An Officer and a Princess

by Carla Cassidy

  As they started down the stone stairs revealed by a trap door just behind the chapel altar, Isabel was focused on only one thing…they had to find her father.

  She was angry with herself for not thinking about the catacombs before. But the ancient burial grounds had long been forgotten by most of the people of Edenbourg.

  As they descended into the depths of the earth, the air turned musty and stale, but the only sound discernible was Isabel’s frantically beating heart. It echoed loudly in her ears, making her wonder if it was audible outside of her body.

  The men moved like dark shadows soundlessly along the soft rock walls. Isabel knew the catacombs were an intricate network of corridors and rooms and that it might take hours or longer for all of them to be checked.

  She was grateful for Adam’s presence next to her. His nearness calmed her nerves, focused her energy and eased the tension that was rife inside her.

  Would they find her father? Would he be dead or alive? She couldn’t imagine spending more than three months in this dark, dank place and was frightened by thoughts of what her father’s condition might be if he were found alive.

  Flashlights lit their way as they walked further and further away from the entrance and deeper and deeper into the ancient maze.

  Here and there the walls were decorated with elaborate frescoes, religious scenes from the Bible painted onto the walls hundreds of years before. It was easy to see where there were actual graves as bricks and slabs of stone depicted final resting places.

  With each new crevice or corridor they came upon, several of the men left the group to explore while Adam, Isabel and the rest continued forward.

  Finally, they’d gone far enough that Adam and Isabel were alone to proceed along one of the narrow corridors. The flashlight Adam held barely penetrated the black abyss before them.

  She fought the need to reach for his hand, knowing he had the flashlight in one and would need his other to be free to reach for his gun. Besides, she’d been trained for battle, trained both physically and mentally. She shouldn’t need to hold anyone’s hand.

  With every step a prayer was on her lips…a prayer to find her father alive. She and her father had battled often because of Isabel rebelling against the role of traditional princess, but those battles were insignificant now. She would gladly adhere to anything her father requested of her in exchange for his health and well-being.

  She felt as if they’d walked for hours when she thought she saw a faint illumination in the distance that had nothing to do with Adam’s light. She grabbed Adam’s arm and pointed. Instantly he clicked off his light.

  Ahead, from around a bend in the path, spilled a faint light. Isabel’s heart thundered and the hair on the nape of her neck rose. Somebody with a light was just around the corner and she knew it couldn’t be any of their group.

  Adam gently pushed her behind him as they advanced on the corner. She felt rather than heard the sharp intake of his breath as he peered around, then pressed back against her.

  Emotion raced through Isabel at his reaction. Was it her father? Had he seen her father lying dead in this primitive burial ground? She swallowed hard, preparing herself for whatever lay beyond the bend of the wall.

  Leaning past Adam, she peered around the corner. Shock riveted through her as she saw Willie Tammerick seated on a folding chair next to what appeared to be a small room enclosed by bars.

  Willie Tammerick…friendly King’s Men Tavern patron, perpetual drunk and easygoing riffraff, was apparently not as friendly, drunk or easygoing as he pretended.

  Before Adam could stop her, Isabel spun around the corner. “Hey, Willie boy,” she said with a lightness of tone that belied the tight constriction of her chest. Willie jumped up, a pistol trained on her. “They told me you were here,” she bluffed.

  He seemed to relax a little. He sat back down, but didn’t lower the gun. “I figured eventually I’d see you down here, you being family to Shane and all.”

  Isabel pointed to the bars across the entry of a tiny chamber. “Is he in there?” Willie nodded and heart pounding, Isabel stepped up to the bars and peered into the small area lit only with two torches.

  Her father sat on a narrow cot. Her heart fell to her toes. In his eyes was no flicker of recognition as he gazed at his eldest daughter.

  “He don’t look so much like a high-and-mighty king now, does he?” She forced a light tone to her voice. In truth, he looked horrid. He was filthy and his face held the gray pallor of unhealthiness. She had to fight not to jerk open the barred door and rush to his side.

  All she wanted was for Willie to relax his guard enough to lower the gun. She knew the moment that happened, Adam would be around that corner like a bullet shot out of a gun, ready to take Willie down and free the king.

  “Does he talk?” she asked.

  “Not much.” He narrowed his gaze in speculation. “Who told you about this?”

  Isabel blanched, unsure how to bluff an answer. Knowing she had mere seconds before Willie would be on to her, she leapt at him.

  She hit him square in the chest, toppling him and the chair over as she grabbed the barrel of the gun to keep him from firing at her.

  “Isabel!” Her father roared and she was vaguely aware of the sound of him throwing his body against the bars.

  At the same time Adam joined the struggle. He kicked the gun from Willie’s hand and sent it skittering across the ground.

  “Get up, Willie,” Adam demanded, his own gun pointed at the man.

  Willie slowly got to his feet. “So, who the hell are you?” he asked Adam, not a hint of blurry-eyed drunkenness in his eyes.

  “Lieutenant Commander Adam Sinclair, and we’ve come to free the king.”

  “Father,” Isabel exclaimed, tears welling in her eyes as she grabbed his hands through the bars.

  “Unlock the door, Willie,” Adam said. Willie didn’t move.

  “Come on, Willie. It’s all over. The game is done and you lost.”

  “Ah hell, I knew it was probably done when Shane got himself popped.” He grabbed the keys that dangled from his belt loop and, still in the line of Adam’s gun, moved to the barred door.

  The moment he’d unlocked it, Isabel shoved him aside and reached for her father. As her father’s arms enclosed her, something broke loose inside her and months of fear and grief exploded in a cascade of tears.

  “Are you all right?” she sobbed against his chest. “We’ve been so worried.” She looked up at him and placed a hand on either side of his face.

  “We heard you had a stroke.”

  “I did…but I’m all right now.” He placed his hands over hers. “My darling daughter, I was so afraid I’d never see you again, never get the opportunity to tell you how proud I am of you…how very much I love you.”

  Isabel clung to him more tightly, amazed by his words. Her father had never been a very demonstrative man, and he’d certainly never been one for words of love.

  At that moment they were joined by some of the other navy men, and Willie was patted down, then handcuffed. “What now?” Isabel asked as she remained in her father’s embrace.

  “What do you mean, what now?” Michael drew himself up to his full height and released his hold on Isabel. “We put this man in prison and I go back to the palace.”

  “Begging your pardon, Your Majesty, but I don’t think that’s a wise idea,” Adam said. “There is a traitor in the palace.”

  “Who?” Michael bellowed with regal force.

  “We don’t know who, Father,” Isabel replied, then looked at Willie. “But, you know, don’t you, Willie? You have to be getting your orders from somebody. Tell us who.”

  Willie shook his head. “I can’t.”

  “I’ll make him talk, just give me five minutes alone with him,” one of the navy men muttered audibly.

  Willie shrugged. “You can beat me, put me on a rack, throw me in prison, do whatever you want to, but I can’t give you a name because I don’t have
the name. Only Shane knew the insider.”

  “Then how do you get your orders?” Isabel asked.

  “I make a phone call,” Willie replied. “It’s a cell phone number and the man on the other end of that phone tells me what to do.”

  Isabel looked at Adam, his features looking hard and dangerous in the dim light. “The first thing we need to do is get my father to his doctor.”

  “I want to see Josephine,” Michael said.

  “I don’t think it’s in your best interest to return to the palace.” Adam frowned, obviously thinking of alternatives. “I have a place, a little cottage in the country. We’ll take you there until we can decide what our next move should be.”

  His words reminded Isabel that this was not over yet. Although they had found her father, until the mastermind behind the kidnapping was found, neither the king nor Nicholas was safe.

  “Isabel, you go get your mother,” Adam instructed her, then turned his attention to a young military man. “Green…you know where my off-base place is, don’t you?”

  “Yes, sir,” the man replied.

  “You go with Isabel. Bring the queen to my cottage.” He looked at two more of his men. “Simpson and Keller, I’m placing our prisoner under your guard. Bring him to my place as well. We’ll figure out exactly what to do once we’re there.”

  Isabel hugged her father one last time then with Ensign Green she left the catacombs.

  It was nearly two hours later that Ensign Green pulled up in front of a small, attractive cottage. Isabel and her mother sat in the back seat of his car holding hands.

  Nobody except the soldiers who had been there and now Josephine knew that the king had been found alive and well. Before Ensign Green could turn off the car engine, Josephine was out of the car and running for the front door.

  Isabel hurried after her mother and caught up with her in the living room, where Isabel watched as her father and mother flew into one another’s arms.

  In the time since she’d seen her father, he’d obviously showered and shaved, although his hair remained unusually long and his face was still pale and drawn.

  “Michael…my love,” Josephine cried, tears trekking down her cheeks as she clung to her husband.

  “Josephine…my Josephine,” Michael replied.

  Isabel watched the two in wonder. She’d never before seen her parents hug…kiss. Although she’d always seen them treat each other with respect and admiration, she’d never seen them express such un-abashed love for one another.

  “Isabel.” Adam called her name softly and gestured toward the front door.

  She nodded and together they stepped outside, giving the king and his queen some precious time alone.

  They walked several paces away from the house, the air balmy and filled with the scent of green pastures and sweet flowers. “How long have you had this place?” she asked.

  He stopped and leaned against the side of Ensign Green’s car. “I bought it a couple of weeks after my father’s plane went down.” He stared at the cottage for a long moment, then turned and looked at her. “When the rumors started, I thought I might need to build a civilian life for myself.”

  “Why?” she asked in surprise. “If your father was a traitor, it is his crime, not yours.”

  “But if the rumors persist and if even one of my men doubts me, then I’ll leave my post.” His eyes were dark…haunted. “I can’t be a leader if there are any doubts about my integrity.”

  She wished desperately she had some answers for him, wished she’d heard something positive from the investigators she’d put on the case of the missing prototype. But, there had been no word.

  “Can you believe Willie Tammerick was in on this all along?” she asked, changing the subject. “And he tried to push us toward the Patriots, knowing all along he was one of the guilty ones.”

  Adam shook his head. “He fooled me completely. I thought Blake Hariman and his group were the guilty ones, but I guess they’re just another bunch of disillusioned rebels.”

  “Where is Willie now?”

  “In one of the bedrooms with two guards. Your father and I have come up with a plan.”

  “What kind of plan?” she asked.

  Quickly, he outlined what they intended to do. As she listened she tried not to focus on how handsome he looked with the moonlight on his strong features.

  Her mind exploded with a vision of her mother and father in one another’s arms, the love that had filled the room when they’d kissed. She wanted that…she wanted that with Adam. She wanted the “marriage” she’d shared with him over the past three weeks to be real.

  She wanted to awaken each morning in his arms, go to sleep after making love with him each night. She wanted to build a life with him, a life of dreams and hopes, of laughter and passion.

  Her heart was heavy as she realized the truth of the situation. In finding her father, they’d brought to an end any personal relationship they might have shared. She’d regained her father, and in the process had to relinquish the man that she loved.

  “We have much to talk about,” Michael said to his wife. He smoothed a hand down her cheek, his eyes holding an expression of love she’d never seen there before. “I’ve had lots of time to think.”

  “As I have,” she replied. “I love you, Michael, and I’ve been so afraid I wouldn’t get a chance to tell you how very much I love you.”

  His lips captured hers in a fiery kiss that spoke of a depth of abiding love and passion she’d never tasted in his kisses before. “No more separate lives,” he said as the kiss ended. “Things are going to change. I want you…need you by my side every minute of the day for the rest of my life.”

  Josephine’s heart expanded with a happiness she’d never known before. This man…this king was her husband…the love of her life. “And I want to be at your side for every minute for the rest of our lives.”

  Michael’s blue eyes deepened in hue. “But, before we can do anything else, we must find out who is behind all this. We have to find the traitor.”

  Josephine nodded. She could face anything, do anything as long as she had Michael by her side.

  Chapter Nine

  “What do you want me to do with that?” Willie asked as he stared at the phone Adam had just shoved in front of him.

  They had moved Willie into the living area of the small cottage. The two men guarding him, Adam, Isabel, Queen Josephine and King Michael stood in a circle around the man.

  “I want you to call your boss and tell him the king is dead.”

  Isabel heard her mother’s sharp intake of breath and watched as Josephine reached for her husband’s hand. Isabel had never seen her mother look so vulnerable and she knew it was love for Isabel’s father that made her vulnerable.

  “And what do I get out of doing such a thing?” Willie asked.

  “I will spare your life,” King Michael said softly.

  Willie hesitated a long moment, then nodded and picked up the phone. “Yeah, it’s me,” he said to whoever had answered the phone. “The bee is dead.” Another pause. “Hell yes, I’m sure. Must have been a massive stroke that got him.” He listened another moment longer. “Okay, I’ll take care of it.” He hung up.

  “What did he say?” Isabel asked.

  “He told me to get rid of the body.”

  A shiver worked its way up Isabel’s spine at the cold words. How easily it could have been that her father might have died and nobody would have ever found his body.

  “We’ll take him to the naval base and lock him up there until all this is over,” Adam said. “With the betrayer now thinking that both King Michael and Prince Nicholas are dead, we’re hoping a move will be made that will reveal his identity.”

  King Michael held his hand out to Adam. “I appreciate all you’ve done, Lieutenant Commander, and I appreciate the use of your home until the coronation on Saturday.”

  Adam nodded.

  “If you’re staying here, then so am I,” Josephine
said to her husband.

  The look Michael gave his wife sent a different kind of shiver through Isabel, a shiver of wistfulness, and a desire to someday have a man look at her in that same way.

  “For tonight, you stay,” he said softly. “But, tomorrow you must return to the palace and pretend that everything is as it was. It’s important that nobody know anything has changed. As far as everyone else is concerned I am still missing and Nicholas is still presumed to be dead.”

  It took nearly an hour to get Willie and a couple of Adam’s men dispatched back to the base. Two men were assigned to stay at the cottage for the protection of the king and queen.

  With everything arranged, Adam and Isabel left the cottage. Although Isabel was overjoyed by the return of her father, her heart was heavy as she realized her time with Adam had come to an end.

  “I don’t want you going back to the King’s Men Tavern,” he said as they walked to his car. “The group will know that not only is the bee gone, but his keeper as well. It will be dangerous for either of us to show ourselves again.”

  She forced a light smile. “I sure hate to give up all those awesome clothes.”

  He smiled. “You’re back to being a princess, and those aren’t the clothes for a princess to wear.”

  She nodded and together they got into his car. He would drive her back to the palace, where she would resume living in her luxury quarters. He was taking her home, but that’s not how it felt.

  Home was that tiny room on the third floor of the bar, where she and Adam had slept together on a lumpy, soft bed for the past couple of weeks. Home was in their laughter, in the kisses they had shared.

  But she knew he didn’t feel the same depth of love for her. He couldn’t and walk away from her. She only hoped she had the strength to walk away from him without making an utter fool of herself.

  “While you were getting your mother, I had a local physician I trust check out your father,” Adam said, breaking the silence that had built between them.

  “What did he say?”

  “Of course without the proper equipment of a hospital, he couldn’t be certain as to what extent your father’s stroke caused damage, but because there are no outward lingering effects, he felt confident that it was a fairly mild stroke.”