“But—” Ben nearly chokes on the word. “She’s not yours—”
“Mary is my daughter, and it is treason to say otherwise,” says Alexander. Which is laying it on a bit thick, even if it is the truth. “We’ll be happy to provide proof to any official present who asks, but she is my blood, and she is and will remain the heir to the throne. And as Evangeline has already pointed out, her heirs, should she choose to have any, will be next.”
“I haven’t decided yet,” I say, staring at Ben. “But either way,youwill never be crowned.”
Ben’s eyes dart around in desperation now, and at last they land on Nicholas. “Dad,” he says, his voice cracking. “Tell them—I’m your son. I know I am. I did the test myself. Whatever this is, I’m sorry—they can’t do this—they can’tdothis—”
“Tell them where Dylan Baxter is,” says Nicholas resignedly. “That’s all they’re asking of you.”
Ben swallows hard, once, twice, and then opens his mouth like a gaping fish for several seconds. “I—I don’t know. I don’t know who Dylan Baxter is—”
“You went to Eton with him,” says Maisie plainly. “You, Jasper, and Kit. The four of you were friends. You really think we don’t know that, Ben?”
Ben shakes his head. “I had loads of friends at school. I can’t keep track of them all, or be held responsible when one decidesto—”
Click.
The room goes silent, and every eye is suddenly on Singh, who holds his gun inches from Ben’s forehead. No one tells him to lower it.
“Let me make this clear to you,” he says. “In a moment, you and I will remain here while everyone else leaves this chamber, including the royal family. If any one of them is harmed by your not-friend Dylan, then your life is forfeit. Do you understand, Benedict?”
“I—” Ben tries to reply, but he’s trembling so hard that he can barely speak. “Dad—”
“He’s going to leave us, too,” says Singh, and Nicholas looks away, his eyes closing. “This is your last chance, Benedict, and I mean that in every sense of the word. Where is Dylan Baxter?”
Ben’s chin wobbles, and a dark spot forms on the front of his trousers.
Holy shit.
“He’s—he’s on the roof of a tall brick hotel two streets down,” admits Ben at last. “You can see into the courtyard from there, right onto the chapel steps. He has a rifle.”
One of the MI5 agents radios the description into his colleagues, and Singh’s gun doesn’t waver. “Who’s the target?” says Singh.
Ben’s teeth chatter. “Evangeline.”
My face is a mask, and no one else shows any hint of surprise, either. Instead, in a whirlwind of movement, four agents take off through the doors, and two PPOs join them, as well as Victor Stephens.
“Thank you,” says Singh, and the safety clicks on as he returns the gun to his holster. “You made the right decision, Benedict.”
Ben sinks to the ground in a puddle of his own urine, and his entire body heaves with wretched sobs.
Chapter Thirty-Two
A Fresh Start for Our King
Wedding bells rang out this afternoon for His Majesty and his bride, Laura Bright, who were married this morning at 10 o’clock in a private ceremony at St George’s Chapel. Though we aren’t expecting any pictures from the wedding itself, an official portrait of the wedding party taken in the autumn splendor of the East Terrace Garden at Windsor Castle was released this afternoon.
With the royal nuptials complete, Buckingham Palace has announced that His Majesty’s new wife will henceforth be known as the Duchess of Lancaster, while their daughter, Evangeline Bright, 19, has now been legitimized and titled Her Royal Highness The Princess Evangeline, The Princess Royal. She is the first Princess Royal to be named in nearly a century, since Princess Mary, daughter of King George V, in 1932, and the only younger daughter to ever be officially titled as such. With her legitimization, the line of succession will be updated in the future with any legitimate heirs she might have, to be placed immediately after her elder sister Princess Mary’s line.
More details to come about the ceremony and happy couple as they’re released.
—The Daily Sun, 5 October 2024
Kit is waiting for meat the entrance to Buckingham Palace, and even though our PPOs must have told him by now thatwe’re all safe, his shoulders are tight and his forehead is lined with worry.
He only agreed to stay with my mother after she personally asked him to, since she didn’t want to be alone while the rest of us confronted Ben, and it’s taken an obvious toll on him. My breath catches in my lungs, and the moment the Range Rover slows to a near stop, I push open the door and jump out, tripping over my heels as I rush toward Kit. He’s there before I can hit the ground and ruin a second dress in less than an hour, and we hug each other tightly, my cheek pressed to his.
“You’re all right?” he says softly into my ear. Beside us, I hear more doors and a murmur of voices as my father greets my mother, and Maisie shrieks with excitement as she runs to update Gia on everything that happened. But it all slowly disappears, replaced by the touch and scent and warmth of Kit.
