Page 14 of Falling for the Widowed Prince

Many of their lunches had been eaten in that conference room. He took the same seat he normally did - at the far end, away from the wall the projector was pointed at, giving him the best view. Ms. Woodward surprised him by sitting near him rather than closer to the computer.

The professor started the presentation with a photo of the book as the first visual. "Your Royal Highness, Madeleine hasn't shared why this information is important or why time is of the essence, but we were able to photograph the chapters in question and decipher the contents without knowing why."

"I would imagine you've all signed non-disclosure agreements?" Ms. Woodward wouldn't have given them access if they hadn't, but he needed to be certain they wouldn't discuss what they'd learned.

They all replied in the affirmative.

"All we've done is make copies and read them,” the professor went on. “We did ensure the copies contained any small annotations or other notes that aren't always visible in reproductions. As I'm sure you know, our history contains King Gilead I and King Gilead II. This book also includes a third King Gilead, who is actually the first King Gilead. He was only ten when his father passed. His mother became his regent, but onlyupon her marriage to her late husband's brother. This book is the first any of us have seen containing his story. Upon further reflection, we all noted that the details surrounding his uncle's rise to power have been obscured at best. Every historian I've spoken with about it in my career assumed they'd simply been lost to the ravages of time like so many other things."

One of the younger men took over. "Once this becomes public, there will be a great deal of searching all archives for more information. Madeleine told us about the letter she'd found which alluded to the real first King Gilead. There's likely limits to what we can find on our own. Crowd sourcing as it were will likely yield the best results. It's quite possible there are other sources in libraries or at universities the importance of which no one currently understands. They may well have been written off as anomalies or as making unclear allusions. This book will need to be fully authenticated, but none of us see any reasons why it wouldn't be."

"What conclusions have you come to?" Anthony leaned back in his seat, trying to project an air of comfortability he didn't quite feel.

"A Letters Patent was issued by King Fulke requiring his widow be his son's regent. After his untimely death, his widow was forced into signing an addendum requiring her marriage to her brother-in-law. In less than six months, her brother-in-law became who we know as King Gilead I, but in reality seems to be King Gilead II."

"This addendum..." Anthony tried to figure out how to word question. "What exactly does it say?" That seemed like the easiest and least potentially troublesome way to word it.

The professor took over again. "It requires her to marry. It doesn't specifically require her to marry her brother-in-law, but it's worded in such a way that approvals were needed forthe marriage to 'count' for her to remain regent. I suspect she wouldn't have chosen Prince Gilead otherwise."

Given the suppositions about what happened to the young King Gilead a few months later, it would surprise Anthony if he'd been her first choice.

"What approvals are needed?" It could be a problem if it required a significant portion of Parliament and the Council. The Prime Minister made it clear he didn't have the near-unanimous vote currently needed.

"Only two."

Anthony lifted his head in surprise. "Two?"

"Yes, sir. The Prime Minister and the longest serving Council member."

The other young man jumped in. "Ironically, Prince Gilead was the longest serving Council member and the Prime Minister was his good friend."

It didn't surprise Anthony at all that the fix had been in.

The three men looked at each other before the professor went on. "Madeleine hasn't told us anything, but we discussed it amongst ourselves. We imagine it would be quite important to you to be the regent for our new queen. We believe it would be in her best interests as well as the best interests of the country. With that in mind, we guessed that's why you wanted this information."

Anthony didn't confirm or deny the deduction.

"As long as the Prime Minister and the longest serving Council member approve of a new marriage, legally, you should be the only choice for regent," the professor shared their conclusion. "Madeleine has already done a search, and we did a very targeted one ourselves. It appears this Letters Patent and its addendum is still in effect."

“What about the more recent resolutions defining the qualifications for a regent?”

“None of them specifically negate the Letter and its addendum. They don’t specifically address this situation. Therefore, the Letter and addendum are still in effect,” the professor informed him.

Anthony gave a nod. "Thank you for your time and service, gentlemen." He knew he was, in effect, dismissing them without saying so. "I would appreciate your continued assistance for the next few days or weeks to continue your research."

A chorus of “yes, sirs” accompanied their departure.

Ms. Woodward gathered her things to follow them.

"Please wait." He tilted his head toward her chair. "Please, have a seat."

She sat back down and watched him expectantly.

"On behalf of the crown, I want you to know how much I appreciate your service in the last few weeks." He stared at his hands, now clasped on top of the conference table.

The silence hung heavy between them as he worked up his nerve and his determination to protect his daughter.

She waited.

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