Royally Ever After (Royals of Valleria #7) (14 page)

R
ebecca
and the girls’d had a lovely morning. She couldn’t say it had been completely relaxing – there was too much to worry about for that – but she’d enjoyed spending time with Cat, Grace, Charlie, and Sarah, and several of Alex’s aunts and cousins.

What she hadn’t enjoyed, was the presence of some of the extended family, including Helen and Henrietta. They’d both invited themselves to the bridal spa day, and Rebecca had been forced to put up with them.

Fortunately, the day was almost over, and they were now relaxing in Rebecca’s suite at the Gara Hotel with some tea and refreshments, most of them still in their spa robes. The suite itself was amazing; a two-story penthouse, complete with several guest rooms, a small kitchen, and even a baby grand piano in the lounge room where they were all sitting.

Unfortunately, however, after five hours of disdainful, passive-aggressive comments, Rebecca was ready to throw his family out. Or worse.

Helen shook her head then stared at Rebecca. “Tsk. Tsk. The day before the wedding, and the bride-to-be is lounging around while her fiancé works his fingers to the bone.”

Cat, who had spent the entire day listening to similar insults, was clearly fed up. She sprang from her chair and faced Helen. “That is a terrible and completely untrue statement. Really, Grandmother, what has gotten into you?”

Rebecca brought her teacup to her lips. Though the soothing ginger tea settled her, it was only a very little; her shaking hand rattled the teacup as she set it in its saucer.

She knew if Alex were here, he would stand up and likely throw his grandmother out of the room – as respectfully as he could, of course.

Since he wasn’t, she would need to handle it on her own.

Rebecca put a hand on Cat’s arm. “It’s all right, Cat.”

“It most definitely is not.”

“Sit down. Please?”

Cat gave her a searching look, then sat down and tightly crossed her arms and legs, the anger still fuming from her. Grace gave her arm a comforting squeeze.

Rebecca stood up, terrified but holding steady. She faced Helen, and ignored the room full of people around them.

“I know that some of you may not agree with Alex’s choice of bride – that being me. In response, I’ll only say that, while I respect your place in this family, I couldn’t care less what you think about me.”

A few gasps, and a lot of stifled smiles circled in the room.

“Alex made his choice over a year ago. Actually, well over a year ago, as he’d been in love with me for quite some time before we ever began seeing each other.”

Surprise flitted across faces; she’d forgotten how few people knew about his love for her before he’d declared it.

“Not only that, but Gabriel
and
Genevieve
,” she said with a pointed look at Helen, who sniffed and turned away, “have approved of me, and of the marriage.

“I will one day be your queen.” She’d never said the word before; it made her responsibilities all the more real, as if they hadn’t been real enough before. “You may not like me, but you will respect me and the choice Alex made in choosing me. Or you’ll never see us, or the palace, ever again.”

Helen sneered. “Resorting to threats? I am Alexander’s grandmother. I will always be welcome here.”

Rebecca remained calm and steady. “That wasn’t a threat; it was a promise. Grandmother or no, there are few in the family who will allow any disrespect towards me.”

Cat stood up again. “I certainly won’t.”

Grace stood. “Neither will I.”

Sarah and Charlie, along with many of Gabriel’s family, and Genevieve’s sister, Diana, also stood. Only Helen and Henrietta remained sitting.

Helen rose. “We’ll just see what my daughter has to say about that. Come, Henrietta.” They gave Rebecca a vicious glare on their way out of the room.

After they’d gone, everyone relaxed and sat down again.

“I shouldn’t have said something to them in front of everyone.”

“It was for the best. They deserved it,” Cat said.

“Who deserved what?”

All of the ladies turned at the sound of Alex’s voice. “I just saw Grandmother and Henrietta storming down the hall,” he said. “Am I to assume they made some inappropriate statements?”

“To say the least.”

“Darling, may I speak with you a moment?”

“Of course.” He was exhausted. Others probably wouldn’t notice it, but no one knew him like she did. He was tired and sad, and she also sensed anger. “Something’s happened. What’s wrong?” she asked when they were finally alone in her bedroom.

“There was a problem at the Council meeting.”

“What?”

“They’re saying we can’t get married.”

“What?” she gasped. She took a few unconscious steps back, eventually hitting the edge of the bed. “How? What do you mean?”

Alex rubbed his hands down her arms in comfort. “Some ancient law someone unearthed. Didn’t you hear about the Council meeting? We leaked some information to the press.”

Her head was in a daze. “No. No, I didn’t. I’ve been so busy.” Oh, God. “What does the law say?”

Alex told her what had happened, and what they planned to do to correct it.

“Oh, Alex. It’s the day before the wedding.”

“I know, but there’s nothing for it. It doesn’t matter I have a million things to do before the ceremony. I’ve got to be there and make sure the Council actually signs the damn thing.”

A frantic knock came at the door and Alex rushed to answer it.

“Is it true?” Cat asked, her phone clutched in her hand, others standing behind her. “Did the Council tell you that you both can’t get married?”

Alex nodded.

“They can’t do that!” Cat cried.

“They can and they have.” Alex went on to explain the situation, and the reason for the upcoming Council meeting. “They’ll fix this, by God, or I’m firing the lot of them.”

“The public’s already on your side,” Sarah chimed in. “Fairy tale wedding and all that. Vallerians are also concerned that if the wedding doesn’t go through, their bank holiday’s going to be cancelled.”

“That’ll really get the public going,” Charlie said. “No one wants to lose a free day off.”

“Exactly,” Alex agreed. “The Council looks rather foolish right now. Believe me, by the time I’m done spinning the press, they’ll make us look good, and the Council look even worse.”

“We’re here to help, however we can,” Cat said.

“Thanks, Kitty Cat,” he said, using Cat’s nickname. “I’ll let you know. I’m just heading back for the Council meeting now, and I’ll keep everyone updated. Could I have a moment alone with Rebecca?”

Cat nodded with a knowing smile and they all left.

Alex pulled her into his arms. “You know I’ll take care of this nonsense with the Council, don’t you?”

“I do. I’m still worried, though. I feel like everything’s conspiring against us getting married. Aren’t you worried?”

“Not about the Council, or about the wedding. I know we’ll get married. I’m going to do my damnedest to make sure that happens. Even if I have to fire every fucker on the Council to do it.”

“Thank you for working so hard for our wedding. I love you.”

“I love you, darling.” He kissed her, and the light touch of lips was a balm to her anxious nerves. “Now, what did my grandmother really say to you?”

She looked away. “It’s not important.”

He tilted her face back to his. “It is.”

“It isn’t.”

“Rebecca.”

She sighed. “What she said may not be as important as what I said back. I threatened to ban her and Henrietta from the palace, and from you. Do you think I went too far?”

“No, and Mama won’t, either. None of us are under any illusions about them. It’s difficult when you have family – particularly in your immediate family – who don’t respect you, and continually undermine your confidence. I don’t want that life for you, or for our children. If that means we don’t see her, that’s fine with me.”

Rebecca toyed with his tie. “But she’s your grandmother.”

“Darling, I might have loved her because she was family, but that doesn’t mean I like her all that much, or at all. Her words are hurtful and they aren’t healthy. We need to distance ourselves from that. I don’t want to be around that, and I sure as fuck don’t want you around that. So, we let her go. If she changes, we can reevaluate, but I’m not expecting that to happen.”

Rebecca lifted up on her tiptoes and kissed Alex. “Thank you for protecting me.”

“You protected yourself quite well, it seems, though I’m happy to provide backup. You’ll make an excellent queen, as I’ve mentioned before. Though, if you had any doubts about that, you shouldn’t anymore.”

She gave him a broad, breathtaking smile. “Do you need to head back?”

Alex nodded. “Time for another fucking Council meeting.”

“Here’s a kiss for good luck.”

She pressed her lips against his, and he deepened the kiss, pulling her tight against him.

“Holy hell,” he said after he pulled back. “Are you wearing anything under that robe?”

“Not really.”

“Fuck. You expect me to go to a Council meeting, knowing you’re essentially naked right now?”

She gave him a wicked smile and fingered the lapels of her robe. “Shall I drop the robe? Would you like to see your fiancée one last time, before she becomes your wife?

“Fuck, yes, I do. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time to appreciate it.”

She giggled. “Another time, then.”

He kissed the giggle from her lips. “Yes, darling. Another time.”

He took a deep breath before they walked back into the main sitting room of the suite.

“Where did everyone go?” Alex asked, as the room was now empty.

“Probably to their own rooms or back to the palace. We were pretty much done with spa day. I guess they thought when you needed a few moments alone with me, that we’d probably prefer privacy.”

“Are anyone’s rooms close by?”

She leaned up to him again. “No, they’re on the other side of the hotel. So, we could make as much noise as we wanted.”

He growled. “Don’t give me ideas.”

“I love giving you ideas.”

“Well, save them for tomorrow night. Though, I’ll warn you, I have plenty of ideas of my own for our wedding night.”

“Can’t wait.”

“Bye, darling.”

After another kiss, Alex went towards the door, Rebecca staying behind to watch. He paused again in the doorway.

That’s when it happened.

An explosion.

Rebecca felt herself lifted off the ground in slow motion, her body propelled backward.

Her head cracked against a wall.

Spots of debris flew past her vision.

She slid down towards the floor.

She thought she heard her name in a booming echo.

Then there was nothing.

* * *

A
lex sat
beside Rebecca’s hospital bed, his leg jiggling nervously.

She hadn’t woken up.

Why wouldn’t she wake up?

The doctor had said she was fine. Just a bump, a few bruises. Nothing serious.

A fucking explosion.

The day before their wedding.

Holy hell.

Marcello knocked softly, then came in. “She still out?”

Alex nodded. “Any news? Was Gerald behind this?”

“We don’t know yet. Edward’s bringing Zinnia to the hospital, though.”

“The fuck you say. I don’t want her anywhere near us.”

Marcello told Alex what had happened to Zinnia at the prison. “When Eddie told me, I couldn’t believe it.”

“That could have been an act for our benefit, to throw us off Zinnia’s scent.”

“I don’t think so. Eddie told me some other things, too, which we’re trying to corroborate now.”

“What things?”

“I’ll you and our parents together. It’ll be easier that way.”

“Easier for who?”

“Easier for me.”

After a pause, Alex nodded. “It’s just so hard to believe that Gerald, or another anti-monarchist group, isn’t behind this. How the fuck did the people who did this get past our security in the hotel?”

“From what we can tell, it was an inside job. A butler on another floor planted the bomb in the piano in Rebecca’s room. We know that, because local police just found his body.”

“Murder?”

“Suicide, by the looks of it. We won’t get any answers from him, but we’re digging into his files and past now.”

“Jesus.”

“I do have a bit of good news.”

“I’ll take it.”

“The explosion’s the top spot on the news right now. The entire country is rallying behind Rebecca, and they’re very suddenly appalled at anyone who speaks out against her.”

“The Council?”

He nodded. “And they’re ready to vilify whoever was behind the attack. Their future queen almost getting killed the day before her wedding is apparently unacceptable to Vallerians. They’ve even started a vigil outside the hospital.”

That was good news; he could turn that to his favor at the Council meeting.

He glanced at his watch. The Council meeting should have started an hour ago. He’d had it delayed, but his time to resolve the issues before the wedding was running out.

Alex dragged both of his hands through his hair. “We’re supposed to get married tomorrow.”