The Englor Affair (28 page)

Keep it up, you jackanapes. I have no problem taking out my anger on your
personality drive.
“Tell him—”

“Baxter said you were up here and I thought I’d join you. I hope you don’t mind.”

Payton’s heart skipped a beat at St. Albins voice. Not only had he not expected the interruption, he was nervous. He had no idea what to say to Si’s uncle. What if he didn’t approve of Si marrying Payton? Would he want Payton to get an annulment? The last time the duke saw Payton, he’d been bare-arsed naked in Si’s bed. Payton bit back a groan and hoped he wasn’t blushing when he turned.

St. Albins stood in the doorway smiling. He was a big man like Si, but he didn’t look very intimidating. The man had permanent laugh lines at the corners of his eyes. It went a long way in relaxing Payton. If the man was smiling, he wasn’t going to start telling Payton how he was no good for his nephew, right? “Of course not, Your Grace. I just wasn’t expecting you. Baxter just informed me of your presence. I hope you weren’t waiting too long.”

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“Aldred. Please. We’re family now.” He walked into the room, making the floor creak. He glanced down and smiled, then bounced a little, making the floor squeak again.

“I’d forgotten all about the squeaky plank.” His gaze met Payton’s and his eyes twinkled.

“We used to have to step over the spot to sneak out.”

Payton grinned, his worry easing a bit. St. Albins didn’t sound angry. “There’s a spot like that in the nursery at Townsend Castle as well. It didn’t matter though. Even if we made it past Christy, Jeffers would tattle on us.”

Aldred laughed. “Ah yes. Russell never let us go far either.”

“Russell?”

“Yes. Russell was the butler when I was a boy. Tell me, how many brothers do you have? There is a girl, isn’t there?”

“I’ve four brothers, and the girl is my eldest brother’s ward.”

“Ah. I see.” St. Albins dipped his head toward the Marine toy. “I’d forgotten all about the colonel.”

“Oh.” Payton went to set it back on the table, but Aldred stepped forward and held out his hand. Payton handed the toy over.

Aldred smiled, studying the toy. “I had him made for Simon for his fifth birthday.”

He chuckled, moving the colonel’s arms, making him salute. “I should have realized then he’d been destined for the Marines. He dragged the toy everywhere with him.” Turning the toy around, Aldred tugged on its uniform coat, straightening it. “I’m surprised it’s in such good condition as much as Simon played with it.” He set the doll on the table.

“Did Simon always want to be a Marine?”

“I don’t believe so, no. I don’t believe the idea of being a Marine came to him until he was about eighteen.” Aldred leaned against the door. “I still remember the night he told me he was joining the Marines. I nearly swallowed my tongue. There was some scandal involving a lord and his footman. The queen was of course very opposed to the idea and quite vocal about it, saying the men should be hanged or some such. Simon overheard her and it had a lasting effect on him. He told me he wanted what was right for his people and that if he were going to learn to be king he was going to need better role 194

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models than his parents. He’s always taken his responsibilities seriously, but something about hearing his mother that night really hit him. He enlisted the very next morning.”

Payton grinned. That sounded very much like the Simon he knew. “He’ll make a good king.” He said it more to himself, but Aldred nodded.

“He will. He’s prepared himself for it for as long as I can remember. His people have always come first and he’ll do anything to ensure Englor’s continued existence.”

Aldred’s face held a soft, fond smile. It was obvious how much he loved and respected his nephew. Payton couldn’t help but like the man. Aldred’s expression reminded him a bit of how his father and sire looked when they spoke about Payton and his brothers.

Aldred picked up a wooden horse lying on the table next to the Marine. “Simon has qualities my brother never possessed. He reminds me of my own father in some ways.

He’s idealistic, but he’s also a realist. He can be ruthless when he needs to be, but he’s also very kind and understanding. He listens, and I guess the biggest thing is that he cares.” Aldred shook his head, chuckling softly. “But enough about Simon. I came to see you.”

“Me?” Payton stood there for several seconds, at a loss for words. He was much more comfortable talking about Si than himself. What if he said something wrong? What if Aldred didn’t like him? Aldred was Si’s only family and Payton wanted the man to like him.

“Yes, you.” He ran fingers over the horse’s back and looked at it, then blew the dust off the figure. “I came to welcome you to the family and see if you needed anything.”

Aldred set the horse down, before smiling at Payton. “And I wanted to offer you my congratulations.”

The breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding left him, and Payton smiled so big his face hurt. Aldred seemed quite genuine and the rest of Payton’s unease melted away.

“Thank you. Something tells me that your welcome is going to be one of the few I get, and it’s very nice to hear. I was afraid—” He shook his head. There he went again saying whatever popped into his head. “Thank you, Aldred, it means a great deal to me. Would www.samhainpublishing.com 195

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you like some tea?” Galaxy, had his voice cracked or was it just the blood pounding through his ears making it seem as though it did?

“Oh no, you aren’t getting away with not answering. Let’s go get some tea and biscuits.” Aldred crooked his finger and stepped outside the door, over the creaky spot.

“Now tell me, what were you going to say?”

“I was going to say I feared you would not be happy with me being your nephew’s consort.” Shutting the door, Payton followed Aldred down the hall to the stairs.

“Nonsense. Simon chose you, and that’s good enough for me. I want the boy happy.

You make him happy, and not just because he’s now assured an alliance with your home planet. Tell me, have you had problems with the staff?”

Payton’s steps faltered. He could swear his heart stopped for a moment. Was Simon using him to get an alliance? He’d said earlier that his advisors were pleased about the marriage because of the surety that he’d get a treaty with Regelence. The night of their wedding came back to Payton with new clarity. Simon had insisted on marrying him after he learned who Payton was, even though it was obvious he didn’t want to. Payton had tried to let him out of it.
Did Si take his responsibility serious enough to play the martyr?

Aldred stopped and arched a brow at Payton.

Oh galaxy. Pretend everything is okay, Pay.
Smiling, he hurried to catch up and tried to cover his unease, even though it felt like his heart was going to pound right out of his chest.

“The staff
has
been giving you problems then. I’ll speak to them.”

“No. Not really. They just avoid me. Except for Baxter and Baxter is rather—”

“Shall I have tea prepared in the Queen’s Parlor for you, Your Highness?” Baxter interrupted.

Belligerent. Baxter is a dust for brains, good for nothi—
Payton swallowed the lump in his throat and tried to concentrate on the conversation. He could get through this. “Tell me, Aldred. Does Baxter have any sentimental value to you or Simon?” So what if Simon only married him for the good of Englor? It was no worse than what Payton originally thought.
Given the choice, having someone be forced to marry you or wanting to marry
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you, wasn’t it better than they wanted you?
Even if it were for altruistic reasons?
Payton should be happy that he was wanted. He could help Simon with a noble cause. Maybe Simon could grow to love him.

“Good lord, no. I can’t stand him and Simon barely tolerates him at all. Simon’s mother brought him with her when she married my brother.”

“Baxter?”

“Yes, Your Highness?”

Payton may not be able to do anything about his marriage and the fact that Simon had married him out of loyalty to his planet, but he could do something about Baxter.

“Send tea and biscuits to the
study
and…you’re fired.”

~ * ~

Payton hit the enter button and stepped back from the terminal. “Dunston?”

“Hello, Your Highness. I’m online and all security measures are in place.” Dunston’s voice came through the palace speakers loud and clear.

Yes.
That had been easy. He’d only had to take the palace computers offline for roughly a minute and a half. He’d contacted Dunston on his com-pad and informed him of his new position, then simply erased Baxter’s personality file, linked the palace computer to Hollister House and gave Dunston full access. Now Dunston had all of Baxter’s memories and his own personality. He was in full control of the palace.

“Welcome to Hollister Palace, Dunston.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

“Payton, please. You call Simon Colonel, it’s only fair that you should call me Payton.”

“Your wish is my command, Payton.” Dunston actually chuckled.

Grinning, Payton stepped back to the keyboard. “And who all has full access to you at this point?”

“Only yourself and the colonel.”

“In the event of an emergency, please allow the Duke of St. Albins access as well.”

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“Done.”

Payton headed toward the control room door, scanned his thumb and waited for the door to open. “Dunston, familiarize yourself with the palace staff and the routine and notify me of any changes you need made. Do you have the security taken care of?” The door opened, allowing him to exit before closing behind him.

“Yes, Payton. Both Hollister House and Hollister Palace are secure. The guards should be changing in fifteen minutes. And Colonel Hollister is still on base.”

Payton turned to make sure the light over the door turned red, indicating it was locked, and then made his way up the basement stairs, which he noted were also white and looked like the rest of the hallways in the palace. Reaching the bottom floor, Payton couldn’t help but feel relief. Now he had someone in the palace he could trust. He’d been given full access to Dunston this morning at Hollister House and quickly ascertained that he was not only likable but trustworthy.
Wait.
“How do you know Si is still on base? Do you now control all of the royal lifts as well?” Jeffers, Townsend Castle’s computer, didn’t control the lifts, but he could speak to them. Perhaps—

“I do, but I was tracking him through his dog tag, Payton.”

“Oh.” Payton frowned. He’d known the tags were used on base to log soldiers into buildings and such. The buildings had a computerized sensor similar to the smaller handheld ones used to identify the dead on battlefields, but… “I thought the dog tags were for identification and recording their movement on base only. Are you saying the dog tags have GPS and can locate military personnel anywhere without the tag sensors?”

“Yes.”

This could be bad. If Dunston could track Si, then the IN could track him as well. Si probably had no idea the dog tag could be used to track. Payton certainly hadn’t known it could, at least not from any location.

Payton felt like someone zapped the energy right out of him, Si was in more danger than Payton had first thought. The IN almost certainly had the king and queen killed and them being able to track Si at will was a very bad thing. “Dunston, can you disable his dog tag?”

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“I can, but it could easily be re-enabled, by myself or the military.”

It had to come out. “Would you be able to tell if anyone else is tracking him through it?”

“No, Payton, but if I disabled it, I would be able to tell if anyone re-enabled it.”

“Very well, disable it and remind me to speak to the colonel about it when he gets in.” Simon didn’t need it to gain access anywhere, it was simply a way for the military to identify his remains or track his movements on base. At least, that’s what the IN had always claimed.

After giving Dunston the codes to his com-pad and setting up a syncing schedule, Payton decided to check in on the decorator then retire to Si’s room to go through Baxter’s memories on his com-pad. “Dunston, look through Baxter’s memories and send my com-pad Englor’s Constitution or Parliamentary Sovereignty. Whatever I need to learn about the planet’s government.”

“Right away, Payton,” Dunston answered.

Just getting rid of Baxter made the place feel warm, more inviting, but he needed to check on the decorator’s progress. He’d been instructed to use only staff for the job and there was plenty to accomplish most tasks. They’d been working nearly four hours already. Payton rolled his eyes, thinking about the maids and footmen’s reactions when he’d instructed them to help. With the exception of Harry and his girlfriend Maria, none had been too happy. Hopefully, the staff was more amicable to the decorator than they were Payton. Jogging up two flights of stairs, Payton was almost to his destination when an angry female voice halted him on the landing of the third.

“Excuse me, young man.”

Surprised at the bellow, Payton turned, even knowing it wasn’t directed toward him.

At the bottom of the stairs stood a short woman in a blue morning dress with her gray hair swept back into a severe bun. She appeared to be in her mid-fifties, or thereabouts. Her hands rested on her ample hips and she glared up at Payton with her sharp chin lifted high.

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Glancing around, Payton saw no one else. Surprised, he pointed to himself. “Were you speaking to me?”

“I most certainly was.” She started up the steps toward him. “What have you done with Baxter?”

Ah, Mrs. Cobbs, the housekeeper. If he’d known that was all it would take to get her to meet with him, he’d have done that first thing this morning. “Mrs. Cobbs, I’ve been wanting to speak to y—”