Princess - A Love Story

Chapter 12

Philip took refuge in the library that night. Emily hadn't looked at him once throughout dinner. Was she that angry still? Sipping a beer, he thought irritably that Emily just didn't trust him to handle things. She almost punched Wright in the face. Always wanting to go on the offensive. She didn't have a diplomatic bone in her body.

His thoughts were interrupted by a nervous staff member. "Your Highness, you have a visitor. He is most insistent". When he was ushered in, it was difficult to tell who was more uncomfortable, the Prince or his visitor.

"Your Highness."

"Wright." Philip said tersely. "It's an odd time for you to be demanding an audience with me."

Matthew opened his mouth and then closed it again. "Get on with it then Wright," Philip snapped. It had been a long and trying day and he was out of patience. "I, err, came to apologise for my conduct today, Your Highness."

Now that, Philip was not expecting. Matthew continued, "It was wrong of me. It was adolescent game. I didn't think thorough the consequences." Philip was in an odd mood. He was infuriated at how his afternoon turned out. Mostly he was annoyed they upset Emily.

"I find it difficult to accept your word. You're not exactly known for your sincerity." Matthew's head jerked back as if he'd been physically assaulted. He gritted his teeth but refrained from saying anything. It was an interesting reaction. Philip, seized by an unknown devil, wanted to goad him. To what end? He wasn't sure himself.

"I know," Matthew said slowly, "I haven't given you or anyone else much to go by, but... I would have you trust my apology. There is," he hesitated, "one other thing I must speak to you about." Philip motioned to him to speak.

"There are attempts underway to sabotage your power plant," he said bluntly. That got Philip's attention. "But, there's nothing to sabotage yet."

"Rumour is, that you may have more support than you think, provided you give required assurances. This is making some others nervous enough to plan for contingency."

"Sylianou?" Philip asked unsurprised.

"He's a soft threat. Very likely, its Edmond Wright. Your Highness, it's possible he becomes desperate enough to threaten you. Physically."

"He's been awfully quiet lately," Philip mused then asked Matthew, "How do you know all this?"

Matthew gave a self-deprecating smile. "I am a no good rich Lord with money and no avocation. People talk around me either expecting me to not understand or to fall in with them simply because I enjoy making a nuisance of myself..." Matthew broke off. He had already said too much.

"Do we have anything concrete?"

"No. Just some vague allusions."

"Yet specific enough to worry you to come here. Why did you?"

Matthew looked pained. "I can live with being considered a useless Noble, but I will be damned before allow my family's name to be associated with traitors."

"I didn't realize your heritage meant that much to you."

"It means that much and more," Matthew declared with an intensity nobody knew he possessed. "You don't know Edmond Wright. Believe me, the less he thinks about me, the better it is for me to quietly go about getting my property back from him."

Philip was silent for a few minutes. "Drink?" he offered. In the age old way of males, the matter was now considered closed.

Feeling a little easier Matthew said, "We are all very lucky your Lady handled it the way she did."