gave them a special royal license, and they got married then and there with King Edward performing the ceremony. Maybe they moved to start their lives together in private. Maybe they invited their families for Christmas.”

  He took a swig of the beer. “And maybe, while their families were there, they found out the license went missing, and there’s no way for them to legally, retroactively marry and make their forthcoming child completely legitimate without him being exiled from his homeland.”

  After two more big gulps of liquid, he set the mug down. “And maybe he’s trying to find out if the people would support him if he went public with all of it.” Darius grinned and shrugged. “Or maybe I’m just a guy who doesn’t have any friends so he buys a pint and shoots the breeze.” He slid off the barstool. “Have a good night.”

  “Hey, kid,” the bartender called after him.

  Darius stopped and looked back.

  “I think Prince Darius would find there are a lot of people pulling for him and the pretty princess.”

  He nodded at the man then left. Darius didn’t know what possessed him to tell the bartender the whole story, sort of, but it felt good to tell someone, even a stranger as a theory.

  It was good to know the resolution was considered ridiculous.

  He’d bought a round trip via the rental jet, but left the return open ended. He needed to go back to Serenity Landing and talk to Esther. Together they could make a plan then go talk to her parents, maybe get his mother to come to San Majoria and strategize with them.

  After calling the airline, he used Yfir to get to the airport. That was a new experience, though he’d seen people use Uber or Lyft before. The man was polite, dropping him off at the private entrance to the airport as requested without making a big deal out of it, though he surely didn’t go there often.

  Shortly thereafter, he was back in the air. Seven and a half hours to Springfield then another twenty minutes to their home in Serenity Landing. Eight hours until he could see Esther again, even if he didn’t plan to let himself kiss her. It had been too long, and neither one of them would want to stop with just a kiss, regardless of their legal status.

  He slept most of the flight and called another service to pick him up at the airport.

  The car drove him to Serenity Landing. The house seemed eerily quiet, though it was quite late at night, or rather very early in the morning. As quietly as he could, he let himself in the house.

  He went upstairs to see if Esther might be awake, but the light from the hall that spilled into their room showed the bed still made and completely empty. He checked the other rooms but didn’t find her.

  The front door opened. Could that be her?

  Instead, it was Louis, who looked much older than he had less than week earlier.

  “What is it?” Darius asked. “Is Esther okay?”

  Louis shook his head. “She’s not here.”

  The sunrise out the window of the jet was almost too bright for Esther, but she’d gotten a decent night’s sleep so she decided not to try to get more rest while on the plane.

  A text from Louis had come in the middle of the night, though she hadn’t seen it until morning. Darius had finally returned to Serenity Landing. That fit with her plan to return on New Year’s Eve anyway. She didn’t want to spend the evening with her siblings and their spouses when hers was nowhere to be found.

  Her plane landed a few minutes before noon, and she reached the house thirty minutes later.

  Darius opened the door to the house as she walked up the steps. “Hi.”

  She didn’t respond, but brushed past him into the kitchen to get a drink of water before leaning down to scratch an excited Raja behind the ears.

  “I’m sorry I took off.”

  Esther turned to see him with his hands in his pockets much like they had been when they told his mother they were married. “You shouldn’t have.”

  “No. I shouldn’t have left.”

  “It’s not the leaving that’s the problem, per se.” Not that she was crazy about it.

  He sat on one of the bar stools. “I know I shouldn’t have, but what was the problem?”

  “You left me to deal with your brother and mother and whether or not our marriage is legal on my own.”

  His shoulders slumped even further. “I know. I’m sorry.”

  Esther wasn’t sure she really wanted to know the answer to her next question. “Where did you go?”

  “Eyjania. Shaved my head, hung out with ordinary people in cafés and pubs, and tried to figure out if the resolution has popular support.”

  “Does it?”

  “No. Everyone thinks it’s ridiculous, but I may have inadvertently started the rumor that you and I are together because there’s not really another logical couple to come out of my family and another royal family, especially not with the news that Prince William is married to Lady Margaret and could not possibly be interested in one of my sisters. I suppose Islas del Sargasso or Auverignon could have some possibilities, but given that both of our families disappeared right before Christmas, the assumption is that it’s you and me.”

  “That’s something.” She took a sip. “My father is looking into whether he can legalize the marriage in San Majoria effective the date of the wedding which would pre-date the resolution. He thinks he can, but his attorneys are looking into it.”

  “That would be a relief.”

  She was wrong. This was the question she didn’t want an answer to. “And if he can’t?”

  Darius stared at his hands where his fingers were laced together on the counter top. “Then we get legally married somewhere else, and my brother exiles me. It’s obviously not my first choice, but you’re my wife. I made those vows. I didn’t really mean them like I should have, but I made them anyway. I do take them seriously. The resolution doesn’t say my family can’t see me. We can get together for holidays at a neutral location. It’s not ideal, but we can make it work.”

  The resignation in his tone wasn’t quite what Esther wanted to hear, but the rational side of her mind could understand the position he was in. “I know you’re not close to your brother, but I also know you’ve missed the rest of your family.” She could see it as they planned Christmas weekend, and as he tried to choose gifts for each member before they decided on the jewelry and boxes. “It can’t be an easy decision to make.” Her heart leapt into her throat as she said that.

  “It is, and it isn’t.” He propped his elbows on the counter and ran both hands over the stubble on his head. “You’re my wife, and I love you, but they’re my family. Eyjania is my home.”

  Tears came to her eyes for a completely different reason. “What did you say?”

  He looked up, uncertain. “It’s not an easy thing to decide, because they’re my family. Eyjania is my home. It is easy because you’re my wife.”

  She shook her head. “After that.”

  “I love you?”

  Esther nodded. “Do you mean that?” The tears spilled over.

  Darius jumped off the barstool and stood in front of her fo
r a second before pulling her into his arms. “Of course I do.”

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close. “I love you, too, Dare,” she whispered.

  “We did this all backwards, but sometime in those days in Sargasso I started to fall in love with you.” He moved back until Esther could look him in the eye. “And I realized last week just how much I do love you.”

  Without waiting for him to kiss her, Esther stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his.

  Before the kiss could deepen, Darius moved away.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked, knowing she wasn’t going to like the answer.

  He rested his forehead on hers. “Until we get this sorted out, I’m not sure I’m comfortable really living together.”

  She backed up, her hands coming to rest on her hips. “What? I’m going to get more pregnant?”

  Frustration crossed his face. “Isn’t integrity doing what is right when no one is watching?”

  Esther glared at him. “Yes, but that has nothing to do with this situation. We were legally married in front of two monarchs, and, more importantly, in front of God. How is actually living together showing a lack of integrity?”

  It looked as though the weight of the world rested on his shoulders. “Because right now, in this moment, it’s not legal. My brother never filed the license. He doesn’t have it. Until the marriage is officially legal, it isn’t.” He blew out a breath. “I’m sorry, Star.”

  She turned and fled up the stairs to one of the other rooms. Going into the one she’d shared with Darius for the last few months was too hard. One small piece of her understood where he was coming from, but the rest of her wanted to be in her husband’s arms. To feel his kiss.

  To let him feel the movement of their babies like she had been for the last week.

  But Darius followed her into the room. “Don’t cut me out, Star. We’ll get through this together.”