She set the wreath on the stand and stood with her head bowed for a moment. A twenty-one gun salute sounded. Her mother’s remains would be interred out of the public eye and without ceremony. This was the only one to be held here.
As the last shot rang out, Esme turned and walked back to the stairs, up them, past Gabe and the military man and back through the door to where they started. When the door closed behind them, she let her shoulders relax but only a bit.
Now Gabe reappeared at her side, his hand resting on her back. After exchanging a few words with those assembled, expressing her gratitude for their service, she and Gabe were escorted back to their car and started for the palace.
“You did well,” Gabe told her.
“It wasn’t hard. I was outside of the doors for less than five minutes.”
“But you did it. It would have been easy to collapse, or to at least break down in tears, but you didn’t.”
“I did cry while standing there.”
“Which just shows that you have emotions, but you’re able to keep them under control.”
“The sleep helped.”
Gabe checked his phone. “The doctor is waiting for you at the palace.”
“Will you go with me?”
“Of course.”
As soon as they arrived, they went to their new apartment rather than the medical portion of the building. She was glad. It was too soon for her to be in there.
“Good morning, Your Majesty.” The doctor bowed deeply. “How are you feeling?”
“Tired, but better than yesterday.”
He opened a folder. “The craniosacral massage likely helped.”
“It did. I have noticed a decrease in headaches that don’t seem to have an obvious reason for them, like lack of sleep or a crying jag. I’ve had a few of those lately.”
“Good.” He gave her as disapproving doctor look. “However, you should have mentioned them to me in the first place. My job is to keep you healthy. I can’t do that if you don’t tell me things. Now, is there anything else you need to mention?”
Esme glanced at Gabe who gave her an encouraging smile and nod. “I think I might be pregnant.”
The doctor grinned. “That’s wonderful news! But you’re not certain yet?”
She shook her head and explained.
“You’ve always been quite regular though, correct?”
Esme nodded. “Since I was about eighteen. Before that, not all of the time.”
“Then I would anticipate congratulations are in order, but we can do a blood and urine test to be sure. The urine test will give us an answer in a few minutes. The blood test will look at a number of other things as well.”
Ten minutes later, they had their answer.
Gabe grinned at her and kissed her softly. “I can’t wait to experience this with you.”
Esme wasn’t sure what she thought. She was excited about the baby but the timing... It felt wrong to rejoice when her mother wasn’t even buried yet.
“I would recommend holding off on an announcement for a couple of months,” the doctor advised. “We’ll schedule an ultrasound in a few weeks to make sure everything looks good. Until then, I’ll get you some vitamins and you need to make certain you’re getting some good rest.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“I know you have a lot going on, but even without the baby, you have to take care of yourself if you want to be able to take care of anyone else.” He turned to Gabe. “And you’re responsible for helping make sure she does.”
Gabe nodded. “I understand.”
The rest of the visit took nearly an hour. When the doctor left, Esme followed his instructions and laid down for a little bit.
Gabe went to his new office, citing work to do and not wanting to bother Esme. She appreciated that but would have liked to have him near her.
She was finding she slept better when he was there. Was that part of being married? Getting used to having someone close?
After a little while, she dozed off, but didn’t sleep long. Judy woke her in time to get dressed and her hair and make-up done for a reception with the Council members. Esme was not looking forward to it, but at least Gabe would be with her the whole time. Her brother was supposed to join them, but he was nowhere to be found.
The whole week was going to be one extra-long ordeal. First a short ordeal, then a longer one, then a medium one. After her mother’s service Saturday, maybe she could truly rest and recover.
Gabe joined her in her mother’s office. “Are you ready to face them?”
“I don’t have a choice. My mother would want me to be poised and confident. I’m not, but I can fake it until I make it, right?”
A buzz on the phone told her it was time to go.
“Let’s do this.”
* * *
With the service behind them, Gabe hoped Esme would be able to settle into a new sense of normalcy. They both could.
She still refused to sleep in her mother’s room, though her parents had never slept there together.
Her days were long, but no more so than they’d been before her mother’s collapse. Both of her assistants knew about the baby and made sure she took regular breaks and ate well during the day.
Her brother had returned to university, without telling anyone where he’d been in the days following the death of their mother. He showed up for the service, then left again.
Gabe was back at work on the Games.
He was at one of the venues when a call he’d been dreading came in. Jonathan had promised to update him every Friday, unless there was something more to tell.
It was Thursday.
“I take it you don’t have good news?” Gabe pinched the bridge of his nose.
“I’m not sure yet, but I thought you should know.”
“What is it?”
“There’s a woman living in Auverignon...”
“It can’t be. I purposely avoided women from Auverignon and Islas del Sargasso.”
“Well, you didn’t meet her in Auverignon. It would have been in Los Angeles. She was on vacation.”
Just what he’d been hoping to avoid all of those years.
“She has a daughter about the right age. I can’t tell you how I know this, but there’s a rumor that she believes her father to be a prince.”
Heaviness settled over Gabe. “Is there any proof that I spent time with this woman besides her name on the list?”
“Not yet. There are photos of the two of you together. We’re trying to get the girl’s DNA without her mother knowing. She’s in Auverignon which makes it a little more difficult, legally speaking. Here, we could go through their trash, get a number of things we think are probably hers and compare. A no wouldn’t be definitive unless we knew for certain she’d used something, but it could be enough for peace of mind. A yes would be a different matter, of course.”
“And in Auverignon?”
“If the trash is on private property, it’s a no go. If it’s off the curb or in public, it’s possible. We’re working on it, but I wanted to let you know as soon as possible.”
“Thank you. Can you send me information?”
“I’ll have it hand delivered to you.”
He sighed. “I appreciate it. Keep me posted.”
“I will.”
Jonathan asked how Esme was doing. They talked for a few more minutes before disconnecting. Gabriel leaned back in his chair and turned to look out the window at the track and field venue.
He’d wanted to reassure Esme there was no child out there, but he hadn’t really given much thought to how he would tell her there was a child.
Maybe this had been a bad idea all along.
No.
He needed to know.
Even if it meant a difficult conversation with Esme and hard choices to be made about what his involvement in the child’s life would be.
After a few minutes, he went back to work, though he wasn’t nearly as efficient as he would normal
ly be.
Dinner with Esme was quick as she needed to get back to work, but she was also tired and wanted to get to bed early. That meant a fast meal, allowing her to get back to work.
But she remembered their conversation about being committed to dinner together.
“How are you feeling?” he asked as they finished.
“Tired. I won’t be working too much longer tonight.”
“Good plan, Mama. You need your rest.”
Her weak smile didn’t do much to reassure Gabe. “I know. How was your day?”
“Same as always.” He didn’t want to hint that there was something more going on. She didn’t need to worry about him on top of everything else. “I’ll be working this evening, too. Probably later than you.” Until he knew more, he feared she’d pick up on his tension. “Don’t wait up for me. Get your rest.”
“I will, but I’d rather have you there with me.”
“I know.” He’d rather be there. “I’ll try not to be too late.”
By the time he made it back to the apartment, she was asleep, though he didn’t think she’d been that way for long. After a quick shower, he joined her.
For four days, he waited for news, but Jonathan never called. Gabe knew Esme noticed his preoccupation and withdrawal, but neither mentioned it.
He probably needed to start thinking about what to get her for Christmas. What exactly did one get a queen?
Maybe Alexander would have some ideas. The man had told Gabe to call if he needed anything.
That reminded him... Wasn’t there a woman who claimed to have Alexander’s son? He’d been married to Queen Christiana by the time the accusation came out, but surely he’d have some insight.
Gabe placed the call. After a few pleasantries, Gabe cut to the heart of the matter. “I remember a woman saying she had your child. How did you handle that?”
Alexander sighed. “It was different for me than it would be for you, unfortunately. I knew the child couldn’t be mine. I’ve never had that kind of relationship with any woman except Christiana. It’s literally impossible for me to have a child with anyone else.”
“But the accusation was made?”
“Kind of? It was a convoluted thing. Julia never claimed her son was mine or that I was the cause of her pregnancy at the time. However, there were news stories that claimed I was. Those were put out by minions of Christiana’s uncle in an attempt to discredit me and cause her to doubt our relationship.”
“I see.” Not exactly the insight Gabe had been hoping for.
“Is there a woman threatening to make that claim?” Alexander asked gently.
“No. Not at this time. It’s something Esme and I have talked about, though. I have a hard time believing I could have a child and the mother wouldn’t have already made a claim, but given my former lifestyle anything is possible, no matter how careful I was.” He hesitated. “No one really knows this yet, but Esme’s pregnant. It’s got me thinking. No one’s come forward. I would think they would have by now if someone had a legitimate claim.”
“For both of your sakes, I hope there’s nothing to worry about.”
“Thanks.” If only that were truly the case.
* * *
Two weeks.
Esme had been queen for two weeks.
She’d known she was pregnant for almost that long.
It was finally catching up with her.
Nausea had plagued her for the last several hours, along with stomach pains, though they weren’t in her lower abdomen where she thought they’d be if there was an issue with the baby.
She thought about mentioning it to Gabe, but she didn’t want to worry him. He had something on his mind, but he hadn’t shared with her what it was. She wanted him to trust her enough to let her in on it, but so far, she thought he was trying to protect her from whatever it was.
On one hand, it was sweet. On the other, if the marriage was going to work, they both needed to trust each other.
“Jared, is there anything else I need to take care of today?”
“There’s nothing on your schedule, ma’am.”
“Anything for tomorrow that I need to prepare today?”
“You have a meeting with the Council Chairman, Roland Franklin, tomorrow afternoon about his replacement, but nothing pressing before then. You should have plenty of time to prepare.”
“I’m going to leave early today, then. I need to get some rest.”
“That’s a wise idea.” He bowed before starting for the door. It was something he’d done for her mother and now her. Actually, bowing the first and last time he saw her for the day. Judy had started curtsying the same way.
Esme went to her new apartment to find maids scurrying about.
“Our apologies, ma’am. Today’s the day we change the linens.” The head of housekeeping was there checking on the progress. “I can find you some, but they’re not kept here. It will be a few minutes.” She hesitated. “Unless you’d like to rest in there.” She nodded toward Esme’s mother’s room. The woman likely knew Esme and Gabe had been sleeping in one of the other rooms. “Your mother’s furniture was removed and replaced with furniture from storage. You’re welcome to change it again, of course, but for now clean sheets are likely all you require.”
Esme nodded. “Thank you. I believe I will lie down for a bit.”
“Pardon me for saying so, ma’am, but you do look a bit peeked.”
“I feel that way, too.” She gave the housekeeper a half smile. “Thank you for your help.”
“My pleasure, ma’am.”
Esme went into her mother’s room, surprised at how little it looked and felt like the space her mother had occupied for so many years.
It relieved her.
Except she had no clothes in there yet. Deciding she didn’t like the dress she wore all that much, she lay down in it, pulling the covers over her.
It didn’t take much for her to fall asleep.
She woke several hours later to find Gabe sleeping beside her. The nausea had increased, and she made her way to the bathroom to relieve it. The pain in her lower back had increased from a dull ache, though it didn’t quite qualify as sharp pain.
After rinsing her mouth, she changed into the pajamas waiting for her in the bathroom. Someone had left them there, likely for her to find in case she went to the bathroom in the middle of the night.
She doubted they’d planned on it being to throw up.
“You okay?” Gabe’s murmur greeted her as she slid back under the covers.
“Think the morning sickness finally caught up with me. I’m fine. Go back to sleep.”
He did, though part of her wished he’d stay up with her. She slept fitfully the rest of the night but didn’t make a return trip to the bathroom. Thank heavens for small favors.
The persistent nausea followed her throughout the day. If this was going to be the case for the next few months, it was going to make working extremely difficult. She couldn’t focus on the briefing materials. Shortly before noon, she called Jared into her office.
“Exactly how problematic is it going to be if I reschedule this afternoon’s meeting?”
“He won’t be pleased, but your health and the baby’s must come first, ma’am.”
She nodded. “I think I’m going to postpone. I need sleep.” That would help her feel better, right?
He bowed. “I believe that’s the best plan. I do hope you feel better.”
“Please don’t tell him about the baby just yet. I’d rather wait a bit longer.”
“Of course not. I’ll simply tell him something came up. If he presses, I might tell him you’re under the weather.”
“Thank you.”
This time when Esme reached her new apartment, she went straight to her new bedroom, changed into pajamas and climbed into bed.
The pain in her back had grown sharper. Maybe she needed to call the doctor.
Yes. If not for her own sake, for the baby’s. She reached for her
phone and texted Judy.
Meantime, she’d try to get some rest.
She woke to several people in the room, including Gabe and the doctor. None of them looked alarmed. That was good.
“Tell me what’s going on,” the doctor instructed.
Esme pushed up until she sat against the headboard. “I’ve been nauseated, which I know is normal for early pregnancy, but I’ve also had some abdominal pain that’s getting increasingly worse. I decided I should give you a call.”
He frowned but had her lie down. Gently, he pressed on her abdomen. It all hurt, but more so on her right side.
“Does the pain start here?” he asked pressing against her lower right abdomen.
She shook her head. “More in my lower back.”
That made him frown.
“I don’t like doing this, especially so soon after your mother, but I think we need to take you to the hospital. I have a feeling we’re going to need to run some tests that I can’t do here.”
That meant it was serious or potentially serious. Esme felt the little color she likely had drain from her face as she looked at Gabe. Worry clouded his expression.
“Given your fever...”
“I have a fever?” She didn’t know.
“I’d say a mild one. Not too bad, not yet, but we need to get this sorted sooner rather than later.”
“Do I need an ambulance?”
He shook his head. “Security can take you. We’ll get you in a back entrance and keep you away from everyone. Hopefully, no one will know you were there.”
Gabe took her hand. With his eyes closed, she knew he was praying. For her. For the baby.
For all of them.
21
With a glare, Gabe sent everyone out of the room. “She’s my wife. I’ll help her.”
“You don’t have to. There are others who can.” Esme looked pale and weak lying there on the new bed.
“I’m your husband. It’s my job.” He started for the closet. “What do you want to wear?”
“One of my yoga outfits is fine, but with the jacket. It’s cool out today.”
It took him a few minutes to find what she was talking about. Their clothes had only been in the closet for a couple of days, and he had no idea where most things were.
The Spare and the Heir Page 16