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He got up and came and sat in the chair beside mine. I was shaking and nearly crying. I couldn’t look at him. He placed his hand on the arm of my chair and said, “It is very rare indeed for a monarch to be asked to intervene and yet… it has been done before. I don’t mean to liken this situation to the War, but that’s the level of crises we’re unfortunately facing here. It falls on me to plead with you to ask him to reconsider just this one situation. Just this, and then, all shall be righted.”
I shook my head, over and over. “Please, find someone else.”
“We both know that another of him does not exist.”
I inhaled sharply. “What about Eric Holmes?”
“Captured, along with his team. They were carrying out a special operation.”
I turned and shot him a grave look, gasping. “That’s the mission you want him to carry out? Retrieve them?”
He winced and stared down at his lap.
“And Caelan knows about all of this?” I persisted.
“Commander Cameron is a man of his word. So, if he made a promise to you, then he intends to keep his promise. Eric and his boys know the job and its risks. They all do. But the asset they were meant to retrieve… Let me put it like this, there is more at stake here than just their lives.”
I left my chair to stare out of the window. The gardeners were busy, it being springtime. Then there were vehicles moving about, people in livery marching around, a hive of activity.
“He’s turned it down because if Eric couldn’t manage it, he thinks maybe he couldn’t, either.”
“I think partly that, Flora,” he said.
I turned and looked at the ageing man who looked more like a father, grandfather and husband in that moment than I’d ever seen him look. He appeared entirely empathetic.
I turned back to the window. “If Eric and the guys are dead losses, and Caelan would only be going in to rescue the asset… I’m thinking that’s why he won’t do it.”
“I think that’s about the size of it,” he said briskly.
“I don’t believe I’m standing in his way, sir. If he judged he could make it happen, he would.”
“No, quite. However—”
That a King would condescend to speak to me, and ask me… of all people! The daughter of a gangster and a murderer. This had to be bad!
“I’m his wife, sir. But I can’t tell you his mind any better than anyone else who knows and loves him. And some of them have known him for much longer than I.” I caught my breath, feeling like I was having an out-of-body experience. “What I do know however is that Caelan can judge situations like nobody else. If he’s saying no… it’s for a reason.”
“Yeesss, but Mrs Cameron, I would still put it to you, that just a little gentle persuading… fromyouin particular, might make all the difference,” said the King, wincing, because he hated himself for having said it—knowing the sheer danger my husband might face—and also the chaos that might ensue if Caelan didn’t get involved.
The King pressed a buzzer and the doors opened. I understood it was time for me to leave.
“I wish I could tell you more, to convince you of the need for action, but Caelan knows all,” he said, like he had no hope left—but me.
I pursed my lips and stared at him. “I wish I could say it’s been a pleasure, but it appears even monarchs have to do some dirty work, now and then.”
I gave him a mocking bow, then walked backwards three steps before charging out of there. I didn’t wait for Marcus to show me the way, in fact I growled at him to stay out of my space, then charged for the staff car park. I wasn’t going to put up with this.
On the drive home, sitting in traffic gave me chance to think and calm down a bit. I went from mentally drafting my resignation email to going over the whole conversation again and again. The poor man. He probably had no idea what sort of stock I came from. Not really. I’d not be cowed, not even by a king.
My department called my mobile just as I was pulling up on our street in Notting Hill. It was Sandra, my assistant.
“I’ve had to take some personal time,” I said, before she could ask any questions.
“Yes, Marcus said something along those lines. He said you would take as much time as you need. Does that mean I can…?”
“You can take off early today, Sandra. I’ll see you tomorrow, love.”
I heard a muffled curse down the line, then she said, “No problem!” and hung up.
