Despite the lack of sleep, Gareth felt refreshed and ready to take on anything the next day. He went out at first light and surveyed the damage at Hero Park. A huge gash had been ripped across the lawn, the fountain lying in small pieces around the area.
Seeing it first-hand, smelling the acrid scent of the explosive still hovering in the air, it was clear how lucky they’d been that no one was injured or killed.
Bless Diana.
He turned to Bana. ‘Do we know what the explosive was?’
‘This is an enriched balcite blast. No doubt.’
‘Let the RBMC know. They’ll need to check all the registered enriched and see if any is missing. If not…’
If not, then Hactrim had perfected the process of enriching balcite and they were all in trouble.
‘Yes, Your Majesty.’
There was a crowd waiting at the edge of the park, and Gareth stopped to reassure them. Mixed with them were some media.
‘Your Majesty, why was the concert called off? Did you know there was a bomb here? If so, how did you let it go off?’
Damn, Gareth thought. ‘Those matters are currently being investigated, and I’ll have a full report for you when I know everything.’
He got into his vehicle and travelled back to the palace. In his suite, he stood and wondered if he should go into the bedroom and see if Diana was awake yet. But he really couldn’t deal with the distraction right now, so he went into his office.
There were messages for him. One was from Cassandra and he got in touch with her.
‘Gareth, I’m so glad no one was hurt.’
‘Thank you, Cassie. It was Diana that gave us the warning.’
‘I’m glad she’s there with you. I’d hate to think what it would be like in Tatryn at the moment. Parties in the street, no doubt. I wanted to let you know that the Prince has okayed a donation of balcite on behalf of Rica for the reconstruction of the fountain. I’ve asked Di’s advice on a designer and once I have her recommendation, I’ll send them to you so you can work out what the new fountain should look like.’
‘Cassie, that’s very kind of you.’
‘Whoever these idiots are, we’re not going to let them win,’ she said. ‘Kernan’s working with his contacts in Tatryn to see what he can find out.’
Kernan’s name had Gareth thinking. ‘Sorry, Cass, but I need to organise something. I’ll talk later.’
‘Okay. Let me know if you need anything.’
Gareth disconnected and went into the planetarium chamber. He connected with all the heads. ‘I am calling an extraordinary meeting this evening to respond to last night’s bombing in Angonia. It will begin at 7 p.m. Angonian time. If you cannot make it, let the tech staff know so they can put through a live feed.’
When he walked back into his office it was to find Diana perched on the edge of his desk. She looked fresh and glowing, and altogether desirable.
‘Morning.’ She sauntered over, put her hand behind his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. Passion flared and he pressed his fists against his thighs, because if he took hold of her, they’d end up in the bedroom again.
‘Morning,’ he said when her lips finally released his.
‘I’m going to go back to Tatryn.’
Gareth reared back then shook his head. ‘No. Absolutely not.’
‘I’ve spoken to the Pontifex. Listen.’ Diana took his hand and led him over to the desk, where her communicator lay. She pressed a button.
‘Good morning, Your Excellency.’ Diana’s voice sounded as though she were speaking to him, not on a recording.
‘Diana, blessed girl. I’m so happy to hear from you. When I heard of the bombing, I was so scared you might have been hurt.’
‘I’ve not left the palace. I don’t know if the King thinks he is protecting me, or if he doesn’t trust me.’
Diana touched Gareth’s hand. ‘Just for her,’ she whispered.
Gareth shushed her because the Pontifex was speaking. ‘Of course he doesn’t trust you, dear. Not like we do. When can you come back to us?’
‘This afternoon. I’m so looking forward to seeing you again. The events here in Angonia have shaken me.’
‘You are not safe there. No one is, but Angonia, in his arrogance, won’t see that. Come to me, precious girl, so I can look after you. Cassius misses you.’
‘That’s very sweet of him. I just need to go convince the King —’
‘No, Diana, you are royal. You tell him you are leaving and you leave. I look forward to seeing you.’
Diana turned off the recording. ‘You see? She still trusts me. I’m sure I’ll be able to find out much more for you.’
‘Not in a million years. Until the bombers are caught, you are not safe. They must have worked out that the reason we called off the concert and no one was killed is because you warned us. The Pontifex may not know it, but you’ll be one of the most wanted people in Tatryn at the moment. You’re not going back.’
Diana’s shoulders slumped. ‘But I want to help you.’
Gareth hated that she felt bad. He pulled her close, allowing himself the luxury of holding her. ‘You’re helping me by being here.’ He kissed her nose. ‘No more talk of going to Tatryn.’
‘All right,’ Diana said. ‘But I will continue to call her. See if I can keep the communication channels open, and then when it’s over, work out exactly why she decided to become friendly with me, what it means for Rica and Angonia.’
‘If you feel you need to.’
‘I do.’ Diana’s communicator beeped.
‘Her?’ Gareth said as she picked it up.
Diana pulled a face. ‘No, the Prince.’ She opened up the communicator. ‘Your Highness.’
Gareth watched her blink, and then the corners of her mouth droop. ‘I’d much rather stay here and help the King of Angonia, Your Highness.’
He could barely hear the metallic tone of the Prince of Rica on the other end. ‘As you wish, Your Highness.’
She turned off the communicator and looked at Gareth with sad eyes. ‘I am commanded to return to Rica. The Prince believes it’s not safe for me here.’
‘Bull shit,’ Gareth said. ‘I’ll fix that.’ He went into the planetarium room and connected with the prince.
‘Diana needs to stay here,’ Gareth said without preamble. ‘Within my palace no one can touch her.’
‘Are you saying I can’t keep her safe?’
‘Travelling will be dangerous. It will put her at risk.’
‘You could fly her up here.’
‘My ship can only travel with me on board, and I can’t leave Angonia.’
‘If anything happens to her…’
‘Nothing will,’ Gareth said.
‘Very well. But the moment the bombers are captured, she is coming back home.’
Gareth hung up, not sure what answer to give to that.
Back in his office, he smiled at Diana. ‘There, all solved. You’re going to stay here, in the palace, until the bombers are found.’
‘And now there’s only the matter of what to do to keep myself occupied until then.’ She wrapped her arms around his neck and arched her body into his, a suggestive smile curving her luscious lips.
‘Behave, woman. I’m a king. I have work to do.’
Diana laughed and kissed his chin. ‘Yes, Your Majesty. In that case, I’ll…’
The door slid open and Bana ran in. ‘Your Majesty, you need to see the broadcast we just received.’
Bana turned on the video screen and there appeared a strange symbol — Gareth thought it might be a large bird, perhaps a raptor, with something in its claws but the whole thing was so amateurishly done it was hard to tell — with the words Tatryn Forever underneath.
The image was replaced with two men. At least, their silhouettes appeared manly. They were in shadow, so you couldn’t see their faces.
When one spoke, his voice was mechanised so it was unrecognisable as anything except a man’s.
‘People of Angonia, we are the ones responsible for the bombing of Hero Park last night. You were lucky no one was hurt. Next time, we are sure you won’t be so lucky. And there will be a next time, unless your King gives us 25 trillion dollars by the end of next week. This is your choice, King of Angonia. Pay up, or see your people destroyed. And in case you don’t believe that it was us, evidence is being sent to you.’
The transmission ended.
‘What is this evidence he spoke of?’ Gareth drawled.
‘This.’ Another transmission began, this time of someone holding a pea-sized chunk of a grey matter. It was wrapped around a tiny transmitter and the whole then placed under the lip of the edge of the fountain. The footage then expanded to show it was the fountain in the centre of Hero Park.
‘We believe that was the side of the fountain the enriched balcite was placed on. Our techs are confirming that amount of e could cause that level of damage, but my gut tells me this is they,’ Bana said.
‘Mine too.’ Gareth took a deep breath. ‘Fuck.’
Diana touched his arm. ‘What are you going to do?’
‘We’re not going to pay, that’s for certain,’ Gareth said. ‘I won’t have them rewarded for what they’ve done. Not to mention the amount involved would beggar Angonia.’
‘And by default make Tatryn the richest, and therefore potentially the most important, country on the planet,’ Diana said.
‘Fuck.’ Gareth slammed his fist on the table. ‘All this because they can’t accept the fact our ancestor chose a better location than theirs. Peace, this is ridiculous.’
‘So our only hope is to find them and stop them,’ Bana said.
‘And I have a plan for that,’ Gareth said. ‘I’m sick of Tatryn refusing to work with us. This is planetarium business, and I’m going to use the planetarium to take over the investigation.’
‘Good idea,’ Bana said. ‘Anything you need, let me know.’
After he’d left, Diana came closer and wrapped her arms around Gareth’s waist, pressing herself to him.
‘You’ll work it out,’ she said. ‘You’ll keep your people safe.’
Gareth hugged her close and hoped she was right.
***
Diana returned to her suite so she wouldn’t distract Gareth during this important period. She shook her head. Imagine having to deal with a threat like this, feeling responsible for the safety of millions of people.
Not for the first time, she thanked Peace that Cassandra was the older twin.
Then she got to work on doing what she could to help Gareth, and the first thing was to keep up communications with Tatryn.
She sat on the lounge and took a deep breath to steel herself. Then she called the Pontifex.
‘Your Excellency, I had to call and let you know that I don’t believe a word of what they are saying.’
‘What who is saying, Diana? You’re not making any sense.’
Diana acted the innocent she needed to voice, blinking as though the Pontifex was right before her. ‘Why, that Tatryn is responsible for the bombing.’
A pause. ‘Who is saying that?’
‘The men on the video. Didn’t you see it? It was shown to everyone here in Angonia. Two men, claiming to be from Tatryn, said they were responsible for the bombing and that they’ll do it again.’
Another pause. ‘They must not be from Tatryn. My people would not do this.’
Oh, yes they would. Didn’t you hear the hatred spilling from your nephew’s mouth? ‘That’s what I’ve been telling the King. They are pretending to be from Tatryn, to keep the Angonians from investigating further. I know the people of Tatryn have grievances against Angonia, but your people are peace loving, and they would never put innocent lives at risk.’
‘Absolutely not.’ There was a ring of truth in the Pontifex’s voice that Diana found interesting. Either the older woman was an amazing actress, or she really believed her people wouldn’t act like this. ‘Angonia has called a planetarium meeting for this evening. If he thinks to accuse my people of being involved, he will find he is proven wrong.’
‘May I advise you to remain calm, Your Excellency. The King of Angonia is very shocked by this, and his emotions are high. You have the wisdom to calm him and help him think logically about this.’
‘As if he’s capable of that.’
‘Please, Excellency, try. There’s someone out there who sees no harm in setting explosions in public places. So far, they are targeting Angonia, but they could target other countries as well, like Tatryn. The planetarium must work together to keep us all safe.’ Diana injected a quaver in her voice and it worked.
‘Diana, darling, you’re upset. You need to come to us, quickly.’
‘I cannot. The Prince of Rica has declared it is too dangerous for me to travel. Until the bombers are found, I am trapped in the palace of Angonia. Forced to see him night and day.’
‘Oh, dear child. I will speak to the Prince, and we will get you out of there.’
‘He will not listen,’ Diana said.
‘Then we shall come get you, as Angonia took you from us.’
‘Excellency, please don’t. Since the bombing, security has been increased in Angonia. The security forces are on edge, and I’d hate for any of your people to be hurt. No, I must bide my time until I can leave.’
‘Your consideration of others does you credit, Diana. You will keep in touch with me, so I can assure myself you are safe?’
And keep feeding me the hate rhetoric. ‘Of course, Excellency. The gift of your friendship is the only good thing to happen to me lately.’
‘I am glad to hear it. Keep a distance from Angonia. Now that he knows how close you and I are, he wants you for himself. A smart woman like you can feign many ways to avoid his company.’
‘I will.’
‘I must leave you, Diana. I must prepare for tonight’s planetarium meeting. Take care, sweet girl.’
‘And you, Your Excellency.’ Diana disconnected. She flopped back on the lounge and looked up at the ceiling. Peace, but lying took a lot out of you. She’d always thought during her party phase that it was the dancing and drinking that had tired her out, but maybe it was the mental torture of having to be nice to people you just couldn’t stand.
She needed to cleanse herself with a person she liked, so she called her sister.
‘About time you called,’ Cassandra said. ‘Father and Mother have been worried sick.’
‘You mean you have,’ Diana said. ‘I’m fine. Being in the palace here is like being in a gilt-prison — no getting in, no getting out, perfectly safe.’
‘With a prison guard that you hate.’
Diana smiled. ‘We’ve reached a sort of accord.’
‘You’ve slept with him, haven’t you? Please, please say you have.’
‘Why does it matter so much to you?’
‘Cause it means I win and Kernan loses.’
Diana laughed. ‘Well, if it’s about the power balance in your marriage, then yes, Gareth and I are now lovers.’
‘Yay!’
‘I think you’re more excited about this than I am.’
‘I bet I’m not. Shame the bombing happened, so he’s got lots of work.’
‘Actually, that’s partly why I called. Can you send my design books, and the jewellery down to me? If I’m going to be stuck here in the palace for Rica knows how long, I might as well do some work.’
‘Sure. Did you get my message about a designer for the fountain?’
‘I did. I’d recommend Yap Harolds. He did the sculpture near the running track.’
‘Ooh, I like that one. Okay, I’ll organise to send him down to Gareth.’
Diana lay full length on the couch. ‘So, how are things in Rica?’
‘Fine. The great thing about Rica is that it’s really easy to make it really hard to get here. This is probably the safest place on the planet right now. Any idea how things are in Tatryn?’
‘Now, that’s interesting. I’m starting to think the Pontifex has nothing to do with the bombing. She’s incensed at the notion that one of her people would do this. What have you heard?’
‘There’s been no sign in any conversation we’ve overheard that she had any plans against Gareth and Angonia. Hates them, absolutely, but all she does is whine.’
‘Which could be encouragement enough for certain people,’ Diana said.
‘Good point. She might not be involved, but she may have to take responsibility for what happened.’
‘What has Kernan learnt?’
‘So far, nothing. No sign of Hactrim, no sign of the stockpile, no sign of a factory making e.’
‘Was the e used from the RBMC?’
‘As if I’m going to find that out. Plissa Waltric will be in charge of that investigation, and I’ll be the LAST person to know.’
Diana laughed. ‘The two of you will have to learn to work together.’
‘When Rica falls from the sky. So, tell me about Gareth. Is he as good in bed as you thought he would be?’
‘I’ll tell you about Gareth if you’ll tell me about Kernan.’
‘Party pooper,’ Cassandra muttered.
They chatted about various things for another few minutes before Cassandra rang off, having to be about her duties.
Diana stared up at the filigree pattern on the ceiling, which was indeed traced in gold, and realised for the first time that she was right — she was in a prison. It was a lovely prison, and it had a prison guard who promised to make her nights magical, but she wasn’t free to leave. She wasn’t free to choose her own entertainments. There was really nothing she could do to pass the time except bear it.
Funny how if she knew she could leave, she probably wouldn’t want to but now she knew she couldn’t…
Her jewellery work wouldn’t arrive until tomorrow, so what was she to do with herself today? She didn’t want to disturb Gareth by going back to his suite to see if he had anything to read. She had a few games downloaded onto her communicator, but they wouldn’t last long.
‘Melina Ox requests admittance. Security clearance assured.’
Diana sat up. That was a new line from a door. She figured it meant whoever was out there was safe to let in. She gave permission and a middle-aged woman of fading good looks came in. It was the woman who’d summoned Gareth to give his speech the night before.
‘Good morning, Miss Wiltmore. I’m the King of Angonia’s personal secretary. He asked me to come enquire if there is anything you need for your entertainment while you are with us. I can, for example, show you the games room, or teach you how to turn on the broadcast system here in your suite.’
Bless you, Gareth. ‘Both of those would be lovely,’ Diana said.
‘Good. I’ll take you for a tour of the private areas of the palace. The King believes for your own safety you should not go into the public areas, but you are free to go anywhere you wish.’
As long as I don’t leave, Diana thought. Still, it was more freedom than she’d feared she’d have. ‘Then lead the way,’ Diana said.
***
That afternoon, Diana was enjoying one of her favourite romantic comedies in the comfort of her suite when the door chimed.
‘Samon Muraha requests admittance. Security cleared.’
Diana paused the movie. What was Samon doing here?
‘Let him in.’ She stood. Samon walked in, carrying a large, hard case.
‘Hello, beautiful.’ He put the case by the door and came towards her. ‘When your sister was looking for a way to get these things to you quick smart, I decided to volunteer for the job. I figured you might need a bit of comforting.’ He reached for her and Diana found herself stepping out of his grasp.
‘That’s very sweet of you,’ she said. ‘I can’t believe Cassie got it organised that quickly. But then, she did work her way up to being RBMC head of distribution and I can’t imagine she did that without being very efficient.’
Peace, stop babbling, Diana.
Samon frowned. ‘What’s wrong, Di? I mean, you didn’t come see me at lunch like you said you would. No message, no reason why, and now, when you’re stuck down here all alone, you’re fobbing me off? What’s going on? Are you pissed because I couldn’t have that quickie with you?’
‘No, Samon, no that’s not it. And I’m sorry I didn’t call you. Something came up, family stuff, and then a lot of things happened…’ Diana’s voice faltered.
Peace, she’d never been in this position before. Generally, being in a relationship with one man didn’t stop her from indulging with another. She and her lovers had an understanding.
But with Gareth, things were different, and not just because she suspected he wouldn’t approve of her having a second lover. She didn’t want to be with anyone else. The idea of being with Samon left her cold, when just days earlier it had made her hot.
She shied away from considering what that might mean.
‘Well, you’ve got a lot of time now, and I’ve got a few spare hours, so let’s go get comfortable in your bedroom.’ He reached for her again and again, Diana danced out of his way.
‘Samon…’ She wasn’t sure what to say, what she wanted to say.
‘Gareth of Angonia requests admittance.’
‘Yes.’ Diana almost cried out the word. Gareth would put an end to this awkward encounter.
Gareth came in and stopped just inside the door. His eyes went from Diana to Samon and back again.
‘I heard you’d had a delivery from Rica.’ His voice sounded icy.
‘Yes. Cassie sent down my work. Gareth, this is Samon Muraha, the head of the RBMC shipping fleet. Samon, Gareth King of Angonia.’
‘Your Majesty.’ Samon bowed. ‘An honour to meet you, sir.’
‘Thank you for bringing these things down for Diana. I’ve no doubt it means a great deal to her,’ Gareth said.
‘It does.’ Diana smiled at Samon. ‘Samon, thank you. I really appreciate it.’
‘Always happy to serve you, Miss Wiltmore.’
Peace, did he have to put that emphasis on the word serve? ‘My family and the company very much value your service, Samon.’
He frowned. ‘Right. I see. Message received.’
She’d hurt him. That wasn’t what she’d intended. She liked Samon. They’d had fun together. Maybe they would again. After she and Gareth…
No, she didn’t want to think of their end.
‘I’ll see you when I get back to Rica,’ Diana said.
‘We’ll see.’ Samon nodded to her, bowed to Gareth and then left.
When the door closed behind him, Diana faced Gareth. He was looking at her with disdain.
‘Say it,’ she said. ‘Whatever is on your mind, say it.’
‘Dare I believe that if I hadn’t come in, you and that man would be in bed right now?’
‘You better not dare to believe that.’ Diana fisted her hands on her hips. ‘Yes, Samon and I have been lovers and yes, he came here thinking he could get a quick tumble. But I was just in the process of telling him that wouldn’t happen when you came in. I’m not interested in having any man between my thighs except you.’
Gareth’s expression lightened. ‘I see.’
‘Do you? Or are you letting your prejudices blind you again? You’re thinking of my reputation, of the things Cass told you in the past. You’re not seeing me now. Why would I want another man? You are the first, the only man in my entire life who has wanted me. Not my body. Not my face. Not my title, my family, my riches. Just me.’
His lips twisted. ‘You’re right. My lack of faith in you does not do you justice. My apologies, Diana.’
Seeing that he really was remorseful, Diana walked forward and pressed herself against him. His arms automatically went around her, holding her tight.
‘I’ll admit that in the past, I’ve not had a problem with seeing two men at the same time. But suddenly I find I’m a one-man woman, and that man is you. There’s not a man on the planet that could possibly entice me away from you. You’re everything a woman could ever want. Smart. Funny. Fabulous in bed. Incredibly good looking.’
‘Well, when you put it like that…’ Gareth leant down and kissed her and Diana’s body roared to life.
‘Dare I hope that you’ve got time for a bit of relaxation?’ Diana breathed as the kiss ended.
‘Unfortunately, not.’ He rubbed his nose against hers. ‘This plan I’m going to present to the planetarium is taking me a long time to put together. I just wanted to see the look on your face when your things from Rica arrived. I know it’s not easy on you, being stuck here. Did you say Cassandra sent you your work?’
‘Yes.’ Diana frowned. ‘You’re not going to start believing that I don’t work, are you?’
Gareth raised both his hands in defeat. ‘Wouldn’t dream of it. But I’m interested in what it is you do.’
‘I’ll show you.’ Diana the case and squeed with delight. Cassandra had packed all the jewellery, as well as her computer and all her paperwork.
‘This is what I do.’ She put the jewellery case on the table and opened it. The case was specially designed to showcase all the pieces of Rica Designs so far.
‘Diana. This is amazing.’ Gareth reached in and pulled out one of the pendants from the Venus collection ‘Did you do this?’
‘Not that particular one. That’s a one-off design by Xanthus Fortune, my favourite jewellery designer. He’s doing all the designs in the Venus Collection, which is the more expensive one. I’m the designer of the Castina Collection, the budget version.’ She picked up one of the rings and passed it to him.
He looked at it and she watched his face twist as he tried to work out what to say. Diana laughed. ‘I would have thought a king would know what to say when presented with something he doesn’t like. Normally a nod and “That’s interesting” will work.’
‘I don’t like the idea of lying to you,’ Gareth said.
‘Then don’t. You’re allowed to not like it.’
‘It’s…not to my taste.’
Diana laughed again. ‘It’s not meant to be. This if for hip young people who don’t have a lot of money but want something stylish and cool.’
‘I can definitely see it working for that audience.’
‘Thank you.’ Diana took the ring back. She put it on and held her hand out. ‘I took the Castina Collection to the university on Rica and they all seemed to love it. Shame I can’t take advantage of being in Angonia and seeing what your young people will make of it.’
‘You could. I do regular gatherings of young people here in the palace, so I can keep in touch with their needs and desires. I can organise one for you to show off your collection.’
‘Really? Gareth, that would be wonderful.’
‘How many? One hundred? Two hundred?’
‘Twenty would be plenty. From a wide cross section of demographics.’
‘Done. And do you need to do any research for the Venus Collection?’
‘Actually, I’d love to present it to the style setters of Angonia. My plan is to sell to them at a really cheap price, get them out wearing them, make them desirable and then demand will grow.’
Gareth smiled. ‘You’ve got it all worked out, don’t you?’
‘I can show you the presentation I made to the RBMC board, if you like.’
‘I would.’ He kissed her forehead. ‘Unfortunately, I can’t right now, but I want you to show me. In the meantime, I’ll get my secretary to tee up the meeting with the university students, and if you give her a list of the men and women you want to show the other collection to, we’ll organise that gathering as well.’
He believed in her. He really did. ‘Thank you.’ She threw herself at him, hugging and kissing him. ‘You are so going to get lucky tonight.’
Gareth laughed. ‘Exactly the thought I need to get through the planetarium meeting.’ He kissed her, deep and thoroughly, and then left.
Diana danced in a circle, giggling. Life really was turning out to be fabulous.