Royally Ever After (Royals of Valleria #7)

by Marianne Knightly

  “Papa, are you sure you’re all right? I could have a word with Rebecca–”

  “Don’t. Rebecca did nothing wrong, except to remind me that you’re having a difficult time and that I should let you lead the country as you see fit.”

  Alex bristled. “I’m doing the best I can, Papa.”

  “Since your ‘best’ is quite exceptional, you’re doing very well. The way you handled the Council today made me exceptionally proud.”

  Something warm and heavy and welcoming settled in Alex’s heart.

  “It must be difficult to see me in this hospital bed. I’ll never forget the way my father looked in his.”

  Alex sagged a little as grief hit him once more. “It is difficult, Papa. You’re our leader. Not just Valleria’s, but our family’s. They’re tough shoes to fill.”

  “Then it’s a good thing we’re the same size.” He squeezed Alex’s hand. “Now, tell me if there’s been any news about Rebecca or Arianna.”

  “Rebecca left the hospital while I was still at the Council meeting. The doctor said she’s fine, but shouldn’t overdo it.”

  “A wedding with almost two thousand people in attendance, plus tens of millions more watching it live, is not considered overdoing it?”

  Alex grinned. “Rebecca doesn’t think so.”

  Gabriel grinned back. “She wouldn’t.”

  “Arianna’s still resting. I spoke to Ethan on my way here. His and Carolina’s arrival has cheered both her and Finn up quite a bit. It’s a wait-and-see game at this point. The doctor’s keeping her in the hospital on bed rest until he’s sure the threat has passed. She hasn’t had any new pains since last night, so they’re hoping the worst is over.”

  Gabriel sighed in relief. “That’s very good to hear. I’d hate for my first grandchild to make a hasty entrance into the world.”

  Alex gave his mother a furtive glance, before turning back to his father. “I’m glad Mama’s at least getting some sleep.”

  “She’s not sleeping, she’s spying.”

  Alex blinked and turned to his mother. Was her back straighter, or was he imagining things? “Pardon?”

  “Your Mama woke in the middle of our conversation. She’s just very good at feigning sleep. At least, she would be, if I hadn’t spent the last forty years sleeping next to her.”

  Genevieve turned and sat up, and glared at Gabriel with narrowed eyes. “I am not good at feigning sleep, Gabriel Robert Louis Santoro. What I am, is a mother giving her husband and son some time alone.”

  “Whatever you say, my dear.”

  “Gabriel,” she said in a warning tone.

  “You’d better get on, Alexander. It’s best you don’t see you mother like this.”

  Genevieve crossed her arms over her chest. “Like what? Like the kind, generous, loving woman she is? Hmmm?”

  Gabriel laughed, then winced and held a hand to his chest.

  Fear gripped his heart as the bitter taste of adrenaline coated his tongue. “Papa?”

  Genevieve rushed over. “Gabriel?”

  Gabriel waved them both away. “Perfectly all right. Just a little weak, that’s all. I shouldn’t have laughed.”

  “You’ll excuse me if I don’t take your word for it, Mr.-I-waited-five-minutes-before-admitting-to-a-heart-attack.”

  “My dear–”

  “No, Gabriel,” she said softly. “I’m sure you’re fine, but let’s call the doctor anyway.”

  When Gabriel nodded, Alex left to get the doctor. Only after a brief conversation with Dr. Wilson himself, and after he was assured his father was okay, did Alex relax.

  A moment of happiness, followed by a moment of sheer terror.

  No, it was safe to say that Alex would never forget the way his father looked in that hospital bed.

  After the doctor cleared his father – who had not had another heart attack, but was simply weak – Alex and his mother prepared to take him home. His mother went to sign the discharge papers while Alex waited with his father, now dressed in comfortable, casual clothes – and not a hospital gown – for the first time in days.

  “Fair warning: Charlie’s taken the doctor’s orders about your new diet to heart.”

  Gabriel grinned. “Since any food she or her staff makes is impeccable, I’m not worried.”

  “Say that again after you try some steamed steak for dinner.”

  “Steamed steak?”

  “A vegetarian version of steak Charlie’s come up with. She lightly steams some cauliflower, then roasts it in the oven. It doesn’t taste half-bad, but it’s no steak.”

  “I think a full-on steak is off the menu for a while.”

  Genevieve entered the room again, a stack of papers and pamphlets in her hands. “It absolutely is.” They chuckled.

  A knock came at the door, and Edward entered with Marcello following behind.

  Alex frowned at Edward. “I thought you were taking Zinnia into custody?”

  Edward greeted his future parents-in-law, then answered. “We did. We’re holding her here at the hospital.”

  “Is that safe, having her in the same hospital as Papa?” Alex asked. “She could have been working with Gerald on the bomb plot.”

  Marcello shook his head. “I don’t think she was. Here’s what we’ve found out.

  “Zinnia did not enter Valleria until we gave her the go ahead to do so. While she could have snuck in another time by train or bus – if, for example, she was trying to arrange something with the bomber – we don’t think that’s likely. We contacted the hotel where she’s been living for the last year or so, and their camera footage for the last several days vouches for her. She didn’t meet with anyone, and she pretty much stayed in her room until she left to come here.”

  “If the hotel has footage saved only from the last few days, she could have met with someone months ago,” Alex pointed out.

  “She could have, but the hotel staff confirmed that she’s a loner. When she leaves, it’s to eat, maybe do some shopping, but that’s it. We’re talking a couple hours gone at the most. My gut tells me she wasn’t meeting with unsavory people during those times.”

  “What about her phone records?” Gabriel asked.

  “That looks clear, too. No unusual calls in the last year. The only thing that popped out was a call from the prison a few days ago. She made her call to me about a day after that. It’s true she could have gotten a burner phone, but there’s no evidence of that. At. All.

  “Not to mention, Edward’s had his eyes on her since she arrived. She never met with anyone except Gerald, so she couldn’t have planted the bomb herself.”

  “I also don’t think she had anything to do with this,” Edward said, and told them what had happened, both at the cemetery and at the prison, including the revelations about her mother and rape, and Gerald’s attack on her. “She was fine – Gerald only had a hold of her for a second before we pulled him off – but I think someone in the family should talk to her.”

  Genevieve placed a hand over her heart. “Oh. Poor Zinnia.”

  Alex looked to Marcello. “Her personality change. Could that be related to the rape?”

  “That’s what I’m thinking. I checked and it was never reported. Neither was her mother’s suicide. Local police could have covered it up. Gerald – as the head of a prominent bank, as he was at the time she died – could have used his pull to make that happen.”

  Gabriel ran a hand over his face. “Good God. What she must have gone through. What she still must be going through, and all alone.”

  “I talked to a few of our cousins,” Marcello said. “She keeps in touch, just to keep updated on what the family’s doing, but that’s it. Keeps it superficial. The cousins thought she may have had a falling out with her father around the time she started college, but they didn’t know any details.”

  “You didn’t tell them what happened to her, did you?” Genevieve asked.

  “Of course not. It’s not my story to tell. The cousins never r
eally pushed, either, especially after first Lafayette, then Gerald, tried to kill some of us and upend the monarchy. She doesn’t think she’ll be accepted, because of her half-brother and father, so she never tries.”

  “And she’s been living in a hotel?” Gerald asked. “Is she working anywhere?”

  “Her mother’s estate went to her when she came of age at seventeen, and it was quite extensive. We think Zinnia used those funds to go to college and support herself, so she likely doesn’t need to work. Even her mother’s ironclad will stated that division of assets wouldn’t be revealed until Zinnia came of age. When Gerald found out that none of his wife’s money went to him, he must have been pissed off to no end.”

  “She was in her last year of school when she came of age, wasn’t she? Isn’t her birthday around the holidays?”

  A pregnant pause filled the room and parts of Zinnia’s life, parts they’d known nothing about, fell sadly into place.

  Alex dropped his head into his hands. “Holy hell.”

  “You said it, my son.” Gabriel shook his head. “I blame myself to some extent. I let the communication between us go. I relied only on Gerald’s updates, and not her own. It’s easy to do that in big families, isn’t it? To brush someone aside, and then you never realize what they’re going through, or what struggles they’ve faced.”

  “We don’t know who–”

  Marcello shook his head. “Unfortunately not, Mama. I think she should meet with the two of you. I have a feeling she could use some parents – some decent ones – for once in her life.”

  “Bring her in,” Genevieve said immediately. “Though I think you boys should leave. I wouldn’t want her to feel overwhelmed.”

  Marcello nodded. “Understandable. Before we do, there is something else I need to tell you. While we don’t think Zinnia was behind the threat, we think Zed Hegarty was.”

  “That fucking bastard,” Alex spat out.

  “You said it,” Marcello said. “We checked the visitor logs at the prison. While Gerald has not had any visitors except for his lawyer in the past and Zinnia today, one of the other inmates has been visited frequently by Hegarty over the last year. The first visit coincided not long after yours and Rebecca’s wedding announcement.

  “You might even recognize the name: Jacopo. He was Lafayette’s accomplice during Rebecca’s kidnapping.”

  Alex snarled. “That fucker almost raped Rebecca. Are you telling me he’s been in the same prison as Gerald?”

  “Apparently. That is being rectified now.”

  Gabriel rubbed a finger over his mustache. “Hegarty’s been planning this for a year? It was poorly planned if he was.”

  “You’re right. From what we could ascertain, it took Hegarty about six months just to convince Jacopo to work with him against the royal family. I don’t think it took six months because Jacopo had seen the error of his ways; I think Jacopo was just fucking with Hegarty to get more money from him before he agreed to help.

  “Anyway, around the time Jacopo agreed, as you know, Gerald had been wreaking havoc in our lives for some time. The live feed where he threatened Papa and Nate had already happened. When Hegarty found out Gerald was transferred to the same prison, he connected the two.

  “We also uncovered some information that links the bomber with Jacopo. The bomber started working at the Gara Hotel not long after Hegarty connected Gerald and Jacopo in prison, so not long after the scheme was hatched.”

  “How was Hegarty even able to visit someone at that prison?” Alex asked. “Isn’t only family allowed visitation rights at that prison?”

  “Family and lawyers. Hegarty, as Minister of Justice, is required to hold a Vallerian law degree, which he has. Even though he doesn’t practice in a courtroom, he’s still kept up his certification to do so. Therefore, he could legitimately say he’s a lawyer who wanted to see an inmate, and the prison would grant the request if his certification came back authentic, which is did.”

  Alex felt the pressing need to smash something, anything, to tiny, microscopic bits. “Holy fucking hell.”

  “Will we never be free of that useless man?” Genevieve asked, and Gabriel reached over and squeezed her hand. “I never want to hear Gerald’s name again for as long I live.”

  “I know, my dear,” Gabriel said, and kissed her palm.

  Marcello held up his hand and started ticking off his fingers as he spoke. “So, Hegarty’s in custody, Gerald’s privileges have been revoked, as have Jacopo’s, and they’ll both face new trials on additional charges. We’re also checking to see if they had anything else planned, though it doesn’t seem like it so far.”

  Edward nodded. “Not only that, but we’re doing bomb sweeps of the church, palace, other hotels, and random inspections of other buildings related to the wedding. We’ve also got round-the-clock security at the church now, to ensure its kept clear.”

  Alex leaned back in his chair. “What a long fucking day.”

  “And it’s not over yet,” Marcello said. “I’ll go get Zinnia.”

  About ten minutes later, Gabriel watched as Marcello escorted a frightened looking Zinnia into his hospital room and left. She stayed near the door while she curtsied twice – one each to him and Genevieve – before Genevieve walked over to her and startled her with a hug.

  “There’s no need for all the formality, Zinnia,” she said softly. “You’re family.”

  “I am?” Zinnia croaked.

  “Of course,” Genevieve said easily, and led her closer to him. He reached out and took Zinnia’s hand when she got near enough.

  “Have a seat, my child,” he said, eyeing the darkening bruises on her neck. “How are you?”

  “I-I’m well, Your Majesty. How are you feeling? I was sorry to hear you’d fallen ill.”

  “I am doing very well. I’ll be discharged for home tonight.”

  “Oh! My cousins must be happy about that, Your Majesty.”

  “No more of this formality. You can call me Gabriel.”

  “And me, Genevieve.”

  Zinnia’s eyes darted between them and the hand Gabriel still held. “Oh, I don’t know if I could do that.”

  “You can call me Cousin Gabriel, if you like, but that’s as formal as I’ll accept.”

  “All right. C-Cousin Gabriel.”

  Genevieve pulled her into another hug. “Oh, my dear child. How are you? Truly?”

  Zinnia’s eyes were downcast. “Did you hear about what happened? With my fa–, with Gerald at the prison?”

  “Yes, we did.” Genevieve touched her hand to Zinnia’s cheek. “We know everything. We only wish we’d known sooner.”

  “Is that why you’re being nice to me? Pity?”

  Gabriel squeezed her hand and she looked up at him. “We don’t pity you.”

  “You should.”

  “We feel empathy for you. We feel guilt for ourselves. Guilt that, if we’d known sooner how terrible things were, we could have helped in some way sooner.”

  “You’re blaming me for everything, aren’t you?”

  Genevieve brushed a hand over Zinnia’s hair. “Whatever do you mean?”

  “If I’d spoken up sooner, then none of this would have happened. Right? Neither Gerald, nor my half-brother would have tried all those schemes to hurt you,” she said with disgust. “Nothing would have happened. It’s all my fault.”

  “No!” Genevieve cried. “Don’t think that.”

  “It’s all my fault,” she whispered.

  “Something terrible happened to you, dear Zinnia. The rape was not your fault.”

  Zinnia’s breath hitched.

  “You are not responsible for the actions of other people. You are not to blame here.”

  “So, you believe I don’t want to hurt you?”

  He gave her a searching look. “It’s true that you could be acting right now. Pretending in order to get close to us, so you could hatch some scheme against us. However, if that’s true, you’re a stunning actress.”
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  “Wh-what?”

  “The pain in your eyes, dear Zinnia. The complete and utter desolation I see there, the despair, the depression. You’re afraid, aren’t you?”

  “Of you?”

  “Of life.”

  She gasped, and her body stiffened. “I’m not–”

  “Who was it?” Gabriel asked.

  “Gabriel! She doesn’t have to tell us.”

  “Yes, she does. Because I have a feeling I already know who it was. You can trust us, dear Zinnia.”

  Zinnia’s eyes darted between them as she fiercely shook her head.

  “Yes, my child. You must tell us.”

  Her hand wrenched away from Gabriel’s and she covered her ears, as if she could pretend the question didn’t exist.

  Gabriel gently pulled her hands away from her head, but kept hold of her wrists. The gut-wrenching sadness on her face almost made him pause, but he knew she’d be better for it if she let it out. “Who was it, my child?”

  Zinnia’s sobs filled the room. “It was Lafayette. It was my half-brother.”

  Gabriel pulled her into his arms, and Genevieve hugged her from behind. “There, there, my child. Let it out. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. You did nothing wrong. Not one thing.”

  “Oh, Zinnia,” Genevieve said as she rubbed her back. “You’re not alone anymore. You’ll never be alone again.”

  “How did you know?” Zinnia hiccupped when her sobs died down. “How did you know it was him?”

  “Just a guess. I’m sorry I was right. When did you first learn about him? Did Gerald tell you?”

  Zinnia nodded and sat up, wiping her tears. “We learned about him when I was seven. He was born just a month before me, did you know that? Gerald cheated on my mother, got another woman pregnant at the same time. I don’t know what happened to her, but Mama couldn’t handle it. Gerald wasn’t very nice to her.”

  Gabriel handed her some tissues from a dispenser nearby. “It was your money, wasn’t it? Your inheritance?”

  Zinnia nodded. “When they both found out the money was mine and mine alone, they were both really angry. He-he raped me the night he found out.”

  “My child, why did you want to see them? Closure?”