Copyright © 2015 Carol Moncado
All rights reserved.
ISBN:
ISBN-13:
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means — for example, electronic, photocopy, recording, for personal or commercial purposes — without written permission of the author(s). The only exception is for brief quotations in printed or electronic reviews.

This is a work of fiction set in a fictionalized southwest Missouri and a redrawn, fictionalized Europe. Any resemblance to real events or to actual persons, living or dead, is coincidental. Any reference to historical figures, places, or events, whether fictional or actual, is a fictional representation.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version.

Cover photos: Copyright:
ryzhov
/depositphotos.com

Author photo: Captivating by Keli, 2010

First edition, CANDID Publications, 2015

Chapter 1

“Arrest him and throw him in the dungeon.” Queen Christiana Elizabeth Marissa Abigail the First stared as seven slightly different versions of herself in a cloud of white satin and tulle stared back from the multifaceted mirror. The satin hugged her curves in a way that made her uncomfortable. But it was the dress
he
had picked for her. And she wanted to make
him
happy.

The man behind her nodded. “I will give the order, Your Majesty.” He bowed slightly at the waist and turned to walk out, but she called after him.

“Alexander?”

He stopped and turned, meeting her eyes in the mirrors. “Yes, ma’am?”

“You are certain?”

Alexander Bayfield nodded. “The assassination would be carried out on your honeymoon allowing your fiancé to claim his ‘rightful’ place as King of Ravenzario. The drugs were found in his possession.”

“That’s not how the Commonwealth works.” Without an heir, Ravenzario would be broken up and absorbed into Mevendia and Montevaro.

“I know. I doubt he does. Many people do not.”

Christiana allowed nothing of her feelings to show as she dismissed him with a curt nod. Alexander held the door for the seamstress to return.

“I would like to change out of this.” The implications of her fiancé’s betrayal were beginning to fly through her mind. Not only would there be a trial and the man whose name she refused to think would be paraded in front of the people, but so would her personal life. And her judgment would once again be called into question. This time, however, there would be truth to the allegations.

Now there was a wedding to call off.

As the gown slipped over her shoulders and she stepped out of it, Christiana merely nodded, the seamstress’s words floating in one ear and out the other as the consequences to her country began to assail her. A year after ousting her uncle who had been usurping her throne and authority, she wouldn’t be getting married as planned. Foreign dignitaries would have to be told. The crowds expecting to see the royal couple would be disappointed.

And her family’s good name would once more be dragged through the mud.

The seamstress carried the dress out, leaving Christiana alone. As she slid into her linen pants and retied the cobalt wraparound silk blouse, for the first time in her adult life, Christiana wished to merely be a normal person. To have the weight and pressures of ruling her country fall away. Where the only concern would be how much of a refund she would get from the vendors, not if her countrymen would lose their already fragile trust in her.

Her heels clicked along the stone floor in the hallway as she retreated to her personal apartments. Here no one entered without explicit permission. It gave her the privacy she craved - and the solitude she detested. For nearly an hour, she sat in an arm chair, staring out the window and over the storm tossed waves of the Mediterranean. The gray sky and torrential downpour matched the turmoil inside until the buzz of the intercom interrupted her reverie.

“Yes?”

“Alexander to see you, ma’am.” The disembodied voice of her assistant, Diana, crackled through the air.

“Send him in.”

She did not move as the door to her sitting room opened and closed. “Your Majesty?”

One hand waved toward the armchair across from her. “Have a seat, Alexander.” As he sat, she shifted to look at him. “You have a report?””

“He is in the dungeon, ma’am, per your orders. Bail has already been denied due to the eminent threat to your person. The judge and security teams believe he would try something else, though they are certain you will call off the wedding. No official statement has been made, of course, but that is the presumption among those in the know.”

“The wedding will be called off,” she answered softly. “I have not given the orders yet, but it is only a matter of time. My only saving grace at the moment is his anonymity. His subterfuge gives a valid reason for his insistence on utter secrecy surrounding his identity as my intended.”

“It does,” Alexander confirmed. “Since he had not been associated with you, he was able to get what he needed from otherwise unsavory characters who would never betray the crown so directly.”

“The press will have a field day.” Christiana turned back to the window, standing and moving toward it until she could feel the chill rolling through to reach her. “My country is like the weather. We were stable for so long. Following the death of my parents and brother, there was a brief time of turmoil, but my uncle ruled on my behalf, giving continuity and gravitas to the government. The turmoil of his arrest has not been settled very long, if truly at all. The wedding and tour of the country was to have been the occasion to restore the trust and let my countrymen lay to rest their concerns.”

She drew in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “I fear what will happen when this becomes public. Not for myself. I would be lying if I said I did not enjoy the trappings of royalty most of the time, but a revolution or civil war will result only in needless deaths and chaos for my people, and I must do whatever is in my power to stop it from happening.” She turned to look at Alexander. “If only there was a solution.”

* * *

Alexander’s stomach churned much like the weather outside the queen’s windows. So many things in her statement he had a response to, but so many he felt the need to bide his time on. If she knew everything he did, Queen Christiana would likely suffer an emotional collapse. He would need to dole the information out slowly, as she needed to know.

But first and foremost, she was correct about the wedding. Calling it off could have a disastrous effect on the people, but what other option was there?

“You have several days before you need to make the announcement, ma’am.” He’d known Christiana for a number of years before he’d known she was queen of the country where his parents owned property and operated a wedding venue. The venue where every royal wedding for the last several centuries had been held. Where her wedding was to have been. “The only people who know are ones with complete loyalty, not only to the crown but to you personally. The judge has sealed all of the information for the time being. There will be no leaks.”

She turned, looking as vulnerable as he’d ever seen her. Even when her uncle’s deceit had been uncovered, she hadn’t looked like this. “Thank you, Alexander. I know I can count on you.”

He had no background in security or police work, but had lucked into the information leading to her uncle’s arrest. In doing so, he’d truly earned his way into her inner circle. At the same time he missed the casual acquaintance with the young woman he’d known and talked with on occasion. Her laughter was a distant memory, one he cherished.

“What is the next step?” she asked.

“The barrister will finalize the case against him. He will be given the opportunity to plead guilty and avoid a trial and the death penalty. If he accepts the deal, he will live the rest of his life in solitary confinement in the dungeon or another place of your choosing. I would recommend either the dungeon or Pirate’s Island.”

“I cannot bear the thought of him being in my home, even if he is far away, and I will never see him.” She gave a delicate shudder. “Pirate’s Island would be better.”

Alexander nodded. “I agree, Your Majesty.”

She sighed. “In private there is no need for such formality, Alexander. Please call me Christiana.”

He nodded his acquiescence but knew he would go no less formal than “ma’am” for the time being.

“If he chooses not to accept the deal?”

“He will be assigned an attorney. There will be a very short list of approved names for him to choose from. While every letter of every law will be followed to the utmost, he will not be given the chance to drag you through the press with unfounded allegations of all sorts by giving him an attorney with no scruples.”

Her brow furrowed, deep in thought. “I have no desire to be sneaky and underhanded, but see if you can find some leverage to convince him that pleading guilty is in his best interest, and in return we will do something for him. Something to help persuade him to go quietly.”

“I believe we can find a way.”

The uncertainty returned to her face. “You are certain, Alexander? There is no mistaking what he planned to do?”

He felt his heart break for her. “No, ma’am. There is no question.”

“Very well. See it is done.”

“Of course.” Alexander stood and decided to take a chance before he could change his mind. “Christiana.” He used her name for the first time. “I know you believe you love him, that he loved you. Somewhere out there, there is a man who will love
you
. Not the queen and the trappings of power that come with the royal family, but the girl who laughed at her favorite sitcoms with her best friend.” Something he knew all too much about, even if she didn’t know that. “The girl who only eats M&Ms in even numbers and saves the green ones for last, unless she’s in public. Who never, ever walks around without shoes on, even in here. The one who orders unicorns of all kinds online then scatters a few throughout her apartment and the rest in the cottage where others rarely go. The one who collects those unicorns because they are beautiful and strong, like she wishes she could be. That man is out there, and someday soon, he’s going to find you.”

She turned a sad smile his way. “I do not meet a lot of men, Alexander. How am I going to meet a man who loves me for me and not my position, especially after the debacle that is about to descend on my life?”

He took several steps until he stood less than a foot in front of her. “Marry
me
.”