The Spare and the Heir

by Carol Moncado

  “I can respect that. I wouldn’t take the job if I thought you were planning to keep it from her.”

  Gabe leaned back. “No. I just don’t want her to fret over it until we know there’s something to fret over.”

  “Of course.” Jonathan hesitated. “I don’t suppose you have a list of women?”

  Gabe shook his head. “My security team from Auverignon likely does, but I’m not sure how to access it without my father and grandfather finding out. I’d rather they not know. I could ask Daniel, my former head of security, and I think he’d get it for me, but I’d prefer to do it in person.”

  “Will you be in Auverignon for the coronation?”

  He’d almost forgotten about that. Gabe sighed. “Yes. In fact, I’ll have to leave about the same time you do on Sunday. I can ask then.”

  A cry sounded from the car seat, and Jonathan reached out to rock it by the handle. “I’ll get my team on it first thing Monday. We’ll start with those publicly available and go from there.”

  “One other thing you should know. Despite what you may find in the tabloids, there’s no chance the child is less than about five years old.”

  Jonathan blinked then nodded. “Understood. I’ll call my assistant and have a contract emailed. We can sign it electronically here and get to work first thing.”

  Gabe thanked him, then together they went to find their wives.

  * * *

  They didn’t do more than kiss goodnight, but Esme was glad for Gabe’s presence.

  “There’s something I forgot about. I don’t know how, but I did. I think I didn’t want to remember.”

  “Your father’s coronation.” She’d wondered why he hadn’t brought it up.

  “You’re obviously not going, and I won’t swear allegiance to him the way I would have if this was last year, so I’m not sure why I have to go. I won’t even go to the coronation itself.”

  “You’re going because it’s the right thing to do. You’ll attend the luncheon. Stand on the balcony and wave. Make an appearance at the ball. Then come home to me without staying a second night.”

  He pulled her closer, though her head already rested on his chest. “I think that last part sounds the best.”

  “I do, too.”

  Something else had been bothering her. Two things really, but she wasn’t sure she could broach the second one. “Did your business with Jonathan go well?”

  “It did. He’s going to do some work for me, and I prefer to consult in person the first time.”

  He still didn’t tell her what kind of work.

  “Will it bother you to swear allegiance to me someday?” The thought had been forefront in her mind.

  Gabe didn’t answer right away. “I don’t know. I never did to my grandfather, except in the military. I’m not sure if my reluctance comes from my lack of respect for some of my father’s choices or from a more innate aversion to the whole thing, or some combination of the two.”

  He kissed her head. “When the time comes, I will, but I’m not sure I’ll feel great about it, you know?”

  A hot tear streaked down her cheek before she could stop it. It hit his chest, but she hoped he wouldn’t notice.

  “Hey.” Gabe twisted, but Esme didn’t move. “What is it? I’m trying to work through all of that long before we get to your coronation.”

  “It’s not that.” The image of her mother talking to the doctor swam before her. “I think my mother’s keeping something from me.”

  He relaxed back against the mattress. “I’m sure she’s keeping lots of things from you. It’s kind of how things go.”

  Esme shook her head as best she was able. “I saw her talking to the doctor and taking pills.”

  An odd silence filled the air before Gabe spoke again. “I’m sure if it was something you needed to know, she’d tell you.”

  Pushing up on one elbow, Esme looked at Gabe, barely visible in the darkness of their room. “Do you know something?”

  He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her back to him. “No. Not really. When she talked to me about the wedding, when she first approached me after we were rescued, something she said made me wonder, but nothing ever came of it. She didn’t say or do anything else to make me think she might be ill.”

  Esme turned all of that over in her mind long enough that she finally fell asleep.

  She put all her energy into enjoying the next two days with Jonathan, Kenzie, and their children and the night between enjoying the closeness of Gabe in a shared bed, even if all they did was sleep.

  All of them left at the same time Sunday afternoon. Esme’s car took her back to the palace while the others went straight to the airport.

  Her mother met her as she walked toward her apartment. “I have a task for you tomorrow, darling.”

  “What is it?” She’d planned to watch the coronation and not leave the apartment all day. On occasion, it was possible to work from there, but she rarely availed herself of it.

  “You will be leading most of the press conference.” Her mother held her hand up to stop Esme’s protests. “It should be an easy one. There will be a few questions about the coronation in Auverignon and how Gabriel feels about it, how you feel about it. There might be a few questions about assorted other things, but it won’t be anything you can’t handle.”

  “Do I have a choice?”

  “No.”

  “Then I’ll be there.”

  That’s how she found herself standing in front of a bank of microphones and a dozen or more reporters.

  “What are your thoughts on today’s events in Auverignon?” one asked.

  Esme had watched the coronation live. “On behalf of my mother and the people of Islas del Sargasso, I would like to extend congratulations to the former king on his retirement and to my father-in-law as he takes over a difficult job. I am quite certain he has been well-trained for this since he was young and is ready to come into his own.”

  Hopefully no one would notice she didn’t actually say he was going to do a great job.

  “And Prince Gabriel? How does he feel?”

  “I’m certain he feels much the same.”

  Before she could go on, she was interrupted. “He doesn’t have any sore feelings over not truly moving up in the line for the Auverignonian throne?”

  “Gabriel has always known the throne would pass from his grandfather to his father to his brother. He’s...” She started to say he’d always known he was to marry her, but that wasn’t public knowledge, and she didn’t want to invite questions about his past. “He’s thrilled to be here, in Sargasso, and looks forward to seeing what kind of impact he can make here through the various charitable organizations he supports. He’s quite glad he can be instrumental in running the Games beginning next year.”

  “And what about the photo released over the weekend?”

  She hadn’t seen a photo. Esme glanced at the press secretary who winced.

  “The photo of Prince Gabriel on the beach with a woman.” The reporter held up his tablet, showing a grainy photo of Gabe kissing her on the beach.

  Esme pressed her lips together for a moment before answering. “My husband kissed me on a private beach. I’m not quite certain what the question is except to wonder which one of you or your associates used a lens as long as your arm to violate our privacy.”

  She nodded her head toward the reporters. “Thank you for coming.”

  And she turned and walked away, leaving them in stunned silence.

  17

  Gabe wanted nothing more than to hold his wife in his arms and fall asleep, putting this day where it, like so many other things, belonged.

  In the past.

  By the time he made it back to Sargasso, Esme would be sound asleep, most likely with the door to her room closed once again.

  Maybe they should move to the beach house.

  The car dropped him off at the entrance closest to their apartment, but it still wasn’t very close.

  E
ven though he’d grown up in a palace, walking through a nearly deserted one at night disconcerted Gabe. He saw two members of the security team, both from a distance, but no one else.

  In the apartment, he wasn’t going to bother turning on a light, but something caught his eye, so he used the flashlight on his phone.

  The door to the room he’d been using was closed, but just a few feet away the door to Esme’s stood wide open.

  A tired smile crossed his face. A note was taped to the door frame.

  I like sleeping with the door closed. Would you mind shutting it behind you? The staff has been told to let you sleep. I’ll do my best not to wake you in the morning.

  He closed the door and continued to use the flashlight to get to the dressing room. Fortunately, his connected to both his old room and this one. It only took a few minutes to change.

  As cautiously as he could, Gabe climbed into bed, but he wasn’t careful enough. Esme rolled over and snuggled into his side.

  “Happy birthday,” she murmured. “I didn’t want to call or text that, and it’s probably late enough it’s not your birthday anymore, but maybe it is in Hawaii.”

  He kissed her head and closed his eyes. She was the only one to say it. His mother and grandmother likely would have if they hadn’t been preoccupied with everything going on.

  She kept her word, and he woke alone well into mid-morning.

  He’d made certain his schedule was clear, just in case he got held over. Dressed in slacks and a collared shirt, Gabe went to his office, hoping to just pick up some paperwork.

  Instead, he found a message from Jonathan. Gabe had been able to get a list from his former head of security, but he wasn’t certain the best way to get it to Jonathan without leaving a digital trail.

  “I have a solution, though it’s a bit clandestine,” the American told him.

  “What’s that?”

  “I happen to know a certain San Majorian princess and Eyjanian prince are planning to do battle in the War of the Sargasso Sea. If you were to meet them on their way to or from this battle, you could give them the list, secured of course, and they could bring it with them when they return here tomorrow.”

  Gabe pinched the bridge of his nose. “Is this the part where I admit I know nothing about this war?” Had Esme mentioned it when they were discussing the military file? If so, he clearly hadn’t understood what it was about.

  Jonathan laughed and explained but told him he couldn’t meet them on the island. That would be a bit too much like cheating at the war.

  Whatever that meant.

  Gabe secured the document then called Jonathan back as he started for his car. He’d drive himself to the dock, take a speedboat and let security follow him to make the handoff. “Wouldn’t it be easier if we video conferenced, and you took a picture or something?”

  “It would be,” Jonathan agreed. “But then it leaves a digital trail. Trust me. If you want this analog only, this is the fastest way besides bringing it to me yourself.”

  Even with the fastest boat at his disposal, it took Gabe nearly an hour to make the rendezvous site. The yacht likely wasn’t as fast as Gabe’s boat, but it literally dwarfed it.

  Darius met him at the back of the boat as Gabe pulled his up behind it. Two of the crew held it steady as Gabe climbed aboard. He wouldn’t be there long.

  The secure box went to Darius who promised to deliver it personally. He wouldn’t even let his staff members handle the box.

  With that peace of mind, Gabe returned to the palace. He did a little paperwork but left his office early and went to find Esme.

  “I have a question for you.”

  She jumped behind her desk. “You scared me.”

  Gabe grinned. “I didn’t mean to.” Maybe a little bit. “How’d your day go yesterday? The press conference?” He’d heard she’d be running it but hadn’t looked yet.

  “One of the reporters tried to make a big deal about you kissing a woman on the beach last week.”

  His brows knit together. “What?”

  “Me. You kissed me on the beach.” Her annoyance, hopefully, wasn’t directed at him entirely.

  “That’s right. But there shouldn’t have been anyone to take that picture.”

  “And that’s what I told them. If we can find out who took it, we can sue for violation of the expectation of privacy. Judy checked. The closest they could have been and get that picture was over a kilometer and a half away.”

  “Meaning a giant lens was used.”

  “Exactly.” She leaned back in her chair and smiled at him. “I missed you the last two days. I’m planning to finish early and go back to the apartment for an early dinner. Care to join me?”

  “I would love to.” He sat across from her desk. “But first I need you to tell me more about the War of the Sargasso Sea.”

  For a split second she looked puzzled then grinned. “Only the best war ever. There’s this island. We claim it, but San Majoria does too. There’s a flag pole and with a buried treasure chest at the base of it. Every few months a member of one of our royal families or occasionally someone they designate goes out there, replaces the flag with their own and leaves something in the chest. The flag is shipped back to the other country and the gift is retrieved. A few months later, the process is reversed.”

  Understanding dawned. “Kind of like the Whiskey War between Canada and Greenland.”

  “Yes, but better. It’s much warmer here.”

  “What kind of gifts are we talking about?”

  “It can be anything, but usually is gift shop items proclaiming the wonder of that country. Something like a ‘someone in San Majoria loves me’ t-shirt or ‘I lost my heart in Sargasso’ mug. Things like that.”

  He leaned forward. “Next time we participate in this war, I want in.”

  Esme’s eyes twinkled. “Deal.”

  * * *

  Biting her lip, Esme looked over the dinner table one last time. There was only one course, plus salad and dessert. The salad would be served at the same time. That made things easier.

  “Esme?” Gabe was back.

  “In here,” she called.

  He walked into the dining room wearing the same thing he’d worn in her office. She’d changed, but he was more casual than her to start with.

  “What’s this?”

  “Dinner.”

  Gabe peeked under one of the silver domes. “Is that what I think it is?”

  Esme nodded. Getting the traditional Auverignonian dish hadn’t been simple. Several of the ingredients didn’t have Sargassian counterparts. “As close as we could come anyway.” She leaned up and kissed him. “Happy birthday a day late.”

  “Thank you, Esme.” He kissed her back. “This has to be one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me.”

  That made her sad. “Even on your birthday you didn’t get your choice of meal?”

  He held her chair for her. “No. Birthday dinners were with my grandfather, which meant we ate what he wanted.”

  “That’s kind of ridiculous.”

  “So is my grandfather.”

  Gabe asked the blessing over the meal, being certain to thank the Almighty for Esme as well as the hands that prepared it - because he knew Esme hadn’t made it.

  “We have an event together tomorrow.”

  “We do?”

  She took a sip of her water. “There’s a new grocery store opening, the first one of its kind. All organic and locally sourced as much as possible, plus self-sustaining biodegradable or something. I didn’t catch all of the environmentally friendly boxes they ticked.”

  “That’s interesting.”

  “Which is why we’re doing the ribbon cutting.”

  He leaned over and kissed her, even though his mouth was full of salad. “As long as we’re together.”

  At least that’s what she thought he said.

  And so they stood in front of the store the next day and held the giant scissors, smiling for the cameras a
s they cut it.

  The general manager gave them a tour. Esme hadn’t done enough shopping or cooking to know what she was looking at, but she nodded along.

  Gabe surprised her with his insightful questions about how the market was run, where the food came from, and what was being done to make it sustainable.

  The attached bistro had opened at the same time. That was where they ate lunch. The owner and his family ate with them.

  About halfway through, Gabe excused himself to take a phone call. Esme wondered what it could be about until she caught a glimpse of Jonathan’s photo on Gabe’s phone.

  So it was about whatever secret project Jonathan was working on for her husband.

  Rather than focus on the secret he was keeping from her, she asked the owner another question. Intellectually, Esme knew the business with Jonathan was likely quite innocent. It probably had something to do with the Games, and Gabe didn’t want to bore her with the details.

  Once they finished eating, the owner took them on a tour of a nearby farm where some of the produce was grown. Several members of the press were with them, covering the event more so than herself and Gabe.

  One in particular, though, kept asking questions he had to know annoyed her.

  Did she know any of Gabe’s ex-girlfriends?

  Were they in love at the wedding?

  Did they think anyone believed Gabe wasn’t a little bitter over the coronation taking place on his birthday?

  Finally, she’d had enough. Esme turned and glared at him. “That is your last question, or you will be removed from all royal family coverage. Do I make myself clear?”

  The man just glared at her, recording with one device even as he watched something else live on another device.

  “Gabriel is my husband and a Prince of Sargasso. He is the future prince consort of Islas del Sargasso. He always knew he’d never sit on the throne of Auverignon, and it’s a good thing. Because if he was the heir, he wouldn’t be here. He wouldn’t be my husband, the father of my successor. I’d far rather have him at my side than as the monarch of a country far away. I believe he feels the same way.”