Secrets of a Prince (The Princes of New Sargasso #3) - Carol Moncado Page 0,58
often?”
“How do you know I love it but don’t have it?” She sounded too close so he turned to see her standing in the doorway to the kitchenette.
“NotChar told me years ago.” He found the whipped cream in the refrigerator and some chocolate syrup, both left from an ice cream sundae night he and Caleb had months earlier.
“I can’t believe you remember that. I don’t even remember telling you.”
“It was a while back. I don’t know why it stuck with me.” When it was ready, he shooed her back to the lounge so she could sit and be comfortable before he handed the super full mug to her.
She took a sip. “This is amazing. Thank you.”
He sat on the other end of the lounge and picked up her feet, resting them on his leg. At some point, she’d kicked her shoes off. Joss started to rub one of them. “My pleasure.”
They sat there for a few minutes and he continued to massage one foot and then the other. He could feel the tension begin to ease out of her.
“Feeling better?” he asked.
“Some. Thank you.”
A knock sounded on the door. “Come in,” Joss called, not wanting to get up.
Kari and Rosie breezed in.
“Morning!” Rosie seemed extra full of good mood. She waggled her phone. “The pictures are amazing and the response is fantastic.”
“I haven’t even thought about looking.” Minnie put her empty mug on the side table and let her head fall to the side so it rested against the back of the lounge.
Kari held her phone out. “‘Aren’t they just the cutest?! I love that the twins both had Trilunium weddings in the gardens!’”
Rosie took over. “‘I love they took a cue from Beatrice and just had a small family affair. Ditto Caleb/RoseMarie. They’ve always seemed more private, maybe because they’re younger. Whatever the reason, the pictures are spectacular. All the best to both couples!’”
“They’re all like that,” Kari told her. “Well, there’s a couple of mean ones, but they got shouted down pretty quickly by everyone else.”
“There are always mean ones.” Rosie waved her hand in the air. “They don’t matter.”
“I know,” Minnie told them. “And honestly, if the entire country hated me, having you guys here and accepting me means more than you can imagine.”
Joss felt nearly as grateful as she likely did. He was glad his brothers and their wives had put aside their initial inclination toward animosity to accept Minnie as his wife.
The four of them talked for a while longer, about nothing serious, all designed to make Minnie relax for a bit.
Eventually, the time came to walk down to his father’s office.
They ended up in the conference room with the official from NSBI and a couple of other people.
“Your father said a few things we needed to hear earlier,” his father told her. “Joss can be here for this, but we may need to ask him to leave later.”
They both nodded.
“The investigators have been talking to a lot of people, including the staff at your father’s house. What can you tell us about the staff?”
Minnie leaned forward, studying her clasped hands. “Most of them are fairly new, and I don’t know them well. The cook has been there for eons. He’s a good guy and doesn’t put up with my father telling him how to run the kitchen but is easily intimidated outside of it. My father’s been sleeping with several of the female staff members. I don’t know if any of them would stand up to him, privately or publicly.”
“Of the things your father said to you earlier, what is of particular concern to you?”
She didn’t hesitate. “The accusation that I got pregnant to coerce the king into giving him a seat on the Council that I would later inherit.”
Joss wished he could have just a few minutes alone with his father-in-law. The vile man needed to be taught a lesson. He forced his fists to relax.
Minnie turned to his father and then to Joss. “It’s not true. I did get pregnant - at least that’s what my medical records said, but I still feel weird saying it since I only found out I was miscarrying because of a fluke - but I never had any thought of a seat on the Council, and the only reason I tried to get the money is because he made me. He wanted me to extort as much as I could.”
Joss rubbed a hand on her back. “I know, love. So does my father. You’ve got us