“Emilia?”
She spun around when she heard her name called. It was Miss Alicia.
“Yes, ma’am?”
“Stop daydreaming, girl! I need you to take these towels up to Miss Sofia’s room right away.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Juliette flipped the pages of her book back and forth, mumbling to herself, “This can’t be right…”
Her breakfast sat untouched on the table where Emilia had left it. She was so engrossed in her research, she had even forgotten about her coffee.
“Oh! Hello.”
Juliette looked up to find a woman standing in the doorway: mid-fifties, thin, round silver glasses, gray hair pulled back into a bun. “Hello,” Juliette responded.
“I’m Gertrudis Conde, the royal librarian,” the thin woman introduced herself.
“Juliette Thierry.” The two shook hands.
“Can I help you find something?”
“Yes, I’m interested in learning more about the rules of succession, specifically any laws concerning the coronation.”
The librarian considered the request, then said, “The books that we have in here are mostly general reference material. If you need something specific, I think the books in the Solicitor General’s office might be more helpful. Of course, it might be faster just to ask the Solicitor General himself once he gets in.”
“He’ll see me?” Juliette asked.
“Oh, yes, miss,” Mrs. Conde assured her. “He is the exclusive lawyer of the royal family and, as Prince Guillermo’s fiancée, I’m sure that you qualify.”
Juliette considered this carefully. “A lawyer, eh?”
“If you’d like, I can make an appointment for you?”
“Yes, please, would you?” Juliette asked.
Mrs. Conde nodded. “Let me go see when he’s available. I’ll be right back.”
A lawyer who is an expert on royal law. This certainly simplifies things…
As she waited, Juliette turned her attention to her breakfast. The eggs and coffee were a lost cause. She placed the cold strip of bacon between two wedges of toast and washed it down with lukewarm orange juice.
Mrs. Conde returned. “The Solicitor General can see you at 10 AM. His name is Señor Ordaz.”
“Perfect,” Juliette said, standing up. “Enough time for me to grab a quick cup of coffee before the meeting. Thank you, Mrs. Conde.”
“My pleasure,” the older woman smiled.
Juliette knocked and opened the door. “Señor Ordaz?”
“Come in,” the man behind the desk ordered in a gruff voice without looking up from his paperwork. He was in his 60s; stocky, bulbous nose, strawberry blond hair and eyebrows, brown eyes, wearing an expensive-looking light blue suit with a red tie and gold cufflinks.
Juliette shut the door behind her and entered the room. “I’m Juliette Thierry,” she introduced herself.
“Please, have a seat, Miss Thierry. I’ll only be a minute.”
Juliette took one of the plush leather chairs facing the large mahogany desk and waited.
Señor Ordaz set down his pen and smiled at Juliette. “Now then, miss, what can I do for you?”
Juliette hesitated. “I have some questions for you. But, first, I’d like to confirm something. You are bound by confidentiality, is that right?”
“I most certainly am,” the lawyer responded. “Nothing said in this room will leave this room, I can assure you.”
“Let me be more specific,” Juliette clarified. “Our conversation must remain private. It cannot be shared with even the prince. Is that acceptable to you?”
The lawyer arched his eyebrows in surprise. “Miss, I will not share anything you say to me with the prince — just as I will not share anything the prince says to me with you. I will hold our conversation in the strictest confidentiality. Fair enough?”
Juliette nodded and settled back into her seat. “Fine. I need to know everything that you can tell me about the law requiring the prince to be married before his coronation.”
The lawyer chuckled and spread his hands, palms up. “I cannot cite that which does not exist.”
“Excuse me?”
“There is no such law.”
Juliette stared at the lawyer, dumbfounded. “There is no law requiring Guillermo to be married before he ascends the throne?”
“That is correct.”
Juliette started babbling, “Then what about all- I mean, why am I- I mean, what’s the point-”
Señor Ordaz held up his hand and she fell silent. “Let me explain,” he began. “You have to remember that, where the royal family is concerned, there is little difference between historical tradition and actual law. The monarchy treat many traditions as law when, in fact, they are merely customs, passed down generation after generation, until they have solidified into a ritual whose meaning has been lost. This so-called law concerning marriage before coronation is one of those rituals.”
“Are you telling me that he doesn’t have to be married before he becomes king?”
“On the contrary,” the lawyer said, “if he were to ask me for my expert legal opinion, I would most certainly recommend that he keeps the tradition alive and marry before his coronation.”
Juliette frowned.
“Perhaps it would help if I explain the source of this particular custom,” Señor Ordaz offered. “This marriage requirement dates back to medieval times when marriages were little more than alliances — treaties, if you will. As you are no doubt aware, San Morrando was founded in the 13th century as an independent microstate. Being so small, we have never had much of an army, per se. We instead rely on either France to our north or Spain to our south to provide for our defense. In fact, there was a brief period in the 17th and 18th centuries where England was our main benefactor.
“But back to my main point: from ancient times, San Morrando needed the protection of a strong nation to survive. The best way to insure that protection was for the king to marry a princess from one of the protector nations, thus forming an alliance with that nation’s monarchy. By marrying a foreign princess before assuming the throne, the prince guaranteed that his reign was viewed as legitimate by our allies. However, if France, Spain, and England all declined to send a princess to San Morrando, that was a signal that the prince was viewed as unfit — and, sadly, unfit candidates were frequently banished or executed. So, securing a strategic marriage before coronation became of tantamount importance to any potential candidate to the throne.”
Juliette protested, “But surely none of that matters now that we are a constitutional monarchy?”
“As I indicated before, this is a gray area. For someone from the monarchy, breaking with tradition feels like breaking a law. One of the primary duties of being a monarch is maintaining the rituals of the nation. Especially now, when being king is mostly a symbolic office. If a monarch were to defy one of those rituals, well, it has to be handled with the utmost delicacy. You have to carefully guard against any sort of ripple effect. The scandal can be managed, of course, just as any scandal can be managed.”
“This is insane,” Juliette protested. “I’ve never heard something so ridiculous in my entire life.”
Señor Ordaz chuckled. “Such is the world we live in. Ninety percent of my job is navigating these waters.”
Juliette exhaled deeply and frowned. “All right. Let me just ask you straight out. If Guillermo were not married before the date of his coronation and you had to argue his case before a constitutional board of inquiry, could you win the case? Could you insure that Guillermo would become king even if he were still single?”
Señor Ordaz furrowed his brow for a moment, then nodded. “Yes.”
“You’re sure?” Juliette pressed.
The lawyer bristled with annoyance. “Young lady, please. When I say, ‘yes,’ I mean, yes. This is a relatively straightforward case. In fact, I can’t imagine who would even raise an objection should he still be single on coronation day —
no one wants to see a disruption in the royal line. You have nothing to worry about. The law is clearly on our side.”
Juliette collapsed back into her chair; she felt as if every bit of strength had suddenly drained from her body. “That’s a relief,” she breathed. She smiled weakly and said, “Thank you.”
“Of course,” the lawyer nodded. “Is there anything else?”
Juliette shook her head, “No,” and left.
She returned to her room, flopped onto her bed, and fell fast asleep.
* * *
“Miss? Hello? Miss Juliette? Are you in here?”
Juliette groaned into her pillow and squinted at the figure standing in the doorway.
“Emilia?” Juliette guessed.
“Alicia, miss,” the head maid said, entering the room. “Emilia is getting ready to run some errands for me.”
“What time is it?” Juliette asked, still half-asleep.
“It’s almost 2:30. When you didn’t come down for your afternoon lessons, I came up to investigate.”
Juliette’s eyes widened. “I must have been more wiped out than I thought…”
“Would you like your dinner served in here this evening?”
“Yes. No. Wait- where’s the prince?”
“I believe the prince is in his study.”
Juliette sat up on the bed, the strands of her long dark hair hanging over her face. “I have to speak with him,” she mumbled.
“You really should eat something, miss. Emilia mentioned that you barely touched your breakfast. And now you’ve slept through lunch…”
Juliette nodded. “Okay, yes, fine. Bring me… a sandwich and some coffee, please, Alicia.”
“Very good, miss.”
“Strong coffee, Alicia.”
“Yes, miss.”
Juliette ran her hand through her hair, pushing it back from her face. She grabbed a hair tie from her nightstand and redid her ponytail.
Now comes the hard part: convincing that man. How on earth am I going to do that?
Chapter 13
The Palais d’Or Royal Gardens were located to the east of the castle. Modest by European standards, these gardens were still quite lush and ornate — easily the most impressive gardens in San Morrando.
Juliette had passed the Royal Gardens several times as she drove in and out of the castle grounds but this was her first chance to actually wander through them. The experience was Zen-like, peaceful, serene. She savored the tranquility as she meandered down a grassy path lined with perfectly square, foot-high hedges on either side.
To her left were a line of fruit trees, artfully trimmed into round globes, the occasional songbird chirping musically as she passed. To her right lay patches of brightly colored flowers; a group of deep red-orange; another group of brilliant blue. The gardeners had varied shape, size, and height to create a pleasing effect.
At the end of the path, the rear of the garden was lined with a row of hedges of alternating heights cut into trapezoidal shapes. Peering over the shorter hedges, Juliette could see the cold, blue waters of the Rivière Bleu as it wound behind the castle, sparkling in the sunlight.
She spotted Guillermo finally, near the very edge of the garden, standing next to a row of yellow lilies. Her heart almost skipped a beat as she laid eyes on him: brown leather boots, well-fitting blue jeans, and a flannel work shirt rolled up to mid-forearm. He smiled and waved to her, his hair windblown and a bit wild.
Careful girl. Keep it cool and professional!
“This is a pleasant surprise,” Guillermo said as she approached.
“Oh? How so?”
“I usually have to track you down. It’s nice being pursued for a change.”
“Ha,” Juliette said. “You seem to be reading more into this than there is, your majesty.”
Guillermo laughed heartily. “So, is this your first time here?”
“Actually, yes it is. It’s quite lovely.”
“Here, let me give you the royal tour.”
Guillermo led her down the garden path, pointing out various features. He explained to Juliette that the entire garden was only two acres even though it felt much larger. The grounds were maintained by two full time gardeners with up to a dozen more who rotated in on a seasonal basis.
When they reached the far corner of the garden, Guillermo grabbed Juliette’s hand excitedly. “Come. I want to show you my favorite spot.” He pulled her through a narrow opening in the hedge and down a path towards the river. At the bottom of the hill, a three foot wide strip of manicured grass ran parallel to the water. The royal gardens were at the top of the hill to her right; in front of her, Palais d’Or rose majestically in the distance.
“I used to love to play here when I was a kid,” Guillermo said. “My cousins and I would come down here in our swim trunks and run around like idiots. We used to dare each other to see how long we could stay in the freezing water. I swear, one time, my cousin Gerardo stayed in so long, his lips turned blue,” he chuckled.
Juliette smiled. “It’s so beautiful here. I can’t believe how clear the water is.”
They began slowly strolling along the bank. “People don’t realize how cold the river is this close to the mountains. It’s really just barely melted ice.”
They walked along in silence a while, enjoying the view. “So, what did you want to talk about?” Guillermo asked.
Juliette hesitated. “I had a long talk with your sister last night.”
“Yes, she mentioned it. You made a good impression on her; she really likes you.”
Juliette smiled. “I like her, too. She handled the aristocrats at that party like a professional.”
“She’s amazing, isn’t she?”
Juliette chose her words carefully. “She’s a great little sister and a wonderful princess.”
“She’s going to make a great queen,” Guillermo declared proudly.
Juliette grimaced. “No, Guillermo, she’s not.”
“What?”
Juliette continued, “I’m sorry, but she’s not. She hasn’t got what it takes to be a great queen — at least, not yet. She’s just too young.”
“She’ll grow into it.”
Juliette took a deep centering breath, and exhaled. “The country doesn’t need Sofia.” She paused. “The country needs you.”
“Me?” Guillermo chuckled. “Oh, come on. There’s no comparison. You said it yourself: she handles the aristocracy like a professional.”
“The aristocracy is not the country,” Juliette said. “Not even close. There are people who need you — desperate people, who need the royal charities to function again. People without political power. People without food or a roof over their heads. That’s who needs you.”
“Sofia can-”
“Sofia can’t!” Juliette insisted. “She’s 20 years old, Guillermo. She’s a child.”
“How dare you dismiss my sister like that!” Guillermo growled. “You don’t know what she’s capable of.”
“Can you honestly stand there and tell me that Sofia can repair the royal charities? Can you?”
Guillermo said nothing.
Juliette pressed on, “I adore your sister. She’s a wonderful person. But it’s going to take a skilled individual to fix those charities, the kind of man who can be gentle with children, who can get tough with the warlords in Parliament, who can charm the wealthy aristocrats, and who can command respect from the people. That man is you, Guillermo.”
“Then I’ll just have to get the royal charities in order during the year that I’m here — so when I leave them to Sofia, they will be working smoothly,” Guillermo countered with that smug smile of his.
Juliette exploded, “That’s bullshit. You know damned good and well that once you leave, things are just going to revert back to the way they were. No one’s going to do anything if they know that they’re not going to be held accountable. The vultures will descend and things will go back to they way they’ve been for the last 20 years. Nothi
ng will get done, the sick will die, and the hungry will starve.”
Guillermo remained stubborn. “I’ll just have to do such a good job that no one will backslide.”
“Would you listen to yourself?” Juliette said. “Why are you so hellbent on shoving this off onto Sofia?”
Guillermo frowned angrily, “Believe it or not, my work in North Africa is important.”
“Of course it is. All I’m saying is that any doctor can go to Africa. Only you can cure what’s wrong with San Morrando.”
Guillermo considered this in silence; then, he stood up straight as if he had just had a profound idea and focused his eyes on Juliette.
“Oh ho,” Guillermo wagged his finger at Juliette. “You’re good. You’re very good. I see what this is about. Have you gotten accustomed to the lifestyle? Don’t want to give it up after the year is over? Ha!” He slapped his hands together. “What a fool I’ve been! I should have known. You’re trying to trap me.”
“What? Are you crazy?”
“Oh, sure, sure,” he laughed humorlessly, coming to an abrupt halt and facing Juliette head on. “You like the clothes and the maids and the attention. It’s so obvious now.”
“No, Guillermo, that’s not true! Even if I weren’t here, I’d want you to remain king.”
“Greed. I should have known better! All women are the same-”
“No, we’re not. Why won’t you listen to me?”
I don’t want to stay at all! I want you to stay, not me!
“I’ve heard enough!” Guillermo snapped. “The deal is off! I never should have agreed to it in the first place. I want you out of my castle!”
Tears welled up in Juliette’s eyes. “You… you… selfish jackass!” She spun around and ran away sobbing.
I hate that man. I absolutely hate him!
Sofia trudged towards the castle, wiping away the sweat from her face with the towel draped around her neck. The pants of her riding outfit were caked with dirt; her black boots almost completely hidden under dried mud. She was tired but satisfied, the kind of satisfaction you can only get from riding an eager horse around a fast track. It was days like today when she didn’t mind being a princess so much.
Princess Thief: Stealing Your Heart Page 12
