ALEX
The room I’ve claimed as an office is technically a sitting room. It has pastel wallpaper and furniture imbued with the faint scent of beeswax and old cigars. The floral upholstery of one of the armchairs is so cheery I had to cover it with my coat to think straight.
I sit at the desk with my laptop open.
Derek sprawls in the opposite chair, feet out, tie loose. We’re watching the news in silence.
The anchor smiles into the camera. “Princess Felicia has been transferred out of the intensive care unit. She is now recovering in a private wing of the Pombrio Hospital, surrounded by family and under round-the-clock care.”
Derek exhales sharply. “Good.”
The anchor presses a finger to her earpiece. “And we’re just getting confirmation of another positive development.”
I think I know what’s coming.
“The sniper responsible for the attack has been caught,” she announces. “He is alive and in custody. The public will be informed of further developments as soon as the authorities deem it appropriate.”
Derek pumps a fist into the air. “Finally!” he cries out. “I hope they make him sing. And I don’t mean with a lawyer present.”
I shut the laptop. “You want to conduct the waterboarding of the suspect yourself or leave it to MESS?”
“I’d volunteer, but I’ll let the pros handle it.” He grins.
I smile, too, trying to recapture the thrill of the arrest. Derek doesn’t need to know I already knew.
Eva and I got a secure message from Von Dietz two days ago. As I’d suspected, when Prince Richard had made his announcement from the palace balcony, it wasn’t merely in celebration. It was strategic. They had the sniper’s location and were hemming him in. The announcement was a distraction to keep the bastard focused on the news, not on his escape route.
He was arrested that very night, quietly and surgically, while Eva and I were?—
My jaw tightens. I stand and collect coffee cups and paper scraps from the table.
“You good?” Derek leans forward, elbows on knees.
I pause with one hand on a crumpled memo. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“You seem tense.”
“I’m taking over the duchy while auditing the estate’s accounts and grading student papers. Wouldn’t you be tense?”
He watches me for a beat, then relaxes again. “Fair enough.”
Derek drums his fingers on the edge of my desk. “All right, back to business. As I was saying, you need to stay visible. Present. And charming.”
I lift my gaze from the map of farmer-owned plots. “Charming?”
“Your version of it.”
“I’m already letting Eva, Millie, and Brigitte stay, even though I don’t have to.”
Derek cocks his head. “Brigitte has her own house, plus the allowance she negotiated when your father divorced her, right?”
“Right,” I confirm.
“You could make a similar provision for Millie, and Eva could find a job like everyone else.”
I lift an eyebrow. “I sense your disapproval of my letting them stay here for as long as they need.”
“Actually, I don’t.”
