CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE – HATTIE #2
He pushes her out of the way and clicks a few times.
“He’s connected to Jasmine... It seems he went missing as a child, and his familial situation fits with what we discovered before.
He didn’t live in St Peters then, though, so he wasn’t included in my research.
Hmm.” He taps his fingers against the table.
“He returned after approximately six months. He met Jasmine in high school and—my oh my, they had a brief, albeit secret, relationship.”
My, my.
Isn’t this interesting?
“Who did?” Finn walks in with Oscar hovering behind him.
“Jasmine and Zachary,” I answer, looking up at him as he leans over the back of the sofa to kiss my forehead.
“Who’s Zachary?”
“The piece of shit spreading lies about my best friend,” Valentina says hotly.
Oscar glances around the deceptively calm room. “Fill us in, would you?”
Alec quickly covers what they’ve missed, then continues. “They broke up because Jasmine was, unsurprisingly, unwilling to tell anyone they were seeing each other. She thought it would harm her chances of marrying Finn.”
“She never had any,” Beatrix says, watching Annette’s fingers fly across her keyboard.
“Yes, well, it seems Zachary told everyone anyway, but nobody believed him. They had no contact after that until… Ah, it seems she reached out to him a couple of weeks ago. After the incident at Lammens, according to his messages.”
“You already have his messages? What the hell kind of mobster are you?” Valentina stares at him.
“A posh one,” he replies dryly, making me fight back a laugh.
Finn looks at me questioningly, but I shake my head in response.
“There’s a transfer of ten thousand to his bank account dated a few days after their initial contact.” Alec’s words are slow and measured. “And… ah, I can’t skim these messages quickly enough to get the important details. There’s a lot of mundane bullshit in there.”
“Move.” Valentina sits next to him and brings the computer in front of her.
Her eyes flit back and forth as she takes control of the mouse.
“He told her he saw you when he was kidnapped back when they were dating. She didn’t believe him then.
He questioned why she’s changed her mind, and she said you humiliated her and need to pay.
He demanded fifty grand in exchange for it.
He should have asked for more, the idiot.
” She tuts. “They came up with this story together, but it wasn’t fully planned.
They rushed it because of Aveline’s… what did you call it? Side quest?”
I nod. “So, they had a half-baked plan, and instead of riding it out, they brought it forward because of something that was nothing to do with me.”
Finn rubs my shoulders. “Don’t worry. We can pass all this to law enforcement.”
Valentina turns at that. “This isn’t admissible as evidence.”
“You’re right,” I reply quietly. “But they won’t use that as evidence.”
She presses her lips together. “You’re just using it as a tip-off, so they know where to look.”
“Exactly,” Alec replies.
“Their last messages are him being concerned the story hasn’t broken and Jasmine demanding proof he went to the press. She’s panicking it’s not being reported and he’s panicking that she’s going to double-cross him and not pay him.”
Alec takes his computer back. “How did you read that so quickly?”
“Magic,” she quips. “So, where does this guy live, and how quickly do we go and make him shit his pants?”
Beatrix looks up and blinks at her.
I doubt that’s a sentence she ever thought she’d hear in her presence.
“That depends.” Alec casts his gaze at each of us before finally settling on the Queen. “On how many blind eyes the people in this room wish to turn.”
“On this occasion,” Beatrix says dryly. “None.”
“Aw, you’re ruining my fun, Your Majesty.” He turns to me, a playful glint in his eye. “Are you sure Harriet can’t convince you to loosen up a little?”
I roll my eyes. “She’s right, and you know it. As much as I’d love to go there and tear him a new one, it’s too risky. This story will be too big, and we have to keep a clean nose.”
“Shame,” Oscar muses. “I was hoping I’d get to see you whip a knife out of nowhere like Finn and Alec did.”
Everyone looks at me.
I rub the back of my neck and look at Valentina. “I’ll teach you.”
Beatrix clears her throat.
“No,” Finn says. “Mother, you do not need to know how to produce a knife from your sleeve.”
“On the contrary,” she replies. “It occurs to me that it may be a very helpful skill for me to have.”
I’m inclined to agree with her.
“As lovely as this all is,” Annette says slowly. “Might we discuss our next moves?”
“Can you produce a hidden blade from up your sleeve, Annette?” Oscar asks teasingly.
She eyes him in that stern way only someone tired of accommodating his bullshit could. “Why don’t you come over here, young Lord Lindberg, and let us all find out?”
He swallows and takes a step back. “No, no. You carry on.”
“So kind of you.” She pushes her glasses up her nose. “Your Majesty, if I may…?”
Beatrix waves her hand for her to continue.
“The major media outlets and papers won’t be covering it until we have a statement to release alongside it,” Annette explains.
“The immediate concern is the entertainment pages sharing their story tonight. We should also anticipate it leaking online as we speak, given that Miss Devereaux has received some messages about it. Unfortunately, we cannot contain the internet. Miss Harriet, I recommend that you stay off social media and perhaps avoid your phone for the time being.”
I nod. That’s not the worst idea in the world. God only knows what people are going to say about me.
“Your Royal Highness, I might suggest the same for you,” she says to which Finn nods in agreement. “Miss Devereaux, it would be helpful if you could tune in to the social circle and see how far this news is spreading. I believe you are the most effective in terms of being a socialite among us.”
“Of course. How should I respond if I’m asked anything? Would you like me to say anything even if I’m not?” Valentina asks, pulling out her phone.
“No, thank you. If you could merely listen, that would be helpful. As for responding to questions, I suspect you may get some relating to your own experience. I cannot ask you not to discuss that, but I would ask that you refrain from discussing anything about Miss Harriet. A simple “I’m sorry, but I cannot speak for her,” should suffice. ”
Valentina nods the way Finn and I have before her.
“Your Grace, please continue digging up whatever information you can find.” She pauses. “Find something we can throw at him.”
“Annette, that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me,” Alec drawls. “I’m starting to think you like me.”
“Then stop thinking. Lord Lindberg.” She pulls her glasses down and peers at him. “Whatever it is you do with your little social media accounts that I pretend I don’t know about… Keep doing it.”
He grins. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Good.” She pauses, then turns back to me. “And… Miss Harriet, it may not come to this, but I would like you to be prepared for the fact you may personally have to address this.”
“No,” Beatrix says firmly. “Absolutely not.”
“Your Majesty—”
“No.”
I get up and sit at the table instead of on the sofa, then reach across and take Beatrix’s hand. “It’s all right. I can’t ignore this. If there’s any chance I have to speak about this, then I want to do it before it looks as if I’m forced into it.”
She presses her lips into a thin line, but she doesn’t argue further with me.
“Annette, we’ve discussed the kind of charities I want to focus on. I can’t address this live, but if we make it a pre-recorded message…”
Annette pauses. “You can address the situation in your own words and announce the initiatives you plan to champion after the wedding. Yes, let us do that.”
Everyone looks at Beatrix. She takes a moment, but she ultimately sighs and nods as she turns to me. “We do not rush this. If at any point it becomes too much, we stop. I refuse to rush out a statement, pre-recorded or otherwise, that may compromise your mental health.”
I smile. “I won’t push myself. I promise.”