“Good morning,” I greet her, giving her a warm smile. She all but came on to me yesterday, and I intend to use that to my advantage.
She blinks and blushes slightly. “Good morning, Sebastian.” She goes over and fixes herself a cup of coffee.
“Charlotte, we’re going to a museum today!” Sabrina singsongs as she dances and twirls around the large table.
Charlotte’s eyes widen. “Oh? Where is that?”
“It’s the children’s museum in Marvella,” I explain and rise. “Do you have a moment?”
“Of course,” she exclaims, but I don’t miss the flash of unease in her eyes as she follows me out of the breakfast room and away from the children. I lead her down the hall to an empty room near the kitchen. “No word from Bellamy, I take it?” she questions softly, her hand going to my arm.
This time I let it stay.
“No,” I tell her. “Sadly not. I think she might have left me for good. We were having problems, as I’m sure you were aware.”
She nods slowly. “Yes. I’m sorry to hear you feel your marriage is over.”
“Bellamy is wonderful, and I love her, but we’ve grown apart. Our beliefs are different, you see. I think part of that is her being American.”
She squeezes my biceps. “I understand. Is there anything I can do?”
“I believe she might have gone to Tourin and is staying with an old teaching friend of hers I know she’s kept in touch with. My plan is to go there today with Javier and speak with her about our next steps after this separation. Rowan, Althea, and Emily are taking the children to the museum so they’re not around today and wondering where Bellamy is.”
“Oh,” she says, her eyes widening. “Do you not need me to go with the children?”
I smile warmly, taking a step into her. “I figured you could likely use another day off since I will be relying on you so much in the coming weeks and months.”
She flushes as I thought she would and swallows thickly. “Of course. Thank you, Sebastian. That’s very thoughtful of you.” She licks her lips and clears her throat. “What will you do if you do not find Bellamy at her friend’s?”
I shrug indifferently. “If she’s not there, then I’m not sure what to do. She left and told me she needed space, so I’ll give her that. When she’s ready to come home and speak to me, I’ll deal with her then.”
She smiles, liking that answer. “I suppose in the meantime you have plenty to busy yourself with.”
I tilt my head, peering down into her gray eyes. “How so?”
“Well,” she starts, “and excuse me if I’m overstepping here, but I’ve heard the talk in the palace that you’re searching for your sister Desta and the woman who took her.”
And like an avalanche, I’m knocked sideways by her words, suffocating under their weight and meaning. Marie and Desta. That’s what she’s after. There is nothing on Charlotte prior to the age of ten. No history of a mother or father. Not to mention, there is no talk about Marie and Desta in the palace. None at all. The blanket made the news, and the police searched that cottage, but after that, we made sure the story was killed.
The only ones who even know about Marie or that we’ve been searching are myself, Bellamy, Rowan, Javier, Emily, and Althea. That’s it. Not to mention, no one knows the person we’ve been looking for is a woman. But she does. And not a single staff member here in the palace would ever speak about it or what we’ve been doing.
That’s why she came to my study that night.
Why she’s been listening in on my conversations with Rowan.
For a moment, I scrutinize her, trying to see beneath her layers. She’s good at this, I realize. Looking sincere and offering comfort while trying to extrapolate information.
I move in closer to her until my chest practically touches hers, and I give her a sad smile. “Yes,” I tell her. “We have been searching for Desta. I’m sure you heard about the baby blanket that was discovered. We found a few other items, and those eventually led Rowan to another home in Italy, where we believe the woman who took Desta had been staying at one point.”
She blinks rapidly at me, her eyes glowing with thinly veiled interest, her body practically vibrating against me as she’s having difficulty reining herself in. “Were you able to find her? I know Prince Rowan just returned to the palace yesterday.”
I make a show of looking heartbroken. Not so difficult to pull off given my current state. “Yes. We were able to find her. Or should I say, her grave? The woman, whose name was Marie, died in that home a few years back.”
Charlotte looks as if I’d just slapped her. All the color drains from her face as a cold sweat breaks out on her forehead. Her pulse is thrashing against the base of her neck as her grip on my arm grows firmer.
“Are you sure of that, Sebastian? You’re absolutely positive she’s dead?”
“Yes. Rowan spoke with the police officer who found her. She had fallen and hit her head. He saw where she was buried. It was under a different name, of course, but her fingerprints and DNA all matched up.” Except we have no DNA, and I used the way poor Bellamy’s father died as Marie’s cause of death.
