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“Tessa has a habit of drinking a cup of herbal tea before going to bed, and usually she makes it herself—as she has done all her life. Only lately, what with the baby and her busy life, she’s been trusting her staff to handle stuff like that. Last night, when she took a sip from her tea, she noticed a strange taste. Bitter. She immediately thought back to the incident with the stone and my words of caution. So she put down the cup, and poured some tea in a small flask. The rest she dumped down the sink. So when the maid came in later, it looked as if she’d drunk the whole cup. She then asked Nesbit to have it tested. Tessa texted me just before liftoff. The tea was laced with belladonna.”

Odelia’s jaw dropped. “That’s a pretty powerful poison.”

“It is. So do you see what I mean about not trusting anyone? Someone made that tea for her—someone close to her—someone on her own staff.”

“But if they poisoned her tea, who knows what they’ll do next!”

“You have to get her out of there,” said Chase. “You have to get her back to the States and make sure she’s out of harm’s way.”

“But that’s just it. I can’t. She’s married to a prominent royal. She can’t just skedaddle and disappear for a while. She has to carry on as if nothing happened. And that’s where you come in. You’re going to have to be there—on the scene—and find out who’s doing this to her.”

“Are you sure Tessa can trust this Nesbit guy?” asked Odelia.

“He’s the only one she can trust. There’s absolutely no reason for Nesbit to try and hurt his cousin. And it’s good for her to see a friendly face in a sea of hostiles. You have to remember, she’s all alone out there—she left behind her family, her friends, her whole life, to go and live with a person she only met months before, and a bunch of strangers, in a high-tension situation, scrutinized by the world and the world’s toxic media. She’s in a tough spot.”

“And? What has Nesbit learned so far?”

“A lot. For one thing, there’s plenty of people who want her dead. He’s made a list.” She handed a piece of paper to Odelia. “I thought it might help you get started.”

Odelia glanced down at the list. She was surprised to find half a dozen people there.“All of these people want Tessa dead?” she asked.

“Oh, I’m sure there are plenty more, but you have to start somewhere.”

Chapter 8

To our not inconsiderable surprise we weren’t staying in a hotel, or even some faraway cottage located down the road from the royal dwelling, but in the actual royal dwelling itself. Odelia was as surprised as we were when we finally arrived at destination’s end and it turned out to be Newtmore Cottage.

“We’re staying here?” asked Odelia when the car pulled to a stop in front of a slightly weird-looking cottage with a very huge chimney stack on top.

“Yup,” Angela confirmed. “I’ve arranged for you to stay here, so you can keep a close eye on my daughter.”

The car doors opened and the humans all got out. We were still in our pet carriers, which apparently was a precaution our driver had insisted upon. The carriers were taken out of the car and placed on the porch.

The front door opened and a red-bearded young man came out whom I immediately recognized as Prince Dante. He looked extremely pleased to see us.“Angela!” he cried, then threw his arms wide and greeted her with such affection I found it very hard to believe he was the one we were here to nab.

Behind him, a young woman appeared. She was smartly dressed in a white cable-knit sweater and black pants and looked absolutely radiant. She was carrying a baby in her arms, and greeted her mother with genuine warmth. When it came time to greet the rest of us, she didn’t stint either. “Cousin Odelia!” she said and gave Odelia three kisses. “It’s been too long!”

“Yeah, far too long,” Odelia agreed.

“And this must be Chase,” said Tessa, greeting Chase. “I’ve never actually met Odelia’s husband,” she explained for the sake of her own husband.

“Hey there, mate,” said Dante, giving Chase’s hand a vigorous shake.

“And this must be your dear, sweet Gam-Gam,” said Dante, eyeing Gran with a twinkle in his eye. “I’ve heard so much about you, Gam-Gam!”

“Well, ain’t that swell,” said Gran, enduring a hug from the prince.

“It’s been too long, Gam-Gam,” said Tessa now, giving Gran a one-armed hug while hoisting the baby higher against her chest. “How have you been?”

“Oh, can’t complain,” said Gran cautiously.

“And how is Gum Gum?” asked Dante. “Still a dodgy old codger, eh?”

Gran narrowed her eyes at Angela, whom she seemed to blame for this ordeal, then plastered a fake smile on her face.“Gum Gum is great. Still chasing skirts and getting hammered in bars.”

Angela cleared her throat and stepped forward.“Why don’t we show them their rooms? I’m sure they’ll want to get freshened up before going to bed.”

“Going to bed?” asked Gran. “It’s nine o’clock.”

“Midnight here, Gran,” said Odelia. “The time difference?”

“Oh, great,” said Gran. “So they just stole five hours from me?”

“Nobody stole five hours.”