"Did you get a good look at the woman?" Lara asked Alex as they drove back
to the manor.
He thought for a moment. "Yes, I did. She's late forties I guess, short dark hair, attractive. Slim figure, but er...well endowed. She actually looked a lot like you, Lara." Alex turned to look at her, intrigued.
"That's not surprising," she said grimly. "She is my aunt."
*
"Your aunt?" Alex repeated for the fifth time as Lara sat down in front of her PC and began plugging in the camera.
"Yes Alex, she is my mother's sister."
"But..I mean, do you know her, are you sure?"
"No, we've never met. But her name is St Clair, and that was my mother's maiden name, and she said her older sister had died in 1980, which is when my mother died. Plus she looks like me, as you said."
An image of the scroll came up on the screen and Alex leant over Lara's shoulder to look. "That's a good one," he said, resting one hand gently on her back. He kissed her softly on the neck and fiddled with her braid as they examined the image. "You're a very impressive burglar, you know that?" he murmured in her ear.
"Why thank you," she replied, "although I didn't actually steal anything."
"What's this one?" he asked, pointing at the screen as the family tree photo came up.
"The Merovingian Dynasty," Lara said, reading out the title of the document.
"Dagobert II," Alex read out the name at the top of the diagram, "I recognise that name, wasn't he in one of those scroll messages Dr Bailey was talking about?"
"Yes," she replied. "To King Dagobert II and to Sion this treasure belongs, and he is there dead," she recited.
"Lara, do you realise what this means?" asked Alex, standing up straight in shock and walking round the large chair to face Lara. He sat himself down on the edge of the desk next to the computer. "Look, this scroll shows the bloodline of King Dagobert, all the way down to the St Clairs - your aunt and your mother," he said, indicating the various points on the screen. "Hang on, shouldn't you be on this?"
Lara rocked back in the leather chair, running both hands over her hair. "I should be on this," she said thoughtfully. "Mr King said that this showed my aunt, Genevieve St Clair to be the 'true heir', but if I was on it..." she trailed off, considering what this revelation might mean.
"The heir?" Alex asked, " the heir to what?" Lara shook her head as if she had no idea.
They were quiet for a while, considering the implications of the document.
"You are the true heir of King Dagobert," Alex said slowly, "so the treasure, whatever it is, belongs to you."
Lara nodded, suddenly feeling a huge responsibility settling on her shoulders. "I think we need to do some research," she said carefully, "and to go and see Dr Bailey again."
Alex took hold of Lara's hands and dragged her closer to him on her wheeled chair, then leant down to speak into her ear. "Sure. But right now I think we should go to bed."
"I'm not tired," she replied, clicking on an icon to dial into the internet.
He leant forward from his seat on the desk and took hold of her hands again, this time pulling her up to stand between his legs. "I didn't mean to sleep," he said softly.
*
Next morning saw Lara up early and searching the internet for information about the family tree. She tapped quietly at the laptop set up at the desk in the corner of her bedroom, trying not to wake Alex who lay asleep in the huge four-poster behind her. However, Lara couldn't help stealing the occasional glance at his sleeping form, as the sheet was flung back to reveal his tanned, muscular back. Eventually she couldn't resist tiptoeing over to sit on the edge of the bed and watch him sleep. Lara smiled as she thought of how long she had denied to herself the fact that she fancied him like hell and she reached out to smooth strands of hair away from his face. As she ran her fingers lightly over the contours of his back he murmured in pleasure and rolled over to look at her with bleary eyes.
"Morning sexy," he said and grabbed Lara's shirt to pull her down on top of him.
She giggled as he rolled her over onto her back, positioning himself above her. "Alex, I have to go out."
"Where to?" he asked as he ran a hand over the side of her face, then lifted her chin so that her mouth met his.
"To the hospital, for an ultrasound." Lara shifted under Alex's body, trying to get free.
"Really?" he asked, holding her down, "why am I not invited to this?"
She stopped struggling and lay still. "It'll probably be really boring, I didn't think you'd want to come."
"Of course I want to come!" Alex rolled over onto his side, propping his head up on one hand and looked at her seriously. "I want to come to everything Lara, I want to be involved in this, ok?"
Lara smiled, "ok."
Alex pulled her body up close to his and hugged her tightly. "You know, this bed is amazingly comfortable," he told her.
"Well there's no time for lounging about in it right now," she said "we have to be in London in," she looked at her watch, "forty-five minutes."
"But Lara, what about...you know?" Alex smiled at her hopefully.
She giggled. "Later," she said firmly and pushed down on his growing arousal in an attempt to make it go away.
"That doesn't work baby," Alex grinned, "there's only one way to make it go away," he said, pulling her down into another kiss.
"I have an appointment," she said sternly, "and if you hadn't spent so long sleeping..."
Alex pouted at her as she pulled him out of bed and into the bathroom, shoving him under a cold shower.
"See, there is another way to make it go away," she said with a smile.
*
Alex came out of the shower five minutes later, drying his hair with a towel as he walked over to look over Lara's shoulder at the computer screen. He read out loud from the web site. "So, contrary to gospel accounts, Jesus of Nazareth survived the crucifixion and married Mary Magdalene, with whom he migrated to the South of France to escape persecution in the holy land. Their children founded the Merovingian dynasty who ruled until the eighth century when King Dagobert II was assassinated, supposedly by the Roman Catholic Church..." he trailed off and looked at Lara in shock. "This says that..."
"I know," Lara said, her voice shaking, "that Dagobert, and therefore that whole family tree are the ancestors of Christ." They looked at each other for a moment. "But it's probably all crap," she said quickly, "I mean, there's no real evidence is there?"
"Yeah, you're probably right Lara, it's just one of those crazy conspiracy theories."
She turned around to look at him and nodded, suddenly noticing that he was only wearing a towel. "Ok, so now you go and get dressed, if you're not ready in five minutes I'm going without you."
He thought for a moment. "Yes, I did. She's late forties I guess, short dark hair, attractive. Slim figure, but er...well endowed. She actually looked a lot like you, Lara." Alex turned to look at her, intrigued.
"That's not surprising," she said grimly. "She is my aunt."
*
"Your aunt?" Alex repeated for the fifth time as Lara sat down in front of her PC and began plugging in the camera.
"Yes Alex, she is my mother's sister."
"But..I mean, do you know her, are you sure?"
"No, we've never met. But her name is St Clair, and that was my mother's maiden name, and she said her older sister had died in 1980, which is when my mother died. Plus she looks like me, as you said."
An image of the scroll came up on the screen and Alex leant over Lara's shoulder to look. "That's a good one," he said, resting one hand gently on her back. He kissed her softly on the neck and fiddled with her braid as they examined the image. "You're a very impressive burglar, you know that?" he murmured in her ear.
"Why thank you," she replied, "although I didn't actually steal anything."
"What's this one?" he asked, pointing at the screen as the family tree photo came up.
"The Merovingian Dynasty," Lara said, reading out the title of the document.
"Dagobert II," Alex read out the name at the top of the diagram, "I recognise that name, wasn't he in one of those scroll messages Dr Bailey was talking about?"
"Yes," she replied. "To King Dagobert II and to Sion this treasure belongs, and he is there dead," she recited.
"Lara, do you realise what this means?" asked Alex, standing up straight in shock and walking round the large chair to face Lara. He sat himself down on the edge of the desk next to the computer. "Look, this scroll shows the bloodline of King Dagobert, all the way down to the St Clairs - your aunt and your mother," he said, indicating the various points on the screen. "Hang on, shouldn't you be on this?"
Lara rocked back in the leather chair, running both hands over her hair. "I should be on this," she said thoughtfully. "Mr King said that this showed my aunt, Genevieve St Clair to be the 'true heir', but if I was on it..." she trailed off, considering what this revelation might mean.
"The heir?" Alex asked, " the heir to what?" Lara shook her head as if she had no idea.
They were quiet for a while, considering the implications of the document.
"You are the true heir of King Dagobert," Alex said slowly, "so the treasure, whatever it is, belongs to you."
Lara nodded, suddenly feeling a huge responsibility settling on her shoulders. "I think we need to do some research," she said carefully, "and to go and see Dr Bailey again."
Alex took hold of Lara's hands and dragged her closer to him on her wheeled chair, then leant down to speak into her ear. "Sure. But right now I think we should go to bed."
"I'm not tired," she replied, clicking on an icon to dial into the internet.
He leant forward from his seat on the desk and took hold of her hands again, this time pulling her up to stand between his legs. "I didn't mean to sleep," he said softly.
*
Next morning saw Lara up early and searching the internet for information about the family tree. She tapped quietly at the laptop set up at the desk in the corner of her bedroom, trying not to wake Alex who lay asleep in the huge four-poster behind her. However, Lara couldn't help stealing the occasional glance at his sleeping form, as the sheet was flung back to reveal his tanned, muscular back. Eventually she couldn't resist tiptoeing over to sit on the edge of the bed and watch him sleep. Lara smiled as she thought of how long she had denied to herself the fact that she fancied him like hell and she reached out to smooth strands of hair away from his face. As she ran her fingers lightly over the contours of his back he murmured in pleasure and rolled over to look at her with bleary eyes.
"Morning sexy," he said and grabbed Lara's shirt to pull her down on top of him.
She giggled as he rolled her over onto her back, positioning himself above her. "Alex, I have to go out."
"Where to?" he asked as he ran a hand over the side of her face, then lifted her chin so that her mouth met his.
"To the hospital, for an ultrasound." Lara shifted under Alex's body, trying to get free.
"Really?" he asked, holding her down, "why am I not invited to this?"
She stopped struggling and lay still. "It'll probably be really boring, I didn't think you'd want to come."
"Of course I want to come!" Alex rolled over onto his side, propping his head up on one hand and looked at her seriously. "I want to come to everything Lara, I want to be involved in this, ok?"
Lara smiled, "ok."
Alex pulled her body up close to his and hugged her tightly. "You know, this bed is amazingly comfortable," he told her.
"Well there's no time for lounging about in it right now," she said "we have to be in London in," she looked at her watch, "forty-five minutes."
"But Lara, what about...you know?" Alex smiled at her hopefully.
She giggled. "Later," she said firmly and pushed down on his growing arousal in an attempt to make it go away.
"That doesn't work baby," Alex grinned, "there's only one way to make it go away," he said, pulling her down into another kiss.
"I have an appointment," she said sternly, "and if you hadn't spent so long sleeping..."
Alex pouted at her as she pulled him out of bed and into the bathroom, shoving him under a cold shower.
"See, there is another way to make it go away," she said with a smile.
*
Alex came out of the shower five minutes later, drying his hair with a towel as he walked over to look over Lara's shoulder at the computer screen. He read out loud from the web site. "So, contrary to gospel accounts, Jesus of Nazareth survived the crucifixion and married Mary Magdalene, with whom he migrated to the South of France to escape persecution in the holy land. Their children founded the Merovingian dynasty who ruled until the eighth century when King Dagobert II was assassinated, supposedly by the Roman Catholic Church..." he trailed off and looked at Lara in shock. "This says that..."
"I know," Lara said, her voice shaking, "that Dagobert, and therefore that whole family tree are the ancestors of Christ." They looked at each other for a moment. "But it's probably all crap," she said quickly, "I mean, there's no real evidence is there?"
"Yeah, you're probably right Lara, it's just one of those crazy conspiracy theories."
She turned around to look at him and nodded, suddenly noticing that he was only wearing a towel. "Ok, so now you go and get dressed, if you're not ready in five minutes I'm going without you."