Lucky Charm (Reverse Fairytales Book 2)(6)
“Who will know?”
I nodded my head to the far end of the corridor where a guard stood on duty. He wasn’t watching us, but he had to be aware what we were doing.
“He’s not allowed to tell anyone. It’s part of his contract.”
Luca moved back to my neck, but I pulled back again.
“We have to wait until our wedding night,” I repeated, feeling foolish.
He scrunched his eyes up. “Do you want me, Charmaine?”
“Yes,” I replied a little too quickly. “I just want our wedding night to be special.”
His features softened. “It will be. I’ll make sure of it.” He kissed me on the nose and reluctantly left me alone with my thoughts.
I threw myself on my bed, exhausted after the full day. I’d lied to Luca. Well, partially. I did want our wedding night to be special, but that wasn’t the reason for holding back. I wasn’t ready. I enjoyed his kisses, the feel of him against me, but there was something stopping me from taking it further that had nothing to do with my wedding night.
You know exactly who’s stopping you!
I pulled the covers over my head to try to drown out the voice.
The Chief of Police
I’d specifically cleared the week after my coronation from my calendar so I could spend time with advisors planning what path to take for my kingdom. Jenny, who had somehow morphed from being my nanny into my personal assistant, planned what meeting I was supposed to be in and where, but more often than not, I would find her colluding with Xavi and my mother on wedding matters.
On the third day after I became queen, I called her into my office. It was the same office my father had used, and as I’d not had a chance to decorate, the whole place reeked of him, both figuratively and literally. I could still smell the faint scent of his tobacco, and it was his choice of pictures that decorated the dark room. Everything in there was wood or leather and without any windows, it made me feel claustrophobic. The only part of the room I liked was the large desk. Made by Daniel and his father, it was exquisite in its craftsmanship. I made a mental note to get some decorators in to brighten up the room. The desk was staying, but everything else could go.
“Yes?” asked Jenny as she bustled through the door. She was wearing a mixture of flowers in her hair and had drapes of fabric swathed over her shoulders.
“Fancy dress ball?” I enquired, struggling to figure out just exactly she was trying to be.
“We were in the dressing room going over samples for the tablecloths and centerpieces.”
More wedding talk. I should have guessed.
“Have you made an appointment for me to speak with the chief of police? I need to speak to him about the demonstrations. They were out there on my coronation day, and they are still out there now.”
Jenny pulled out a notebook from a pocket hidden somewhere in her voluminous skirts and began to flick through it, licking her finger with each page turn.
“Two o’clock this afternoon.” She looked at her watch. “You’d better get something for lunch quickly, it’s one already, and I made the appointment for you to go to the station.”
I glanced up at the clock. It would take me at least half an hour to get to the police headquarters. Sighing, I stood and walked past her. “Please, can you get my coat and tell the stable hands I’ll need a horse.”
“Don’t you want a carriage? It’s freezing out there.”
I shook my head. I was going to see him alone, and the royal carriage would stand out a mile. I didn’t want the protesters to know where I was going.
Half an hour later I was trotting down the back driveway on one of the royal horses. The guards seemed surprised to see me, but they let me past without question. It felt so different to six months previously when I had to sneak out. Now I was in charge, and no one could stop me. The protesters were thankfully in small numbers around the back, the majority taking up a more prominent place at the palace’s front gates. Going through the gates reminded me of the letters I’d seen on one of the banners three days previously. Some of the nastier banners had the same three letters today. The same letters Frederick Pittser had uttered at me. I’d completely forgotten about them until now, but I made a mental note to ask the chief of police about them. The protesters jeered, but, at least, no one tried to attack.
I’d never been to the large police headquarters before, but I knew the building. As imposing as it was bland, its stark architecture and sleek lines, always gave me the chills as though it was built only to house criminals. It did just that on the lower floors, but it was also the central hub for the whole of Silverwood’s police force. The top four floors housed hundreds of the kingdom’s finest men and women police officers from the constables that roamed the streets, to the chief on the top floor. Any crime committed anywhere in any city in Silverwood was processed at this place. To me, it looked like a very large square box.
The security guard on the door was ready for me as I walked in. He led me past the long line of people demanding to speak to an officer, and to a stairwell.
As I walked up the seemingly never-ending stairs, I realized that I’d never actually met the chief of police before. I’d seen him speaking to my father on a number of occasions, but I’d never had the opportunity to discuss matters with him. I remembered him as being a rather pugnacious man with wispy hair and a thick mustache that covered up his rodent-like face.