Page 23 of Thrones We Steal

“God, Celia. Why don’t you tell me how you really feel?” A muffled curse floats through the phone. “Do you actually think I had something to do with this?”

“What do you expect me to think? You pester me all weekend about it and now I’m supposed to believe you just rolled over and someone else leaked the story?”

“Yes, that’s exactly what I expect because it sure as hell wasn’t me. Who else did you tell?” There is no mistaking the anger in his voice.

“I didn’t tell anyone. Maisie already knew, but she swore she didn’t say a thing.”

“It had to be her.”

I exhale a humorless laugh. “She’s the last person on earth to say anything, right after your dog.”

“I don’t have a dog.”

“So what happens now?” I turn as Maisie re-enters my office with a steaming mug of coffee. Bless you, I mouth.

“We have a meeting with the press secretary and prime minister in an hour. Hopefully we’ll get a plan in place to stop this madness.”

“Good luck. Keep—”

The sound of breaking glass reverberates through the room as an object tears through the window and slams against my computer screen, shattering both. I instinctively scream and duck. I do my best to avoid the glass on the floor around me. If I hadn’t moved from the window a few seconds earlier, that could be shards of my brain scattered across the marble.

“Celia? Celia!” I dropped my phone in the chaos and can hear Henry’s voice yelling from across the room. I turn behind me to see Maisie curled into a ball near the door.

“Are you okay?” I ask her.

She nods.

“Go out and ring the police station. Quickly!”

She scrambles to her feet and leaves the office. I gingerly pick my way over the glass to my discarded phone lying face down. Henry is still on the other end barking orders to someone.

“Henry?”

“Celia, thank God. Are you okay? What happened?”

“I’m fine.” I stay in a crouch but peek over my desk to identify what was thrown. “Someone launched a rock through my office window. Maisie and I are fine, but my office is a wreck.”

“If you can get to a room without windows, do so now. I’m on my way.” He hangs up before I can object.

* * *

“The police are on their way. The officers outside are too busy making arrests to come inside and take statements.” Maisie relays this information after I leave my office.

Someone threw a rock through the glass wall at the front of the building as well. There is glass on the floor all the way to the edge of the reception desk in the middle of the room. Fortunately, Maisie had already contacted all of our staff and volunteers to let them know to take the day off.

When the officers arrive, they take both mine and Maisie’s statements. One of them holds out the two rocks that were thrown into the building. Each one has a piece of paper attached to it. Both say the same thing: Stop spreading lies.

“Do you know what they’re referring to, ma’am?” asks the officer interviewing me.

I nod. “A diary was turned in to the Society that contained some rather shocking allegations against the Crown.”

“But no one from this organization has made any sort of claims or announcements, is that correct?”

“That’s right.”

“All right, thank you for your time. We’ve already made some arrests and will see to it the appropriate measures are taken. In the meantime, I suggest you both go home to wait this out.”

I thank him and return to the reception area. Henry is waiting for me as promised, along with several armed men that can only be bodyguards. “You didn’t need to come,” I say, but the relief at seeing him nearly cripples me. I force myself to remain upright and in control. “The police have it handled.”

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