Page 68 of Wicked Queen

But once I revealed what was going on with the pregnancy, I’d be lucky if he touched me. There was no way he would accept my submission.

“What did Clark have to say?” I asked, moving to rub his shoulders. He leaned into my touch, his groan half pleasure, half frustration.

“The meeting lasted five minutes. I should have come with you.”

I was glad he hadn’t. I needed to tell him before he found out that way, but I kept this to myself.

“How was the doctor? I’m sorry that I wasn’t there, Poppet.” He caught my hand and pressed it to his lips.

I decided to work my way into my confession. “He thinks we should schedule my cesarean,” I said as his mobile buzzed.

“Is that necessary? We’d discussed trying for natural birth. The risks—” He was cut off by another buzz of his mobile.

“That’s the thing—”

He began to read his mobile. “Christ, I’m sorry. Give me a moment.”

I knew the small number of people who had his direct number meant that every call was important, and clearly someone was trying to reach him. I also felt like I was dangling off a cliff one-handed, however, and waiting for him to rescue me.

The conversation was short and Alexander’s voice brutal.

“What’s wrong?”

He held up a finger and I fell silent as he pulled up the message he’d been sent. I leaned over his shoulder to see the screen as a news story flashed onto the screen. Reading the headline, I forgot why I was here. My fingers clamped onto his shoulders as my brain start spinning. We both knew what we had to do next.

Or more importantly, who we had to call.

Chapter 22

Alexander

I read the headline over and over, trying to process the betrayal. In the end, it wasn’t all that difficult. Scanning the attached article, I discovered that the press had managed to get most of the facts correct in the few hours since Sarah’s post had gone viral. It would be a refreshing change if the news wasn’t intended to divide my family further.

“How could she?” Clara breathed over my shoulder.

“You wanted to tell her,” I reminded her flatly.

None of us had told Sarah the truth. She’d overheard it and the first thing she’d done was spill the secret to everyone who would listen. It was proof that we couldn’t trust her.

It took a few minutes before Norris arrived. Everyone but Brex was gathered within the hour. I considered calling him. I needed people I could trust, but amends would have to be made before then. There wasn’t time for atonement now.

Clara sat in the corner chair quietly, watching the scene unfold before her.

“Who allowed Sarah to be on social media?” I demanded.

Norris stopped mid-pace and looked down his nose at me. “It is not forbidden. It’s understood.”

His implication was clear: it was another matter we’d failed to discuss with her. Another way we’d failed to prepare for her return to her previous life. In the time that she’d begun, social media had morphed from innocent pastime to a megaphone for the loudest voices. It skewed elections and connected terrorists. The family had taken a proactive stance against it. There were official channels. None of us had our own accounts.

Which is why none of us had thought to check if Sarah had. We’d handed her a phone without realizing it was more dangerous than a loaded gun.

“Has anyone contacted Anders?” Clara asked as I stewed over this.

“He’s unreachable,” Norris said regretfully. “She posted late last night. It took the larger outlets longer to get their stories out, but it gave everyone plenty of time to track him down.”

“They’re in Silverstone?”

I loved my wife for caring so much, but I hated that I had to watch her care about the man who would steal her from me without a second thought.