The Plan (1)

“Eddie!” Crown Prince Thackeray opened the door to Edwina’s office with a bang. Edwina’s head jerked up in surprise, her glasses slipping off her face. Breathless, the brown-haired, brown-eyed prince stormed up to her desk, “We can catch him!”

Scrambling to adjust her glasses Edwina replied, “Catch who?”

“That Claiborne bastard!” Thackeray slammed his hand on Edwina’s desk, obviously feeling very gung-ho about his news. “I got word that tonight he’ll be meeting with the heads of the Grand Peerage. He’ll travel alone without any guards. He’s trying to keep the meeting location secret!”

“We can snatch him then,” Edwina joined in, jumping up from her seat.

“Exactly! Then we’ll interrogate him!” Thackeray clenched his fist.

“And find out all the info about that Alliance of Assholes!” Edwina completed.

Thackeray burst out into laughter, “I can’t believe you call them that!”

The Grand Peerage is what they called themselves, but Edwina had given them a different moniker, the Alliance of Assholes. A group of corrupt nobles who engaged in corrupt activities indulged in decadent lifestyles and ignored their responsibility to their people. They were against rights for commoners, taxes for nobles, and any social work projects. Filled with corruption, the Grand Peerage had been designed to keep its members safe. Strength in numbers and all that.

Alexander Claiborne had been participating in Grand Peerage meetings since their academy days and he was poised to become the new head. His casino was used frequently for Peerage meetings and he rubbed noses on a daily basis with some of their most influential members. According to rumors, his father, the current acting head, planned to retire sometime in the year.

Edwina knew all about Claiborne’s sordid dealings. She had been tracking his family’s movements for the past year at the crown prince’s behest. She had been researching the history of his family and those vessels and nobles associated with them and had come up with a slew of evidence to present to the king.

Edwina had proof that tied the Peerage and Claiborne’s father to an illegal drug trafficking ring and prostitution scheme. She also suspected that if they could get a hold of the casino’s books, they would find evidence of tax fraud. The Claibornes were corrupt and needed to be dealt with for the good of the people!

If they could catch Claiborne and get him to confess his and his father’s wrongdoings, Edwina and the Prince would finally have enough evidence for the King to take action against these corrupt nobles.

“Finally, I’ll be able to teach that bastard a lesson,” Thackery slammed his fist into his other hand, a deep scowl on his face.

Edwina frowned. Thackeray’s involvement in the investigation was a tad too personal for her taste. Since childhood, Thackeray had been compared to Claiborne in every aspect. From their academics to horseback riding, it seemed that Thackery couldn’t catch a break. The King always used Thackery’s second cousin against him. At age 10 Claiborne had already… but you…

It drove Thackery crazy. He poured himself into his studies and his swordsmanship but it never seemed to be enough for the King.

Edwina believed that the King just used Claiborne as a scapegoat to motivate Prince Thackery, and that truly the King was very proud of Thackery's accomplishment.

“I’ll send a message to Duchess Lovelace to bring her most trusted men,” Edwina reached for a piece of parchment and a quill “Remi!”

“Yes ma’am,” a ginger-haired boy of fifteen poked his head into the room. Edwina motioned for the boy to come closer. She scribbled her instructions for the Duchess and shoved the note into Remi’s hands.

“Get this to the Duchess of Lovelace, yesterday,” Edwina pressed. Remi nodded and turning to leave, tripped over his own feet as he ran out the door.

Edwina yelled after him, “I mean it Remi! Double Time!”

Remi was a sweet boy and smart too, but unfortunately, he was easily distracted. He could spend hours lost translating an ancient manuscript, forgetting to eat, drink or sleep until his work was complete. Between the two of them, the office had become a pile of musty papers, empty inkpots, and broken quills.

Remi was also clumsy. He had just turned fifteen two months ago and had been blessed with a growth spurt. He had grown at least 4 inches and his gangly limbs were uncontrollable. He knocked over papers, spilled ink, and spent more time falling on the ground than actually walking properly.

“Have a seat, Your Highness, we can wait for the Duchess together,” Edwina waved at Thackeray as she returned to her desk chair.

“You really need to hire more help here,” Thackeray collapsed into a red velvet chair, a plume of dust erupting. Sputtering through coughs, Thackeray continued his lecture, “My god Edwina, this is too much. I’m going to talk to Father about increasing your budget the next time I see him.”

“Don’t trouble His Majesty, Your Highness” Edwina sighed, “I do have everything I need. I can do my research uninterrupted, I have a clever, if a little ditzy, assistant, and I get to advise the King!”

“Maybe after we catch Claiborne, he’ll be more apt to the idea of hiring a maid just for you. Maybe he’ll finally give you a noble title!” Thackeray seemed pleased with his idea, but Edwina knew better. Any recognition for taking down the Claibornes wouldn’t go to her, all the credit would go to the Prince to help secure his claim for the throne.

“Maybe,” she smiled at her friend. Prince Thackeray was always heartfelt in his intentions, but he was blind to the true nature of her status as a commoner. According to the other nobles, she should be grateful to even be allowed to work for the King’s royal court. Though Thackeray could be right about one thing, she might be able to hire another helper after this.

Prince Thackeray was a controversial topic in the royal palace. He was a radical who believed in increasing rights and opportunities for commoners and wanted to impose taxes on the richest nobles in the kingdom. It wasn’t just the radical ideas that made him controversial. He could be blunt, rude, and a little oblivious. Subtlety wasn’t his strong suit.

Even though most noblemen didn’t like Prince Thackeray, the noblewomen were enamored with him. He was tall, broad, and handsome with his chestnut hair and twinkling dark brown eyes. Women found his candid demeanor charming, like a diamond in the rough. According to what Duchess Lovelace told her, several girls had tried to fix him, but all had failed.

The idea of someone trying to fix stubborn as a mule Prince Thackeray amused Edwina. Thackeray had driven every etiquette teacher he had ever had mad. The longest lasted a year. The King eventually gave up and Prince Thackeray continued to be his unpolished self.

Thackeray kicked up his legs and rested them on the coffee table. He sunk back into the chair and leaned his head back against the wood frame. His collar was unbuttoned and his shirt untucked, his hair wild and uncombed. The run to the office must have worn him out, his chest was still heaving from the exertion.