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Ellery clutched the keys in one hand and the door handle in the other. “I’d be spying on Derek’s family?”
“You’d be providing an extra layer of security, simply by being my eyes and ears.”
“Why don’t you just talk to them? I know General Ray has bodyguards following Derek. He seems very protective. The general wouldn’t let someone hurt his family.”
“They’re all bamboozled by this woman. Hattie is very charming, beautiful, and an accomplished pathological liar. Steffan is desperately in love with her, even left his hospital and medical practice for her. The royal brothers are thick as thieves. They’ll support each other no matter what.”
Ellery was growing increasingly uncomfortable. She didn’t want Derek or his family hurt by some conniving liar.
“Regrettably, there is bad blood between the August and Rindlesbacher families. It’s been going on for generations. My husband has royal Augustine blood and his Rindlesbacher ancestors settled Augustine in four-hundred B.C., but the August family removed them from power shortly after that.”
Four-hundred B.C.? That was a lot of years of bad blood.
“The current prime minister is my husband’s closest friend, and you can imagine he and the king go to bat on many, many issues. Quite often, the royals are not happy with my husband or Prime Minister Shule. They won’t believe me if I try to approach them, and my doing so may even accelerate Hattie’s demonic plans if she knows someone is on to her. I have no idea what the extent of her diabolical plots might be.”
Ellery’s neck tingled, and she shifted uncomfortably.
“My husband and I are dedicated Augustines. Despite what may have happened with our ancestors,wewant to protect our royals. Queen Anne was a dear friend of myself and Leslie Shule, the prime minister’s wife. Our friendship transcended political nonsense. If I can protect Anne’s family and expose the person who may have murdered Anne and definitely murdered Jane Presley and Franz Wengreen, both dear friends of my son Treven, and will murder someone else soon, I will do it.”
She waited, but Ellery didn’t know what to say. It was quite a twisted story. Centuries of bad blood. A murderer convincing a prince to love her. If Hattie Ballard was indeed alive, would she really dare come to the wedding? Would she hurt someone else in Derek’s family? Did she care for Prince Steffan at all, or was her mind so distorted she’d murder the man who rescued her next?
This whole story was more twisted than Naomi being a fairy angel and coming to give Ellery a chance with the handsome prince.
Ellery’s grip on the door tightened. She’d committed herself to not fall for the most impressive man she’d ever met, but she refused to let him or his family be hurt by some she-devil.
“I know money is tight for you and your mother currently.” Naomi’s voice was soft, cautious. “I know it would be a hardship to take time off work and ask your aunt to take off work to stay with her. If you’ll simply agree to go with Prince Derek to his castle for a week, I have a fifty-thousand-dollar check for you. If you find any information that can help us get Hattie Ballard into prison where she belongs, I will give you an additional hundred grand.”
Ellery recoiled. “I don’t take handouts.” Her mom had taught her young that handouts would only ruin your potential, make you reliant on someone besides God and your own hard work, and take away your chances to succeed.
“This is not a handout,” Naomi insisted. “I’ll have a company contact you to film a short commercial of you endorsing Pump It Up protein powder.”
“Oh.” She hated commercials, and it would be a waste of the company’s money, but she used that protein powder daily, so at least she wouldn’t be lying that she used it to endorse it.
“This is a payment for that commercial, but it’s truly to thank you for sacrificing to help our country, leaving your mother, missing work, and putting yourself in a potentially dangerous situation. You deserve more than I’m offering for what you’ll do for our royal family and all of Augustine by rooting out a cancer like Hattie Ballard. I would offer more, but I know you work too hard to accept handouts.”
“You got that right,” Ellery said.
“Thank you for considering my offer. I’ll send you a Snapchat and we can communicate that way.”
Ellery almost smiled. She’d never known an older person who used Snapchat, but it was an easy way to communicate. She pushed open the door and dropped the keys onto the console.
“Thank you,” Naomi said warmly. “for being willing to protect my country’s royal family. It means more than I could ever express. I would happily give you a million dollars if you’d accept it.”
“I wouldn’t,” Ellery said, trying to keep the acid from her voice. She and her mom loathed being a ‘project’ and well-meaning people thinking they wanted a handout. Their pride and faith might be all they had, but they had both in spades.
“I know. Please keep this between us.” Her gaze was intense. “Please don’t let Prince Derek know I approached you. The entire family is hoodwinked by Hattie Ballard and won’t listen to reason or even the solid police proof. Miss Ballard’s fingerprints all over the knives that prove she murdered Jane and Franz, stuck a knife through each of their hearts.”
Ellery shivered. Was she really comfortable going to the castle with such a woman there? At the same time, how could she in good conscience not try to help protect Derek, his family, and his country? Would he and his family truly not listen to reason? “How do you know Hattie will even come to the wedding?”
“Why do you think they’re having a completely private wedding and family-only dinner at the castle?” She arched an eyebrow. “That evening, General Raymond and his American bride will host a reception, but only select friends, family, and media are invited.”
“I heard Macey Clifton is a private person.”
“It’s a lovely excuse, isn’t it?” Naomi didn’t look spiteful or dishonest. She looked lovely and as if she could be royalty. “Prince Curtis and Aliya Drummond eloped because the prince was a ‘reclusive mountain man’.” She shrugged. “It’s all very convenient.”
Ellery needed to do some Google research—and pray really hard.
“I suspect Hattie Ballard and Prince Steffan will be there for the wedding and family dinner, then most likely disappear to some foreign jungle again. Maybe they’ll hide out in the castle. I don’t know. It is a massive castle and outsiders haven’t been allowed in since Queen Anne’s death. With the exception of trusted royal guards, Macey Clifton, and Aliya Drummond. True love is the key.” She tried to smile at Ellery. “You’ll be in a unique position to get me information no one else has access to. My husband and Prime Minister Shule can use that information to protect the royal family from the brilliant scheming of Hattie Ballard. Who might she stab next? Her own lover Prince Steffan? The king? Sweet Princess Kiera? Prince Derek?”
