Secrets of a Prince (The Princes of New Sargasso #3) - Carol Moncado Page 0,53

it’s given to someone else.”

“I see.” Minnie grip on his hand tightened again. “Would I be able to go in and get my clothing and a few other memento-type things?”

His father nodded kindly. “I’m certain that can be arranged.”

“Thank you.”

Joss sat and listened as several others talked about the implications of all of this. Minnie didn’t say anything else.

When the meeting broke up about an hour after it started, they all stood to leave.

“Joshua, Minnie, can I please see both of you in my office?” his father asked.

Caleb and Gideon shot him a puzzled look, but Joss had no idea what it could be. He and Minnie followed him through a side door into his office.

“Joss, can you tell me what happened before you left your last event?” his father asked.

Joss glanced at Minnie. “The earl asked again about Minnie and threatened to go to the press saying our family had something to do with her disappearance and possible death.”

“Death?” Minnie exclaimed.

“His words, not mine.”

“And easily disproved.” His father took one of the seats in the chairs grouped by the windows. “But I do think we need to have your wedding tomorrow and publish the pictures soon after. We will explain that you eloped quickly a few weeks ago, but won’t mention when or where. For security reasons, Minnie has stayed in hiding, but you wanted a wedding with the family.”

“That’s the truth,” Joss reminded him. “There’s no lying about it.”

“Agreed. We won’t mention the apartment, but coming on the heels of the news of his arrest, it won’t seem a stretch that there were security issues. As far as anyone is concerned, Minnie has been here the whole time.”

Joss nodded. “That seems best.”

“Does this mean it’s safe for me to be seen in public?” Minnie asked.

The king hesitated. “I think it’s probably best to wait until after we go public with the marriage in a few days.”

A few minutes later, he and Minnie left his father’s office and returned to their apartment.

With the door closed behind them, he wrapped his arms around her. They might not be a conventional couple yet, but he knew she needed his support.

And he was happy to give it.

20

First thing the next morning, Minnie and Joss took a trip to her father’s house to pack up her things. In the house manager’s apartment, she found an absolute disaster.

Furniture overturned. Cushions and pillows thrown. Drawers opened and emptied.

“Do we need to call the authorities?” Joss asked as she stood two steps inside the doorway.

“I don’t think anything illegal happened,” she told him with a sigh. “I’d imagine it was my father looking for any clues about where I was. It’s his house. I don’t actually own anything in here, in the apartment. Technically, he paid for all of my clothes and everything.”

Joss called for a member of his security team and asked him.

“I’m going to call the local police,” the man said. “I don’t know the legalities of it, but worst case, they say there’s nothing they can do. I’d rather not disturb the scene until we know.”

They went back to the main part of the house.

Minnie let Joss pull her close to his side when he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “I’m sorry he did that to your apartment.”

“It’s not surprising. He owns all of it. Even if it’s a ball gown that he purchased, destroying it to get back at me is exactly something he would have done.”

“It’s still ridiculous.”

“I wish I didn’t have to deal with this today of all days.”

“It’ll be fine. We’ve got hours before we need to be at the palace to get ready for the wedding.”

“I know, but still.”

They were there for several hours. The police weren’t sure there was anything they could do, especially since, to Minnie’s great surprise, the things she called her own - her clothes and such - were mostly undisturbed.

She packed up a few things and left behind a couple of staff members from the palace to box up the rest.

By the time they returned to the palace, it was after noon. She was taken to a part of the building she’d never been to before then pampered in preparation for the ceremony.

It was being held in the early evening, and they’d have a dinner reception afterward.

There was a brand-new Queen Anne dress waiting for her.

“Where did this come from?”

The queen smiled at her as she helped Minnie straighten the skirts. “We ordered it a week ago, and you happen to fit