This wasn’t anything like Harrison had expected his afternoon and evening to go.
He sat at the head table with his father, the Council chairman and the two majority leaders in Parliament.
His father would handle this hearing or whatever they were calling it. He’d already put the duke in his place twice, but he’d have to be fair and equitable and do the same to Harrison, Lani, or the member of the council guiding her if necessary.
“Duke of Albertion, what is the grievance you’re bringing that requires the attention of so many of our country’s leaders when they already had pressing business to attend to?” His father had a gavel in front of him that he could use, though he hadn’t yet.
The duke glanced at the rest of the room, including the two cameras recording everything for posterity.
“Your claim, sir?” the king prodded.
It was hard for Harrison to think of him as papa at the moment.
“The late king signed a marriage contract between his youngest grandson, Prince Harrison, and my eldest granddaughter Lady Lana. Your family has broken the contract.”
“Do you have your copy of the contract, so it can be verified as valid?”
He pulled a leather pouch out of the bag on the table. “I do.”
News to Harrison. The duke had claimed he didn’t have it with him just ninety minutes earlier. He must have sent someone to get it.
“Where is the palace’s copy?” the chairman asked.
“We’ve been unable to find it. The Keepers of the Hall have searched and come up empty-handed so far. It’s not filed in the family or public papers for that time period. Those are the only two classifications of papers in the Hall of Records. I’ve personally searched or had searched every safe or other secure location I’m aware of.”
“This is the only copy?” the chairman confirmed.
“The only copy able to be produced at the moment,” the king confirmed.
“Is it possible it’s a forgery?” The chairman looked over the duke as he said it.
The councilman at Lani’s side spoke. “We would not accuse the duke of intentionally falsifying something as important as this, but we do question the lack of an official copy as well as the lack of knowledge of the agreement by anyone outside of the duke’s household.”
“As do I.” The Chairman frowned as he read the document encased in the leather pouch. “For service to the crown above and beyond the call of duty?” He looked at the duke. “Pray tell what this service was.”
“I’m not at liberty to do so in this company. The details are classified and will be for decades.”
The frown deepened.
The king pushed back from the table and stood. “Then you will tell us in a closed session.”
Those who knew they would be allowed in such a meeting stood and followed the king into another room, giving Harrison a clear line of sight to the other woman in the room.
Lady Flirtatious. Her grandfather had hidden her from Harrison’s view until he moved.
He looked then to the other side where Lani looked uncertain and like she could cry at the drop of a hat.
For the first time in far too long, he looked into her eyes. He tried to convey everything he felt and to tell her to be strong.
She gave him a small, but genuine, smile.
Soft conversation filled the room as the other members of this unusual convention talked about a variety of topics while they waited.
Lady Flirtatious stood and made her way to Harrison’s side, sitting in the seat next to him and swiveling it until she was far, far closer than he was comfortable with.
“You know, when my grandfather comes back, your father will be forced to admit that the claim is valid.” She wrapped one hand around the back of his bicep and ran the fingers of her other hand over the front of it.
Harrison stared straight ahead, attempting to keep his face expressionless as she continued to whisper to him about how their wedding would far eclipse the “ridiculous one on a mud-colored lake in a ludicrous-sounding county.”
That statement was loud enough to be heard by most of the room. Conversations stopped for a moment then picked back up.
She continued with suggestive-bordering-on-lewd comments about what would happen after the wedding.
Harrison still didn’t respond and continued to study the shoes of the man in the front row of the chairs on the other side.
Even though the cameras were in the far corners, every sound was picked up by microphones around the room, including the one in front of him.
Maybe she thought it wasn’t on.
But red dots signified the cameras’ activity, so the mics were on as well.
He’d have to warn his father before the tape was archived or released.
The door behind him opened. She squeezed his arm and went back to her seat.
She also hadn’t curtsied to his father at any point during the day, at least not that Harrison had seen.
Those who’d left the room took their seats.
Harrison’s father spoke first. “The crown is satisfied that there exists the potential that the document is real based on the statement of Duke Albertion and pending further investigation into his claims when we have the time to do so.”
Fabulous.
Whatever the duke had done must be pretty impressive and far beyond helping get some obscure bill passed through Parliament like they’d assumed.
Harrison resisted the urge to look at Lani, to plead with her to believe he wanted nothing to do with the other woman. That he’d choose her all over again.
“Then we are to decide if this claim of reward is valid, without any other proof except this copy.”
“What exactly does all this mean?” Lani blurted out. Had she been crying? Had Lady Scandalous gotten to her?
The councilman spoke softly to her, and she nodded.
“Quite simply, it means we will decide if the contract must be enforced. If so, Prince Harrison will have to choose whether to honor the contract or decline. If he declines, we must then decide his fate.”
Harrison glanced at his father, but his face appeared to be etched in stone.
The chairman glanced at Harrison, compassion on his face. That couldn’t be good.
“In this case, Prince Harrison will find himself stripped of his titles, his personal and family funds, access to public funds and property, as well as spending a not insignificant amount of time in prison before being exiled and shunned by all, including his family, upon release.”
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The gasps in the chamber were audible. Lani’s was probably loudest.
“Jail time?” the king asked, a frown on his face.
“Yes.” The chairman sighed. “PBL 47 of 1812, section 3, subsection 8, paragraph 2. The consequences include imprisonment. The amount of time will be determined by the perceived severity of the disregard for the contract.”
Madi stood up from her spot in the back. “San Majoria seems like a really lovely place, and I’ve enjoyed getting to know the people here today, but you really need to have someone go through all of the laws on the books and get rid of some of these antiquated, ridiculous laws.”
The councilman at her side tugged on her arm until she sat back down.
“You’re an outsider.” The duke nearly yelled at Madi, then turned to Lani. “You both are. What do you know about our customs or our people or our laws?”
The king glared at both of them. “That is quite enough. While I don’t disagree that perhaps it’s past time to look through the entire legal code to see what is outdated and needs replacing or rescinding entirely, for the moment that is neither here nor there. Both of you will be quiet unless you’re asked a direct question.”
Lani knew the king had to be fair, but the reprimand still stung.
For the next hour, she sat still and silent as the council and members of Parliament asked questions and then she, the king, Harrison, Madi, the duke, and his granddaughter were asked to
leave while the rest of them debated their fate.
The duke and his granddaughter were taken out a separate door, while Lani found herself in the king’s office.
“What exactly did he do that would warrant this kind of deal?” Harrison asked his father as soon as the door closed.
King Edward sank onto one of the chairs, looking defeated. That wasn’t good. “I can’t give you details, but it appears he saved my father’s life from a would-be assassination attempt.”
“I’ve never heard of a serious attempt on Grandfather.”
“I have.”
They all turned to see Grandmother Grace walking through the door.
“And I’m not bound by the same confidentiality the rest of you are, Edward. Have a seat, and I’ll tell you all about it.”
She proceeded to tell them about an attempt on her late husband’s life. A trusted staff member, upset because he hadn’t been granted leave to spend time with his dying mother due to the Independence Ball, decided to kill the king. Grandmother Grace was adamant her husband would have given him the time and later reprimanded the manager who denied the request.
The duke overheard the man talking to himself but wasn’t able to find security in time. Instead, he tackled the man himself.
“That’s all well and good, Mother.” King Edward still looked downcast. “But that doesn’t explain why Father would sign this ludicrous contract.”
“He wouldn’t. I don’t believe he did. I just wish you would have come to me sooner. Having me in that meeting would have changed the dynamic and possibly the outcome.”
“So this duke guy forged the contract?” Madi asked. “I don’t know, but that seems like something that would be really difficult to do.”
“It is, but it could be done, in theory. That’s why there are always two copies.” King Edward sat back in his chair. “I should have insisted harder that it’s void without the palace’s copy.”
“You can only press so hard, Father.” Harrison slumped. “Otherwise, it’s seen as dismissing what otherwise appears to be a valid claim to excuse incompetence at best and treason at worst.”
Lani managed to keep the tears at bay. “How long will they deliberate?”
“It’s impossible to know.”
“Is this like one of those cases on television where if there’s a plea deal reached before the jury comes back it doesn’t matter?” Harrison asked.
“I suppose,” his father sat up. “What are you thinking?”
“I’ll agree to pay them some exorbitant sum of money out of my trust to compensate for not marrying Lady No-Personal-Space. Lani and I will leave San Majoria and won’t return, but no shunning. We can still have contact and see you elsewhere, just not here.”
He turned to look at Lani. “I know it’s only been two days, but I’ve missed you. I’ve come to realize that I’d rather live elsewhere with you than here without you. If my father approves it, we’ll try to make this deal with them. I have a feeling it’s the money they’re after anyway.”
The king’s eyes narrowed as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. “You make a very good point, son.”
A minute later, an irritated Chairman came into the office. “We were taking a break anyway, but there can’t be any appearance of collusion.”
Grandmother Grace snorted. “Like anyone would believe that I would allow that. They wouldn’t believe it of Edward either, but he’s more closely involved.”
“I have a proposition for the duke. Harrison does, really, but we also have a sneaking suspicion that the contract isn’t real, and we shouldn’t operate under the assumption it is.” He nodded toward his mother. “We didn’t call the most important witness in all of this. I don’t know why it didn’t occur to anyone else.”
Gigi crossed her arms over her chest. “I’ve always thought the duke was involved in the plot to assassinate your father. Not truly, but that he goaded the man so that he could be the one to save the king and get on his good side for some reason.”
“You were there?” the chairman asked.
Gigi shook her head. “No, but my husband told me about it, as did the duke when we gave him a medal in a private ceremony. The details were never made public, but his story was a little too pat, if you know what I mean. He pressed us for this contract, but we both said no. I can’t imagine my husband saying yes without telling me unless there was something far different, and sinister, going on.”
“Fascinating,” the chairman muttered. “So what do we do?”
A smile crossed the king’s face. “I have a plan.”
The small group listened as Harrison’s father outlined his thoughts.
The chairman agreed to go along with it. Before he left to gather the few others who would be cleared to take part in the scheme, Harrison spoke up.
“I want to make it very clear to you, though, sir, that I have every intention of staying married to my wife. I chose her, and she chose me, and this whole thing is ludicrous.”
“I’m inclined to agree on a personal level,” the chairman replied. “But I’m bound by legalities officially.”
“I would expect nothing less,” Harrison agreed. He turned and held out a hand to Lani who took it. He led her to the other side of the office and wrapped his arms around her.
Her arms went around his waist and her head rested against his chest.
“I’ve missed you,” he told her. “And we’ll fight this. If I have to sneak out of the country in the middle of the night, we’ll find a way. I’ve already moved most of my money overseas, so they won’t be able to get to it if they decide to try. I’ll miss the chance to be here, but being here, without you, doesn’t mean a thing.”
Lani tightened her hold on him. “I’ve missed you, too. I’m falling in love with you, Harrison. I have been from the beginning, and I should have told you that sooner.”
He laid his cheek on the top of her head. “I am, too. I don’t know that I can truly say it yet, but I am falling deeply in love with you.”
They stood there for another moment before his father called to them.
“We’re in this together,” he told her. “No matter what happens. Remember that, even if someone says things that seem contradictory in the next few minutes.”
She nodded. “I know. Do what we have to do to make this all go away.”
With almost everything in him, Harrison wanted to kiss her and then run away together, but they had to finish this.
When his father cleared his throat again, Harrison stepped away from Lani but did take her hand, linking his fingers with hers as they walked back across the office.
Security entered and one of them put a hidden microphone on both Harrison and his father, just in case not all of the conversations were caught on the main microphones in the chamber where they were going.
Harrison gave Lani’s hand a squeeze as they walked into the conference chamber. This one was much more like a regular conference room than the one where the meeting had been held.
Harrison, his father, and Lani sat on one side of the table. The chairman sat at the head, while several other members of the council and Parliament sat near the foot. The duke and his granddaughter were ushered in and seated across from Harrison and his father.
“What is all of this?” the duke demanded.
“We hoped we could come to an amicable agreement before the deliberations end,” his father said.
“Unlikely, but you can make a proposition,” the duke answered with a shrug.
“And you’re willing to listen with an open mind?” Harrison’s father pressed.
The duke shrugged. “Sure. We can negotiate.”
The chairman stood. “We’ll be waiting for you to let us know the results of these negotiations. When you’ve reached an agreement, let us know, and we’ll ratify it.”
In just a moment, there were only four people left in the room. Harrison had to force himself not to watch Lani leave.
“Let’s cut to the chase, why d
on’t we?” the duke started as soon as the door closed. “Either your son marries my granddaughter or else.”
“We’re prepared to offer a significant sum of money to your granddaughter,” Harrison’s father countered. “In return, Harrison will face no other consequences. He’ll be allowed to come and go from San Majoria as he pleases and retain all rights and titles he currently holds as a member of the royal family.”
That wasn’t what they’d agreed to, but Harrison understood the need to negotiate. If his father had opened with their worst-case scenario, that could have been very bad.
The duke leaned forward. “We will settle for nothing less than marriage or consequences including jail time for breaking the agreement.”
His father chose to lean back in his chair and looked far more at ease than Harrison felt. “A significant sum of money to your granddaughter, and Harrison agrees never to return to San Majoria.”
“I’ll agree to a significant sum of money for my granddaughter, my son, and myself. Harrison leaves San Majoria and ceases all contact with any San Majorian. Half the minimum jail time recommended.”
“Very well. We have made a good faith effort to negotiate terms with you. Instead, you’re forcing our hand.”
“Forcing you to do what?”
“Put this entire thing on hold until your document can be authenticated or the palace’s copy found. I must warn you, though, Queen Grace has insisted the deal was never made and, therefore, your copy must be a forgery of some sort. Perhaps taking the official document from your medal ceremony and somehow managing to remove the seal without breaking it, which would be quite a feat.” He shrugged. “Or possibly even finding a way to forge the seal. I do know that treason is not something dealt with lightly by myself or the council and Parliament.”
The change in the duke’s demeanor was subtle but there. “In the interests of not dragging this out for an extended period that sees the palace malign myself as well as my son and granddaughter in the press, we will accept your deal.” He wrote something on a sheet of paper and slid it across the table. “That much for each of us. Harrison leaves the country and never returns.”
Small Town Girls Don't Marry Secret Princes: A Small Town Contemporary Christian Romance (Beaches of Trumanville Book 2) Page 15