Total pages in book: 145
Estimated words: 141385 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 471(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 141385 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 471(@300wpm)
“An emergency referral? What are you—”
She holds up her hand to silence me. “Annette was contacted personally by Melissa Nelson to give her the heads up about this story. She’s trying to silence it from within, and all the major news stations and papers across the country are in agreement that nothing will be posted. However…”
“The gossip rags are another matter,” Oscar surmises, obviously correctly judging by my mother’s nod.
“Some in the ‘entertainment’ side of the media have made it clear they intend to hold the story for twenty-four hours and no longer. They’ll publish it with or without a comment from the palace. The more traditional media have agreed to run one story with collaboration from the palace and the government.”
The government?
What the fuck is happening?
“What is the story?” Alec asks. “This is all well and good, but—”
“It concerns the circumstances surrounding Harriet’s kidnapping.” Mum drops her chin and takes a deep breath before sitting back up. “You’ve been looking into it. How much do you know?”
Alec pauses. “Her kidnappers were linked to human traffickers. She saw a lot of children pass through the house she was hidden at. That’s all. Neither her nor Ryan elaborated beyond that, and none of us have asked.”
“Well, the elaboration of that story is what the media is holding onto.”
“What the—” I stop when she looks at me.
“Someone who claims to have been kidnapped with Harriet has sent their story to almost every publication in the country. They claim…” Mum pauses, closing her eyes. “That Harriet was a willing and able participant in both trafficking other children and creating unspeakable content of herself and others until around two years ago.”
“Coinciding with her return to St Peters,” Oscar says quietly.
I think that’s what he says.
I don’t know.
All I can clearly hear is the pounding of my pulse in my ears. Everything is echoing. I don’t even know what I feel. Is it anger? Is it sadness? Is it frustration? It’s such a fucking mix of vicious negativity that I can’t tell where one emotion ends and another begins.
“Finn. Finn!”
I blink and pull myself back to the here and now. Alec has his phone trapped between his ear and shoulder, and he’s swiped Hattie’s laptop where he’s furiously tapping away. Oscar has disappeared, and Mum has moved to sit beside me.
“Are you all right, love?” she asks, touching my shoulder. “You’ve been spaced out for a few minutes.”
I swallow and drag my gaze away from Alec’s furious movements. “No. No, I’m not all right. There’s no fucking way she—there’s no way, Mum.”
“I know. I know.” She grips my shoulder tightly, her gaze blazing into mine. “We will fix this. I promise. There is no such thing as a storm the Royal House cannot weather.”
“What if…” I swallow. “What if this is the exception? What if this is too much and she has no choice but to step back?”
“Do not underestimate her strength,” she says quietly.
“Not her. The public, Mum. If there’s too much outcry, there’s no way she’ll be accepted, and—”
“Don’t.” Alec’s voice cuts in, drawing my attention back to him. His eyes are as dark as I’ve ever seen them, and the firm set of his shoulders says everything about his mood right now. “I will find out who did this. I will find out who is behind this sack of lies, and I will serve them up on a silver platter to you. And not because I have a duty to the Crown, but because I find myself irritatingly fond of that terrifying woman.”
Wow.
For Alec to say that…
“Oscar is already convening with Rowan. He’s called his father to the palace, too,” Mum continues. “They’re meeting with the legal team to apply for an emergency court hearing to force the journalists to reveal their sources. Rowan believes there are grounds for this given the serious nature of the allegations.”
“You won’t need it,” Alec says confidently. “I’ll have a name by midnight.”
“And that name won’t be admissible in a court of law,” she points out. “As much as I appreciate the investigative prowess of you and yours, it’s information that must stay confidential until a judge rules otherwise.”
“Stupid laws.”
“What can I do?” I ask Mum, turning back to her.
“What you do best.” She rests her hand over mine. “Go and look after Harriet.”
“But I—”
“She needs you.” Her tone brokers no argument. “I fear these allegations have brought up some memories she’d prefer stayed buried, and she needs the person she feels safest with. That is, and always will be, you. That is the most useful thing you can do for any of us right now.”
She’s right.
I know she’s right.
But I want to do fucking something.
“I’ll go.” I slide my hand out from under hers and stand up. “Alec, find this person.”
He glances up, nods, and answers another call without batting an eyelid.