by Nana Malone
“I dunno. I’m a touch wanker-town,” Roone offered unhelpfully.
Ethan shook his head. “I found hospital records. There was a Jane Doe that delivered in a private suite the same night he was born. She gave the baby up for adoption. That same night, the Sandstorms lost a full-term baby and adopted a motherless child.”
Ariel frowned. “This is where you lose me. There would have been paperwork. A trail.”
“You would think.” Ethan said. “They were closed adoption papers, but I got as far down the rabbit hole as I could. Maria returned to court a month after Robert was born and taken home by the Sandstorms.”
Sebastian’s voice was low when he asked, “I assume you tested his blood against my cousins?”
“Only recently. I had no other reason to. Once we found Jessa, I started digging further down the rabbit hole. I didn’t think I’d actually get a hit. The results came back this week. I thought he was just crazy, but he wasn’t. His lineage made him a perfect candidate for the throne. Because he wasn’t far off in his claims. He just had the wrong parent.”
My head spun. I felt suddenly queasy. “This is incredible. Just to make sure I have it all, this is basically some enormous power play that started when our great-grandfather was named king. And people have used all of the drama to basically try to make a play for the throne.”
Ethan nodded. “That sums it up pretty well.”
I tried to suck in air. These people were trying to kill me, kill us. Because of a century-old feud. Roone stood and rushed over, kneeling in front of me. His hands were bigger than mine, calloused. Just the way I liked them. It took all my effort not to lean forward and wrap my arms around him and beg him to take care of me. Instead, I met my brother’s gaze. “How do we make this stop?”
“That is exactly the question.” Ariel said. “I like my plan. I think this will work.”
Sebastian and Lucas shook their heads on that one. “No. We’re not putting her back in play because there’s more at stake here. Based on your reports while you were in London, she’s got a legitimate stalker.”
I chuckled. “Evan? He’s a pain in the ass and kind of a jackass, but he’s not a stalker. That’s insane.”
But as quickly as I was brushing him off, none of them looked at all like they were kidding. Weren’t they kidding? “You guys can’t be serious.”
Ariel nodded. “I do have to agree on this one. He’s fixated on someone else before.“
“I think I could—” I started, but Roone interrupted me.
“It’s not happening. Over my dead body. No one is putting Jessa in danger.” His voice was deep. It rolled over me, making my body want things that it shouldn’t. But I still couldn’t look at him.
Ariel tried to stand him down. “Easy, Cujo, nothing bad is going to happen to her. We’ll be watching her like hawks.”
I didn’t need her to speak up for me. “You guys, this is my life.”
Sebastian shook his head. “Unfortunately, no it’s not. As soon as you became a royal, your life stopped being your own. And right now, there is no way that any of us are going to let you step back into danger.”
I chuckled. “You forgot, no one has crowned me yet, so I’m not even a real princess. So when I choose to leave here, and I will, I’ll do exactly as I damn well please.”
Jessa
Two hours later, I wandered amidst the aroma of bougainvillea and hibiscus, listening as waves crashed on the beach in my new-found paradise.
“Your father used to love this part of the palace grounds too. He always said this was his favorite garden. He used to come down here all the time.” I whipped around and saw the most beautiful woman. Her blond hair was down and flowing. The only mark that she maybe was older were the gentle crow’s feet around her eyes. Otherwise, she was incredible, and her tanned, supple skin indicated she clearly wasn’t afraid of being in the sun.
I didn’t know what to do. Should I bow? Should I curtsy? I opted for a curtsy.
She shook her head. “You do not curtsy to me. You’re the daughter of my love. Eventually, one day maybe you can just give me a hug.”
“You’re okay with me being here?”
“I wanted nothing more. If I’d had the opportunity, I would have helped raise you myself.”
I stared at her. “So you knew about us? Me and Lucas?”
“Yes, I knew.”
“You have to forgive me, but I don’t understand how any of this is okay.”
“Well, at the time, it wasn’t okay. But we were married for convenience, not for love. We fell in love after many years together. You and Lucas were both born before that happened, and Cassius always regretted that he wasn’t able to do more for you.”
“Well, he could have come to get me at any time.”
“You don’t think he tried?”
I refused to look her in the eye. “I don’t know what to believe anymore.”
“He came for you as soon as he found out your mother was pregnant. He tried to set up a trust, wanted you to have everything that you would need, including access to him.”
“But that’s insane. Why would he do that? Most illegitimate children are shunned.”
“Well, your father was trying to do things differently. But your mother wanted to talk things out with the other man she’d been involved with, the man you knew as your father. And well, we don’t really do divorce here, so it wasn’t like Cassius could leave me for her. But he wanted to look after you properly. He was a broken man when he realized that wasn’t going to be allowed. I think for most of his life he felt like he failed you and Lucas.”
“When my mother died, where was he then?”
“He came for you again, but it was too late. Someone else beat him to it, because you were gone, and he searched for you constantly until the day he died. He searched high and low. Once or twice he thought he was close. And then, three years ago, you turned up all on your own, back in London. The place where it all started. He didn’t want to disrupt your life, but he did set into motion your inheritance. He wanted to make sure that you knew that you were always loved, that you’d always have a position here.”
“I just don’t know what to believe. My whole life I’ve been taught to be afraid of this mythical boogeyman. As an adult, I found out the mythical boogeyman is actually a real boogeyman who wants, what? To use me against the crown?”
She shrugged. “Something like that.”
“I didn’t ask for any of this royal intrigue.”
“You know, the leaders never do. No one ever asks for anything. I think Lucas was just completely flabbergasted by the whole situation. And now you… What hell must you have gone through?”
“My life was fine.” I tipped my chin up, determined not to cry. She didn’t know my life. She didn’t know what I’d had to endure.
Stop being stubborn. She’s being nice.
“This is what’s really hard. A week ago, I was just a girl with a job who was falling in love with this guy. And now I discover my guy was sent by my newly found big brother to guard me, or something. And I just don’t know what to make of all of it. I still want my life to be my own.”
“And I think it can be. I think Penny is discovering that. She has implemented a plan of her own so she can be her own kind of person and have to give none of it up.”
“What does it mean? Is this all supposed to have some kind of wider meaning? If so, I’m missing it, or not taking full advantage of it, or something. I just… I want it to make sense to me.”
“None of it is going to make sense. None of it. I’m still looking for how my love is gone. We had a good life, and he tried to be a good king. He would have been proud that all of you finally met and are now working together for the good of your country.”
“I just wish I had gotten to meet him.”
She smiled at me then, losing some of the air of regality about her, and showing nothing but the genuine kindness underneath. “I know he would have loved nothing more.”
“I don’t know how to do this. I feel like I’m failing and haven’t even gotten started yet. All of this is so new and so strange and painful. When I came here, I don’t know what I thought. Well, I thought all kinds of things, let me just say.”
The queen mother laughed then. “Well, I can imagine. Sebastian didn’t do well by forcing Roone to keep that lie. He didn’t like it when it was done to him, but sometimes we are destined to be our fathers.”
“I just want to go back to normal.”
“I’m sorry, dear. I’m not sure that’s entirely possible. But what I do know is that your brothers will do everything in their power to keep you safe. They will protect you, because whether you knew him or not, your father loved you all very much. And they are committed to finding who killed him, committed to finding out who has put all their lives in danger, and that includes you. You’re not going to leave here tomorrow, or the next day, and be looking over your shoulder for the rest of your life. You have an army behind you.”
“And you’re okay with this?”
“Oh, you better believe it. You may not be a child of my loins, as they say, but because you are his, you are mine. And I protect what’s mine. This is our family. Those who have terrorized us will meet an end they haven’t ever dreamt of.”
I watched her and was equal parts calmed and awed by her. She really was willing to take me in as hers. Phillip had been wrong about these people. Maybe not about the rest, but these people were not my enemy. But there was an enemy out there, an enemy coming for my family. And maybe it was time for my family to fight back.
9
Jessa
I wasn’t sure why I was nervous. Nonetheless, I had to wipe the sweat off my palms as I stepped in the room to talk to my brother. “You’ve got time for me?”
He waved me in, just as he was finishing a call. When I took a seat, he hung up the phone and smiled. “Still feels weird, huh?”
“Totally.”
His grin was easy as he rubbed the stubble on his jaw. He was like no king I’d ever seen before. He swore and smiled and laughed and cheated at cards, and that was just what I’d seen so far. “Yeah, I imagine it’s weird. I mean, honestly, when I started this whole process, I didn’t know what I’d find. I didn’t know if you and Lucas would be cool or not, no idea. I just sort of went into it blind.”
“So you found out about us, and you just decided that you were going to find us?”
“Basically. I know. Not much of a plan. And I was trying to keep it from the old man. It was a disaster. But surprisingly, I was able to find Lucas pretty easily. You though, you were harder to find.”
“Well, I didn’t know you were looking. Granted, if I had, likely my father would have made everything a lot more difficult before he passed.”
“Yeah, very likely. So, I’m guessing by the nervous rubbing of your hands on your jeans that you have come to a decision?”
I met his gaze. His eyes were hazel, like mine. There was something similar about us around the lips too, I thought. Mine were fuller, but there was something about the shape. Looking at him, I felt like a little part of me was looking at myself. “Yeah, I’m going back. This has been a very pleasant vacation, but there are answers I need, things I need to do. I don’t know what this means for the Winston Isles, or who I was supposed to be, but I am glad I came here to find you.”
“You want my permission to be bait, don’t you?”
I smiled. “I was working my way up to that. You ruined my whole speech.”
“There’s no speech needed. Your sister-in-law beat you to the punch after the meeting.”
“It’s still weird for me to hear words like sister-in-law. A week ago, I didn’t know any of you existed. Now, I have two older brothers, and I’m about to have a couple of sisters. I know you don’t want this, but it’s my life, Sebastian.”
“I know it’s your life, but I at least have to try to keep you safe.”
“You don’t owe me anything. We just met a few days ago.”
“Well, to you we just met, but I’ve been looking for you forever. When Dad died, all the knowledge of where you were went with him. He never told us where you were, just that he’d found you. He kept it close to the vest. Even Ethan didn’t know, and Ethan was privy to everything. All I know is that now we’ve found you, and I don’t want you going back into danger.”
“But that’s just it. You don’t know if I’m in danger. Sure, my place was broken into, and someone took Dad’s sketches, but that could have been a coincidence.”
Sebastian raised a brow. “You cannot believe in coincidence.”
“Okay, fair enough. But I’m just saying, it could be anything.”
“No, it could not be anything. They broke in because they wanted those images, plain and simple. And I messed up. I should have had Roone tell you who you were right away, and then we could have had the conversation and had it done. But I figured you would bolt if you knew. Kind of like I did. The moment I found out about you and Lucas, I didn’t take it well.”
“You were worried about us usurping you?”
“No, I was mostly looking for Lucas because I was hoping he would just slide into the role of king.”
I blinked at him. “You went after Lucas to make him king?”
“Yep. I was running away from my duties. I did not want to be a king. But Penny helped me see that I could help so many more people. I was an artist. A photographer, actually. And I still get to do that, but in a different kind of way. I know that all of this is daunting, but I promise you, we’ll figure it out. But please God, do not walk into danger before we have a game plan.”
“I hear you, and I understand. You’re just doing your job, protecting your subjects. The good news is I’m not one of your subjects yet.”
“I don’t like it.”
“You try and protect your subjects, your people. Our people. Let me do what I can. There’s a high likelihood that it’s just a stalker, which, I get, is bad enough. But I hate for everyone to go to all this trouble just for me only to find out later that I wasn’t in any danger at all. That would be terrible. Just let me go back. I promise, I’ll follow your orders. Whatever you want.”
My gaze met his, and he was smiling slightly. I, on the other hand, was not. “I’m pretty sure you won’t follow a single order.”
“Sebastian, this is a courtesy. I’m going home regardless. If you don’t want to help, I’ll do it myself. So you might as well just give me permission.”
He stared at me. “I am going to regret this somehow, aren’t I?”
I grinned back. “Yep, probably.”
Roone
“So, we’re still going to pretend that you and my sister aren’t a thing?”
I worked my jaw and stared straight ahead. Sebastian was predictable. Bringing me out to the polo field to talk, it was kind of our thing. Whenever one of us wanted to tell the other one something hard or important, we tended to come out here. “There’s nothing going on with us. I was her Royal Guard. Even if I stepped over a line, I guarantee you that I will never make that mistake again.”
Sebastian rolled his eyes. “You are still so stubborn.”
“Me or you, who’s the stubborn one?”
“Remember when I couldn’t get my shit right with Penny? I couldn’t get around the fact that she lied to me. Despite that she’d taken orders, despite that she was trying to save me, I couldn’t get over it, and I was acting like a dick. And you point blank said, I either loved her or I didn’t, and that determined everything.”
“You’re paraphrasing.”
“Fine, I’m paraphrasing. But do you remember that conversation?”
“Vaguely.”
“Good, because we are about to have the same, or similar type of conversation. You are my best mate. Always have been since we were eleven. I know you have your own set of shit. Everyone does. But you are the one person in the world I trust with everything. With my family, my life, the crown. If I
could have made you a prince already, I would have. Instead, I can force the council to knight your ass, if you need me to.”
Was he insane?
“You don’t need to make me a knight. The Regents Council would never allow it. I’m not a blue blood. And I’m still technically English.”
“I don’t give a fuck what they say. You forget, I have the votes to do pretty much whatever I damn well please. It’s only out of respect that I don’t.”
“Nor should you. That’s a bad precedent, you know that.”
“I don’t care. That’s the point. I sent you in, my best man, to guard my brother and my sister. You did what you had to do.”
“What I had to do did not include crossing a boundary.”
Sebastian just shook his head. “Man, I don’t care. All I need is the best person on the job. And that’s you. What you do in your own time is not my business, but if I can be best friend Sebastian now, I’d advise you to pull your head out of your ass. She cares about you. She’s just reeling from all of this news. A week ago, she showed up in these islands all alone, and soon she’ll be leaving with two new brothers, a sister-in-law, a sister-in-law to be, a stepmom of sorts, and she’s used to being on her own. She’s used to being the one in charge and calling the shots. It can’t be easy on her. Remember, I, not you, I, made everything more difficult on her by not letting you just tell her the truth. Granted, we would have another kind of headache on our hands, but suffice it to say, we did what we thought we had to do, and let’s move on from there.”
“If you say so.”
“Roone?”
I slid my glance over to him as thoroughbreds thundered by. “Yeah?”
“If you love her, like actually love her… then don’t be a twat.”