if I can book a seat on the next flight out of Lydia.”
Linus mulled her decision as he helped her back through the guardhouse to the palace lawn.Technically, she was a grown woman and free to do whatever she chose. But she was also under his care. He’d been assigned to guard her. How could he do that if she left Lydia?
She was right. Seattle might be safer than Lydia at the moment, but it wasn’t the safest place for her, not if the security of her home had already been breached. The safest place for her was at his side.
Theyno more than made it outside when Queen Monica pounced. “Julia? What happened? Are you okay?”
Julia quickly assured her sister that she was fine, then explained what she’d learned, including her decision to return to Seattle.
“No.” Monica shook her head forcefully. “I can’t let you go back there. It’s too dangerous. Mom and Dad are in Seattle. They can drive over and look at your place.”
“I can’t let Mom and Dad put themselves in danger,” Julia protested. “Besides, this is complicated. Something’s going on and I need to figure out what it is. I can’t do that from here.”
“Julia.” A note of warning carried through the queen’s voice as Monica took her sister’s free arm. “I don’t like it. I won’t let you go alone.”
“There’s no way you’re going to come with me.” Juliasounded frightened at the prospect of her sister accompanying her on the journey.
“You’re right about that.” Monica almost blushed. “I can’t leave Lydia right now. But I’ll send a guard along with you to keep you safe.”
“That’s silly. I’ve already heard that the royal guard is shorthanded after cutting loose the traitors who were part of the attacks against the royal family.”
“Wecan spare one guard to go with you. You’ve already been assigned a guard, anyway, so it won’t short us.” Monica looked up at Linus as she spoke. Her smile was half questioning, half conspiratorial.
Linus returned the look. “I’d be happy to go with you, Julia.”
The queen beamed at him.
Julia looked back and forth between them. Then she let out a breath that sounded relieved. “Okaythen. Linus can come with me. But I am going back to Seattle.”
Monica grilled her little sister on her plans, then made her promise she’d allow time for lunch with the royal family before she left. With that much decided, Monica returned to the sandbox where the young prince played under Paul’s watchful eye. Linus helped Julia up to her room.
“Thank you.” She smiled up at him as he helpedher down the hall. “Are you sure you should be helping me? Technically I think it’s Paul’s shift.”
“You’re right,” Linus acknowledged, supporting her again as they made their way down the hall. He wasn’t entirely certain why he’d rushed to her side and then stuck there since Mary’s phone call had come in—only that Julia had looked distressed, and he couldn’t bear seeing her that way withouttrying to help. “But if I’m going to be traveling with you, I might as well help you now.”
“Are you sure you don’t mind leaving the country? I’m only buying one-way tickets. I won’t know until I get there how soon I can come back.”
“I was planning on working anyway. Whether here or there won’t matter.”
“Your family won’t miss you?”
“It’s just my grandfather these days, andhe’s as spry as ever. He’d laugh if I suggested he couldn’t stay home without me.” He paused as she opened the door to her suite. “If you don’t mind, for safety’s sake, I’d like to do a quick walk-through.”
“By all means. I’ve got my laptop here—I’m going to look into available flights.”
Linus scoped out the sitting room, bedroom and bath, paying special attention to the windows anddoorways, but saw nothing that looked as though it had been disturbed. He passed back through the sitting room, where Julia already had flight times up on the screen.
Linus mulled her decision as he helped her back through the guardhouse to the palace lawn.Technically, she was a grown woman and free to do whatever she chose. But she was also under his care. He’d been assigned to guard her. How could he do that if she left Lydia?
She was right. Seattle might be safer than Lydia at the moment, but it wasn’t the safest place for her, not if the security of her home had already been breached. The safest place for her was at his side.
Theyno more than made it outside when Queen Monica pounced. “Julia? What happened? Are you okay?”
Julia quickly assured her sister that she was fine, then explained what she’d learned, including her decision to return to Seattle.
“No.” Monica shook her head forcefully. “I can’t let you go back there. It’s too dangerous. Mom and Dad are in Seattle. They can drive over and look at your place.”
“I can’t let Mom and Dad put themselves in danger,” Julia protested. “Besides, this is complicated. Something’s going on and I need to figure out what it is. I can’t do that from here.”
“Julia.” A note of warning carried through the queen’s voice as Monica took her sister’s free arm. “I don’t like it. I won’t let you go alone.”
“There’s no way you’re going to come with me.” Juliasounded frightened at the prospect of her sister accompanying her on the journey.
“You’re right about that.” Monica almost blushed. “I can’t leave Lydia right now. But I’ll send a guard along with you to keep you safe.”
“That’s silly. I’ve already heard that the royal guard is shorthanded after cutting loose the traitors who were part of the attacks against the royal family.”
“Wecan spare one guard to go with you. You’ve already been assigned a guard, anyway, so it won’t short us.” Monica looked up at Linus as she spoke. Her smile was half questioning, half conspiratorial.
Linus returned the look. “I’d be happy to go with you, Julia.”
The queen beamed at him.
Julia looked back and forth between them. Then she let out a breath that sounded relieved. “Okaythen. Linus can come with me. But I am going back to Seattle.”
Monica grilled her little sister on her plans, then made her promise she’d allow time for lunch with the royal family before she left. With that much decided, Monica returned to the sandbox where the young prince played under Paul’s watchful eye. Linus helped Julia up to her room.
“Thank you.” She smiled up at him as he helpedher down the hall. “Are you sure you should be helping me? Technically I think it’s Paul’s shift.”
“You’re right,” Linus acknowledged, supporting her again as they made their way down the hall. He wasn’t entirely certain why he’d rushed to her side and then stuck there since Mary’s phone call had come in—only that Julia had looked distressed, and he couldn’t bear seeing her that way withouttrying to help. “But if I’m going to be traveling with you, I might as well help you now.”
“Are you sure you don’t mind leaving the country? I’m only buying one-way tickets. I won’t know until I get there how soon I can come back.”
“I was planning on working anyway. Whether here or there won’t matter.”
“Your family won’t miss you?”
“It’s just my grandfather these days, andhe’s as spry as ever. He’d laugh if I suggested he couldn’t stay home without me.” He paused as she opened the door to her suite. “If you don’t mind, for safety’s sake, I’d like to do a quick walk-through.”
“By all means. I’ve got my laptop here—I’m going to look into available flights.”
Linus scoped out the sitting room, bedroom and bath, paying special attention to the windows anddoorways, but saw nothing that looked as though it had been disturbed. He passed back through the sitting room, where Julia already had flight times up on the screen.
Similar Books
