Page 115 of Keep Her from Them

I jumped. Sir Reginald leapt to his feet, the colour draining from him. He fell into a deep bow. Almost as quickly, I sank into a curtsy, my heart thumping.

King Philip left the cellar stairs exit and strode down the corridor. I hadn’t seen him since Christmas, and while he was tanned from the summer, he was a little thinner. His hair, the same shade as mine, had a greater peppering of grey at the temples. The man appeared exhausted.

Two figures were close behind him, my father, with Raphael helping him down.

I forgot all about the king and swept my gaze over Raphael with urgency.

He was okay. Though he’d messaged me, I’d still imagined the worst and panicked over not having him near.

My father passed me to join his nephew outside of the cell, then Perkins and two police officers followed, the latter gazing in awe at the king they were pursuing. Perkins unlocked the cell and ushered Sir Reginald out.

Raphael came to me. Unconcerned over who was looking on, he wrapped both arms around me, and I sank into the hug.

“I missed you,” I whispered only for him.

He kissed my hair. “Same. Your father and I get along fine, though, ye might like to know. We had a long chat, then his nephew arrived and that conversation got extended again.”

I took a shuddering breath.

Down the end of the hall, the king addressed his private secretary. “Sir Reginald Jessop, I entrusted you with the care of my household and my personal affairs. In turn, you lied and cheated out of greed. Can you deny it?”

“But, sir. You don’t understand. With all you were suffering, I did what was necessary,” Sir Reginald spluttered as he was put under arrest.

“Silence. The evidence against you is damning, and I have heard more than enough from the witnesses called in,” the king continued.

“What’s happening?” I asked.

Raphael put his mouth to my ear. “A conspiracy. His son, Jared, and Barrington Bray are co-owners of the bodyguard company, and it is failing. Their solution was to engineer high-profile action to generate business, which I believe is why they endangered ye. Jared messed with the team; Barrington sold your exploits to corporate partners to prove their company could manage even the most difficult client.”

I worked it over. It made sense why Jared never cared, even about being fired, as it was a farce. He was arrogant. Probably thought the work was beneath him considering his father’s position. Then Barrington had come all the way to Scotland to hunt me down. What had Jackson called it? Desperate? They were at risk of discovery or maybe bankruptcy. It made sense, at least partially.

Raphael went on, “Ben spoke to your other team member, Toni, who was happy to spill what he knew, then Riss crumpled and helped fill in the gaps. My team brought her, Will, and Johnnie in to stand in front of your father and cousin andexplain themselves. They folded like a deck of cards. She’s guilty of taking a bribe, but she also regretted it and discovered the connection.”

“I’m glad to have it all out there, but he threatened you, though.”

I glared at Sir Reginald as he passed, his head hanging down. He didn’t look at us.

From behind, someone offered their opinion. “I may have an answer to that, if you’ll join me upstairs?”

It was the king, and there was no chance either of us would disagree.

Back in the entrance hall, King Philip switched his gaze between me and Raphael. “I owe you both an apology, but first, Alexandra, would you take a walk with me? I’m informed that a public appearance is required. Down to the gates and back should do it.”

On his arm, and feeling like I was in an alternate universe, I stepped out of the house. We strolled down the long gravel track that led to the main entrance where a hubbub of reporters and the public had gathered. King Philip chatted about his children while I stayed perfectly silent, letting the long lenses take their fill before we turned and walked back up.

“Thank you,” I managed at last when we reached the house.

The king released my arm. “It is the minimum owed, along with an explanation.”

Upstairs, in my father’s favourite drawing room, which had an expansive view down to the same gates that were now clearing of the crowds, I took a seat between Raphael and my dad and waited on the king to speak.

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d sat down with any degree of privacy with my cousin. Probably never. He was always surrounded by hangers-on, or we were at a large-scale family event where he’d sit at the distant end of the table with fiftypeople between us. His packed calendar meant he flew from location to location, always in demand. It was why I hadn’t minded helping out over the summer.

My cousin rubbed the space between his eyes and sighed heavily. “I fear this is my fault. Earlier this year, I asked Sir Reginald to make suggestions for how we could expand the royal family’s visibility. I did not give him permission to act on any of his recommendations, however, nor did I check in with him. I have been distracted, which stems from another direction entirely. For that, I offer my apologies.”

“The source of your distraction, is that anything we can help with?” my father asked.

King Philip worked his jaw then answered. “I’m surprised you don’t know already. Enough of my household is aware, and secrets do not remain so long in the palace, probably because people like Sir Reginald barter in them. My hope is this particular matter will not become public knowledge.”

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