Page 5 of Royal Caleva: Luis

“I want to be acknowledged as the mother of the bastard princess, of course. It is my due.” Odette’s smile held smug triumph. “Think of it. Your child’s mother is a convicted criminal, locked up in prison. What a blow that will be to your much-vaunted honor! The perfect King of Caleva has a hideous skeleton rattling around in his palace closet.”

Luis didn’t care about a blow to his own reputation. He would, though, be concerned for the unknown young woman’s feelings. If she existed. Until he could confirm that, there was no point in further discussion with this madwoman.

“This conversation is finished.” He rose to his feet. “If I have a daughter, I will find her myself.”

He pushed a button on the warden’s desk phone, and the door opened instantly to admit Mikel. “You may remove the prisoner,” Luis said.

CHAPTER 2

In the SUV, Luis yanked off his brimmed hat before he shrugged out of the drab brown coat Mikel had used to disguise him as an unidentifiable prison visitor. The clink of his medals reminded him of Odette’s shackles, which brought him a grim satisfaction.

“How did the meeting go?” Mikel asked from the seat beside Luis. There was no inflection in his voice.

“We won’t have to worry about the press. Yet,” Luis said, but he had another concern to address first. “Before we discuss what Odette said, I need to check in with Francisco. We will decide if my presence is needed at the Palacio de la Ley.”

Mikel pulled a cell phone from the inside pocket of his suit jacket and handed it to Luis.

“Gracias,” Luis said, hitting the speed dial for his most trusted political advisor, Francisco Vargas. “Francisco, what is the situation?”

“Un momento. I will go to the guest office where our conversation will be private.” Luis could hear voices in the background, a click, and then silence. “El Principe Raul created quite a stir.” Francisco’s voice held satisfaction. “He delivered the speech with a great deal of emphasis.”

Luis understood that to mean that Raul’s delivery had been more fiery than Luis had planned. The same words could sound very different depending on the tone in which they were spoken. “Is that a problem?” he asked.

Francisco gave it a moment of thought. “Had Su Majestad done so, it would have been considered heavy-handed. El principe, though, is young, so it was appropriate.”

“And the response?”

“Nothing unexpected yet. We will find out when the action begins behind the scenes.”

“Where is Raul now?” Luis asked.

“On his way back to Castillo Draconago. He made a most dramatic and regal exit before the consejeros could get organized to lobby him. We agreed that it would be wisest not to be dragged into conversation with one faction or another.” Francisco’s tone became more personal. “You can be very proud of el principe, Señor. He spoke and acted like a future king.”

His words lit a glow of fatherly pride. Francisco was an exacting critic and did not compliment where it was not deserved. “I will return to the castle as well, then.” He nodded to Mikel as he spoke so he could inform their driver of their destination.

“Do you wish me to meet you there?” Francisco asked.

“Only when you feel you have gathered all the useful information you can. Your instincts are invaluable.”

“Gracias, Señor.”

Luis handed the phone back to Mikel. “Raul did well. He exited before the consejeros could buttonhole him.”

“I am sure he was excellent. He has learned from you.”

Luis nodded and turned his mind back to his alleged daughter. A maelstrom of anticipation, disbelief, regret, fury, and yearning ripped through him with such power that he clamped his hands on his thighs to withstand the surge.

“According to Odette, there is a DNA record stored in a private databank that proves she gave birth to my daughter. That daughter’s name is Grace Howard, and she lives in Iowa. That is why Odette traveled there two and a half years ago.”

Luis wanted to go straight to the royal jet and fly to the U.S. to find out if Grace Howard was really his daughter.

“Odette is a manipulative, lying psychopath,” Mikel said in a matter-of-fact way. “Is the DNA her only evidence of this claim?”

“Based on the rest of our discussion, I believe it is.”

“Did she tell you where the databank is?”

“No, but I am sure Quinn can find it. Although I hate to ask her when she is dealing with wedding plans.” The thought of Gabriel’s happiness with his bride-to-be drained away some of Luis’s fury at Odette. His nephew had weathered his trauma and come back from it stronger than before.

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