by John Simpson
“Have you seen any of the American or British newspapers?”
“No, I haven’t. Is there a problem? Is something wrong?” Michael asked nervously.
“To the contrary, Michael, the American press is over the moon for you. Come and see your picture.”
Michael walked to the desk and looked down at the newspaper. On the front page of the Washington Post was a picture of David and Prince Michael at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Michael was saluting, and David had his hand over his heart.
“Oh, I see. I hope I did the right thing.”
“It was a brilliant move, Michael. It placed both the monarchy and the United Kingdom in the spotlight in a positive way. The Americans are as proud of their military men and women as we are of ours. This has garnered more good press than anything I have done this year! Whose idea was it?”
“It was mine, actually. David made the arrangements since it’s impossible to get near to the Tomb without permission. The soldiers who guard it are quite passionate about their responsibilities.”
“Job well done. If the British papers haven’t picked it up yet, I’m sure they will after seeing this. How would you like to pick up more duties here at Buckingham Palace? You could become sort of my ‘traveling prince,’ representing me when I can’t get away.”
“I’d be honored to do anything I can for our country.”
“It doesn’t hurt that your secret boyfriend is the son of the president of the United States.”
“Yes, that’s what I wanted to talk with you about.”
“Oh, trouble?”
“No, quite the opposite. We’re in love. Our few days in Washington were like a dream. We were made for each other, and I have a favor as well as permission to ask.”
“Go ahead,” the king said with a touch of nervousness in his voice.
“First, I’d like to take Darren to Balmoral Castle this weekend. If we can’t get a helicopter, we’ll take the train up. And as for permission, I’d like to ask Darren to marry me.”
The king stood, walked to the great window behind his desk, and clasped his hands behind his back. Michael could barely breathe as he waited for the king’s answer. Finally, William turned around.
“Prince Michael, I give you permission to go to Balmoral, by royal helicopter. And, if you are sure that you love this man, you have my permission to marry him. My only concern is that you’ve known him only for a relatively short time. A few days in Washington does not make for a certain love.”
“Cousin, I’ve known I love Darren since the weekend at Windsor, when we all were there with Prince Harry’s sons. He’s not royal, but then again, I never thought you would want me to go searching through Europe for a gay prince.”
The king laughed. “You have that right, and in a way, you are marrying royalty, American royalty. When are you going to ask him?”
“This weekend, and I wanted to do it at our family home instead of one of the Crown’s estates. We’ll be engaged for maybe six months, as a sort of trial period, unless we decide to shorten it. At the end of that time, if we’re both still sure, we will marry.”
“I’m very happy for you, Michael. Anytime someone in our family can marry for love instead of politics, it’s a happy occasion. I’m only sorry we can’t make it a grand affair. Gay marriage is still not being accepted by my older subjects. We’ll have to plan it out well so we don’t offend any of the old guard.” William smiled. “Since you’re going to ask him this weekend, come with me,” the king said and went to the door.
Michael followed and heard him tell his secretary he was going to his private quarters for a few minutes. They made the four-minute walk and entered the king’s private den and bedroom area. William went to a safe set into the floor of one of the closets in the bedroom. He spun the dial, opened the door, and reached in. He closed the safe and came over to Michael.
“I want you to have this to give to Darren Wilson. This is one of the rings that King Edward VIII wore before he abdicated the throne for Mrs. Wallis Simpson. This ring has a twenty-one-carat emerald, surrounded by four diamonds that total three carats. If you can find out Darren’s ring size, I’ll have the royal jeweler alter the ring. I’ll not have a member of this family asking their intended like my father did. When he asked my mother to marry him, he didn’t even have a ring with him. He said he wanted her to think about how marriage would affect her. Not this time, by George!”
As Michael gazed at the ring, tears welled up. “My dear, dear cousin, how can I ever thank you for this? Darren will be an official member of our family when he puts this ring on. How very generous of you. I love you.” He embraced his cousin and released him.
“There, that’s all right. He’s a very nice young man, and I want him to feel he’s part of the family. That ring is rather famous. You can find many news photos of King Edward wearing it. When the others see that ring on Darren’s finger, nothing else will ever need to be said. And it does little good sitting in a safe, now does it?”
“No, I guess not.” Michael thought for a moment. “Should I have him put in his will that the ring returns to the Crown upon his death?”
“Absolutely not! He should be buried with it as a token of your love, and may that be decades away.”
“He’s getting out of the military in about a month.”
“That’s more good news. I’ll have the helicopter arranged for you. If you take the train, it will be four and a half hours before you get there. I’ll also have staff notify Balmoral that you’ll be coming up this weekend. If you wish, you may invite Darren to the family Christmas celebrations as well. Now I must go meet with the Prime Minister on something or other.”
Michael hugged William again, and they left his private apartments. Michael tucked the plush blue ring bag into his pocket. Now how was he to find out the size of Darren’s ring finger without making him suspicious?
Michael returned to his modest residence in a daze. Not only had his cousin given them permission to use Balmoral for a visit, but he approved the match and provided a priceless treasure to put on Michael’s intended’s finger. He was so giddy the sole house member on duty wondered if he was drunk.
DARREN WAS busy with his duties and filing paperwork for his pending separation from active military service. At the end of his shift, he left his office and changed into civilian dress. He was nervous about talking to David for some reason. He would need a job, but would David have one for him so he could stay in England with the man he loved?
“Blaine, I’m having a bit of a stressful day. Would you pour me a glass of Riesling and bring it to me in the library?” Darren requested.
“Of course, sir. Are you in need of anything else?”
“No, sir, that’s all,” Darren said as he headed into the library.
He pulled down a book on positions available at an embassy of the United States. He was going to thumb through it and try to figure out what post he could fill. The natural choice would be security, but Darren knew Marines handled all aspects of normal security. The Secret Service detail was limited to personal lives and not directly related to the embassy.
Blaine entered with the glass of Riesling on a silver tray and placed it on a coaster on the table.
“If you need anything else, sir, just ask.”
“Thank you, Blaine, I really appreciate it.”
“My pleasure, Darren.”
The wine helped Darren unwind a bit. It was doing a better job than he was at finding some sort of job he could hang his hat on. He really didn’t want to call his mother about the subject either. It was time he stood on his own feet as an adult instead of relying on Mommy.
Before Darren knew it, David and Shane were home from the office, and Jack was due any minute. He put up the book and thought about how to approach the matter. He hadn’t come up with anything by the time he picked up his glass and returned it to the kitchen. When he came out, Shane was in the hall.
“What’s wrong, Darren? You look like
you’re going to have a nervous breakdown.”
“I need to ask Uncle David something, and I don’t know how to do it,” Darren replied.
“I’ve always found the best way is to just come out with it. Not like he’s going to bite your head off, is it?”
“No, I suppose not. When he comes down, will you tell him I’d like to speak with him?”
“He’s already in the living room. It was a good day at work, so now would be a good time to talk to him. Go ahead, be a man!” Shane said good-naturedly.
Darren smiled and walked to the living room. When he entered, he paused for a moment, and then continued into the room.
“Hello, Darren, how are you?” David asked.
“Fine, Uncle David. I need to talk with you. Is now a good time?”
“Sure, but why so serious? Nothing wrong, I hope?”
“No, sir, nothing like that. The thing is, I’m getting out of the Air Force in a little less than a month. I’m in love with Michael and just can’t go back to the States and leave him. Is there any job I can do at the embassy? I mean, it’s not like I can just answer an ad in the paper.”
“I see. You’re pretty serious about Michael, aren’t you? He isn’t just a fling.”
“Hell, no! He’s the man I love, and he loves me. We’re perfect for each other!”
“Okay, calm down. Just making sure. I’m sure we can find you something to keep you in this country as long as it’s okay with your mother. You have to check with her. This is her embassy after all, and I’m her ambassador.”
“Okay, I’ll take care of Mom. Thanks, Uncle David, I really appreciate it.”
He gave David a hug, and kiss on the cheek, and went upstairs to his room.
“Excuse me, sir,” Blaine said as he entered. “There is a call on your private line from Prince Michael.”
“Darren just went upstairs.”
“No, sir, he wants to speak with you.”
“Oh? That’s interesting. Thank you, Blaine.”
David walked over to the sofa by the phone.
“Hello, Michael. What can I do for you?”
“Hello, Mr. Ambassador. I have an important question for you. Do you happen to know Darren’s ring size?”
“Oh, this is an official call when you call me Mr. Ambassador after the time we spent in Washington together. By the way, there’s a picture of us in the papers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.”
“I know, the king pointed it out to me this morning, and he was quite pleased with it. Now about the ring size?”
“I’m not sure. What I can do is ‘borrow’ one of his rings, and you can have it measured. May I ask why you’re asking?”
“I just thought I’d buy him a ring as a keepsake. I’m taking him to Balmoral Castle this weekend.”
“I see. When can I get the ring to you?”
“Can I sneak by this evening, by any chance? I need to start looking for something suitable before the weekend.”
“Yes, I’ll let security know. Come around the back to the Marine post, and the soldier on duty will have the ring. Do not lose it, or Darren will have my butt!”
“Believe me, I’m not losing any rings, period!”
“Good, what time can I tell them to expect you?”
“Eight o’clock?”
“Fine. I’ll make sure that I keep Darren busy while you’re on the grounds.”
“Thank you. I love you for this!”
The line was disconnected, leaving David staring at the phone. He had gone from Mr. Ambassador to I love you, all in the same phone call.
“Hi, hon, Darren was looking to talk with you. Did he find you?” Shane asked.
“Yes, he talked to me, and I had a call from Prince Michael wanting to know Darren’s ring size. They’re going to Balmoral Castle this weekend, and Michael wanted to buy Darren a ring before they leave. Something is going on here.” David paused. “Look, I promised that the Marine guard at the rear of the house would have one of Darren’s rings so that Michael can pick it up and get it sized. Will you sneak upstairs and snag one of his rings, give it to the duty Marine, and tell him that the prince will be here at eight o’clock tonight?”
“I take it Darren isn’t supposed to know about this?”
“Right. Now what do you suppose is up?” David asked.
“Probably nothing. Michael probably wants to buy him a friendship ring. Remember those? They kind of went out of style when we were younger, but maybe they’re a hot thing here. I don’t see any harm in it.”
“Okay, you take care of that, and I’ll keep Darren busy at eight. He asked me for a job at the embassy so he won’t have to leave when he’s discharged from the Air Force. I’ll be talking to him about that.”
“Can we find him something?” Shane asked.
“Frankly, I’m considering putting him on your staff, but he isn’t to be exposed to any real danger.”
“In other words, it’s a paper job?” Shane asked.
“You got it. Plus, his mother has to agree.”
“Excuse me, sir, but dinner is served,” Blaine announced.
“Thank you, Blaine. Would you send someone up to get Darren please?”
“Sir, Darren just came down and went into the dining room.”
“He did? How odd. Shane, sneak up now and get a ring, and I’ll say you got held up by a phone call.”
“Okay, I love this spy shit.” Shane laughed.
David entered the dining room and found everyone already seated.
“Where’s Uncle Shane?” Darren asked.
“He had to make a call he forgot to make earlier. He’ll be here shortly. Let’s eat.”
They had been eating for only a minute or so when Shane entered the room and took his seat.
“I take it your phone call was successful?” David asked.
“Yes, at first I had trouble getting a clear connection, but then I got it,” Shane replied, and David smiled.
“Darren, would you mind joining me in the living room around eight?” David asked.
“Sure. Is something wrong?”
“No, no, it’s about our earlier conversation. I’ve had some time to think about it.”
“Oh, great. I don’t know what I’d do without you and the family,” Darren said.
Dinner conversation was light as there were no immediate crises anywhere in the world with the exception of Syria. David was keeping an eye on the situation but didn’t expect to be involved much. Then Shane spoke up.
“I got some disturbing news a little while ago. It seems the NSA has a traitor who’s divulging classified data all over the world. It’s pissed off the Chinese, who have a lot of nerve being pissed off about anything. It seems we’ve been spying on them! Can you imagine that? Apparently it doesn’t matter that they’ve been hacking into our defense and contractor computers for years and stealing everything not nailed down.”
“Have they arrested the traitor?” David asked.
“Ha! That’s the best part. He fled to China before releasing the information.”
“Doesn’t that make him a Chinese spy, then? I mean why else would any American flee to China? They hardly eat over there, let alone treat traitors well.”
“If he was working for them all along, he’ll be treated like a hero. He’ll want for nothing. The biggest problem is that he continues to release classified information a little at a time.”
“Can’t believe the NSA of all agencies screwed up on an employee,” David mused.
“Actually, the traitor is an employee of a defense contractor, so both NSA and the contractor dropped the ball. He’s doing some damage, I can tell you that. You’ll more than likely be getting a classified cable from the State Department about this and how to handle it,” Shane said.
“Well, that sure makes up for what I thought was a quiet time. Any way to take him out?”
“It’s not like we can send a drone to get him. The Chinese will be protecting him as if he was their premier.
As for wet work, it would be damn hard to get a CIA hit team in there. No doubt, one day he’ll pay the price for being a traitor, but not in the foreseeable future.”
“You know, every damn person who has high level access to classified material should be on a no-fly list. Better add a no-sail list to that also. How can this guy just walk onto a plane with God knows what and head to China? Some big changes need to be made, and if I were still president, I’d do something quick. In fact, I have to talk to Victoria anyway, and I’m going to bring this up. Do you have something I can read on this?”
“It’ll be in the morning papers, but I have the original communiqué in the security office. I’ll get it for you after dinner.”
“Do you want to postpone our talk, Uncle David?” Darren asked.
“Huh? Oh no. I’ll be done by eight. I just lost my appetite for dessert. Shane, if you could get me that information now, I’ll be in the living room. Blaine, coffee please, same place.”
“Yes, sir, right away.”
“Try not to get yourself all worked up, please?” Mary begged.
“I’ll do my best, Mary, but you know what I think of traitors. And to the damn Chinese of all people! Damn.”
David threw his napkin down on the table and walked out.
“Don’t worry, Darren. Whatever you two are going to talk about, this won’t ruin it,” Mary said.
“Thanks, Aunt Mary. Sounds like a real mess, though.”
Chapter 13
SHANE ENTERED the living room and handed the cable to David.
“This is only the preliminary information on this. Like I said, you’ll probably get an official cable tomorrow morning,” Shane said.
“Did you give that item to the Marine on duty? And does he understand what to do?”
“Yep, all taken care of. Can’t let anything interfere with true love,” Shane answered.
David read the cable and sighed. “Fucking traitors. We give them everything to do their jobs. Did you see what this guy was being paid? Two hundred grand a year, and he turns on us. I guess that’s in addition to whatever the Chinese were paying him.”