Chapter 50 #2
“Tabitha, sir.”
“Tabitha, you did good work here, reporting this. I thank you. Edwin, thank you for having the good sense to alert me. I’ll handle it all from here. Tabitha, stay and assist me.”
“Yes, sir.” Tabitha shot me a quick smile.
I owed her a massive favor. Maybe theater tickets. I knew she and her sister loved the theater. “Judge Galbraith, I must report this to Prince James.”
“Indeed you must, and I urge you to do so now. I’ll handle things here and report when I find the miscreant responsible for this carelessness.”
“Much obliged.” Who knew, maybe he’d find the actual culprit, if the man didn’t cover his tracks enough. Not many people had access to the judicial file room, so it shouldn’t be too hard. Hopefully?
I left the room with Phila, as requested. We were well out of earshot before either of us dared to speak.
“That was very close timing,” Phila murmured. “I’m so glad you’re friends with all the maids.”
“Me too. It pays off in moments like this. I’m worried how someone even got into the princess’s study to begin with.”
“Yes, that’s very much not good. I’m going to Commander Harland to report the break-in. How should I phrase it?”
I thought about that for a moment. What would be safe to say but still alarming? “Say her maid reported that things had obviously been shifted about on the princess’s desk and the door was left ajar.”
Knowing the knight commander as she did, Phila let out a cackle. “Oh, he’ll hate hearing that.”
“I know. Go forth, make good trouble.”
Cackling, she did as bid, taking the next staircase down. I watched her go, mentally picturing what would happen shortly.
Knight Commander Harland had to be the strictest hardass I’d ever met.
He was incredibly rigid, with a black-and-white mentality—part of the reason he was so good at his job.
He didn’t allow for any sort of slack and took the security of the royal family very, very seriously.
He would listen to Phila’s account and metaphorically hit the roof.
Part of me regretted not being a fly on the wall, but I really had to report this to James.
He was due for a morning council meeting in—I took out my pocket watch and grimaced.
Actually, it had just started. It wasn’t really proper decorum to interrupt, but I had a feeling the timing of placing the files in Helena’s study was to undermine her during this very council meeting.
It was best if I got there and nipped this situation in the bud.
With that in mind, I hurried once more, heading toward the council meeting room, which was something of a hike from my current location. It took me fifteen precious minutes to get over there, even moving at a jog, but I slowed the last few steps. Mostly to catch my breath.
I entered through the side door and slipped in closer to the dais, then around to James’s chair. He realized I was there as soon as I breeched the door and canted his head at me as if to ask Problem?
I put a hand on his shoulder and leaned in to whisper near his ear, completely ignoring the speaker, who was droning on about something or other.
“Someone planted judicial files in Princess Helena’s study,” I murmured, my tone low so no one nearby could hear me.
James went rigid under my hand, hissing out an angry breath.
Wait, James, wait. I wasn’t done. “I moved them to the Aurora office and called Judge Galbraith. He’s a witness they were found there. Said he would track down whoever got the files from his office.”
James blew out a steady breath and shallowly nodded. Turning his head, he whispered back, “Thank you for thinking so quickly on your feet. Stand behind my chair and listen.”
Oh? Was something going on?
I did as bid, moving behind his chair as if on standby for my prince. Then I paid attention to who was speaking and realized the issue.
Lord Nehemiah Chuffey held his beak of a nose high as he wrapped up his argument.
“—therefore I highly recommend we reconsider our stance. Prince Royce has adamantly refused the throne and will not hear of even entertaining the idea. Princess Helena isn’t, well, trustworthy enough to sit on the throne.
It’s best if Princess Helena and Prince James join hands in matrimony in order to secure the throne. ”
I wasn’t a man prone to violence, but I was quite certain Lord Chuffey would benefit from a strong right hook to his jaw. Really? The man had given up trying to push Royce around—and good job, Royce, for standing up for yourself!—so he’d changed to this tactic?
No wonder James wanted me to listen.
Speaker Stanhope waved Lord Chuffey back to his seat and turned to James. “Prince James, do you wish to respond?”
“I do, in fact.” James stood and addressed everyone at large. “First, a question. Lord Chuffey, why is my sister not trustworthy? On what evidence do you base this?”
Lord Chuffey popped to his feet again, and you could see his delight from halfway across the room. “Well, I have been informed she takes judicial files willy-nilly, which everyone is aware she doesn’t have the authority to do.”
“How do you know this?”
“I have a source, shall we say.”
“I see. Your source told you she had judicial files. Where?”
“Her, um, study.”
I gave James a single tap on the shoulder, our silent signal for yes.
Which meant Lord Chuffey was our culprit. What a naughty boy you’ve been, Chuffey. You’re going to regret meddling with this in about three, two, one…
“My retainer just informed me that Judge Galbraith found his missing judicial files in Aurora’s old office,” James announced. “Not Princess Helena’s study.”
The room went deadly silent; not a single person even stirred for a full five seconds. I could see the ramifications hit people in a wave and then they stared at Chuffey with outrage. Lord Chuffey? Well, for a man still upright and breathing, he was turning quite corpse-like in color.
“Edwin, can you recount the situation?”
I looked to Speaker Stanhope first, got her go-ahead nod, then stepped forward to address the full body of lords and ladies. “In fact, a palace maid cleaning the Aurora office spotted the files. She knew they should not be there, so she came directly to me to report the matter.”
Viscountess Lisney immediately popped up. “Sir, why would she report to you? Why not the head of palace security?”
“Everyone on the palace staff is aware Prince James was in charge of shutting Aurora down,” I explained patiently. “She wasn’t sure if those files should be there or not, but she felt it best to take the question to his office, since we’re overseeing matters.”
Satisfied, she nodded and resumed her seat.
“I was alarmed, of course, upon hearing this. I immediately went to the Aurora office with her and sent a runner to inform Judge Galbraith. The files, needless to say, should not have been there. Judge Galbraith is much aggrieved to find them left carelessly on a desk in an empty office and has sworn to get to the bottom of it. Although I suppose it’s clear enough who was behind the theft. ”
All eyes turned again to Lord Chuffey. He seemed quite content to melt into a puddle on the floor, eyeing the doors as if gauging whether he could run for it or not.
He could not. James would tackle him if he even tried.
Was it wrong I wanted him to try?
The doors banged open and Knight Commander Harland burst through.
He was a tall, hatchet-faced man with an imposing figure even on the best of days.
Right now, he was outraged, which lent him an even more intimidating aura.
He stormed right up to the dais, giving a truncated bow.
“Your Highness. I must report something to you immediately.”
“Please speak,” James encouraged him.
“Your Highness, I believe someone broke into Princess Helena’s study.
Her maid reported that things had been shifted about, the door left ajar, which your people brought to my attention.
I am incensed, Your Highness. I demand the right to investigate and strengthen the protections around Her Highness’s rooms.”
“Granted,” James stated promptly. “But I’m pretty sure I know who was behind it. Lord Chuffey practically just confessed, as he claimed a source told him Princess Helena had judicial files in her study. The same files were instead found in Aurora’s office.”
Commander Harland turned about sharply, looking for Lord Chuffey and finding him before snarling, “Your Highness, permission to lead the interrogation.”
“Granted,” James said with a smile. It was not a nice smile. “Please take him immediately. I grant you full power and authority to get to the bottom of the situation.”
He’d basically granted Commander Harland the authority to arrest people at will. Oh, nicely played. No wonder James had me stay.
I loved this man’s brains. The muscles were nice, no question, but what truly kept me in awe was how quickly he could turn problems into solutions.
Lord Chuffey didn’t protest as Commander Harland dragged him physically out of the room. I think he knew his fate was sealed. Should have double-checked your trap was secure before opening your mouth, moron. That was one of the basic rules. Check first, speak second.
“Well.” Speaker Stanhope stood and took control again. “This has been one of the more eventful sessions in recent memory. I also think we’re done for the day. Session dismissed.”
People rose but immediately started gossiping with each other. James turned, snagged me about the waist with one arm, then quickly hauled ass out the door. He, apparently, didn’t want to be bogged down here.
I waited until the hallway to ask, “Where are we going?”
“First, Galbraith’s. I want to inform him Harland is investigating and have those two join forces.”
“Ooh, evil. Next?”
“Next, go and fetch Helena and inform her of what really happened so she’s not blindsided.” Apparently, knowing how I operated, he tacked on, “I’m very glad you have spies throughout the palace.”
“They’re not spies,” I said, barely keeping my grin in check. “They’re friends with benefits.”
He gave me a long, speaking look.
“Not those kinds of benefits, dearest.”
“I’m relieved to hear it. And what favors did all this cost?”
“Theater tickets for two would likely go down well.”
He chuckled. “Edwin, we are once again saved by your people skills. I think it’ll take more than theater tickets to repay the favor. Introduce me to the maid who reported the attempt, and I’ll thank her myself.”
His generosity was part of what made people so fanatically loyal to him. “I will.”
With Lord Chuffey’s plan exposed, no one was likely to push James marrying Helena again anytime soon, but…was this something else I must guard against? This possibility?
Hopefully not.