Excerpt
from Chapter 22 of The Black Midnight
by Kathleen Y’Barbo
Part
1
A meeting with Queen Victoria’s
advisors
Buckingham Palace, London
April 1889
“You may speak freely here,” Annie told him.
“Very well, it concerns your relative, Prince Albert
Victor.”
Her attention went to the prime minister who showed no
reaction. Then she turned to Kellum.
“I see.” Annie folded her hands in front of her. The
man she knew as Uncle Eddy, that the public called Prince Eddy, had a rather
interesting reputation, to put it mildly. Still, murder was well beyond
anything she would expect of him. “Go on.”
“There have been some rumors…”
He paused, obviously uncomfortable with the topic.
Annie wondered if he’d drawn the short straw in the competition to see which of
them would be speaking today. Or rather, which would not.
“That is it has been whispered, quietly of course and
certainly not intimated in the press or amongst those who might speak publicly…”
Annie shook her head. “If you could just say it, that
would be most helpful, sir. I assure you I am not the delicate sort, and I
prefer a man who speaks his mind plainly and clearly.”
Kellum gave Simon a helpless look, prompting the
police officer to nod. “What Lord Brixton is saying is that there is a theory
that the prince could be the killer—this Jack the Ripper–that we are looking
for.”
Lord Brixton. Yes, she remembered him now. Papa hadn’t
particularly cared for him.
“I-I-I am not advancing that theory,” Mr. Kellum
stammered. “However sordid or false, which it likely is, what I am saying is
that it is something that has been spoken about, though not publicly. At least
not in the newspapers. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention it.”
He looked around to the other advisors, and they all
nodded. Then he returned his attention to Annie. “If we did not mention
it,” he amended. “Our hope is that this investigation might prove that the
prince is innocent of any atrocities. Were it to be found otherwise, I do not
know how we would manage to tell Her Majesty.”
“So she hasn’t heard these rumors?” Annie asked. “Are
you certain? I have found that the Queen is quite intelligent and generally
well informed, even about rumors. Nothing gets past her, so do not
underestimate her knowledge on this subject.”
“We have heard these rumors.” Granny swept into the
blue room with a sea of courtiers following in her wake. “And we are much
distressed.” She focused on Annie. “Thank you for the compliment, kitten.
However, there must be no preferential treatment for Eddy. I want him properly
investigated and I will not abide any editing of the facts.”
“Yes ma’am,” Annie said as she bowed to her
grandmother.
She turned to inspect the men in the room. “Prime
Minister, we did not expect to see you here.”
Lord Salisbury cleared his throat, his hands clasped
behind him. “I am here on an unofficial basis, ma’am. What concerns the nation,
concerns me.”
She held his gaze then nodded. “Yes, of course.”
Silence fell. After a moment, her steely gaze landed
on Isaiah.
(To
read part 2 of the excerpt, please visit Story
Schmoozing Book Reviews.)
The Page Unbound 
