Royally Ever After (Royals of Valleria #7) (12 page)

* * *

E
than walked quickly down
the hospital halls, with Carolina following easily alongside, and a nurse leading the way. His time in the Navy had made his strides confident and purposeful, not to mention commanding. He was counting on that to get the information he needed.

He was still decked out in his Vallerian Naval uniform, the more ‘causal’ version he wore while on ship and at work in the Sick Bay. He’d worn it purposefully, hoping the bars on his clothes would help him.

He needn’t have bothered.

As soon as they’d arrived, both he and Carolina had been greeted by a nurse, who was currently leading them to their sister. It didn’t matter it was past two in the morning; the entire hospital was awash in a low buzz, ready to help their favored princess and future heir in any way they needed it.

Even when their plane had arrived at the airport in the dead of night, a large gathering of people had met them, cheering.

“The doctor will be in soon to meet you, Your Highness,” the nurse said as she gripped the handle to Arianna’s door.

“I’d prefer Dr. Santoro to Your Highness,” Ethan said.

“And I’d prefer just Carolina, if you’re comfortable with that.”

“We’ll do our best,” the nurse said with a smile, and gave them a small curtsy. Then, she knocked and opened the door. “Dr. Santoro and Princess Carolina of Valleria have arrived, Your Highnesses.”

Hospitals, Ethan had realized, were pretty much the same everywhere. The same whitewashed walls, the same smells of cleaners and artificial scents which unsuccessfully masked the cleaners. His Sick Bay was similar, just incredibly smaller. For a man of his height and build, it could be a challenge to work under those conditions.

Usually, he loved the challenges that came with being a doctor.

Today, not so much.

Ethan pushed past a soft, cotton curtain that hid the bed from view and saw his sister.

His heart stuttered, but leveled when his doctor’s mind began to focus.

She was lying on her side, Finn curled up behind her, their heads tilted towards Ethan and Carolina. An IV hung and dripped into her arm, wires and monitors were strapped to her finger and burgeoning belly. Arianna had a protective hand over her child, as did Finn.

And they were both smiling.

“Ethan. Glad you could make it,” Finn said as he slipped out of bed to shake his hand and give him a hug, then turned to Carolina. “You as well.”

Ethan went to his sister’s bedside and sat gently beside her belly, picking up her chart on the way. He kept the chart unopened in his lap and took a moment to give his sister a critical review.

He brushed her hair away from her face – all while checking her eyes and how puffy her face was, he leaned down to kiss her forehead – a clever way to check her for a fever. He gently held her hand – an easy way to check her pulse.

“Sorry we couldn’t make it sooner,” Carolina said as she gave Arianna an awkward bedside hug, then curled up next to her in bed.

“I’m just glad you could come at all,” Arianna said. “How is Papa really doing?”

“Why don’t we find out how you’re doing first?” Ethan said and flipped open her chart.

Arianna put a hand over the papers in front of him. “Please, Ethan? I won’t break. I can take it.”

“I know you can,” Ethan said softly. “But I’ve been worried about my big sister for hours now, and
I
need to see how you’re doing first. So you’re going to have to suck it up and put up with my selfishness, okay?”

Her lips twitched, and she nodded.

Ethan furrowed his brows as he reviewed the doctor’s notes. Cramps and bleeding, but no obvious distress to the baby. He flipped to another page. The ultrasound looked good. The umbilical cord was in an awkward position – awkward enough that it could circle the baby’s neck – but it wasn’t there yet.

Something caused the initial pain and blood, and it didn’t seem like the doctors had figured it out yet.

He pursed his lips as he flipped through the next few pages. Results for blood tests, urinalysis, blood pressure, fundal height, general examinations, and information about her pregnancy’s progression, which seemed fine until now.

“What were you doing when the cramps started?” Ethan asked.

“I was just in bed, trying to sleep.” Arianna rubbed her belly. “The baby doesn’t like it when I do that, though.”

Ethan quirked a half smile, then rubbed her belly, too – an easy way to check which way the baby was lying. He’d already read in the chart that the baby wasn’t breech – Thank God – but it didn’t hurt to check; babies had a way of shifting positions when you least wanted it.

“Well?” Finn asked. “What’s the diagnosis, Doc?”

Ethan glanced at Finn, who stood at the end of the bed. His arms were crossed over his chest, his face crinkled in worry.

“I’ll want to check with your doctor – they’re the pregnancy specialists, not me – but there’s nothing too concerning right now.”

“But there is something, isn’t there?” Arianna asked, her voice soft and low.

“You were cramping and bleeding; that’s never good. What is good, is that the bleeding’s stopped and hasn’t come back. Your pains started up again, though?”

Arianna nodded. “They stopped again about an hour or two ago.”

Ethan nodded. “Well, the baby’s heart rate looks good, your vitals look good, too. Like I said, I’m not your doctor, and I won’t interfere with the course of action already set unless I feel it’s necessary to do so. It doesn’t mean the doctors, including me, won’t keep an eye on things, it just means you should try to relax. Both of you,” Ethan said with a pointed look to Finn.

Arianna reached out for Finn, who took a seat on the crowded bed. “We’re trying, but it’s hard to stay in bed all day.”

“You don’t have to tell us,” Carolina said. “You always hated being sick.”

Arianna pouted. “I didn’t hate it. It was just frustrating.”

“Think how the kid feels,” Ethan said with a grin. “Cooped up inside you all day, impatient to be born, stirring up trouble to get born sooner. The baby’s got to learn they can’t always get what they want.”

“Ethan.”

“You know I’m right.”

“You shouldn’t blame the baby for this.”

Ethan shrugged. “The baby’s a handy person to blame, especially since it can’t talk back.”

She chuckled. “Ethan. All right. Now that you’ve determined I’m okay, at least for now, will you tell me about Papa?”

Ethan kept his eyes on her, but kept his peripheral vision on the monitors in the room. “He’s doing okay. That’s the truth,” he added at her skeptical glance. “It’s not easy to see him in a hospital bed. It’s not easy for us to see you, either, by the way.”

Arianna looked over her shoulder at Carolina. “Is he telling the truth?”

Carolina nodded. “He is. Papa will be all right. Everyone’s more worried about you.”

“Speaking of,” Ethan said and pulled out his buzzing phone. He sighed and tapped out a message to Lorenzo.

“Who is it?” Arianna asked. “We were getting a lot of calls for a while, then they suddenly stopped. We wondered, well, we thought maybe…”

“You thought something happened to Papa, and that we came to tell you?” Ethan finished.

Arianna nodded, then frowned as tears pooled in her eyes. “I didn’t know what to think.”

“Baby,” Finn said in a soft voice and squeezed her hand.

“Papa is fine. Truly. The reason we stopped calling you is because we realized we’d been doing it non-stop between all of us. We wanted to give you a break, not worry you.” Ethan’s phone buzzed again. “You’ll also be pleased to know, big sister, that I’ve become the designated contact for everyone.”

“What does that mean?”

“That means all of our siblings are going to bother me first for updates about you.” Another buzz. “Jesus. It’s almost two in the morning! Leave. Me. Alone,” he said as he typed out the same to Nate.

Arianna huffed a laugh. “So everyone’s been messaging you?”

Ethan scowled as Sarah’s face flitted across his phone’s screen. “Or calling. Here,” he said as he handed over the phone to Arianna. “Talk to your sister. I’m going to go find your doctor.”

“Hi, Sarah,” Arianna said. Ethan leaned down and kissed her forehead, then got up, signaling for Finn to follow.

Once outside the room, Ethan asked for it straight. “How’s she really doing?”

Finn let out a breath. “Better than me. Fuck, I can’t believe this.”

Ethan put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed hard before letting go. “She’ll be all right. The baby will be all right. Trust in that. Believe in that.”

“Is that the truth?”

“I believe it is. That doesn’t mean the road is clear. It may get rocky again, she could have more complications, but I believe everything will be all right. I’ll confirm that with the doctor.”

Finn nodded. “Good. She started getting really nervous when the calls stopped coming.”

“Weren’t they bothering you?”

Finn shrugged. “We liked it. It felt nice to hear from the family, and we both miss all of you.”

Growing up in the massive family he had, Ethan sometimes had a hard time relating to Finn’s family-less existence. He should have considered that, though. “I’m sorry. Truly. We thought we might be aggravating you more than supporting. Now we know better.

“Though, having said that, you might regret it once the baby comes and the whole lot of us descends on Brazenbourg.”

Finn grinned, clearly not minding that at all. “Sounds terrible.”

“You think I’m joking, but I’m not. Now, the tough question.”

Finn braced.

“How are you really doing, brother?”

“My pregnant wife’s in a hospital with complications. How do you think I’m feeling?”

“My guess? I’ve just come from my father’s hospital bed to my sister’s, which is different. But, I imagine, if my wife was in that position, I’d want to punch a fucking wall.”

Finn chuckled, then rubbed a hand over his face. “That sounds about right. I feel fucking useless. I can’t do anything to help her.”

“You’re not useless. You’re not,” he reiterated. “You adore my sister. That’s the only reason we forgave you for taking her so far from us.” Finn grinned. “You love her, you support her; Arianna needs all that, and she gets it from you without asking for it.”

“It doesn’t feel like enough. She gives so much more back every day – to me, to Brazenbourg. Fuck, she’s carrying our child. She’s given me a family.” Finn shook his head. “Anything I do doesn’t feel like enough.”

“It’s enough for her. Remember that. And remember that we’re your family, too, and you’re stuck with us. We’re not going anywhere, and you don’t owe us anything because of that. Family helps family. The end.”

“The end?”

“The. End.”

“Can’t say I mind being stuck with all of you.” Finn nodded his head towards the room. “Arianna’s had a tough time of it. So have I, if I’m being honest. Missing the wedding, then not being there for Gabriel…”

“Papa understands. You know that.”

Finn nodded. “So does Arianna. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t feel guilty for not being there for them. She also feels selfish for wanting to be there for the wedding in the first place.”

“Selfish? Why the hell is that selfish?”

“The baby. Brazenbourg’s heir must be born in Brazenbourg. She couldn’t risk a trip to the wedding. Now, I’ve got to say, I’m glad she didn’t go. I feel like an asshole for thinking of it, but the baby’s got to be born here. If she was put on bed rest in Valleria, there’s no telling if she’d be able to travel back here.”

“I’m going to channel Alex for a second, so prepare yourself.” Ethan cleared his throat. “You’re not an asshole. You’re a leader. You’re the crown prince of Brazenbourg, so you’d better fucking act like it. If that means you keep Arianna on Brazenbourg soil, so be it. You’re not an asshole for considering the future of your country. You get me?”

Finn’s shoulders relaxed slightly. “I get you. I just…I just can’t lose her.”

Something sharp twisted in Ethan’s gut; even though he was doctor, even though he knew the risks, he couldn’t think of his sister – or his father – as no longer being part of his world. “You’re not going to lose her,” Ethan said fervently. “And, even if we got transported to a parallel universe where that shit happens, you would never lose
us
. You’re a part of this family, now and forever. You’re not getting rid of us. Do you get me, Finn?”

Finn took a deep breath. “I get you.”

“Are you sure you get me? Because I can have Alex call you and straighten you out.”

Finn shook his head. “Alex has enough to worry about. I get you, Ethan.”

“Good. Now where is Arianna’s doctor?”

“Right here,” a man called as he approached them. He was tall and lanky, with dull black hair streaked with duller gray. A set of practical glasses sat on his squat nose, and his mustache held more gray than his hair. “Dr. Orr,” he said as he extended his hand.

Ethan took it and shook firmly. “Dr. Santoro. Pleased to meet you.”

“I as well, Your Highness.”

“Please, Dr. Santoro is fine. Do you have a few moments to chat?”

“Of course. Prince Finn, would you care to join us?”

“Have there been any new developments?” Dr. Orr shook his head. “Then I’m heading back inside.”

Ethan watched Finn disappear before he turned to Dr. Orr. “Now then. Let’s talk business.”

A
lex woke
the next day to find himself alone in bed and his phone ringing. He felt the cooled covers beside him for a moment, then reached for the phone. It was just past seven in the morning.

“Marcello,” Alex answered roughly. “What’s going on?”

“Got an update on Zinnia. You still at home?”

“Yes, though I seem to be missing a fiancée.”

“She and the girls are already out. A sort of spa day or something, to get ready for the wedding. A kind of replacement for the bridal shower that got cancelled. That reminds me; we never did get to have your bachelor party.”

Alex could have cared less about a final send off to bachelorhood; he was looking forward to burying it once and for all. “It doesn’t matter. I’m sure our cousins were looking forward to it more than we were.”

“Probably. So, you fine if I come over now, or do you want more sleep?”

“No, that’s fine. Come over. Is anyone else coming?”

“No.”

“Give me ten minutes.”

“Done.”

After they hung up, Alex curled to his side, pulling Rebecca’s pillow to his face. He took a deep breath of her lavender scent, which he now needed to start his day, and exhaled. He took another moment, then rolled out of bed, took a quick shower, and got dressed.

Eight minutes after Marcello’s call, he was in his kitchen. His almost-wife had arranged a tray of fresh pastries and Vallerian roast coffee, along with a simple note as to where she’d gone. She could have messaged him, but he liked the old fashioned way better. He ran his finger over her unique and beautiful scrawl, and wished she’d woken him before she left.

It felt wrong to start the day without a kiss from her. It felt as though something were off.

Marcello announced his arrival through the secret passage in the foyer, meeting Alex in the dining room.

Alex brushed some fresh jam and butter on his scone. “Coffee?”

Marcello sat down. “I’ll get it.”

“I was thinking. We should ask Papa about Zinnia. He may know something we don’t.”

“Do you want to go visit him?”

“I don’t have time, what with the Council meeting this morning. Why don’t we call him?”

They video-dialed their father, who was now allowed to take cell phone calls in his hospital room. After greetings and a quick check on his health – which was still improving, thankfully – Alex told his father about Zinnia and her request to enter Valleria, and the potential for another threat from Gerald. “I wish we could spare you, Papa, but we decided it was best to tell you. I wanted you to be on alert.”

Gabriel ran a finger over his salt-and-pepper mustache. “You did the right thing, my son.”

“Do you know much about Zinnia? We never really saw her once we became teenagers, particularly after her mother died. I think Cat and I were about ten. She must have been seven then.”

“Eight, I believe. No, she did have a rough time of it. Gerald never really spoke of her after his wife died. I’ve wondered how things may have turned out if she’d lived.”

“You mean if she could have managed to stop his attempts to kill us.”

Gabriel nodded. “That, and other things. I believe he sent Zinnia away to a boarding school after the funeral. I don’t believe she’s had much interaction with Gerald through the years, apart from holiday visits home. I could be wrong, however. I never spoke with Zinnia directly. I only ever spoke with Gerald about her.”

Marcello rubbed his chin. “That matches what I’ve found so far, but it’s all pretty superficial. I had someone interview the headmistress at the boarding school she went to, as she was also there when Zinnia was.”

“Are you sure she’d remember her?” Alex asked. “If she’s been there for that long, she’s probably seen thousands of students.”

Marcello nodded. “You’re right, she has, but she says she never forgot our distant cousin. She said Zinnia was reserved and introverted when she arrived – not surprising since she’d just lost her mother and her father had essentially kicked her out. She said eventually Zinnia broke out of her shell, and became one of the most popular girls at school. Was never mean to the other kids, was always respectful to everyone.”

Alex reached for his cup of coffee. “I sense there’s a ‘but’ coming.”

“You’d be right. The reason the headmistress remembered her was because of what happened to Zinnia in her senior year.”

“What happened?” Gabriel asked.

“That’s just it; the headmistress didn’t know, but she knew something terrible must have happened. Said Zinnia’s behavior completely changed. She came back from holiday break in January quiet and introverted, wearing baggy clothes, and seemed really nervous. She withdrew from everyone, got really depressed. She saw the school counselor, but it didn’t seem to help much. Said though Zinnia had been a top student before then, she barely made it through her last semester because she stopped attending classes.”

Alex took a sip of coffee. “We don’t know what happened?”

Marcello shook his head. “No. I could keep digging, but I have a feeling this isn’t something I’ll find in a file.”

“You think Gerald did something to her.” Gabriel guessed.

“I think someone hurt her, yes. I just don’t know who.”

Alex sighed and dragged a hand through his hair, fisting it at the back of his head before letting go. “Let her in.”

“Are you sure, my son?”

Alex nodded. “Let her enter Valleria. Let her see Gerald – with our security accompanying her and in the room with her – and let her visit the cemetery, too. She doesn’t come to the wedding, to the palace, or anywhere near the Gara Hotel where Rebecca’s staying tonight. She visits them, and then she leaves Valleria before the day is out.”

“I’ll set it up.”

“Thanks. Sarah mentioned that some of the cousins are still in contact with her. It couldn’t hurt to ask them about her, or see if they’ll talk to her.”

“Will do.”

“Any news about Arianna?” Gabriel asked. “We haven’t been able to reach them this morning.”

“She had some more tests this morning, so that might be why,” Marcello said. “She’s still on bedrest. Ethan’s going crazy with all of us bugging him, but otherwise good. She’s still in the hospital. If everything goes well today and tomorrow, she might head home.”

Alex took a sip of his coffee. “Thank God for that.”

Marcello stood. “I’ll get in touch with Zinnia, let her know. I’ll keep you updated. She’ll probably come in today once we give her the all clear, so I’ll need to let the prison know. She said she wanted to visit the cemetery first.”

“Do you think she knew about Lafayette?” Alex asked, referring to Gerald’s illegitimate son. “I think if she’s visiting his grave, it’s a good bet she did.”

“I think you’re right. Whether or not she knew about his interest in Valleria’s crown – or Gerald’s interest in it for that matter – I don’t know. I’ll have a better sense about her once the agents pick her up and report back to me.”

“How many agents are you sending?”

“I’ll send Edward and let him pick some backup.”

“Don’t we need him to oversee wedding security?”

“I can do without him until tomorrow.” Marcello paused on his way out the door. “It’s going to be hard, Cat not living so close anymore.”

“Don’t I know it?” Alex muttered. He was glad his younger twin had found someone who adored her, but he didn’t like her living so far away. Although, he supposed, distance was relative. Chames, where Edward’s home was located, was only an hour from Valentia, but it was still too far away for him.

He was losing his sister, in a way, in just a day. After the wedding, she’d move to Chames permanently. “We’ll still see her.”

“It won’t be the same.”

Alex shook his head. “No, it won’t. You know, all of you drove me crazy growing up, but now that you’re starting to scatter away, I realize I miss the crazy.”

“Then I should probably warn you.”

Alex braced. “About what?”

“Grace and I are taking some time off after the wedding. She needs to go back to England for a while, and I’m going with her.”

“How long?”

“A few months. I’m only a flight away if anything happens, or if I need to come in for Council business. Of course, we won’t leave until Papa and Arianna are out of the hospital and on the mend.”

Alex nodded; it wasn’t unexpected. “You need to start grooming a replacement.”

“I’ll just be teleworking for a while, and on vacation for the rest of it.”

“Still. It’s best if you have a backup. And a backup for that backup. People we can trust.”

Marcello leaned against the doorjamb. “A couple of our cousins might do the job.”

“Really? Our cousins? Who we’re related to? Those cousins?”

Marcello grinned. “Who else? I know they’re a little crazy–”

“Understatement of the year.”

“–but a few of them are members of the Vallerian Armed Forces. Max and Eugenie. They’ve had training in security and intelligence. I’m not saying they should take over for me tomorrow, but I can work on training them, letting them work their way up to the job.”

“All right. Send me their backgrounds, and we can discuss after the wedding.”

“I keep meaning to ask and I keep forgetting. I’m assuming we need to cancel the honeymoon security?”

The cup in Alex’s hand clanged as he put it hastily down on its saucer. “Holy hell. I keep forgetting to cancel the honeymoon. I suppose it’s too late to do it now. We’ll just have to eat the money.” It was a fuck of a lot of money, too, and he’d paid for it from his own funds; Alex would never force Valleria to pay for his honeymoon.

Alex pulled out his phone, messaging Tavin right then before he forgot again.

Bye-bye honeymoon.

“Tavin and Corrado can work wonders,” Marcello said. “They’ll get it done, and I’ll cancel the honeymoon security. Do you know when you might reschedule it?”

“No. I don’t want to commit to anything until both Papa and Arianna have recovered. Speaking of, I’d better get going.”

“Let me know when you finally decide. If I’m still in England, I’ll come back and help cover for you while you’re gone.”

“Thanks, Marcello.”

“Don’t mention it. I’ll see you at the Council meeting.” Marcello gave him a teasing grin. “Oh, and don’t forget to see your bride. You’ve got to sleep apart tonight, remember.”

Alex scowled. “Did you need to remind me?”

Marcello tilted his head to the side, as if considering the question. “Yes,” he said simply and walked out.

* * *

A
lex had
a brief meeting with Tavin and Corrado before the Council meeting. However, neither of them were able to discern what the Council was trying to pull.

He’d have to go into this blind.

After the usual ceremony at the start of the Council meeting, Alex didn’t wait any time to get down to business.

“Minister Moneta, you have the first item on the agenda today.”

Byron cleared his throat. “Yes, Your Majesty. An ancient law has been uncovered. With the assistance of Minister Hegarty,” Byron pointed to the Zed Hegarty, the Minister of Justice, “we have realized that any marriage made tomorrow would be considered invalid.”

A haze of red filled Alex’s eyes. Only years of self-restraint kept him locked in his seat, rather than across the room beating the shit out Byron and Zed. “Explain,” he said, his voice clipped, the anger evident.

“Yes, Your Majesty. Well, the law, which predates the 1702 Act concerning royal marriages, is at play here. It states that a sitting monarch must be present at the heir’s wedding, lest it be considered invalid. By the definition stated in the older law, King Gabriel is considered the sitting monarch.”

“So you are suggesting that my father, who is currently in a hospital bed, must attend the ceremony or else my marriage won’t be legal?”

“If only it were that easy, Your Majesty.”

“You consider that ‘easy’, do you?”

“Your Majesty, if I may?” Zed asked as he stood up. Alex nodded his approval for Zed to speak. “The law was discovered quite by accident. It seems the 1702 Act does include a provision to defer to the old law for anything not explicitly stated in the newer law. This falls under that purview. The older Marriage of Royal Heirs Act of 1281 includes the provision for the sitting monarch to attend.

“However, the rules governing you as acting-king were not present at 1281, so there seems to be a discrepancy. Under the 1281 law, King Gabriel is considered the sitting monarch, and by the 1702 law, as acting-king and heir, you are considered the sitting monarch. There are separate provisions in each law concerning who must attend the marriage. So, there is no way for you to be
in
compliance of one law, without being
out
of compliance of the other law.

“Your Majesty, essentially, you cannot get married.”