Free The Prince's Secret (The Royal Biography Cozy Mystery Series Book 2) by Julie Sarff
Authors: Julie Sarff
King our sovereign lord's father.>>
From across the rainy country, I am positive I hear Schnipps squeal with delight.
<> Schnipps types back.
<> I respond. Crossing my arms, I lean back in my squeaky desk chair. Truth is, I haven’t told Schnipps everything. I haven’t told him what else is written at the end of the confessional. That part I am keeping a secret for now, and if I do share it, it will only be with one very special person.
Chapter 14
“You want me to do what, Lizzie?”
Oh dear, was I wrong to tell the Prince about all of this? There were two reasons I decided to tell Alex:
a.) he was the one who helped me find the diary of Mary Beaton.
b.) I wanted to get his mind off the death of his brother.
“I need to find the final resting place of Jane, Countess of Erlington. She died in 1596. On her original tomb was a cherub.”
On the other end of the phone, the Prince is silent.
“She was buried at Holyrood Abbey,” I continue.
“Right, well there’s no one buried there now.” Alex is short and snippy. I was wrong to tell him of my quest. It only serves to remind him of my failure to find anything regarding his brother’s death.
“How would I find out where her tomb was moved to?” I press.
“Really, Lizzie, what do you hope to find by all this?”
“They were friends Mary Beaton and the Countess. According to Mary, she gave the evidence that she had written the Casket Letters to Jane. The Countess was ill and promised Mary that she would…” Here I clear my throat and read directly from Mary’s pages that are up on my computer screen, “Take the proof with her to her grave.”
“Oh come on, Lizzie? And how do you know it’s inside the cherub?”
I read the next part of the diary which states quite clearly that the Countess had commissioned a hollowed out cherub for her tomb to hold what Mary Beaton called “proof of her transgression against Mary, Queen of Scots.”
“Oh, so that’s how you know,” the Prince gives half a laugh. “Alright, let me call the curator at Holyrood.”
“Wait, no. Will he report this back to Schnipps?”
“Probably.”
“That’s no good.”
“Why not?”
“Why not, why not? Because nobody is going to allow us to go search for ourselves once this information is out. In fact, they might not allow us to search at all. This tell-all…journal…whatever you want to call it will be sent off to be verified by some expert and it will be years before…”
“Before someone goes and tracks down this cherub?” Alex hazards.
“Right…tracks down the cherub and does a proper examination.”
From the other end of the phone, I believe I hear the Prince scratching his head. A second later I hear a female voice. This startles me so that I jump. I assumed the Prince was alone while I was explaining all this over the phone.
The voice speaks again, sounding like she is whispering something in the Prince’s ear. “Come back to bed,” she murmurs.
I go still as a rabbit. Where is he? I thought he was all tucked up in Buckingham Palace with his mommy and daddy.
“Sorry, Lizzie, I don’t think I can help you,” Alex responds, sounding very sullen. “You should give this information to Schnipps, it’s the right thing to do.” Click. He hangs up the phone.
Well, well, well…who would have thought there would be a fourth man to let down Mary, Queen of Scots? I bite down on my lip in disappointment.
I won’t let her down. Somehow, I’ll find the long-departed grave of the Countess. I’ll find the cherub, and “the proof” of Mary Beaton’s transgressions against the Queen.
Chapter 15
After a few calls to the historical society in Edinburgh, I learn that the Countess
From across the rainy country, I am positive I hear Schnipps squeal with delight.
<
<
Chapter 14
“You want me to do what, Lizzie?”
Oh dear, was I wrong to tell the Prince about all of this? There were two reasons I decided to tell Alex:
a.) he was the one who helped me find the diary of Mary Beaton.
b.) I wanted to get his mind off the death of his brother.
“I need to find the final resting place of Jane, Countess of Erlington. She died in 1596. On her original tomb was a cherub.”
On the other end of the phone, the Prince is silent.
“She was buried at Holyrood Abbey,” I continue.
“Right, well there’s no one buried there now.” Alex is short and snippy. I was wrong to tell him of my quest. It only serves to remind him of my failure to find anything regarding his brother’s death.
“How would I find out where her tomb was moved to?” I press.
“Really, Lizzie, what do you hope to find by all this?”
“They were friends Mary Beaton and the Countess. According to Mary, she gave the evidence that she had written the Casket Letters to Jane. The Countess was ill and promised Mary that she would…” Here I clear my throat and read directly from Mary’s pages that are up on my computer screen, “Take the proof with her to her grave.”
“Oh come on, Lizzie? And how do you know it’s inside the cherub?”
I read the next part of the diary which states quite clearly that the Countess had commissioned a hollowed out cherub for her tomb to hold what Mary Beaton called “proof of her transgression against Mary, Queen of Scots.”
“Oh, so that’s how you know,” the Prince gives half a laugh. “Alright, let me call the curator at Holyrood.”
“Wait, no. Will he report this back to Schnipps?”
“Probably.”
“That’s no good.”
“Why not?”
“Why not, why not? Because nobody is going to allow us to go search for ourselves once this information is out. In fact, they might not allow us to search at all. This tell-all…journal…whatever you want to call it will be sent off to be verified by some expert and it will be years before…”
“Before someone goes and tracks down this cherub?” Alex hazards.
“Right…tracks down the cherub and does a proper examination.”
From the other end of the phone, I believe I hear the Prince scratching his head. A second later I hear a female voice. This startles me so that I jump. I assumed the Prince was alone while I was explaining all this over the phone.
The voice speaks again, sounding like she is whispering something in the Prince’s ear. “Come back to bed,” she murmurs.
I go still as a rabbit. Where is he? I thought he was all tucked up in Buckingham Palace with his mommy and daddy.
“Sorry, Lizzie, I don’t think I can help you,” Alex responds, sounding very sullen. “You should give this information to Schnipps, it’s the right thing to do.” Click. He hangs up the phone.
Well, well, well…who would have thought there would be a fourth man to let down Mary, Queen of Scots? I bite down on my lip in disappointment.
I won’t let her down. Somehow, I’ll find the long-departed grave of the Countess. I’ll find the cherub, and “the proof” of Mary Beaton’s transgressions against the Queen.
Chapter 15
After a few calls to the historical society in Edinburgh, I learn that the Countess
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