Angel Queen

7. Missing Stone [an excerpt]

.... "Can you clear up this matter? You are the confidante of the princess, perhaps you could supply us a lead as to the whereabouts of the star sapphire?

She choked and cleared her throat and said, "Sapphire, sir?... I know of no sapphire, my lord."

"One of those inlaid in the princess' throne."

"Oh, those!...Heaven forbid!...are you saying the throne is missing?" she asked with an innocent air.

He laughed. "No, Lady Ellen, the large one at the head of the chair is missing. Since you and the princess are so close, I thought perhaps you knew of some other use the princess had in mind for the stone—a necklace setting, for instance? Perchance you might have..." he laughed, "I recall you do pressing errands for her...so I thought perhaps an errand to the jeweler?"

She tugged harder on the lace, and retorted, "Why, no, nor would I allow her such a whim without her father's knowledge. As for errands, I'd dare not take such a treasure from the palace without security of the palace guards. But the princess loved that throne; she would never do anything to disfigure it—unless there were some pressing reason, some other use."

"Why do use the term disfigure? Have you seen the throne in its current state?"

"Oh, no, my lord, it's just that I am familiar with her throne and know that much of its beauty rests with those gorgeous stones."

"And what may be a pressing reason that the princess might do such a thing?"

"Nothing but speculation on my part, since the princess is not all that predictable."

"That I am aware of." Nodded the chancellor.

"Of course, I'm not inferring anything, you understand; however, I do remember her saying on her last birthday as she stood before the mirror admiring the diamond necklace her father had presented her with—actually, I understand, it was her mother's wish that it be presented to her upon womanhood—that she hoped her mother would forgive her if one day she saw the need to sell it for some worthy cause."

The duke wrinkled his forehead. "The necklace...I had forgotten that....Good grief she didn't take it with her, did she?"

The minister of the treasury spoke up, "No, lord, it is safely in the vault with the other crown jewels."

Scotus sighed in relief. "Then perhaps the star is too..."

"No, it is too prominent a stone to go unnoticed. Besides it was clearly meant to be a permanent fixture in her throne and in sole possession of the princess," the minister advised.

The chancellor nodded, then pursued his inquiry. "Lady Ellen, the palace administrator informs me that the princess has had a visitor from time to time?"

Ellen's heart sank; she took a deep breath and said, "That's true—several times."

"Oh, it seems quite a few times—on a regular basis, it appears, he reminded her; "and that you yourself had on many occasions received the visitor at the gate."

"I confess, my lord....You see the princess needed to relate to someone her own age and swore me to secrecy. It was but a harmless whim on her part to keep a secret from the king."

"Is it plausible that this visitor could have stolen the sapphire? She's been to the princess' apartments, has she not?"

"Oh, gracious, no...I mean she has been to her chambers, but never alone or without my supervision...but clearly such an adorable child...well, it is unthinkable."

"This adorable child—a flower girl, I believe—did she seem attracted to the throne, that is, did she seem to loiter about it?"

"It is such a beautiful chair that I would find it difficult for anyone not to admire it and be drawn to it at times," she said. "Such an innocent child would not bend toward it with theft in mind."

"Innocence can still breed need if not greed. Where is this child now? It would be wise for us to see her."

Ellen's answers were progressively nervous, "I can assure you there's no need to question her—she positively would not and could not have done such a thing."

"Why could not?"

"Well, I...that is, how could a child—the princess, too, for that matter—remove it from so unique a setting?"

"A point...unless she had an accomplice." He stared into her eyes; she felt him scraping her soul.

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