Their silence was broken by strains of Mozart—Xavier’s choice. George hated all things classical, but Perry was sleeping in the next room, and hard rock wasn’t likely to be restful.
Not in her condition anyway.
Despite himself, he gulped. She had a condition now. She was pregnant.
He, they, were going to be fathers.
Tipping some whiskey down his throat at the thought had him wincing at the burn, but contrarily, it soothed the ache that was gathering deep inside himself.
His mother would have been ecstatic at the news. He knew she hadn’t always been the warmest of creatures, but she’d longed for a grandchild. When Edward and Arabella had wed, George knew she’d have been waiting every damn month for news. And not just to make sure the pair of them had done their duty to the DeSauvier lineage, either.
She’d have probably been a horrible grandmother, if he was being honest. Far too rigid and far too stern when it came to the rules and family roles, but hell, he still hated that she’d never meet their child.
His stomach was tight and he whispered, “To Mother,” as he lifted his glass in a toast.
He didn’t have to see his brother or cousin to know they were surprised at the gesture, but they too murmured, “To Mother.” And, “To Tanta.”
They fell quiet, but it wasn’t an uncomfortable silence. It was more like they were shell-shocked. Disbelieving of the day’s events.
What had started like a regular boring Wednesday, had turned terrifying by midday. Then, by late afternoon, they’d learned Perry was safe, one of their men was dead, another gravely injured, and she was carrying their child.
Not just any child, but the future King or Queen.
His mouth moued in a frown. “I don’t want our child to be raised like we were, Edward.”
“No,” came the somber reply, but his elder brother knew exactly what George was talking about. “But our parents tried their best.”
“I know they did, but our best will be better. There are three of us.”
Xavier cleared his throat. “What kind of roles will you and I be able to play though, George? Loving uncles?”
“Why not?” George frowned and tilted his head up to scowl at Xavier. “There’s nothing wrong with that, is there? We’ve always been a close-knit family. Your parents and mine—even though our mothers fought like cats—were always tight. I see no reason why that shouldn’t continue.”
His cousin’s jaw clenched. “I’m concerned.”
“We all are,” Edward replied, his tone gruff.
“Not about the UnReals. About how we’re going to keep this situation of ours under wraps.” Xavier let out a deep sigh. “I-I want to be around the child, guys.”
“Of course you do.” Edward’s tone was matter-of-fact. “I’ve arranged for one of the suites in this wing to be passed onto you.”
Xavier stilled. “Why would you do that?”
“Because I decided to listen to you,” came the wry remark. “And it didn’t take today, or another traumatic event, to prod me forward.
“You’re right, I need to share responsibilities or I will have no quality of life, nothing save for work, work, work. Plus, Perry won’t be happy with us being separated. My primary concern is her, and now the baby. We have to be around more. We have to be what she needs. Perry’s already in a dangerous position because of us. We brought her into this, and the child is innocent too. If we’re not around to soften the blow of increased security and the risks of our status, then what’s the point in her being with us?” He shook his head. “I can’t lose her. I won’t. And that’s even without worrying about the child.”
“But why the rooms?” Xavier asked, confusion lacing his words.
“While the estate is close, it isn’t as close as the palace,” Edward explained. “There will be some nights, some events, where you can be expected to spend the night here at Masonbrook.”
“That would fit in well,” George murmured, impressed with his brother’s reasoning. He scrubbed at his chin and absentmindedly realized he needed to shave. “We could arrange it so most of the later events are ones you attend, Xav. Would you be willing to do that?”
“To be here more, of course.” Xavier blew out a breath. “I wasn’t lying about putting my research on the backburner. I mean it. I wish it didn’t have to be just a hobby…but I’m fine with it being a pastime if it means facilitating this lifestyle of ours.”
“That’s good to hear.” Edward took a deep sip of his drink. “It’s probably handy that Cass is the head Guardian of the Keys. If she finds out, and she may, we can rely on her to stay quiet because of Marcus. He’s like a brother to us—no way she’s going to want to hurt us.”
Xavier tilted his head to the side. “Is he coming over to Veronia?”
“I don’t know.” George ran his finger around the rim of the crystal. As it sang, he murmured, “I still can’t believe he had a heart attack and didn’t tell us.”
Edward shrugged. “We haven’t exactly kept in touch.”
“Speak for yourself,” Xavier retorted, and George quickly concurred:
“You’re the only one who isolates himself, Edward. Not us. Marcus hasn’t said a word. And we only know now because of Perry.”
Wincing, Edward mumbled, “Maybe I should call him tomorrow?”
“Ya think?” George snarked, but there was little point. George knew Edward would end up forgetting.
Rolling his eyes, Xavier commented, “The last time we saw him was at the coronation, and he’s gone back now. He should have stayed. He looked like death warmed up.”
“At the risk of sounding like an even worse friend, I didn’t notice.”
“Why would you? You looked like you were close to puking throughout the entire ceremony.”
“Thanks, George,” Edward said wryly. “I appreciate that.”
George just snorted. “Be grateful I’m excusing you. Otherwise I’d be railing at you.”
“Anyway, before we digress further,” Xavier inserted quickly, “I agree, Ed. Maybe we should introduce more of our friends’ wives to Perry. She’s going to need to change the Guardians sooner or later. I can’t stand having Murielle Harlington around… not if I’m going to be staying here more.”
“It’s all about you,” George retorted, but he grinned as he spoke.
“You know she hates me.”
“Only because you refused to date her daughter.”
“Do you blame me?”
“No. Louise Harlington has teeth bigger than this shot glass. Still, I can see why Murielle wouldn’t like you for it. She’d have loved to rub shoulders with Mother as a close relative.”
Xavier winced. “You’re lucky, Edward. At least they won’t try to matchmake you anymore.”
George laughed. “If I come out as gay, maybe they’ll leave me alone, too.”
“You couldn’t be straighter if you tried,” Edward teased, and he snickered. “But you’re right; I certainly won’t miss that aspect of court.”
“Speaking of, what did you say to Drake today?” George asked; it was the first time they’d been without Perry since she’d been discharged from the hospital. She’d stayed close to each of them throughout the evening, curled up on the sofa at one of their sides, and for once, Edward hadn’t disappeared to his office.
“What do you think I said?” Edward murmured coolly, his eyes on the remnants of whiskey in his glass. “I told him what he shouldn’t have needed to be told.”
“How long did you give him?”
“Less than the week to find the sniper, or he’s out.”
George frowned. “You don’t think he’s in on it, do you?”
Xavier shook his head immediately. “No way. He adored your mother. Everyone knew that. He was half in love with her.”
Tension overwhelmed him, making his stomach, which had just started to calm down, churn once more. “You don’t think they were having an affair?”
“Under Father’s
nose? In such proximity, surely they wouldn’t have been able to keep it a secret, so I doubt Father’s pride would have stood for that,” Edward remarked. “I love him, but his ego was too large to allow something like that to carry on.”
“He’s right, George.”
“Good. I don’t want to be right about that. Still, we need to scout out alternative options, Ed. We can’t just dump Drake and have a vacuum in his position.”
“True. I know someone who works for the Russians currently. Markov would be willing to step in if needs be. He owes me a favor.”
Xavier frowned. “Who’s Markov?”
“I served with him. Good man. Loyal. I saved his life back when we were trying to help calm the situation in the Ukraine down. He was wounded, almost died. I helped him.”
“How?” George demanded, sitting upright. “I never heard this story.”
Edward snorted. “Because it’s not a tale for bedtime, little brother.” The emphasis he placed on the word “little” made George scowl.
“I’d have thought something like that would have been plastered over the newspapers,” Xavier remarked.
“It would have been—if we’d told anyone what truly happened. I didn’t do it for another goddamn medal. I did it because he was a fellow soldier, he was in need of my aid, and then after, we became friends.”
“Wait a minute,” George inserted, feeling very slow on the mark as he carried on, “Markov. That’s a Russian name. You mean to tell me you helped an enemy soldier?”
“Aren’t you glad I did now?” Edward countered coolly. “Especially as he rose through the ranks, was big news with the Kremlin, and left to start his own private security firm a few years back?”
“One good turn deserves another,” Xavier said on a faint laugh as he toasted Edward. “You always do have the luck of the Gods when it comes to things like that.”
“It’s what happens when you’re a basically decent human being,” Edward grumbled. “I don’t expect anything, but I know he’ll be willing to help, especially after Mother and this with Perry. With his ties, he should be able to resolve this situation quickly.”
“If Drake can’t,” George tacked on.
Edward conceded that with a nod. “If Drake can’t.”
“Do you think he won’t be able to find out who did it?”
Turning to Xavier, he shrugged. “I don’t know. Drake’s always been remarkably on the ball but I don’t know what the fuck has happened recently.”
“He’s depressed.”
The soft voice had the three of them shifting in their seats. George was the first to frown at their wife as she trundled in wearing a onesie, of all things—complete with a hood that had floppy ears on it.
“I know for a fact I didn’t buy you that.”
“I’m capable of buying things from Amazon, George,” she groused as she stepped deeper into the room, passing the armchairs where Xav and Ed were sitting, to cuddle up beside him on the sofa. Before she did so, however, she stopped off to caress Xavier’s jaw and kiss her husband on the forehead. As she snuggled up to George, however, she carried on grousing, “If you think I’m wearing silky lingerie after I’ve been shot at, you’re crazy.”
He snorted, but lifted an arm over her shoulder to tuck her closer. “What are you doing awake?”
“I heard you talking. Wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“That we’re okay?” Edward laughed, but it was bitter. “You’re the one who was hurt today, Perry. Not us.”
“Your sense of honor is the size of this country, sweetheart,” Perry said wryly. “I know you too well not to know that you’ll be kicking yourself far harder than I ever could.”
“You were in danger because of us. We could have…” Edward bowed his head. “We could have lost you.”
“And you didn’t. I’m here. Me and a baby; two for one. In fact, I’m a BOGO now.”
“A what?” Xavier demanded.
“Buy One, Get One,” George answered for her with a faint smile. “It’s what they do in supermarkets. You know, those big places that sell food and drink.”
Xavier narrowed his eyes. “I know what a supermarket is,” he said on a sniff.
“How many have you been into, though?” Perry asked, but from the twinkle in her eye, he could tell she was pulling his cousin’s leg.
“Do we have to talk about this?” his cousin said.
“That means less than zero,” George murmured, laughing, and felt his heart lighten when Perry joined in.
“We’ll have to ask to open one together, Xav. I’ll pop your supermarket cherry for you.” She shot him a cheeky grin. “It’s not the best cherry to pop, but hell, beggars can’t be choosers.”
The four of them shot each other a glance, then snickered. The release in tension was palpable, and George knew he wasn’t the only one who could breathe a little deeper as a result.
“Minx,” Xavier said on a sigh, but his eyes tightened after a few seconds, and George knew they were about to revert to serious talk.
Though he wanted to groan at the idea, he kept silent. They needed to discuss this. Needed to keep each other in the loop. If they didn’t, if someone was out in the cold— namely, Perry—then George knew she’d make their lives hell.
“What did you mean when you said Drake was depressed?”
“What do you mean what did I mean?” Perry scowled. “The clue’s in the words, isn’t it? It’s obvious to everyone with eyes he isn’t dealing well with Marianne’s passing. And I know he visits your father every day,” she said pointedly to both him and Edward. “Unlike some people.”
George swallowed back the guilt, but Edward turned his face away, disregarding her words. Or so he thought, until Ed murmured, “I’d visit him if he was awake. Seeing him lying there reminds me too much of Mother.”
Perry’s mouth softened at his admission. “I understand.”
“Do you?” Ed let out a harsh laugh. “I don’t. I know I should visit, I just…can’t.”
Xavier cleared his throat. “It seems a bit of a leap to say that Drake’s depressed, Perry.”
“Does it? Ask him. Talk to the man instead of just yelling at him for not doing his job right. It’s not like he could have known there was going to be a threat today. He’s not a mind reader.”
“There’s always chatter about these things, Perry. You’re new to this life, and you’re new to any kind of danger being present in your day-to-day existence,” George insisted softly. “We’re used to it. We know the score. And Drake does, too. Do you know how hard it is to hire a marksman?”
“Very?” she guessed with a grimace. “But he can’t have been very good, can he?”
“What makes you say that?”
“He had ample time to shoot me; instead, he decided to choose the moment I was close to my guards and they could turtle up around me.”
As one, the three of them scowled, then George said on a blustery exhale, “We need to watch the footage.”
Perry held up a hand. “Trust me, I don’t need to. Seeing it firsthand was quite enough,” she said on a wince. “I was walking along the fence line, greeting people. There were guards staggered along behind the track I was walking, and they were monitoring the situation.
“Then, as I returned to the entrance of the building, the guards came together to cluster around me, and that’s when he fired. He could have hit me, too. Before they crowded me.”
Edward frowned. “Could the sniper have set up late?”
Xavier questioned, “When’s Drake reporting the facts to you?”
“I gave him until tomorrow morning at 5am.”
“To find the sniper?” Perry demanded, aghast. “That’s hardly any time at all.”
“No, to get me information. But it’s plenty of time. Within a handful of hours, the bastard could have been out of the country and free to go anywhere with which Veronia doesn’t share an extradition treaty.” Edward’s mouth firmed. “I should have pushed for more.
I was too lenient on Drake.”
Perry sighed. “Hardly.”
“This is our lives, Perry,” Xavier argued. “We’ve lost a queen on his watch. Today, we almost lost a second. How many chances do we give him?”
“I guess even one chance is being generous,” she admitted, wincing again. She cuddled up deeper into George’s side and he pressed his nose to the crown of her head. She smelled of perfume and shampoo, and he wanted to breathe her in. Absorb the fact that she was alive and well. “Is it wise to put this weight of responsibility on the one man? In the States, we have the FBI and all kinds of other bodies.”
Edward’s lips curved in a half-smile. “Sweetheart, we have them too. It isn’t just on Drake’s shoulders. He’s simply our liaison. He’s who we throw the shit at when we want answers. The entire onus doesn’t rest with him, but our personal security does.”
“You’re not going to have him shot, are you? For failing to do his duty?” That had apparently been haunting her because her fingers plucked nervously at the floppy bunny ear that had curled around her neck.
“Of course not. The man’s committed no act of treason. The only way that would happen is if he’s involved with the UnReals.”
George’s throat clenched at the prospect. “I really hope he isn’t.”
Perry turned in his arms to gape up at him. “You can’t think he is.”
“I don’t know what to think anymore, Perry. Everything’s turned upside-down and beyond fucked up.” He heaved out a sigh. “I don’t want to think he is, and if my gut instinct said he was, then he wouldn’t still be around…but these are treacherous times.”
“We’ll see what he has to say in the morning,” Edward inserted gently. “Now, I think we should go to bed.”
Perry perked up. “The onesie can be removed.”
George snorted. “Cut glass.”
“What about it?” she demanded on a scowl.
“That’s how we’re going to be treating you for the next few days. Like you’re precious crystal.”
She huffed. “Don’t I get a say in it?”
Long Live Queen Perry: Contemporary Reverse Harem (Kingdom of Veronia Book 3) Page 13