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It took some doing, but the three men hoisted the box up and set it on a patch of flat ground.
“Hand me the ax,” Juan Carlos ordered. He made the sign of the cross over his chest. “And may God forgive us.”
Luis handed Juan Carlos the tool and he carefully began to hack at the very edges of the coffin. Each blow of the ax brought the mystery closer and closer to an end. Eduardo used his shovel to help pry the lid of the box open.
It was time. Their work was nearly over. Juan Carlos hesitated a moment, drew breath into his lungs and then glanced at her. “Ready?”
She nodded.
“You might want to look away,” he said.
“No, I will be fine with whatever we find.” Her eye twitched, closing in a wink.
Juan Carlos stared at her. Perhaps he was equally as nervous as she was. With his gloved hands, he lifted the hacked lid. She beamed the flashlight on the contents, her heart thumping hard.
“There’s no corpse.” His voice elevated, he continued, “But there’s something in here.”
She held her breath, her pulse jumping in her veins. He unfolded a sheath, and found another box, no more than two by three feet, this one carved and quite ornate. He lifted it out and she shined the flashlight on it. Joven Amelia was etched in golden lettering on top.
Juan Carlos’s hand shook. “It’s here. Thank God,” he said. Setting the box down on the ground, he kneeled, and she took a place beside him. He took great care to remove his filthy gloves and then opened the latch and lifted the lid.
Inside, surrounded by lush black velvet, there was a painting of a little girl, no more than ten years old, playing near the seashore with a much younger sister. The canvas was secured, not rolled up as one might expect, but mounted to a frame as if taken from the palace in a hurry. Portia would have to inspect it thoroughly and do some research, but she was almost certain that it was genuine, given the great pains the royal family had taken to hide the painting decades ago.
“It’s beautiful,” she said. “She is Young Amelia.”
Tears welled in Juan Carlos’s eyes. “We did it, Portia. We found the missing treasures.”
“Yes,” she breathed, her heart swelling. “Yes.”
“Eduardo, Luis, come see.”
Taking her hand, Juan Carlos rose and tugged her up with him. Once standing, he wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her close, so they were hip to hip. Joy beamed in her heart. It was a monumental occasion and she found no reason for pretense. As Juan Carlos had said, the way he looked at her left little room for doubt of his feelings, anyway. They were lovers. It was hard to disguise.
The bodyguards peered at the painting in its casing. Both seemed awed and a little surprised to be looking at a royal masterpiece lost for generations.
“Congratulations, Your Majesty,” Eduardo said.
“Alma’s precious treasures have been restored,” Luis said.
The two men shook the king’s hand. There was pride and resolve in all of their eyes.
Eduardo turned to her. “Princess Portia, congratulations to you, as well. It is a great find.”
“Thank you, Eduardo. That’s very kind of you to say.” She stepped forward and placed a kiss on his cheek. “I’m thrilled to have helped in a small way.”
Eduardo blushed, but gave no indication he was alarmed by her affectionate display. A smile tugged at his lips, bringing her a rush of friendly warmth inside.
Juan Carlos got right down to business again. “I would like you to secure the grounds tonight. When the bulldozers arrive, we will resume digging in the morning. Assemble a team. I would like to have all the art secured by the end of the day tomorrow, if possible.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” Luis said. “It will be done.”
The men turned to do their tasks, and Juan Carlos took her hand and began dragging her away from the stream of lights. “Come with me, sweetheart,” he said.
“Where are we going?”
“To bed, as soon as I can arrange it,” he said. “But for now, this will have to do.”
He pulled her behind the cars, out into the darkness under the stars. And the next thing she knew, Juan Carlos’s hands were about her and she was flying, sailing through the air, spinning around and around. “We did it, Princess. We did it.”
“Yes, yes, we did.” Laughter spilled from her lips and a lightness of spirit filled her.
“This is an amazing moment. I’m glad to be sharing it with you,” he said.
