Page 44 of The Prodigal Prince

Mac squeezed her hand then let it go so he could answer the door.

As the couple Fiona hadn’t met walked in, Mac greeted the woman with a nod then a kiss on the cheek. He shook hands with the gentleman. He turned to Fiona.

“Fi, this is Her Majesty, the Queen Mother, Queen Eliana and her husband, Thor...” Mac winced. “I’m pretty sure he’s duke of something or other, but I don’t remember.”

The other couple laughed. “No one calls him duke outside of very formal settings,” the queen told them.

“I told Benjamin I didn’t need a title, but he insisted.” The man shrugged. “Something about marrying the Queen Mother and being the king’s stepfather meant I needed a title despite my protests.”

At least she had an idea who they were now. She’d heard about the former queen who married her son’s head of security, but couldn’t recall ever seeing photos of them. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Fiona curtsied in their general direction. Wasn’t that the correct greeting?

“We’re so glad you’re here,” the queen went on, almost as though she hadn’t noticed Fiona’s action, though she had to have seen it. “I spoke with Esme a few weeks ago. I know she’s missed you terribly. When we heard about the incident in San Majoria, our hearts went out to both of you. We’re so glad everything was resolved quickly and safely.”

“That’s part of why we’re here.” The duke motioned toward the seating area. “I spoke with Edward earlier. They have apprehended those involved. It appears that Gray wandered off and they took the opportunity that presented itself by taking Tinsley and trying to get Gray. They sent the note before they actually had him in their custody. He made it to the next resort. That’s where he played in a pool and had ice cream. They released Tinsley but kept looking for Gray. One of them found him about the same time as the press conference. Once he realized Gray was also the son of a prince, he took him to the park and let him go near the playground.”

That story both relieved Fiona and not at the same time. It wasn’t good that Gray had been able to wander off or that Tinsley had been held for any period of time. They hadn’t been the victims of a well-thought-out plot, but rather random happenstance. She didn’t know which was worse, but outside of being surrounded by security literally all of the time, there was no way to prevent it. She hated the idea of living her life in that kind of fear.

“Thank you for letting us know.” Mac held up their end of the conversation.

“It’s our pleasure.” The duke leaned forward and looked straight at Mac. “There is one other thing we need to discuss.”

“What’s that?”

Did Fiona detect a hint of apprehension in his voice?

The duke glanced at the queen before he spoke again. “Your claim to the Eyjanian throne.”

13

The surreal feeling of hearing the words stunned Mac into silence for a few seconds. But did Thor really know? “What about my claim to the Eyjanian throne?”

“You have a significantly greater chance of reaching the throne here in Sargasso, but you have a claim to both of them. No one wants it to get to that point in either country, but it does need to be addressed.” Thor leaned back.

“How do you know?” Mac asked, needing to know how far the story had reached.

Thor chuckled. “I didn’t know anything, officially, until recently. However, if a man in my position didn’t know things like that unofficially... well, I wouldn’t have become a man in that position in the first place.”

That made sense in a weird sort of way.

“I presume you learned around the time your mother passed?”

Mac nodded. “Not most of the details, I still don’t know those, but I was adopted by my mum - and I know who my biological father is. It’s why I disappeared, why I haven’t been a part of my son’s life. I needed to keep him safe.”

“Isaiah is probably dead,” the queen told him gently. “He can’t hurt you or your son.”

“But we didn’t know that at the time. It had only been a few months when Fiona told me she was pregnant. Now it’s been years. It seems like a fairly safe bet that he’s really gone, but at the time, we couldn’t know.” He needed them to understand why he’d made the decisions he had. Not because he was a coward or a deadbeat dad, but to protect his son and Fiona in the first place.

“I can understand that.” The queen spoke quietly. “I understand what it means to want to protect your child from someone who doesn’t have their best interests at heart.”

Mac could tell she spoke from experience. Could she also mean Isaiah Quatremaine? Did he try to unduly influence her children?

“My sister-in-law, Princess Louise, was Benjamin’s regent after my husband passed,” the former queen went on. “She and I have seldom seen eye-to-eye on many things, but I never suspected she had anything but Benjamin’s best interests at heart - and therefore the interests of our country and her people.” She sighed as she glanced at her current husband. “When Benjamin turned eighteen and could rule in his own right, she stepped down and let him be king. At eighteen, Ben still felt like he needed a trusted advisor who could guide him. Louise didn’t feel like it was her place any longer.” The queen looked to be struggling to keep her composure.

When she didn’t say anything, her husband took over. “Isaiah, King Alfred’s youngest sibling, stepped in. He began to advise the young king. Over the next several years, his influence was considerable. Ask him about it sometime. The choices Benjamin made during those years still bother him significantly. He’s done his best to undo any lasting damage, but he can’t forget. He’s considerably more cautious with who he listens to now.”

Mac instinctively knew his cousin’s step-father would be among those who counseled the king.

A small smile crossed the queen’s face. “If you ever have the chance to hear the story of how Benjamin and Katrìn met, you’ll understand the depth of Isaiah’s influence. Once he finally stood up to Isaiah and threw him out of the palace, things slowly began to improve. He and Katrìn married shortly thereafter. She’s been a good influence on him since the very beginning.” The queen smiled at them, her serene expression fixed into place. Her hand rested on her husband’s. “Thor played a role in that. He found a way to tell my son he was being an idiot without actually coming right out and saying it.”

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