my head. I remember these symptoms. The fatigue. The pang in his chest. The sweat.
Oh my God.
Arthur is having a heart attack.
Chapter Thirty-Three
The Tower of London
I snap into action, royal protocol be damned. Time is of the essence in a heart attack. I know. That is why my grandpa lived.
I rise from my seat and gently put my hand on his arm. “Arthur, sit down. You need to sit down and breathe.”
He glances at me, confusion in his eyes. “It’s … a spell. It will be over soon. No … no need to worry.”
I lean forward so only he can hear me. “Arthur, I think you’re having a heart attack. Please sit down, and we’ll get help.”
His blue eyes light with fear. “No, that can’t be it.”
I turn to Xander. “Call an ambulance. I think your father is having a heart attack.”
Xander freezes. “What?” he gasps.
“Xander. Call an ambulance. Now.”
But he remains frozen in his seat. Christian is now up on the other side of Arthur’s chair, looking at me with alarm in his eyes.
“What’s happening?” he asks quickly.
I glance back at Xander, who is paralysed and unable to act. I turn to Christian for help.
“Your father is showing signs of a heart attack,” I say, keeping my voice calm to try not to panic Arthur. “Please call an ambulance.”
Christian immediately springs into action. “I’ll call an ambulance and the palace doctor,” he says.
“Tell them the patient has fatigue, chest pain, and sweating.”
“Arthur,” I say, crouching down beside him. “Tell me all your other symptoms. This is important.”
“What is going on down there?” Queen Antonia yells from across the table. “Xander! What is she doing? Why is she touching the king? This is so inappropriate!”
Xander doesn’t move. He’s still staring at Arthur with a shocked expression on his face. It is as if he’s not here. Like Xander can’t process what is happening to his father.
Christian gets on the phone with 999, calm, cool, and direct. Clementine springs into action as well, moving towards the other end of the table and beginning to relay information in the calmest, quietest way possible.
I turn back to Arthur. “Arthur, have you been dizzy? Do you have pain in your arm? Jaw? Back? Nausea? A feeling of impending doom?”
“No other symptoms, but the chest pain has come and gone today,” Arthur admits. “But I’m sure this is nothing. There’s no need for an ambulance. I’m sure it’s stress, that’s all.”
I grab the dinner napkin that I threw on the table and carefully blot the sweat off Arthur’s forehead while Christian relays information to the palace doctor.
“Then you may send me to the Tower of London for wasting your time, Arthur,” I say, smiling at him. “But this is something you should always have checked.”
“Stop touching him!” Queen Antonia snaps, marching up to me in a furious rage and shoving my hand away from Arthur’s face. “He’s not having a heart attack, you insipid idiot!”
Xander finally snaps to life. He practically leaps up from his chair, grabs his mother by the elbow, and leads her away from the table.
“You,” he says, his voice deep and commanding, “are going to stand over here and shut up.”
She gasps. “How dare you talk to me like this!”
“I mean it. Not another word out of you. Not one, or I will have you removed, do you understand?”
“Arthur, tell me about that dragon on the mantle,” I say, trying to distract him. “That is an amazing sculpture.”
But Christian gets off the phone before he can reply. “Security has been alerted. The doctor and the courtiers are on the way up,” he says to me. Then he turns to Arthur. “Security will take the family to meet you at the A&E as soon as we know which hospital you will be going to. But we’ll be right there with you.”
Prince Henry comes up, and so does the rest of the family, all gathering around Arthur in concern and alarm.
“A heart attack? Oh my God, Arthur!” the dowager queen wails.
Arthur’s eyes grow larger as he sees the horrified expression on his mother’s face.
“Henry,” Xander calls out. He’s still holding Queen Antonia back. “Get everyone out of the room. Father doesn’t need all this drama.”
“Yes, that is the best thing we can do right now,” Clementine says, jumping in to help Prince Henry.
“I’m not going anywhere!” Queen Antonia yells at us, breaking free of Xander’s grasp on her. “She is a bloody baker, not a cardiologist. I can’t believe anyone is listening to