I glance at him. He stares back at me, his mouth thin.
All right then.I’m going to go ahead and treat his silence as tacit agreement.
“If Mount Evor comes out victorious,” I say, “Henri will go down in history as a hero.”
Adam schools his features into a solemn expression. “In addition to the nondisclosure paperwork you signed, Prince Richard would like you all to come by the palace at different times between tonight and tomorrow evening, and take a vow of secrecy, hand on Prince Isidore’s Bible.”
“Of course!” three of the de Bellays’ reply in unison.
Henri gives a brief nod.
Phew.
The count springs to his feet. “Your Highness, please be assured of our full cooperation! Serving the Crown to the best of our ability is enshrined in our family motto.”
He points out a frayed red banner hanging on the wall. It’s encased in a sumptuous, ornate frame whose lavish carvings and gilded edges overshadow the artifact it displays. Stitched into the fabric with gold thread is the inscription,Corona Ducti, Fide Stabiles.
“Guided by the Crown, Anchored by Loyalty,” I say, translating it from Latin.
Adam opens his briefcase and pulls out a manila folder. “I just need Henri to formally authorize our specialized team to digup his estate and, if necessary, make holes in walls, and such. Every parcel will be returned to its original state as soon as it’s searched.”
“Of course,” the count replies in Henri’s stead.
Adam hands the papers and a pen over to Henri, pointing at the bottom of the page. “Sign here, please.”
Henri locks eyes with me. “Will you be part of the search team, Your Highness?”
“I won’t be part of it, as such,” I reply. “But I’ll be in the vicinity for the duration of their work, undercover.”
As the current key seeker, I don’t really have a choice.
“I’ve hired an actress who resembles Her Highness,” Adam says. “She will travel to New York and attend the Met Gala while Princess Eugénie is, quote unquote, smuggled into Dordogne.”
The count shifts impatiently. “Henri, just sign the papers, will you?”
Ignoring him, Henri continues. “May I suggest a better approach than decoys and smuggling? I’m hosting a retreat for travel bloggers the week after next. We do it as part of the company’s outreach.”
“Sounds great,” I say. “But the search team and I will be gone before the bloggers’ arrival.”
Henri fixes his gaze on me. “You mentioned you wanted to write an article about my region and the truffle business. You can do that during the retreat. Being a travel writer, you’ll have the perfect cover!”
“Um…” I blink, taken by surprise.“What I meant was, I’d like to write that piece someday, not now.”
“Monsieur de Bellay,” Adam intervenes, “a change of strategy at this point in time would be ill-advised.”
Henri sets the pen down on the coffee table. “Well, it’s my condition. Regardless of the outcome of the search, HerHighness stays in Dordogne and takes part in the bloggers’ retreat at my estate.”
The countess glares at Henri. “Don’t be ridiculous!”
“You can’t just blackmail our princess into lending her name to prop yet another failing venture of yours!” the count booms.
“Princess Eugénie would use an alias during her stay,” Henri says with the exaggerated calmness of someone seething inside. “So, she won’t be lending her name to anything.”
“She won’t be propping anything, either.” Antoine flies to his brother’s defense. “Henri’s truffle business is doing remarkably well.”
The countess feigns surprise. “Is it?”
“Yes, and I’ve told you about his success multiple times over the last two years,” Antoine says.
