Page 96 of Trained Royal
The reception was being held in Gloucester, Zane’s hometown, and Patrick and Kieren had chosen to stay for a couple of days. They’d arrived the previous day and would then head over to Sandringham the same day as everyone else planned to, giving them a lovely three-day break. For the first time, Patrick wasn’t attending Uncle William’s charity event—the annual event they held to ease the financial burden on those families who spent the holiday in the hospital or away from their family.
His mother and father had insisted on paying for the hotel they were currently in. Kieren’s eyes had widened comically when he’d seen the place, but Patrick had told him to get used to it. He wouldn’t, and Patrick had been joking, but it was something Patrick wished he didn’t take for granted some days. He felt awful knowing people couldn’t afford the basic amenities when he was staying at extravagant places like that, but he also realised that he was helping those he could whenever he could. It often felt like a huge balancing act.
“Hey. What’s up?”
“I have the information you asked for,” Freddie said.
Patrick glanced over his shoulder and headed for the balcony. He would tell Kieren whatever he found out, but he wanted to gather all the information together before he did.
“And?”
“It was a mechanical failure, not pilot error.”
Patrick’s heart missed a beat. “How do you know?”
“I found someone who worked for them. They were willing to tell the truth as long as nothing came from it. They won’t go up against them, and if we try, they’ll deny everything.”
“There’s no way to prove it?”
“He said they wrote nothing down regarding the truth of the matter. They paid off everyone who knew about it to lie about the circumstances; otherwise, they and many others would lose their jobs.”
Patrick sighed. “I can understand why they did it, in some ways, but why drag a man’s name through the mud to do it?”
“According to this guy, they thought it wouldn’t matter because he and his family were dead. They didn’t know about Kieren.”
“I bet it wouldn’t have made a difference.”
Freddie hummed. “I agree.”
“Thank you, Freddie.”
“Are you going to tell him?”
Patrick smiled. “Yes. He deserves to know the truth. I don’t know if it will help him heal or not.”
“He has you. He’ll be fine.”
“Thanks again. See you in a few days.”
He ended the call and stared across the expanse of the horizon he could see from his vantage point in the penthouse. It was cold—he should’ve pulled on a coat before standing out there—but there was no hint of snow in the air. He wanted a white Christmas like they used to have when they were kids, but in the current weather climate and with all the changes happening, it was unlikely to happen.
“What are you doing out here?” Kieren asked, draping a coat around his shoulders and keeping his arm around him.
“Freddie rang. I forgot to grab a coat.” Patrick smiled at him. “I have some news for you. Let’s go inside.”
They settled on the sofa side by side, and Patrick threaded his hand through Kieren’s.
“You’re worrying me,” Kieren said.
“Sorry. It’s nothing to worry about, but I don’t know if you’ll be happy I did it.”
“Tell me.”
“I asked Freddie to look into your family’s crash.”
Kieren stopped breathing and went completely still. “And?” he croaked after a short time.
Patrick sighed and held on tighter. “It was a mechanical failure, not pilot error. Unfortunately, there is no way to prove that. They put nothing in writing. No one is willing to go against that company your father worked for. It’s the truth, but there’s no way to fight for acceptance of it.”
