Shaking his head at me, he leans in. “I can't even believe you're mad atmeright now. Me. The guy who’s trying to save your royal arse. You totally fucked all of this up for everyone, and yet, somehow you have the nerve to be angry with me. For what? Trying to get you to safety? Putting you before myself? Which thing is it you’re so offended by?”
“I appreciate that but—”
“But what? I should be able to magically get us both across the finish line? I know I'm amazing, but Christ, Arabella! There are limits to what any human can do. I’m not one of your butlers, you know. You can't just order me to do what you want and expect me to hop to it. Yes, Your Highness. Right away, Your Highness.”
“That's not what I meant and you know it.” My voice is shaking now.
He stares at me for a moment, his eyes softening a little. “Just drink some water and lay down. You’re too weak for any of this.”
“Will, please. I can't let it end this way. I have to try.”
“You did, Arabella. I know you tried, but it takes a certain kind of person to do what I do,” he says, his voice growing calm now. “It's actually all my fault. I should've refused to take you out here. I knew better.”
I curl my knees up into my chest and rest my head on them, feeling a wave of wooziness come over me. His attempt to let me off the hook hurts worse than his anger. He’s exactly like everyone else. He has absolutely no faith in me. But I can prove him wrong. I know I can.
He taps me on the shoulder. “Here, have some of this water.”
I take the bottle without saying anything and have a sip, feeling the refreshing, cool liquid slide across my tongue. The taste of it makes me long for more, but I know I need to pace myself. “How much farther until town?”
“Hard to say. My best guess is about two hours maybe.”
I nod slightly and take another sip of water. I've got two more hours to get my strength back. Because there is no way in hell I’m going to go out like this. After everything I've been through and managed to do out here, I willnotreturn home as a weak, pathetic, pampered princess.
* * *
ABN Morning Newscast with Veronica Platt
“Welcome toAvonia This Morning. I’m Veronica Platt. Restaurantgoers capture secret footage of Princess Arabella's bodyguard without his charge.” Veronica stares intently into the camera. “It’s been nine days since Princess Arabella’s disappearance, and citizens around Valcourt have started to follow her bodyguard, simply known as Bellford, hoping for clues as to her whereabouts.”
The screen fills with shaky footage of a man dressed in sweatpants and a hoodie pushing a shopping trolley in the frozen foods section of a grocery store. “Giles Bigly joins us live in studio to discuss the new developments in this mysterious story.”
“Yes, Veronica,” Giles says, smiling. “Our Hot Tips Desk has been flooded with footage of Princess Arabella's long-serving security officer, who appears to be taking a few days off. Here, we see him buying groceries, and in the next video, we see him sipping what looks like Guinness at The Frog ‘n Keg Pub.”
“Shocking, really,” Veronica says as the video ends and a shot of her sitting at the desk next to Giles fills the screen. Giles seems to have lost interest in the news story and is bouncing in his chair as though testing it out.
“Shocking, isn't it, Giles?” She asks in an urgent tone. “Why would she be without her head security officer for so many days?”
“It's hard to say, Veronica. Perhaps she's caught a cold. Perhaps she's taking a few days off and doesn't need to have extra security if she's just staying home. Or maybe he’s on vacation.”
“Perhaps, Giles, but there appears to be more to the story than meets the eye. Have you heard anything from palace insiders that could shed some light on her disappearance?”
“Nothing, Veronica,” Giles says, rubbing his open palms on the news desk.
Veronica watches his hand with a slightly disgusted look on her face. “What about the fact that a staffer who asked not to be named has apparently told a reporter atWeekly World Newsthat something strange is definitely going on, but as to what he or she could not say?”
“Well, Veronica, as you and I both know, theWeekly World Newsisn't exactly known for their journalistic integrity.”
“They were right about that man who had a baby, Giles.”
“That they were, Veronica. But very few stories since.”
Turning back to the camera, Veronica says, “Coming up next, fashion critic Nigel Woods is here to do our quarterly update on Princess Tessa’s post-baby-body weight loss, and according to him, things are not exactly improving for the consort to our future King.”
Veronica looks at Giles, clearly hoping for him to join her in looking scandalized, but instead, Giles says, “The poor woman had twins, can we just leave it alone, already?”
The feed cuts and a commercial for AnuFix hemorrhoid cream starts up.
26
