Winning the Queen's Heart: Contemporary Christian Romance (The Brides of Belles Montagnes Book 2) (36 page)

Alexander nodded. “Good plan. She loves the idea of me being confined to bed for a few days, you know. After how long she had to stay there, she just might be a bit too happy about it.”

The doctor started to say something else, but before he could Christopher walked in. The doctor took his leave and promised to return shortly.

The look on Christopher’s face caused Alexander’s light-hearted comment to die on his lips. “What is it?”

Chapter 37

Julia looked over at Alex, sleeping peacefully on the exceptionally large bed in the beautifully appointed bedroom suite. She clicked on the television that hung from the other wall. As expected, the news program led with the exciting afternoon.

“Gunshots sounded in Pagosa Plaza yesterday as Henry Eit chased after Queen Christiana in an apparent assassination attempt. Details are sketchy, but he seems to have used a secret entrance to get onto palace grounds while the queen used another secret tunnel to escape into the Plaza.”

The picture changed to a still shot of Alexander fighting Henry Eit.
With the Duke of Testudines not far behind, the queen escaped to safety in a shop owned by a long-time family friend. After believing he subdued Henry Eit, the prince followed her only to be shot in the ensuing scuffle after Eit gave chase.

Julia winced as the picture changed to one of a very disheveled Queen Christiana walking next to the gurney. She clutched Prince Alexander’s hand as he was loaded into an ambulance.

The duke is recovering in the medical portion of the palace. The queen, the duke, and their unborn child are all expected to be just fine. Henry Eit was released earlier this week on a Good Friday Pardon because he was not convicted of treason before. It seems likely he will not escape that conviction this time.

Tears filled her eyes as a picture of her son appeared, covered in her blood, with Prince Alexander kneeling next to him.

The country became aware of the situation when Alex, son of the woman believed to claim to have more than one of Prince Alexander’s children, ran into a press conference covered in his mother’s blood. Both Alex and Julia Quisenberry are believed to be fine. She denies making the paternity claims or filing for back child support.

Of course she denied it. She didn’t do it. Julia clicked it off. No need to watch more. The mere sight of her son, covered in her blood, broke her heart. They should have been somewhere over the Atlantic by this point. Queen Christiana told her she would personally make sure they arrived home safely as soon as reasonably possible. Most likely she’d pay to change their airline tickets. It was the most Julia would ask for. Maybe the queen would upgrade their ferry tickets to a cabin...

The pounding in her head prevented any further thought, and she decided the pillow was calling her name, even though it was only early evening. Sliding in next to Alex she reached over and brushed his hair off his forehead. In the morning, she’d have to tell him again just how proud she was of him.

* * *

Christiana paced around the living area of their apartment. After some clothes had been gathered for Alexander, she remained behind, pulling back the covers on his side of the bed. One of the maids offered to help her, but she insisted on doing it herself. She should be the one to take care of her husband with his injuries. Not the injuries themselves, but making him comfortable.

But once she had the room ready, all she had was time to wait for him to arrive. Had he meant what he said under that table? Or was it just the trauma? Her eyes darted to the room where he had stayed so many nights since they returned from their honeymoon. In reality, he had likely slept in there more than he had slept with her.

Would he be comfortable sharing a bed with her again? His words to the doctor about wanting to be home with his wife certainly indicated he expected to. Plus the giant TV screen with all of its accoutrements was in that room, and surely he would enjoy some American baseball on it.

At the sound of commotion in the hall, she stopped her pacing and turned to face the door. Christopher walked in and held the door open. Alexander’s foot entered first followed by the rest of him in a wheelchair pushed by Martin. Her husband’s smile seemed weak as Martin pushed the chair toward the bedroom.

“I turned down the covers and lowered the TV screen.” She thought Martin would know where to go, but she did not want Christopher to know how often Alexander had been sleeping in the other room.

“Yes, ma’am.” Martin did not change his direction at all, so perhaps he was already headed for the correct room.

Christiana twisted her hands together, but hung back. Christopher and Martin helped Alexander put his arms around their shoulders. They lifted him out of the wheelchair, but Christopher nearly tripped over it. Christiana rushed over and pulled it out of the way as they turned so he could sit on the edge of the bed. Martin helped with his leg as he swiveled.

Alexander’s lips were pressed into a tight line, turning white from the strain.

“Are you sure you are okay to be here?” she asked. “Should you be back at the hospital?” Or in the hospital rooms of the palace at least.

“No.” The word seemed forced out of his lips. “I’d rather not be in a hospital room of any kind.” Martin situated some pillows on the bed then lifted Alexander’s leg onto them. Her husband relaxed against the pillows propped behind him as it finally settled.

Martin took hold of the wheelchair. “I’ll be back in a few minutes, sir. If you need anything, page me, and I’ll send someone if I’m not back yet.”

Alexander nodded. “Thanks, but I think I just want to sleep. Thank your brother for me, would you? He kept the queen safe.”

“I will, sir.”

He looked at Christiana and knew she was coming up with a way to thank the shopkeeper as well. His eyes began to flutter closed as Martin left.

“Do you want me to stay here tonight?” Christopher crossed his arms and moved his legs shoulder-width apart. He looked as intimidating as Alexander could.

Her husband didn’t even open his eyes. “No. You’re welcome to, if you want, but don’t feel you have to. There’s plenty of help around if I need it.”

“Yeah. But how many of them want to help you get to the bathroom?” She saw him roll his eyes. “As your twin brother, I figure that’s my responsibility.”

Christiana wanted to contradict him. To inform him that, as Alexander’s wife, it was her responsibility, but two things stopped her. Her fear that she would not be strong enough to help him as he needed and her fear that he would not want her to.

“No. Martin or someone else can help if I need them.” He seemed to sink even further into the bed. “I’m fine but stay if you want.”

Christopher rested a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “I may, but I’ll probably go over to Biacampo for the night.” He turned and smiled at her. “Keep him in line, would you?”

“I will try,” Christiana told him with a smile of her own. “But I doubt he will want to rest for as long as the doctor would like.”

“Probably not.” Christopher nodded. “No matter where I stay tonight, I’ll be back tomorrow to check on him.”

Christiana went to follow him out of the room. “I appreciate that.”

“Christiana?”

She turned at the sound of Alexander’s voice. “Yes?”

She could barely hear his reply and wondered if the nearly broken sound was only her imagination. “Would you stay?”

Christiana hesitated, torn between her desire to do so and propriety’s dictates. “Let me see your brother out,” she finally answered. “I will be back momentarily.”

A hand on her shoulder drew her attention. “I can show myself out.” Christopher gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “Take care of my brother. And my sister-in-law.” Who? “And my niece or nephew.” Right. Herself.

She smiled. “I will. Thank you for your support, Christopher.”

He squeezed her shoulder again. “Anytime.”

Christiana took a deep breath and turned back into the bedroom. She wanted to help. But would he let her? And would she know how?

* * *

Alexander winced as he shifted a bit on the bed, trying to find a more comfortable position.

“What can I do to help?” Christiana’s soft voice carried over to him.

He patted her side of the bed. “Just come sit with me?” More than anything, he needed her close, needed to know she was okay. The other side of the bed dipped, and he felt her roll toward him. “I want to hold you,” he whispered. “But I don’t think I can.”

More movement. A small hand slipping into his, the delicate fingers sliding between his own. Her other arm hugged his as she rested her head on his shoulder, stretching her body along his. Her leg hooked over his good one, and he winced. Good was a relative term, but he didn’t want her to move it.

“Is this all right?”

“Perfect.” Not perfect. But as close to perfect as it was going to get the day after getting shot. He twisted his head to brush a kiss against her forehead. “How are you?”

His cheek rested against her hair as she spoke. “I am fine. A little shaken up still, but otherwise fine. So is the baby. Dr. McCall did a scan yesterday just to make sure, and she said everything looked good.”

“Good.”

“Christopher looked quite serious when he came in. What did he say?”

“He was mad at me for getting shot. We scared him, too, you know.” As much as Alexander didn’t want to ask, he had to know. “Has Tony figured out how Henry got onto palace grounds?”

“Another passageway that comes from the beach and exits near the cottage. He lucked into me being there. He planned to go to another tunnel no one knew about that would bring him in here.” She shuddered against him. “It has now been alarmed. No one else can get in here, but Tony pointed out that this is why we had guards at all times. Even in here.” His thumb rubbed against her hand. “They found his lair, I guess you would call it. A room in that passageway that held all of his paperwork they never found. He lived in this apartment, you know. Moving in here was supposed to be a way to exorcise him from my life. Knowing how easily he could get in makes me feel much less secure, despite his imprisonment and the alarms.”

“I’ll keep you safe.” If only he could wrap his arms around her, pull her close, and make her feel safe.

“You will never believe what they found.” Her voice sounded small, scared.

“What’s that?” He tried to hold her hand a little tighter.

A long pause. “He is not really my uncle.”

Alexander blinked his eyes open. “What?”

“Since we discovered his duplicity, I wondered how my mother could be related to such an awful man. But she was not. He claimed to be her half-brother, from a fling my grandfather had before he married my grandmother. I knew that much, but he was not really her half-brother after all. The claims were made while she and my father barely knew each other. At least that was the public story. They were quite serious, but the press did not know this until several months later.”

Another silence. “So he managed to infiltrate your family?”

She nodded against him. “He forged documents and knew things about my grandfather and this girlfriend. He convinced everyone he was this long lost son.”

“Do they know why?”

“My great-grandfather.” She sighed and snuggled closer. “King Richard IV of Ravenzario. He, apparently, took some land from this man’s family as payment for back taxes and penalties for a fraud scheme they had run. His family blamed the royal family for their ruin. Somehow he discovered the courtship was serious and decided the way to get back at the royal family was by becoming a member of the royal in-laws. The paperwork seems to indicate he did not know anything about the Commonwealth agreement or the marriage contract. Eventually, he chose a man to get close to me, his nephew. His nephew would kill me and become king. Since my uncle was never convicted of treason, the new king could then pardon him on Easter.”

“What if they had convicted him of treason?”

“The new king would have used his special monarch’s exemption, a once in a lifetime chance, to pardon a traitor.”

Alexander kissed her head again. “It almost worked, but I am so very glad it didn’t.”

Hot liquid landed on his bare shoulder. Tears. “But it did. He had my parents’ car tampered with.”

It took several seconds for that to sink in. “He killed your parents? Your brother and the nanny?”

Her fresh grief tore at his heart. “I was supposed to be with them. He planned to take out all four of us, but a cold kept me at home.” Her voice caught. “He planned to kill me at least three times. He killed my brother.”

“Sit up.”

He could feel her withdraw, physically and emotionally, just like she had that day in the reception room. This time he wouldn’t let her go. He winced as his arm reached for her, wrapping around her and pulling her back close to him. Her arm snuck across his abdomen, holding him as he held her.

“I have no one left.”

He closed his eyes at her agonized whisper.

“At least he was family, you know? And now I am alone.”