38
21 March
Austin Manor
Juliana wanted to kick everyone out of Nico’s house and curl up on Rowan’s one good leg. Then, she wanted to take him to her room and experiment with some of the other positions she’d researched. She longed to let down her guard and cry out her disappointment and fear.
Instead, she was in the most important morbidity and mortality conference of her life. That she wasn’t on the hot seat was some consolation. That she was leading it was an interesting twist. With her voice hollow and devoid of emotion, she’d already explained her audience with the queen and Noah’s defection. She’d expected questions, but everyone seemed content to listen.
“Noah escorted me to my apartments. And left me there with a guard posted outside the door.”
“That seems foolhardy,” Jamie interjected for the first time.
“Agreed,” Robert added.
“I know. Especially as it took me about two seconds to subdue the poor chap.”
“Beg your pardon. You took out your guard?” Rowan’s voice rang with incredulity, and Ele’s, Robert’s, and Jamie’s gazes shifted to him.
Heat suffused Juliana’s cheeks. Rather than answer, she merely nodded.
“She’s the equivalent of a black belt. Could give Robert a run for his money,” Jamie said proudly.
Robert scoffed, which made Ele laugh.
“She’s good,” Robert conceded with a wink in Juliana’s direction.
She felt his approval like a warm hug, and she lapped up his support like a starving plant in a torrential downpour.
Rowan’s eyes narrowed on her. He didn’t enjoy being surprised. But she could tell it was more than that. Maybe hurt. She would have to smooth it out later. There was a lot she would do later.
For the few minutes when she’d been unsure of her fate, her thoughts had coalesced on one thing. It wasn’t how any of this would affect Ele and Jamie, or about the family she’d only just discovered, or the grandmother who had betrayed her. Every single tendril of want, desire, and regret was about Rowan Beckwith. The things she’d learned about him through the course of their time together, the bits and pieces of the man he was with her, the brother he was becoming to Violet. She put a name on the feelings she had for him. She was in love. It wasn’t fleeting or based on proximity. There was understanding and passion, excitement and longing. In her mind, she’d conjured a future, filled with quiet and dogs, football and babies. Juliana was not one of those girls who dreamed of her wedding or knew she wanted kids and had names on standby. But when she looked at Rowan, a life was written for her, with verse and chapters, a book of love. And sex. Please, sex. She had no idea what blue balls felt like, but if the yawning space between her legs that throbbed with the want of Rowan was any indication, she could imagine.
“Good, huh?” Rowan asked flatly.
“Yes,” Jamie chimed in. “You should see her. A badass princess.”
There was pride in Jamie’s voice. But Juliana wished everyone would stop endorsing her skills. With every exclamation, Rowan’s countenance stiffened even more.
“From there, it was almost too easy to get out. Like they wanted me to escape.”
“Or maybe Noah wasn’t as compromised as we thought?” Robert mused.
“We’ll have to sort his loyalty later.” Jamie stood and walked to the lone window in the library. He looked out, and Juliana could sense his turmoil. “I had hoped to keep much of this from you,” he said. “Robert and I have been amassing information on the queen for a long while.”
Jamie turned to look at Robert. Juliana caught the slight nod between them.
Jamie continued, “It began when the queen agreed to abdicate in my favor. She approached Robert not long after, about being the true heir.”
“Wait,” Ele said, holding her hands up. “After our family meeting on the night of the gala, the queen plotted with Robert to take the throne?” Her brow furrowed in confusion. “Why?”
“The line,” Juliana explained. Jamie, Ele, and Robert stared at her expectantly. “She is concerned about the purity of her heirs. It’s why she wants Robert. And she blames me for the death of your parents.”
“Our parents,” Ele and Jamie corrected simultaneously.
Juliana smiled. “Our parents.”
Jamie shoved his hands in his pockets and picked up his story. “Robert went along with her for a time. We wanted to know the endgame before we made any move. When Juliana offered to go to the Barrington Estate, we waited. It provided the queen with a unique opportunity. She was able to draw Barrington out and understand his plan for Nava, all while moving forward with her plan with Robert.
“In the meantime, I have been assembling assistance. We are ready to arrest the queen for treason and embezzlement. I hoped to avoid such a spectacle by approaching her and forcing her hand with the evidence we had against her. I will threaten to expose everything to the public unless she abdicates. But I don’t want to do that without your support.”
“Aye,” Ele said.
“Yes,” Robert answered.
“No,” Juliana responded.
Then, all hell broke loose.
“Why not?” Ele.
“We have to go in strong.” Robert.
“Jules?” Jamie.
Finally, Rowan intoned, “Oy!” and all bickering ceased. “Let her speak.”
Juliana smiled wide at Rowan, who offered her a wink.
“Jules?” Jamie asked.