“Where you were, Daffy? You’re the Royal Trust person on-site.”
“Mum, she was yelling at me to get out of the chair. But I was too inebriated to listen. I scooted the chair forward—”
“Stop.” The queen raised her hand as if about to issue a royal proclamation. “I’ve heard enough. The chair broke. How bad was the damage? Where is it now? Why are we here? Honestly, Gus, you are such a child at times.”
Hey, now wait a minute. Daffy stepped in front of the firing squad. “We found a skilled craftsman, Your Majesty.”
“Yes. Emmanuel.” Gus crossed around the bench to turn on the overhead lamp. “He helped me fix the chair.”
“You…met Emmanuel? In person?”
“Ernst found him for us.” Gus glanced at Daffy then his mother. “Why? Did he help you fix the chair too?” He smiled and laughed, but only a little. “Did you break it? Like mother, like son.”
“No, I did not break it. I’m not stupid.” She peered at Daffy. “You say Adelaide gave you the dress by Emmanuel’s command?”
“I don’t know about command but yes, she said he wanted me to have it. I’m not sure why a carpenter would—”
“Where is the chair?” Queen Catherine raised her chin, her jaw taut.
“Here.” Gus moved to the corner where the chair had been carefully preserved in cotton and covered with a canvas. But the ancient artifact was not there. He dropped down, searching, scouring the small space, flinging the coverings over his head as if the chair might magically appear. But all his searching produced was a cloud of dust and a dew of perspiration.
“Gus, where is my chair?” The queen was not messing around.
“It was here, I promise you. Two days ago. I pieced together the seat and legs.” He knocked over boxes, peering into cupboards much too small to hold theKing Titus.
Daffy focused on breathing, feeling as if she was alone on the cliff’s pathway and one wrong step away from plummeting to the rocks. Falling, falling, falling.
“Are you telling me someone stole the world’s most known and valued chair?”
“No, impossible. Emmanuel, Daffy, and I were the only ones who knew the chair was out here. And he’d never take it.”
The queen shot a glance at Daffy. “And you? Did you take it?”
“Mum,” Gus said. “Of course not. She was the one helping me fix it. She hounded me about even sitting in it.”
“Then where is it?”
Seconds ticked off as Daffy searched for her voice. “Ma’am, we’ll find it. His Royal Highness is right. Emmanuel is very kind. Very knowledgeable. In fact, he talked as if he knew the first King Titus personally.”
“I know all about Emmanuel. What Idon’t knowis the location of my chair.” The queen approached Daffy, wielding her finger like a sword. “You are dismissed. Gather your things and go.”
“What? Mum, that’s not fair.” Gus stepped ahead of his mother. “Daffy had nothing to do with this.”
“Precisely. Had she done her job, one of the world’s most valuable historical pieces would not be lost.”
“I took command of the chair once I broke it. She wanted to report it but I talked her into waiting.”
“So she purposefully did not do her job? She is dismissed.”
“Mum, I will find the chair.”
“Yes, you will, Augustus. But Miss Caron is still dismissed. I’m sorry, Daffodil, but you have let me, the Family, and your country down.”
“Oh, ma’am, I am so, so sorry.” She held onto the workbench and tried not to weep.
“Mum, please, that’s rather harsh. This is my doing, not hers. Sack me if you’ve a mind to sack someone.”
“I would if I could. You’ve let me and your country down as well. You should’ve known better.”
