Secrets of a Prince (The Princes of New Sargasso #3) - Carol Moncado Page 0,34
sitting area. She perched on the edge of the chair opposite of him.
“It has come to my attention that you’re officially considered missing.” He leaned back in his chair, looking completely at ease.
“Most likely.”
“Since you are an adult, and there’s no sign of foul play, so far the authorities are saying there’s no reason for them to look into it, but you are in their database of missing persons.”
“I see.”
“If I know where a missing person is, I’m legally obligated to inform the authorities, unless I have reason to believe the person may be in danger.” He simply held her gaze.
“I’m probably not in any physical danger.”
“What about emotional or psychological danger?”
Minnie managed not to look away. “It’s very possible.”
“In that case, I would prefer if you came with me. You can be protected better in the palace. If you could gather what you need to take with you immediately, I’ll have someone pack the rest of your things and bring them to you.” He stood and clearly expected her to do the same.
She supposed when the king couched something as a request, it wasn’t always a request.
In just a few minutes, she’d changed clothes into something more appropriate for a trip to the palace, even a clandestine one, and packed up her devices and notes on the Trilunium story.
Her phone and tablet were taken from her for the time being. They said she’d get them back later.
They didn’t see anyone as they took the staircase down to the second floor and then walked to the parking garage where the king’s vehicle waited.
The ride to the palace was quiet as the king read some paperwork.
When they arrived in the garrison, the king smiled at her and told her that someone would show her in, and he would talk to her later.
An aide showed her to a sitting room and told her to make herself comfortable - she’d likely be there for a while - and to call the kitchen on the phone provided if she needed something to eat or drink.
At least she still had her ereader with her and could keep reading the second book in Cynthia Herron’s series.
For hours she waited in the room. She sent for food after a while then found another book on her Kindle to read. This one, by a Georgiana Daniels, had more of a suspense flair to it.
About halfway thought the book, she grew restless and began to wander around the room.
Photos and portraits of the royal family at all different ages were lined on the walls and others on the flat surfaces. She followed their age progression from when the crown prince was an infant to the most recent photo from the wedding a couple of weeks earlier.
She picked the photo up and wished she’d been in it with Joss. Watching the wedding at home wouldn’t have been her first choice in general, but it would have been nice to be in her first official royal photograph.
Even without the ring - thereby violating the unspoken “no ring, no bring” rule.
Rosie was in it. Her ring was visible, and this was one of the photos released after the announcement, though no one had known at the time.
She and Joss did have a marriage certificate after all.
Dusk started to settle outside the windows, and she wondered exactly how long she would be left alone in the sitting room. Surely, she wouldn’t be asked to sleep there.
Not that she expected to share Joss’s palace apartment like she had his city one, but there had to be a million bedrooms in this place, including staff quarters. Any one of them would be more than acceptable.
She called the kitchen again and ordered a snack. If she was going to be invited to dinner, she didn’t want to ruin her appetite. But if she wasn’t invited, she needed to eat.
The same aide that had shown her to the room in the first place brought her the food and apologized for the extended delay. Something apparently had been happening elsewhere in the palace.
Did Minnie mind waiting a bit longer?
Like she had much of a choice at this point.
After she finished the snack she’d asked for - along with the meal that had been brought anyway - Minnie sat back down to read, trying to ignore the sunset outside that meant she’d been there alone far too long.
Again.
By the time she finished the Georgiana Daniels book, the sky had grown completely dark.