Chapter 11 – Kitchen talk
At 9.00 am on the day after the kidnap the press room of the Castle was packed with both Genovian and foreign reporters. The spokesman of the Royal House introduced Colonel Frerer and then indicated that Mr Domingo of the New Antiem Times could ask a question.
´Is Her Majesty unharmed?´ the journalist inquired.
´I am sorry to say that Her Majesty received injuries,´ the Colonel replied. ´But according to her doctor, who has seen her yesterday on her return to the Castle, she will fully recover. This morning he checked on her again.´
´What injuries does she have?´
The Colonel glanced at the spokesman, who nodded and felt powerless for the Colonel had full control over this press conference. Even the nodding thing was her idea.
´The Queen has a concussion and bruises. To prevent her from escaping the kidnapper tied her down. It caused a cut in Her Majesty's ankle.´
Shocked exclamations greeted her reply. Delgana nodded at Ms Nin of The Pyran.
´What did the bastard want?´
The question was expected and Mr Delgana answered it truthfully as well as evasively: ´We didn't receive any demands from the kidnapper who has not been identified yet. Naturally we are doing our utmost best to uncover his identity. Yes, Mr Werber.´
Mr Werber of Financial News lowered his hand and asked whether it was considered to have those applying for the audience to give up their anonymity. Mr Delgana replied that he could not say anything about that. Mr Werber then inquired after the whereabouts of the Head of Security.
´Mr Romero is guarding Her Majesty,´ the spokesman replied.
´I wish he had done that yesterday.´
The journalists murmured.
´Mr Romero was the first to realise that the kidnapper had something in mind. When confronted with the fact that the kidnapper held a gun to Her Majesty's head, he and all other guards were powerless. The kidnapper's demand had to be met even if that meant that he could leave with Her Majesty.´
´Well, in the end Romero did kill him. Perhaps the Colonel could tell us about that?´
Delgana nodded at the Colonel.
´When we reached the place where Her Majesty proved to be held hostage,´ the officer said, ´the Head of Security and myself entered it. We soon found evidence that it was the kidnapper's hiding place and we carefully proceeded to check the location. We found the kidnapper holding Her Majesty at gunpoint. I managed to distract the kidnapper and with his gun no longer aimed at the Queen, the Head of Security shot him through his head.´
Through the journalists' mumbling Mr Werber asked: ´Why didn't the marines enter the house first? They are elite troops.´
´We wanted to enter as quietly as possible. Two sharpshooters make less noise than twelve and our silent entry enabled us to catch the kidnapper by surprise. I would like to take this opportunity to say that the marines and the Royal Guard – who had not worked as a team before – did a very good job in rescuing Her Majesty.´
The Colonel's words were greeted with a spontaneous applause. It surprised the Colonel and perhaps even the journalists themselves. Mr Delgana smiled proudly. The Colonel pulled at her left sleeve, thus cueing Delgana to permit good old Mr Ramsey of The Pyran Courier to speak.
´Thank you Mr Delgana,´ the journalist started. ´Has Her Majesty spoken about this horrid event yet Colonel?´
´Not as far as I know, Mr Ramsey.´
´Ladies, gentlemen, that was it for now,´ Mr Delgana announced. ´If there's news to tell about the Queen's condition, we will not hesitate to inform you. The report from the army coroner who will be examining the kidnapper's corpse will be made available for you as soon as possible. Thank you!´
OoOoOoO
Elsewhere in the Castle Mrs Danieli switched off the television.
´Who cares about that creep. They should leave his body to be torn apart by animals,´ she stated.
´The Colonel didn't say anything about bruises yesterday, did she?´ Mr Tally asked after the supportive comments to the cook's remark had faded away.
´No, she didn't. But she said the Queen would be all right and I believe her.´
The cook started cutting leek for a soup and imagined the vegetable to be the kidnapper's leg.
´Say Livia,´ she said, keeping an eye on her knife, ´is it true that the Head of Security stayed in Her Majesty's suite last night?´
Everyone but the cook looked at linen-maid Livia who was so relieved that the Queen had safely returned that she forgot that she never gossiped.
´Miss Charlotte told us to bring bedding for two to Her Majesty's sitting room.´
The cook stopped cutting. ´Ah! So Miss Charlotte stayed there as well?´
´No, the Colonel did.´
Livia suddenly remembered all the things she had to do and she left, leaving it to her colleagues to call the critical Mr Werber a rat. On her way to the linen room she passed Miss Charlotte and speaking so fast that she was scarcely intelligible, told her about the brief conversation between her and the cook. Charlotte assured her that she would take care of it and made it for the Colonel's office before realising her mistake. In the corridor to the Queen's suite, Charlotte walked into the Colonel.
´How is she?´ the secretary said by way of greeting.
´She was asleep when I left for the press conference.´
Charlotte, concluding that it was good that the Queen had slept well, told the Colonel about the kitchen gossip.
´Mrs Danieli would make a perfect liaison officer or better still: an interrogator. Thank you for telling me.´
They stood there for a moment; the Colonel wanting to enter the Queen's suite and Charlotte wanting to follow her in. When the Queen's aid realised it wasn't for today she left with barely a greeting.
OoOoOoO
When the Colonel entered the Queen's suite, the first thing she did was to inquire how Her Majesty was doing.
´Is she still asleep?´
The Head of Security nodded and told her that while she had been at the press conference the doctor had brought a supply of medication.
´I'm sorry for my behaviour this morning Frances. I thought we were losing her and your admirable clear thinking seemed uncaring to me...´
´Don't you know that I am called the Vulcan in the army?´
Not waiting for a reply the Colonel continued: ´I have to go to the kitchen to do some damage control. Miss Kutaway informed me that they know we spent the night here. I'll spread our own tales.´
She had to wait a few seconds for Joe's nod.
´Miss Kutaway will appreciate it if she could talk to you. Perhaps you could have tea with her in the kitchen this evening? You will kill two birds with one stone for it will also enable people to congratulate you. Don't give me that dismissive gesture: you saved her life Joe!´
Joe, not feeling like a saviour at all, swallowed by way of a reply. After locking the door behind the Colonel he stood guard next to his beloved Queen's bed and watched her pale sleeping form.
OoOoOoO
Isabel coughed. And because it was a cough that had nothing to do with clearing a throat, Mrs Danieli looked behind her.
´Colonel! Does Her Majesty want something to eat after all?´
The Colonel yawned.
´Didn't you sleep well?´ The cook and Isabel exchanged a glance. The twenty something servants present lowered their voices. Not that they had been talking very loudly: many had a hangover.
The Colonel yawned again. ´I am sorry, it's just... Would you happen to have something with chocolate in it Mrs Danieli?´ she finished in a whisper.
´Ah!´ the cook whispered back, ´You're in your period!´
The Colonel nodded. The cook smiled broadly and told the Colonel that she would make her a nice chocolate cake. ´And for now, I am sure I have cookies somewhere.´ She disappeared in the store-room and returned with chocolate covered biscuits.
Before she could offer them the officer's expression changed into an alarmed one and she excused herself. A few minutes later she returned. The cook, hoping that a Colonel in her period might be less guarded than usual, had made her tea.
´The Head of Security is with Her Majesty, isn't he, so I suppose you can have a nice cup of hot tea here? Before returning to the Queen?´
The Colonel relished the warmth of the cup for a few moments, before making eye contact with the cook. ´Why do you think I will return to Her Majesty's apartment, Mrs Danieli?´
The opportunity was too good to waste. ´Well, there's a rumour, and I don't say I believe it, you didn´t hear me say that, but it says that the Head of Security and you yourself spent the night in the Queen's suite.´
The Colonel sighed and the cook quickly continued.
´There is no threat to Her Majesty any more, is there?´
´No, there is not. But it is true that we slept in the Queen's sitting room.´
All other conversations ceased. The Colonel reluctantly explained that Her Majesty felt uncomfortable being alone and that the Head of Security seemed most suited to guard her.
´I am spending the night there as a chaperone. To prevent gossiping.´
She took a sip of her tea before adding: ´For we all know that certain politicians... We'd rather have this not generally known.´
Relieved that the Colonel had apparently not meant to accuse them, everyone wholeheartedly agreed with her. Wasn't it perfectly logical? Of course the Queen wasn't feeling herself, having a concussion, being bruised – probably because she had missed her footing in the forest – and last but not least having been threatened with a gun.
Her errand nearly completed the officer soon left. She had a lot to do.
OoOoOoO
At lunch time the arrival of prince Pierre was the main subject of discussion but some women were talking about menstruation problems.
´On the second day, I often get a headache. Lasts half an hour and then I'm up and running again. Weird,´ Rebecca, the Queen's dress second maid, mentioned.
´My pelvis feels heavy but that's it. I'm glad I don't have what she has,´ Isabel said. ´Diana saw her carrying packs with sanitary towels and supporting herself against a wall because of cramps! Pilar from the linen room said that early in the morning she came to inquire if the Queen's bed needed to be changed and it didn't and the Colonel gestured her to come into the Queen's sitting room and there were two neat piles of bedding and the Colonel got a towel from one of them and there was blood all over it!´
Isabel took a breath. ´The Colonel was embarrassed, Pilar said, and she, the Colonel that is, said she was glad she had taken the precaution to put a towel on her mattress.´
´Oh!´ Mrs Danieli understood, ´so that's why she ran away this morning, she had to go to the ladies!´
Mrs Danieli's conclusions were always correct. If anyone realised that hurrying through corridors, openly carrying sanitary towels and confidentially talking to members of staff just wasn't something the Colonel did, yesterday's stressful events made a change in behaviour explainable. The Colonel was human after all.
OoOoOoO
The guards who had been part of the rescue mission had been quiet: Teballi had told them not to talk. After the first excitement had gone, which took a full day, it wasn't Mrs Danieli who first questioned the guards. It was a colleague who'd stayed at the Castle who couldn't contain his curiosity any more. At dinner he asked: ´How was it like Dilson?´
Dilson suddenly had to listen to many remarks and questions.
´We saw you on TV Dilson!´
´It was great that you damaged that camera!´
´Are they going to make you pay for it?´
Dilson told his greedy audience about how he had argued with the journalist and her camera man. After a while Mrs Danieli asked him whether he'd seen the hiding place. Dilson hadn't. Vilais hadn't. Capras hadn't. No one had.
´Did no one go inside?´ Isabel asked.
´The boss did. And the Colonel. This soup tastes delicious Mrs Danieli,´ Vilais replied.
Dilson paid his compliments too. Capras, sweet shy handsome Capras, barely touched his food.
Vilais just knew that the cook was going to question Capras who was no match for her. ´Well Dilson,´ he said, ´I wouldn't worry about the camera if I were you. You were absolutely right when you damaged it. Those journalists think they can do just anything. All they want is a scoop. They never consider the trouble they can cause. Should you be made to repay the camera, we'll pass the hat round to help you. Right everyone?´
´Yeah sure.´
´You can count on that.´
´Is there - ´ Vilais smacked his lips, ´a touch of garlic in this soup?´
He knew that soup was a subject Mrs Danieli could dwell on. The cook confirmed Vilais's suspicion and smoothly asked Capras why he hadn't touched his soup. Didn't he like it or was he thinking about the heroic things he'd done yesterday?
Capras cleared his throat. ´We were ordered not to talk about the rescue mission,´ he said, ´So it's best if no one asked us about it, wouldn't you agree Mrs Danieli?´
The cook found herself nodding. Dilson and Vilais shared a who-would-have-thought-that glance.
´Besides,´ Capras added, ´we didn't do anything heroic. Only the boss did.´
