A Royal Engagement: The Young Royals Book 1 (33 page)

We finally made it to my suite and I relaxed with being surrounded by the familiarity.
 
Bridgette and Annette were waiting for me with concern on their faces.
 
When they saw me, the worry disappeared and they snapped into action, dragging me away from Will and Meredith and towards the bathroom.
 
I let them fuss over me, grateful for the attention.

When I emerged from the ensuite half an hour later, I was feeling a lot more like myself.
 
I walked out into the sitting area and was glad to see that Will was still waiting for me.
 
I smiled tentatively at him and he grinned back.

The doctor was also there and I sat obediently while he examined me.
 
Meredith was close by and Bridgette and Annette hovered, prepared to fetch anything that I might desire.

When the doctor was finished, he gave me the all clear and left.
 
My stomach grumbled and I realised I had no idea what time it was.
 
I looked around the room and noticed that the sun was starting to shine through the windows.
 
It was morning, but it felt like it had been a week since I had left the room on a jaunt to the treehouse.

"Benjamin will be waiting in the conference room," Meredith said, breaking the silence.

"Will there be food?" I asked, "And coffee?"

Meredith smiled and nodded, "Yes."

I turned to Will, "Can you stay?"

His face softened and he smiled at me, his eyes crinkling at the edges.
 
"I'll wait right here for you."

I nodded and stood.
 
"Bring Lord Darkly some breakfast," I said to the two maids, "And make sure he has everything he needs to wait comfortably."

They curtsied and set about their duties.

I turned back to Will and picked his hand up in mine.
 
"I'm so glad you're here," I said.

He squeezed my hand and then I let myself be dragged away by Meredith.

It was the same room as the one where I'd heard the gruesome details of my father's and brother's murders.
 
We knew they were murders now and not merely a hunting accident.

The same men sat around the large mahogany table, with one exception.
 
The Police Chief was not present.
 
The looks on the faces of the men around the table were the same though.

"Were there any casualties," I asked after the usual greetings had been done.

Benjamin shook his head, "No.
 
Well, apart from Wicks."

"He'll survive?" I asked dispassionately.

"Yes."

I nodded and swallowed harshly.
 
I hadn't wanted him dead...okay, if I was completely honest with myself, part of me wanted him dead.

"Meredith told me the basics," I said, "What else can you tell me?"

Benjamin and Von Bartham shared a look and I held back the desire to roll my eyes at them.

"Look," I said, tired, hungry and severely lacking in caffeine.
 
"I need to know the truth.
 
Please don't try and spare my feelings, I think we are beyond that.
 
From my own investigations I know that my father was a figurehead at best, but more than likely he was little more than a puppet.
 
I don't intend to be like that, to rule like that.
 
Please don't do me the discourtesy of thinking that I am too fragile to know what is really going on."

A cup of coffee and a plate of pastries was plonked down in front of me and I looked up at Meredith, my lips twitching.
 
I picked up the coffee and took a generous sip of the hot bitter liquid, closing my eyes and relishing the hit of caffeine.

"You're right about your father," Von bartham said on a sigh, "He was little more than a mouthpiece for the Major General, but things had begun to change.
 
The King had been handing a lot more work on to the Prince and the Major General no longer had as much influence over him.
 
I'm ashamed to say that the corruption goes deep, possibly to the Prime Minister."

"He will need to resign, regardless," I said, "It was happening under his nose and he would've had to've been blind not to see it."

Von Bartham nodded, "The next few months are going to be destabilising for the country," he said, "You are going to need to establish an interim government as quickly as possible."

"I need to speak with the Grand Chancellor and Lord Bingham," I said and turned to Meredith, "I also want to speak to my Mastermind group."
 
She nodded and tapped out a note to Alex on her tablet.

"Do we know how many of the Lords are implicated?
 
Will there even be enough of them left to form a quorum?" I asked, looking around the table.

Benjamin ran his hand through his hair and looked to the ceiling.
 
"Not many of them were involved criminally," he said, "A lot of them were being blackmailed into keeping quiet or coerced into assisting the Major General in his endeavours.
 
I'm sure once we get access to his records, the whole thing will be blown wide open."

I picked up a danish and bit into it absentmindedly.
 
My coffee cup was empty and I needed more plus the sugar rush from the danish to keep my brain alert.

"Whose idea was the tracking device," I asked.

Meredith and Benjamin looked guilty and the others in my personal security team refused to look me in the eye.

"Mine," Benjamin finally admitted, "Meredith wanted me to tell you about it, but I thought it would be better kept a secret."

"That's why you didn't panic when I got caught in the storm at Lord Darkly's estate."

Benjamin nodded.
 
"Lord Darkly had been vetted and his estate was well known because of the time the Prince had spent there.
 
We knew you would be safe with him."

"And what about Jordan?" I asked, "Hadn't he been vetted too?"

"He had been," Von Bartham said, "But it was the King that had vouched for him.
 
At the time we didn't realise that your father's decisions had been compromised."

"So, the boars?"

"We are investigating a new lead," Benjamin said, "The Chief of Police had frustrated our efforts and given us bad intel.
 
We expect to find a link between the boars and the Major General."

"And the gunshot that killed my brother?"

"We believe that came from Lieutenant Wick's weapon," Von Bartham replied.

The confirmation of my greatest fear wasn't accompanied by gnashing of teeth or wailing.
 
It landed with a dull thud in my heart.
 
I had been carrying on with my brother's murderer.
 
I had let him into my personal space, he had hugged me, kissed me.
 
I felt like I needed another shower.

"Do you have proof?" I asked, my voice trembling, "Do you have irrefutable evidence?"

"Not yet," Von Bartham said.

"Then get it," I said through gritted teeth, "I want Jordan Wicks stripped of all his military rank and I want him incarcerated for the rest of his natural life."

I stood and walked from the room. I didn't care if they were finished or not, I was done.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Will was waiting for me right where I had left him.
 
He was sitting on the couch in my sitting room, his ankle crossed and resting on his opposite knee.
 
He had a pair of reading glasses on and he was engrossed in a folder.
 
An empty tray sat on the coffee table in front of him and a half filled coffee cup was in his hand as he read the file that rested on his lap.

I had seen farmer Will in his plaid shirts and dusty jeans, I had seen Lord Darkly in his formal tux and bow tie, but this was the first time I had seen the businessman Will.
 
His overcoat had been laid over a wingback chair, as had his suit coat, leaving him in a crisp white business shirt.
 
He wore a steel grey tie and silver cufflinks winked at his wrists.

He looked up when he heard me walk in and a smile broke across his face.
 
He was happy to see me and I had to admit that I was happy he had waited for me.
 
I walked over and sat down on the couch beside him.
 
He uncrossed his legs, took off his glasses and placed both them and the document he was reading, on the coffee table and then angled his body towards me.
 
I liked that he was willing to give me his full attention even though he was obviously working.

"Am I keeping you from anything?" I asked.
 
I laid my head back against the couch cushions and looked up at him.

"Nothing important," he said.
 
He lifted a hand and traced a line across my forehead and down my cheek.
 
"Are you okay?
 
Truthfully?"

His eyes were concerned, his voice soft and the warmth of his body welcoming.
 
I felt tears well up in my eyes and before I could answer him, he pulled me in to his lap, enveloping me in his arms.

"Shh," he whispered into my hair, tenderly kissing my temple as I leaned against him.
 
"I've got you Lys, you're okay."

He let me cry, rubbing my back in firm, but comforting circles and murmuring soothing nonsense noises.
 
I let all the fear and anger and grief coalesce like a ball in my stomach and then expelled it through my sobs and tears.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here for you," he said when my sobs had quietened, "I'm sorry I didn't speak up about Jordan earlier."

I tilted my head up so that I could look at him.

"You can't blame yourself for this, Will," I said, "You weren't the one who kidnapped me, you weren't the one to set the wild boars loose in the forrest and you weren't the one who pulled the trigger and shot my brother.
 
None of that can be laid at your feet.
 
Jordan and his father are the ones to blame, not you, never you."

"But maybe if Georgina had pressed charges..."

"It wouldn't have made any difference," I said, "The Chief of Police was up to his neck in this.
 
Georgie would have been put through that harrowing experience for nothing and knowing Jordan like I do now, he probably would have dragged her through the mud.
 
No.
 
You did the right thing, you protected your sister from possibly more hurt.
 
You can't take on any guilt from this."

His arms tightened around me and he searched my eyes for a moment before closing his and swallowing hard.
 
I laid my head back on his chest and closed my eyes too.
 
I was so tired and my body was beginning to ache.
 
My head throbbed and I didn't know how I was going to make it through the rest of the day.
 
It was still early, most people weren't even out of bed yet and here I was needing to crawl into it.

The comfort of having Will's strong arms around me and his pervading scent of sandalwood lulled me and I gave up the fight to stay awake.
 
I slipped into sleep with a sigh and let my body relax against his.

I awoke to the soft sounds of a gentle snore and the barely contained giggles of my two maids.
 
I was warm and comfortable and I resented being woken, but something niggled in my brain that caused me to resist falling back into blessed sleep.
 
I opened my eyes to bright sunlight and realised that I was still in Will's lap and that he was the one snoring.
 
Bridgette and Annette stood by the door to my bedroom with very wide grins and sparkles in their eyes.

I groaned.
 
I couldn't go back to sleep, especially not while sitting in Will's lap.

I shifted, trying to extricate myself, but Will's arms tightened reflexively around me.
 
I laid my head back down on his shoulder and took a deep breath of his wonderfully calming scent.

"Will," I said softly, "I need to get up."

"No," he mumbled and I chuckled quietly.

"Yes," I replied with a smile.

His arms tightened around me again and I felt him inhale before blowing it out.
 
He placed a tender kiss on my head and then helped me to my feet.

I looked down at him, taking in his sleepy, mussed look.
 
I hadn't thought of it beforehand, but Will must have travelled all night to be able to be here.

"You should go home and get some sleep," I said.

He smiled up at me, a goofy grin on his face.
 
"I should probably let Georgie know I'm home."

I slapped his shoulder, "You didn't tell Georgie you were here?"

"I was a little preoccupied," he said, "I needed to see you."

"Thank you Will," I said earnestly, "Having you here has helped."