Royal Secrets

by Abramson, Traci Hunter

  “Of course.” She took a step toward the door before turning to face him once more.

  “Was there something else?”

  “Actually, yes.” She seemed to muster her courage before continuing. “I know you’ve never completely understood Garrett’s reason for becoming a Latter-day Saint, but I thought you should have this.” She pushed the book she carried into his hands. He looked down to see the gold lettering that read simply Book of Mormon. “It might help you understand Alora a little better.”

  Stefano started to hand it back, to insist that he didn’t have a need for it. Then a knock sounded at his door, and he dropped the book into his briefcase before he crossed to answer it.

  His eyebrows lifted when he saw his physician standing in the hall. “Dr. Casale. This is an unexpected surprise.”

  “Your Highness.”

  He motioned to Janessa. “I believe you have met Janessa Rogers.”

  Dr. Casale nodded. “It is good to see you again.”

  “You too, Doctor.” Janessa shook his outstretched hand.

  The doctor shifted his attention back to Stefano. “Your Highness, could I speak with you privately, please? It’s important.”

  “Yes, of course.” For an instant, Stefano had the fleeting hope that the doctor was here to tell him his previous diagnosis had been a mistake. Then he noticed the serious expression on his face and worried that the doctor was once again about to be the bearer of bad news. He turned to Janessa and said, “Would you excuse us for a few minutes?”

  “Of course.” She nodded. “In case I don’t see you before you leave, have a safe trip.”

  “Thank you.” As soon as Janessa left, he closed the door and turned his attention to the doctor. “Please sit down, Doctor.”

  “Thank you.” He took a seat and then looked around the room, apparently making sure they were really alone.

  “Is something wrong?” Stefano prompted.

  “Belinda Parnelli, the nurse who ran the blood work on you at the hospital, is missing.”

  “What do you mean missing?”

  “No one has seen her since she finished her shift at the hospital almost three weeks ago.”

  “She’s been missing for almost a month? Why am I only hearing about this now?”

  “I received a call from her brother a few weeks ago to let me know they had a death in the family and that she would be gone for a couple weeks. I was worried when she didn’t show up this week, so I stopped by her house this morning to see if everything was okay.” He took a steadying breath. “Her family said that they had received a phone call too, but the man who called them said he was from my office and that she was coming with me for a few weeks to take care of you here in Bellamo.”

  A vague image of the young woman with the quiet bedside manner formed in Stefano’s mind. Confusion and concern mingled together. “Do you think she was kidnapped?”

  “I’m afraid so.”

  “I don’t understand. Who would possibly go to such trouble to kidnap a nurse? And why?”

  “The police have been talking to everyone she knows. They have all confirmed what I already know. She has always been incredibly responsible and honest. She goes to chapel every Sunday.” He hesitated a moment as though trying to control his emotions. His voice wasn’t quite steady when he added, “If she had wanted to go away somewhere, she would have informed her family and me before she left.”

  “Do you have any idea what anyone would want with her? An old boyfriend maybe?”

  Dr. Casale shook his head. “I’m sorry, Your Highness, but the only thing that makes her any different from the other nurses at the hospital is that she knows the results of your medical tests.”

  “I see.” Stefano let the reality of the situation sink in. A young woman’s safety could be in jeopardy because she knew he had Merid’s syndrome. His concern for her welfare overshadowed the dread seeping through him. “Did you explain to the police why you think she was kidnapped?”

  “Not in detail, but they are aware that she has access to private medical files on many of the prominent families in Meridia.”

  “Have the police found anything else to indicate what happened to her?”

  “They believe she was abducted from the hospital, but they don’t have any leads yet on where she might be now. Apparently her car was still parked at the hospital parking lot, and the call her parents received came shortly after she left work. Since no one has heard anything in the past three weeks, the police don’t expect any kind of ransom demand, not that her family would be in a position to pay much anyway.”

  “This isn’t a coincidence, is it?” Stefano’s voice was tight, and he fought against the trepidation that the public was about to share his private turmoil.

  “I’m sorry, sir, but I don’t think so.” Dr. Casale clenched his hands together, his voice compassionate. “I really am sorry.”

  “So am I.”

  Chapter 30

  Stefano stared out the palace window at the castle ruins to the west. More than four hundred years had passed since the civil war in France spilled into his country and ultimately destroyed the Fortier’s first ancestral home. A fight over religion had been at the root of the conflict, a conflict he had never truly understood. His family had nearly been forced from power, his country nearly swallowed up by its neighbors, but the first King Stefano had refused to concede. He had used cunning and strength, loyalty and perseverance to defend Meridia’s borders as well as its way of life.

  Now Stefano found himself wondering how the citizens of Meridia would feel when they realized that someday their king would not share their religious beliefs. Would religion once again threaten to tear his country apart? Would the monarchy be endangered or even destroyed when Meridia’s citizens discovered that one day they would be ruled by someone who was not of their faith?

  He had thought he alone understood the inevitability of this, but now he wasn’t so sure. The details behind Belinda Parnelli’s disappearance had rolled over and over in his mind since last night when the doctor had given him the news. If she really had been the only other person who knew he had tested positive for Merid’s syndrome, no one would have known she possessed sensitive information about him.

  The certainty of this fact left Stefano with two theories, neither of them good. First was the possibility that she had shared the information with someone and that act had put her in danger. The second thought was that someone else already knew he had Merid’s. The doctor had told him the test had been run once before. What if someone had intercepted the first results and for whatever reason was holding on to that information?

  Even more disconcerting was the possibility that someone was actively collecting potentially damaging intelligence on him and his family. Even though the listening devices discovered in the chateau were only discovered in some of the common areas, no one could be certain that Garrett’s religious beliefs were not transmitted to some unknown intelligence agency.

  His family understood that Garrett’s baptism would eventually leak. They all hoped to be able to control the information until they were best prepared to deal with any media fallout, but no one else in the family knew that Stefano too had a secret. The burden of that secret weighed heavily upon him, and he knew he could no longer carry it alone.

  Turning from the window, he drew a deep breath and hoped he was doing the right thing.

  His father was seated behind his desk when Stefano entered, and his mother was sitting in one of the chairs across from him. King Eduard looked up and offered a smile as Queen Marta stood to envelop Stefano in a hug. “Welcome home,” she said.

  “Thank you.” Stefano held on to her a moment longer than expected, always appreciating her quiet strength and unwavering support. He smiled down at her as he drew away. “I’ve missed you the last few weeks.”

  “We have missed you too.” Marta sat back down and motioned for Stefano to sit in the chair beside her.

  King Eduard settled back
into his seat. “Have you managed to make any headway on those financial matters?”

  “Not yet.” Stefano shook his head, and his stomach tightened as he added, “Alora is still filtering through the bank accounts.”

  Eduard’s eyebrows drew together. “Is everything okay?”

  Stefano took a deep breath and pushed the image of Alora to the back of his mind. “I have something we need to discuss.”

  The king straightened a bit, but his expression didn’t change. “What is it?”

  “After my accident, the doctor ordered some blood tests on me.”

  A flash of concern illuminated the king’s face before he controlled it. “Yes, Dr. Casale mentioned that.”

  Stefano tried to keep his voice matter-of-fact, even though his stomach was twisted in knots. He glanced at his mother briefly before addressing his father once more. “Did he mention that one of the tests was for Merid’s syndrome?”

  Slowly, Eduard shook his head. “You were tested for Merid’s years ago, before you entered the navy.”

  “The first test results are missing. The second test results were destroyed.”

  “Why . . .” Eduard’s voice trailed off as awareness and denial lit his eyes.

  Stefano drew a breath and forced himself to say the words, though he saw the knowledge on his father’s face. “I have Merid’s syndrome. I can’t produce an heir.”

  Silence encompassed the room. Eduard swallowed hard, finally managing to ask, “You’re sure?”

  Stefano nodded. “Dr. Casale said they ran the test several times. He repeated it himself when he came to give me the news. All the results were the same.”

  Marta reached out and put her hand on his arm in an effort to comfort. “Stefano, I can’t tell you how sorry I am. I thought that since we haven’t had a case of Merid’s for the past few generations our family was finally free of the disease.”

  “I thought the same thing, but obviously it’s still very much a part of our family.” Stefano drew a breath before continuing. “There is more you need to be aware of.”

  Eduard’s expression was deceptively calm as Stefano explained the disappearance of Dr. Casale’s nurse, his concerns about the missing test results, and the possibility that the news of Garrett’s baptism could have been compromised.

  “Father, I keep going over all the details in my head, trying to make sense of it all, but I keep coming back to the possibility that someone is sitting on this information so they can use it to serve some purpose in the future,” Stefano said. “What I don’t understand is who would gain from exposing our family secrets.”

  “You mean, who would benefit from creating chaos here in Meridia,” Eduard corrected.

  “You don’t think Uncle Elam could be behind all of this, do you?”

  “I don’t know what to think.” Eduard shook his head. “We are already concerned that Elam might have known about the listening devices, and I suppose it’s possible he could have used his position as a family member to access your medical file.”

  “But why hold on to it for all of this time?” Stefano asked. “The initial tests for Merid’s were taken more than ten years ago.”

  “Yes, but exposing the diagnosis back then wouldn’t have gained him or anyone else anything except perhaps some money from the media. Now that your brother is potentially vulnerable, it’s possible someone plans to do more than cause our family a bit of embarrassment.”

  “Does Elam know Garrett is Mormon?”

  “Not that I’m aware, but those listening devices were active until a few weeks ago. If he had any involvement with that, it’s possible he or someone else picked up on that information,” Eduard said. “And as much as I like Janessa, she is American. Even if no one knows about your brother, Liberté certainly can’t be pleased about who he has chosen to marry.”

  Marta interrupted. “Eduard, I think it’s time you have a talk with your brother.”

  “If he is involved, we need more than speculation to get information out of him. I need proof.”

  Stefano nodded in agreement. “Alora should be done with her analysis today or tomorrow. I’ll call her this evening and see if she has found anything that might point a finger at Elam.”

  “And I’ll speak with Janessa about enlisting her help to see if the CIA can do some more quiet digging for us,” Eduard said.

  “I also think we need to consider publicizing Garrett’s conversion to the Mormon Church sooner rather than later,” Stefano suggested.

  “What good would that do?” Marta asked. “Garrett wants to keep his religion private as long as he can, and I don’t know what good can come from turning his decision into a media circus.”

  Stefano’s shoulders lifted slightly. “If we release the information, we can control how it is handled. If someone really is trying to use our private affairs against us, the best thing we can do is bring some of this out in the open.”

  “Stefano’s right.” Eduard nodded thoughtfully. “Especially now that we know the monarchy will someday pass to the son Garrett will hopefully give us, it would be best if the country start acclimating to the situation while the information can still be controlled.”

  “I thought perhaps Garrett and Janessa could come to the palace for the council dinner this weekend. It would give us some time together to decide how best to handle the announcement.”

  “We can make that happen.” Eduard nodded. “Now tell me about Alora. I know Janessa is very fond of her, but are you sure she can be trusted?”

  Stefano’s stomach muscles clenched again. The look on his father’s face told him he was fishing for information, but Stefano wasn’t ready to confide in him about his feelings yet, not while Alora was still erecting barriers between them. Instead he simply nodded and said, “She can be trusted.”

  Chapter 31

  Alora stared at the information in front of her. Even after two days of research, she still wasn’t able to put her finger on what was wrong with the financial picture as a whole. Her progress had slowed since Stefano had left the day before. Janessa had given her his cell number, but she was determined not to use it until she could find some clarity in her feelings for him.

  When he first left, she had felt a mixture of relief and regret. Now she was riddled with doubts even though one thing was certain: she missed him.

  Maybe she was overthinking their relationship. Obviously Stefano was doing fine without her since he hadn’t felt the need to say good-bye before he left. At least he hadn’t said good-bye to her. The boys apparently had ranked higher than her on Stefano’s list of priorities since they mentioned he had said his good-byes after he finished his ride with Dante. She couldn’t say why that irked her so much. She had told Stefano she needed space, but she hadn’t meant this much space.

  She opened a new spreadsheet and decided to deal with the data the old-fashioned way. She would organize it.

  For several hours, she typed in data, listing bank transactions, expense reports, and contractors. Her progress was slow, but once she began manipulating the data, the patterns finally appeared.

  “Signora?” Martino broke into her thoughts.

  Alora looked up to see him standing in the doorway next to a man who appeared to be about her age. “Yes?”

  “Jacques Neuville asked to see you.”

  Alora glanced down at the papers strewn across Stefano’s desk. Instinctively she hit the power button on the monitor and flipped over the top page of the financial records she had been reviewing. Then she looked at the man beside Martino. “I’m sorry, but have we met?”

  “No, signora, but I was hoping you might be able to help me,” Jacques said.

  “Help you with what?”

  He glanced at Martino, who was still standing in the doorway like a silent sentry. “May we speak privately?”

  She nearly granted his request automatically. Then a sense of uneasiness combined with logic. She didn’t know this man, and from what she had observed after a month of living
at the chateau, Martino was trusted implicitly by the royal family. She couldn’t think of any subject that couldn’t be discussed in front of him.

  Alora stood but remained behind Stefano’s desk. “I’m sure Martino can be trusted with anything you want to discuss with me.”

  “It is a private matter.”

  “Sir, since we have never met, we can hardly have any private matters to discuss.”

  His face flushed slightly, but he maintained his professional demeanor.

  He glanced at Martino and then bowed slightly to Alora. “In that case, I’m sorry I took up any of your time. Enjoy the rest of your afternoon.”

  Alora kept her voice neutral to mask her confusion. “Thank you. You too.”

  Jacques turned to leave, and Alora caught the odd expression on Martino’s face. She went with her instincts and added, “Martino, after you show Signore Neuville out, may I speak with you, please?”

  “Of course, signora.”

  A few minutes later, Martino reappeared in the doorway holding a small box wrapped in silver paper. “Was there something you needed?”

  “Martino, who was that man?”

  “He attended college with Prince Stefano. He now works in the oil industry.”

  “Do you have any idea what he wants to talk to me about privately?”

  “I can’t be certain, but there have been instances in the past when the media has printed private information shortly after one of his visits.”

  “You think he was looking for a story?”

  Martino granted her a small smile. “I think you handled the situation perfectly. Prince Stefano would have been proud.”

  Pleasure, warm and sweet, filled her, and Alora returned his smile. “Thank you.”

  “Oh, I almost forgot. This came for you earlier.” He crossed to the desk and handed the box to her.

  Alora set it on the desk and ran a finger over the smooth paper. “Who is this from?”

  “Prince Stefano.”