He squeezed her hand again. “I have another meeting, but I’ll be back to talk to you later. We’ll have dinner in bed.”
She would have dinner in bed. He would lounge on top of the covers or sit in the chair next to her. The doctor’s words came back to her. She would do what was necessary, but not recommended “out of an abundance of caution.” A plan began to form. Necessary? Those recommendations she would take with a grain of salt.
And make her own plans.
Chapter 21
Alexander sat in one of the board rooms across from a screen. On the screen were two faces - the CEO of the largest wine distributor in Mevendia and their Crown Prince William. Alexander had met the young royal several times, but didn’t know him well and only remembered that he was quite tall.
“Gentlemen,” he said as he leaned forward. “Subject to approval of the queen and Parliament, we have a deal.” Though he was authorized to negotiate on Christiana’s behalf, she still needed to approve the details. “I would imagine the approval will be forthcoming in the next few weeks. Mevendian wine will fill up the shelves here in Ravenzario again before Thanksgiving.”
The two men exchanged a glance. “Thanksgiving?” William asked. “That is an American holiday, is it not?”
Alexander chuckled. “I suppose it is.” He looked up as Justin walked in the side door. The near frantic look on his face told Alexander all he needed to know. “Gentlemen, I’m being called away on a matter of some urgency. We’ll contact you if we need anything else and, please, be sure to do the same.”
“Of course,” William replied. “Please give our best to the queen.”
With a nod, Alexander had the connection terminated. “What is it?” he asked Justin.
“The queen is missing.” No preamble, just straight to the heart of the matter.
Alexander’s stomach clenched then dropped to the floor. “How long?”
“Ten, maybe fifteen, minutes.”
“So she can’t have left the palace.”
“Possible, but unlikely.”
Alexander trotted through the halls of the palace to the apartment. Diana paced in front of the windows, wringing her hands. “I’m sorry, sir. I don’t know where she went. She asked if I would get her something to drink, and when I got back she was gone.”
“She can’t have gone far.” He ran a hand through his hair and wished he knew her better.
“Why...?” Tears snuck down her cheeks. “She’s on bed rest.”
That’s when it hit him. “Dr. McCall said she was being extra careful and with anyone else she would have lifted the restrictions already. The queen wouldn’t do anything to hurt the baby, but if she thought Dr. McCall was being unreasonable, she might have been willing to go do something. Nothing big but...”
An idea came to him. He had to check. “Keep looking.” Alexander ran as fast as he dared with staff members darting out of his way as he pounded through the palace. He burst through the door into the garden and skipped as many stairs as he safely could before bolting through the maze.
Alexander skidded to a stop as he rounded the hedge into the center. There she sat, on the bench where he’d proposed to her.
“Tia!” He dropped to a knee beside her. “What are you doing?”
She looked up at him, her face pale. “I needed some air. Dr. McCall said with anyone else she would give clearance to stop bed rest.”
He pulled his phone out of his pocket and called Justin. He didn’t take time for pleasantries. “I found her. She’s fine. I’ll bring her back in a few minutes. You can stay put.” He slid his phone back into his pocket. “You scared us, Tia.”
Moving to sit next to her, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Pulling her close, Alexander let relief wash over him. “Are you all right?”
“I am. I just got tired more quickly than I expected.” She rested her head against his shoulder. “I thought I would sit for a few minutes and then go back. I did not intend to worry anyone.”
His heart had nearly resumed its normal rhythm. “I know.”
“How did the meeting with Mevendia go?”
For the time being, he let the subject be changed, and he told her about the meeting.
“Thank you for taking care of that. It is likely a better deal than I would have negotiated.”
They sat there for several minutes, soaking in the sun and watching the waves in the distance. “Are you ready to go in?” he finally asked.
“Yes.”
Alexander stood before she had the chance to and helped to her feet. Not giving her a choice in the matter, he swept her into his arms.
“Xander!” Christiana squealed and grabbed his shoulders. “I can walk.”
“No, Queen Christiana. You are not going to walk.” Walking much more slowly than before, he retraced his steps to the apartment, setting her back on the bed. “Promise me you’ll stay here?”
Her eyes fluttered shut as she nodded. “I think I will take a nap. I promise.”
Alexander covered her with a blanket and left the room. Once out of her line of sight, he sagged against the wall and let out a huge breath. Stress bled off of him in waves as he whispered prayers thanking God for her safety.
* * *
The curtains were tightly closed when Christiana awoke. A glance at the clock told her she had slept for nearly two hours. Who knew a walk to the garden could take so much out of a girl?
Reaching for the remote control, she lowered the screen and turned on the projector. Before she could change the input to the 2 Cool 4 School shows, a face appeared. One that haunted her dreams from time to time, though she had been told his transfer to Pirate’s Island took place while she was at sea with Alexander.
Curious, she turned up the sound.
“...a prominent businessman in Vashta was to make an appearance at the local orphanage today. For the last week, organizers have been trying to get a hold of him only to be told he would be unable to attend. Given his appearance at the fundraiser for the last several years, one of the organizers took it upon himself to find out why.”
Another man appeared on the screen with a microphone held in front of him. “I can’t explain why I felt something was off, but I did. I contacted his family, even his wife clammed up when I asked about him. I went to the police. No one was interested in talking to me. But a couple days ago, I talked with a guy who said he’d been arrested by the palace security team. There’s no record in the public database, but he’s not anywhere to be found.”
The picture returned to the reporter. “We reached out to the palace earlier today, but there seemed to be some sort of incident taking place and none of our calls were answered or messages returned. We hope that the palace security team will tell us what they know or that anyone with information on...”
Christiana clicked off the sound before the reporter spoke his name.
And then it sank in.
Even his wife clammed up when I asked about him.
She bolted for the bathroom but knew she would never make it. Grabbing the rubbish bin next to her desk, what little she had eaten for lunch came out.
Over and over, she heaved. Even after her stomach emptied, it continued. Muscles in her abdomen began to cramp as tears flowed down her cheeks.
Where was Alexander when she needed him?
Behind her the door opened, slowly at first then faster.
“Christiana?” He knelt beside her, his hand on her back as she finally managed to get the heaves under control. “What is it, sweetheart?”
She pushed the trash can away from her, and sank against him, sobs shaking her body. He held her, cradled her, and rocked her until the storm subsided.
“What is it, sweetheart?” he repeated.
“He was married,” she whispered. “The whole time he courted me, insisted we keep everything a secret, proposed to me, he was already married.”
Alexander’s voice echoed her own disbelief. “It’s not possible. We’ve checked out everythi
ng about him. Nothing points to him having a wife, or even a girlfriend or sister someone might mistake for a wife.”
Christiana told him about the news story. He shifted slightly, and she knew he wanted to go check it out for himself. “Help me back to bed?” she asked. “I am all right, and I would appreciate it if you would look into it for me.”
He helped her stand, then held her close. She loved the feeling of his arms around her, supporting her, comforting her. Loving her. After a minute, he brushed his lips against the top of her head and lifted her into those arms. She loved his strength. There would have been no way he could have made her feel the same, though she once thought he did. What she felt then was a mere shadow of what she felt for this man.
“I’ll send Diana in to sit with you,” he told her as he helped her get comfortable. “I don’t want you to be alone. When I know something, I’ll tell you, okay?”
She nodded. Her stomach muscles were sore from the “work out,” and she was worn out again already. “I think I will try to sleep.” The television had moved onto other stories. “Would you turn that to a different input then turn it off?”
He changed it to a black screen with her favorite classical music playing softly in the background.
“Thank you.” Alexander took such good care of her. Why had she not fallen in love with him first?
The thought startled her, though she could not muster up the energy to even open her eyes.
When had she fallen in love with him?
And did he feel the same about her?
PHOTO: Mystery man enters side gate onto palace grounds
~
Speculation is running rampant about the connection of this man to the palace. Several pictures have surfaced of him entering the palace grounds over a year ago so he must have been known to them. What remains to be seen is what exactly his relationship with the palace was.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a source tells us he was arrested a few weeks before the wedding and put in the dungeon. No longer a dungeon in the medieval sense, the prison housed in the basement of the palace is seldom used for anything more than the occasional tour or on the rare occasion a guest needs to be detained for some reason.
The source did not know why the arrest was made, only that now-prince consort Alexander was a part of the process. The prisoner was later moved to Pirate’s Island.
Some of the speculation includes an attempt on the life of either the queen or the, at the time, soon-to-be Prince Consort. Other rumors suggest espionage or spying on behalf of a corporation.
The palace has responded to every request for information with a “no comment at this time” reply.
Chapter 22
“What do we do?” Alexander forced himself to remain seated. He wanted to walk. To pace. To find the dude and deck him.
“For now we continue with the ‘no comment at this time’ responses to the stories.” PR Director Charlyn Turani looked as tired and stressed as he felt. At least he’d known what happened. She’d had no clue about most of it.
“That’s not going to last. The press won’t let up until they find out what the truth is.”
“I know. We don’t have much time, either. The story is going to come out one way or another, and it’s up to us to spin it the best way we can.”
“There is no need for spin.”
Everyone turned to see Queen Christiana standing at the door to the conference room. Alexander jumped to his feet and helped her to a seat.
“We will tell the truth. Nothing more. Nothing less. The truth is, I was taken in by a very smooth operator who planned to kill me after our wedding - a wedding that would not have been valid in the first place as he already belonged to another.” That bit of information had been confirmed in the last twenty-four hours. The marriage had taken place in Australia, and the couple never filed any paper work in Ravenzario to indicate what their relationship was. “Even before he was arrested, I had begun having doubts and questioned my feelings both for him and for Alexander. When the arrest took place, Alexander and I discussed our feelings for each other and saw no reason why the wedding needed to be called off.”
Everything she said was true. They had discussed their feelings, or lack there-of, prior to agreeing to go ahead with the wedding. He would talk to her later about whether or not that was the best way to handle it. Or should they be honest with the public? Given the recent past in Ravenzario, they both believed calling off the wedding and the story being publicized would shake the very foundations of their government. In the interests of her people, she decided to marry a man she didn’t love but knew she could trust and respect. If done right, she would earn the sympathy and respect of the people. If handled poorly, things could end up much worse than they already were.
“We will have the press conference tomorrow.” Christiana’s tone brooked no argument. “I am not feeling able today, and we need the time to prepare the official statement. Tomorrow morning, we will meet with the press in the garden. I will make a statement. I may or may not take questions depending on the state of my health at the time. Set up a time and get the announcement out as soon as possible.”
She pushed back from the table. “I am going to rest and do some work from the apartment. If you need anything else, please call.”
Everyone stood, though Alexander was the only one who followed her out. Holding her elbow to keep her close to him, he asked her those questions.
Christiana considered his words. “Have them prepare two statements to send me. One with the official, not lying but not quite the whole truth either, version and one with everything as you said it. I will look them over from the apartment, make notes, and send them back.”
One of the aides he didn’t know appeared with a wheelchair. That made Alexander feel better. She likely had them bring her close enough to the room to walk in on her own and now was being assisted back.
Alexander turned and went back into the meeting room. “Okay. So, what do we say and when?” By the time the meeting adjourned an hour later, two drafts of a speech had been written for the queen. He had given them his tentative approval since much of it revolved around him as well. A press release was sent out calling for reporters to meet for a statement and possibly a few questions at ten the next morning.
When he made it to their room in the apartment, Christiana sat cross-legged on the bed, staring intently at the screen and the documents visible.
“Wow. I never knew Times New Roman 12 point font could be quite so big.”
“It is the size of the screen, not the font.” A number of red notations showed on both versions.
“Working them side by side?” The question was more to make conversation.
“The opening paragraphs are identical so I made identical changes to both.” She scrolled down on one and made a few more notes.
“Have you decided which one you’re leaning toward?”
“No.” Her brow furrowed as she continued to scroll and make tweaks.
Okay. When his wife was “in the zone”, she didn’t like to be bothered. Good to know. He pulled out his tablet and opened one of the books his brother had gifted to him. Not his normal genre, he still found himself enjoying the outer space saga written by an actual physicist named Randy Ingermanson and a biochemist named John Olson. Reclining against the headboard it seemed like a good way to get his mind off of everything for a bit.
Alexander was so engrossed in Oxygen that he jumped when she spoke again.
“Here.” She held out the wireless keyboard. “I emailed them to you. Would you go through and make any more notes or changes while I take a shower?”
He watched her walk carefully to the bathroom before picking up the wireless keyboard and reading through both versions. The changes she’d made were good ones, and he only noted a few others. After emailing them back, he pulled his tablet back out and immersed himself in the space adventure once more.
* * *
Christiana smoothed down t
he front of her black wool coat. Why had she insisted this press conference be held outside again? Right. The sunshine. The temperatures were warmer than they had been but not as warm as summer would be. Her gloves would remain on until just before she walked out to the podium.
And she still had not decided which speech to give.
“How’re you holding up?” Alexander slid his arm around her waist.
“I will be fine.” Another deep breath.
He moved closer and around until they faced each other. Their fingers laced together as he rested his forehead on hers. “Father, we come before You and ask that You give Christiana strength and wisdom. Let her words come from You. Keep her strong. Keep the baby safe. Let Your peace surround us both. Go before us into the garden and behind us as we leave. We thank you for your everlasting goodness and mercy.” His words stopped but the moment continued until Charlyn cleared her throat, and then he stepped away.
One more pass with her hand over the baby bump just beginning to show and Christiana nodded.
Charlyn led the way, with Christiana following. Alexander walked a half step behind with his hand resting on the small of her back, comforting and supporting her. After adjusting the microphone, Charlyn made a short statement.
“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for attending on short notice. The queen will make a statement. As you are aware, the queen has been placed on restricted activity at this point in her pregnancy. If she feels able, she may take a few questions. However, it is possible she will decide the statement is all she is up to for the day. A copy of her prepared remarks will be available after the press conference ends.” Because Christiana still had not decided which speech to give. Both versions waited for her on the podium.
A hand raised and Charlyn nodded toward Matt Markinson. “Will Prince Alexander answer any questions?”
Charlyn leaned back in toward the microphone. “Perhaps.” She turned and Christiana nodded. “Ladies and gentlemen, Her Majesty, Queen Christiana.”
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