“Why’d you lose it? Downsized?”
Julia closed her eyes and hoped he wouldn’t think she blamed him. “No. I went to see my boss’s brother at the hospital the day I saw you. Because of the extra traffic and news crews and everything, I was late to work. That wouldn’t have been a big deal, except for the presentation I was supposed to set up for. My boss had to do it, and everything was running behind, and he fired me.” She shrugged. “I’m hoping when I get back, that he won’t be as mad, and he’ll rehire me. Overall, he really likes me.” Maybe too much. “This was just a really bad time to forget.” Especially given what she now suspected. Her eyes filled with liquid, but she forced it back.
“What else is going on? There’s something else, isn’t there?”
“My apartment was broken into yesterday, though I don’t think anything’s missing, and…” She looked around to make sure no one else was nearby. “I think I’m pregnant.”
* * *
Dancing with so many women he didn’t know could be tedious. At least this time no one tried to slip their number in his coat pocket. After nearly an hour of non-stop movement, he knew the first break would come soon. Justin motioned to him as the dance ended. He bowed to Julia, who’d just dropped a bombshell, and walked to the edge of the floor before anyone else could claim him. He didn’t particularly like to leave her alone, but to dance with anyone but Christiana more than once was to invite gossip he couldn’t afford.
His eyes found his wife on the dance floor. Her soft green dress stood out for its simplicity, and he admired it as she twirled in the arms of Minority Leader Michaels. The man had done everything in his power this week to help find her uncle after his release.
It was the biggest cloud over his evening.
Justin whispered something about the trip back to the palace, and Alexander nodded absent-mindedly. Julia and Alex would join him, Christiana, and Christopher for the trip to the mainland. Justin motioned to a young woman looking nervous. The bride getting married tomorrow. Right.
He asked her to dance, and she accepted. Once on the dance floor, she seemed ill at ease.
“Relax, Ginger. I don’t bite.”
She laughed. “I know, but you’re not the same man who gave us the tour last year.”
“Sure I am.” He glanced down. “I just get to wear this silly blue sash thing now. Is everything ready?”
“It was very kind of the queen to offer all the assistance we needed to get ready for tomorrow. She could have just used her monarch’s privilege to rearrange stuff.”
“She’s not like that.”
“I had a chance to talk with her for a few minutes earlier. It’s easy to see why you love her.”
He didn’t answer so she continued.
“I know the story and all. Let’s face it. Most girls around here are royal watchers. We all dream of marrying Prince Charming and being swept off our feet to become a princess. What’s more important, though, is that the right Prince Charming comes along, with or without the tiara waiting. I found mine in Jonny. The queen found hers in you. You’re her Prince Charming and her white knight all wrapped up in one package. She loves you, and you love her. Anyone here tonight could tell you that.” He twirled her again trying to get her to stop. “And the way you glance at her baby bump? The way her hand is on it when she doesn’t realize it? You’re both beyond blessed, and you both know it, even if you won’t quite confess such to each other or to the public just yet.”
The song came to an end and the first break of the night began. He bowed to Ginger, who just smiled at him, and went to find his wife. She walked out of the ballroom back into the ante room they’d stood in earlier. He followed her to find her sprawled on the comfortable chair placed there for just such a reason.
“Are you all right?” he asked, kneeling next to her.
“My feet hurt, but I will be fine. I just needed a minute away to collapse a bit. I cannot exactly look like this in front of everyone.”
He reached for her hand and squeezed lightly. “You’re doing fabulously. Everyone I’ve talked with loves you. They’re so excited for the baby.”
She smiled weakly. “I am, too.”
“I know. I know you’re ready to be done with being sick and everything. When we get home, I’ll give you the best foot rub you’ve ever had and tuck you in.”
“That sounds heavenly.” She sat up and held out her hands.
He stood and took them, pulling her up. “You ready?”
“As I ever will be.”
Tucking her hand into his elbow, they walked back into the ballroom. This time there was no announcement, and really, no one noticed. Together, they made their way to several tables, talking with those sitting there.
When the music started again, they separated, each ending up with a different dance partner. The next two hours went by quickly and, before he knew it, the dancing ended, and it was time to head back to the palace.
* * *
The call had come too early for a Saturday morning, but it was one she would not turn down. “Prince William.” She nodded at his image on the screen. “How are things in Mevendia?”
“Very well, Your Majesty. My father was quite pleased with the deal your husband negotiated. Believed it to be quite fair.”
“My husband is a shrewd businessman, but one who believes in finding a win-win situation for everyone.”
“Well, he did in this situation.” She could see him shifting in his chair.
“So what can I do for you today?’
“We have been following the developments in Ravenzario this week, cousin.” The man was an exceptionally distant cousin of hers. The royal families of the three countries she spent time in growing up - her own, Mevendia, and Montevaro - were all descended from the same family, over a thousand years earlier. “Mevendia wishes to offer her support in whatever way we can.”
“I heard your father had been in contact with my security people. There has been some troubling news in my country this week.” She sighed. “I am not certain what, if anything, you can do to help, though, William.”
“Perhaps nothing, but knowing you have others on your side can often be an emotional boost if nothing else.”
“Thank you.”
He leaned forward on his desk. She had been in his office before and could visualize the dark wood she could not see. “Today’s news is the most concerning for you, though, is it not?”
Christiana rested her arms on her own desk in her make-shift office. “Pardon?”
“Today’s news.”
She shook her head. “I have heard no news today. Nothing of great import since my uncle’s release on Tuesday.”
William winced. “I am sorry, Christiana. I thought surely someone would have told you by now.”
Diana buzzed from the other room, but Christiana ignored her. “What news?”
He sighed. “Prince Alexander’s affair.”
A very unladylike snort of laughter came from Christiana. “My husband? An affair? I hardly think so.”
Right?
What about the woman he hugged at the hospital? Had she not been a bit dissatisfied with his explanation?
“The pictures are in the papers this morning, Christiana. Not just the tabloids either. They were together a couple of days ago.”
She shook her head. “Impossible. He has not left the palace since the release.” One hand covered her belly. “Alexander is quite protective.”
“Was he really there all day Wednesday?”
Christiana reached for her tablet and searched the schedule, groaning when she saw the entry. “He did have a meeting.” She scrolled through the travel time notes. “And he was gone a good deal longer than needed.”
“Look it up. Or better yet, ask him about it. If he has nothing to hide, he will tell you the whole story.”
She gave the best smile she could. “I will. Thank you for your support, William. Even though we are only three hundred and second cousins, your support
means the world to me.”
He chuckled at the old joke about their relationship. “You are still among my favorite royal cousins, Christiana. You and Addie. Next winter, after the baby comes, we should all get together for a ski trip here in Mevendia. It will be just like old times.” Nestled between Montevaro and Switzerland, Mevendia had the best skiing of the three countries, though all had their share of mountainous terrain. The three cousins were close enough in age that they had spent a fair bit of time together. She would need their support to get through whatever came her way. The airtight mutual defense compact had survived over a thousand years and would not crumble on her watch.
And she learned every day that she might not need defense from just foreign armies.
William’s voice brought her back to the conversation. “If our intelligence agencies can help in any way, be sure to have your people call. Our men have instructions to help in whatever way they can.”
Christiana tapped a pen against the desk, knowing it would drive him crazy but it helped her think. “I will have Tony call later today, but the only thing I know of would be to trace any of my uncle’s movements or contacts in Mevendia and see if any of them are untoward or perhaps part of Mevendia’s seedy underbelly.”
William chuckled. “Mevendia does not have much of a seedy underbelly, Christiana.”
“Neither does Ravenzario, yet my fiancé purchased drugs to kill me with from some of them.”
“Touché. I will talk to my father and the heads of security and intelligence and see what we might have.”
She hesitated before broaching the next subject. “I spoke with Yvette the other day. The wedding plans seem to be coming along.”
William sighed. “I still don’t understand why she has to go through with all of it. I’m sorry, Christiana, but your brother is dead. The wedding is only going to be interesting because of its train wreck properties. My sister is going to be left at the altar by a man who’s been dead nearly two decades. You couldn’t talk my father into letting it go?”
“No. I tried.” She had tried very hard. “Antonio insisted the wedding plans go on.”
“Even though the groom was buried when he was just a couple years old?”
William’s words caught her off-guard. Did he not know the bodies had never been found? Of course, the outcome had been no different than if they had. She had wondered though…did Antonio know something no one else did? Did he believe there was a different reason the bodies had never been found?
Surely not. No one would have kept this from her for so long. “I do not know why the insistence, but please make sure Yvette knows she can call me if she needs anything.”
“I believe she and Lizbeth have things mostly under control, but I will let her know.”
They exchanged a few more pleasantries before Christiana severed the connection. Taking a deep breath, she went to the Ravenzario Chronicle’s home page. The headline blared at her.
Prince Alexander Cavorts with Mistress, Invites Son to Banquet
Feeling sucker punched, she quickly scanned the article. The woman lived in Serenity Landing. Had a son named Alex. Were invited to last night’s banquet and stayed on the property. Nothing new there. Christiana had met the woman and her son. She had not realized Julia was her husband’s alleged paramour.
She went back to the top of the page and clicked on the slideshow of related photos. The first picture was a black and white photo of a much younger Alexander sitting on the grass next to a young lady. Books were spread around them, but they both laughed. She could see the twinkle in his eyes. The one she thought he reserved for her in their private moments.
The caption said it had been taken on the quad of his college campus. She did the math off of the date. He would have been barely twenty-one. The next photo was one of Julia with her newborn son, on the day of his birth. How had they obtained such a photo without the other woman’s help? The date caught her attention and caused her to do another bit of math. Just over nine months after the first photo. She clicked again. The photo through the hospital doors. Julia and her son in Ravenzario the weekend before. The next photo gut-punched her. Alexander told her he had run into an old friend and invited them to the banquet. He had not told her about the hour spent together in the back of his limo or the intimate-looking hug when she emerged.
Five more photos. Could she make it through them? Alexander and Julia dancing the night before. Not too close. Talking and congenial but nothing too out of the ordinary. The next was Alexander down on one knee talking to a seated Alex after dinner. The little boy looked awed. And the resemblance...there certainly was one. Not as much the dishwater brown hair, but the dusky hazel eyes and deep dimples. Nothing definitive, but enough to make tabloids pick up the story. But enough for mainstream news outlets? The last picture told her why they had. Alexander standing at the door of the cottage. A long lens must have been used, but it showed him talking to Julia. How did they get so close?
His tuxedo jacket hung over one arm. His shirt was untucked and his suspenders and tails hung down. Julia looked to be dressed down. Certainly not in the gown she wore to the banquet. Two hours after the banquet ended, he told her he was headed to the security office. Christiana closed her eyes and clicked the next button.
Alexander leaned toward the other woman. Were they about to kiss? She clicked the screen. The last picture. None of him kissing her goodnight. She breathed a prayer of thanks for small favors.
The intercom buzzed again. This time, Christiana reached a shaky hand toward it. “Yes, Diana?”
“Ma’am, there’s something I need to show you.” Her discomfort came through loud and clear.
“I have already seen it.”
Chapter 34
Alexander paced his office. “Where do they get these things?” Justin and Tony both typed furiously on their computers trying to find answers.
“Is she still on the property?” Tony asked.
“As far as I know.” He pulled up another article on his tablet and read basically the same information. “Nothing has ever happened with Julia. Ever.”
“I know, sir.” Tony’s distracted answer kept Alexander from commenting further.
He went to the palace’s official Facebook page and started scrolling through the comments. Most of them were fairly scathing. Calling him names. Berating him for even thinking about cheating on his wife. A few cautioned patience because they’d seen him with Christiana before and didn’t believe a word of it. Most were supportive of Christiana at the very minimum. That was good. She needed the support. Better they think him a cad than turn on her for “poor judgment” or whatever she feared they would think.
Justin stepped out to his office and took a call. When he returned, his grim face told Alexander what he needed to know. Not good news.
“She’s suing for back child support.”
“What?” Alexander exploded. “How? I never slept with her. I never even kissed her. I cannot be his father! A DNA test will show that in no time.”
“Then we’ll insist on having one done.” Justin sat back in his seat. “Your lawyer will be here in a few minutes. He’s coming through security now.”
Charlyn walked in with a notepad in her hand. “We need to try to spin this.”
“There’s nothing to spin!” Alexander insisted. “He’s not my kid. He’s a nice kid, but not mine.”
“And we need to get your side of the story out there.”
“She’s here on palace grounds. Get her in here so we can talk to her, convince her to tell the truth.” Visions of Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson danced in his head.
“No. That would just make things worse.” A man walked in, his suit nearly as nice as Alexander’s. “I’m Ben Tyler, attorney for the royal family. We’ll get a court order for the DNA test and go from there.” Ben looked him dead in the eye. “I know what you’ve said, but, sir, if there is anything I need to know, now is the time to tell me.”
“No. I never slept with
her.” Alexander ran his hand through his hair. “I know it’s hard to believe, in this day and age, not to mention the whole 2 Cool 4 School thing, but I was a virgin when I married the queen. Neither one of us have ever been with anyone else.”
“So where did these pictures come from?”
He sank into one of the chairs. “The pictures are real. We had a couple classes together in college. I remember the photographer telling us jokes to get us to laugh for the newspaper photo. I took her home, once, a long time ago, after a party where she had too much to drink. I ran into her at the hospital. She had a flat tire the other day, and she sat in the limo with me for a while so it could get changed. Her son is fascinated with ‘mom’s friend, the prince’ so I asked if they’d like to come last night and stay in the north cottage. I would have done that for just about anyone I know.”
“What about being detained by the cops and the money you supposedly gave her?”
Alexander just shook his head. “I have no idea about any of that. She told me she’d been detained, and they put her up in a nice hotel and gave her some cash for her inconvenience. She never gave any indication that she thought it came from me.”
“What about money to tide her over until she gets a job?”
“What?” It was too much, all too fast. “How do they know about that?”
“So it’s true?”
“She lost her job last week, in part because of the traffic around the hospital while we were there. I told her to contact one of the charities I work with back in Serenity Landing, and that I’d make sure they didn’t get turned out on the street or lose their car.”
Ben took out a legal pad. “Walk me through the whole thing. From the time you met her until today. Anything you can think of that has anything to do with Julia or Alex.”
Alexander let out a breath and started from the beginning.
* * *
“Mom?”
Julia looked up from her tablet. “Yeah?” Alex laid on the couch and stared at the ceiling.
“When are we leaving?”
Winning the Queen's Heart: Contemporary Christian Romance (The Brides of Belles Montagnes Book 2) Page 24