Regardless, the trip for the cousin’s wedding should be uneventful. We’ll be staying at the hotel where the reception will be held, and it’s going to be a relatively simple protection job. There will be travel to and from the church, and Camille wants to visit a few things while there, but nothing that will cause any major safety concerns.
One thing of interest I learned about Camille is that this cousin and bride-to-be—Rachel—is a very, very distant relation from a branch of the family who left Bretaria over a hundred years ago. They moved to Great Britain and have lived there ever since. Rachel is something like a fourth cousin, three times removed, or some shit like that, but they barely share blood. Camille is attending the wedding because the girls went to the same Zurich university and became very close while there, reconnecting the two sides of the family.
The reason this is interesting—the Winterbourne family of Bretaria have become almost isolated from the various branches of the family who’ve moved off the island. There are no royal houses stocked with blue bloods in Bretaria. The founding charter doesn’t even confer titles upon those who are in line to inherit because the actual monarchy is not the most essential function of the family.
Yes, the throne works in conjunction with a governor and small parliament to rule over the island and its outliers, but the majority of the king’s responsibility is in the business of mining rubies. As such, ascendancy to the throne isn’t an overly formal thing; it’s not as important to the citizens of Bretaria as it is to the people of the UK who revere and almost worship their royals.
There has never been major fighting over the throne since the entire family, no matter how distant, shares in the wealth generated by the mines. There’s not a member of the extended Winterbourne family who doesn’t live in high style because of the rubies. This fortune has assured a peaceful reign for every monarch who has ever presided over the Bretarian Islands.
It doesn’t mean King Thomas is completely safe, however, as evidenced by the chatter Interpol picked up. While the king spreads his wealth among those with shared blood, it doesn’t mean there’s not someone out there who wants more. Dmitri made a wise decision to stay by the king’s side and trust Camille’s care to others. An assassination of the king would be far more detrimental to the city-state than a kidnapping of the princess, which would ultimately result in money being handed over for her safe return.
Of course, if someone really wanted a direct line to the throne and got too close to Camille’s twenty-fifth birthday when she has the right to ascend upon her father’s death, she could be at the same risk of assassination. The goal right now is for the global security agencies to share information and try to figure out exactly who is planning an attempt on King Thomas’s life, and take them down, thereby ensuring his safety and the throne’s legacy.
It’s another reason Dmitri is staying behind so that he can monitor the investigation with the other outside agencies. It wouldn’t surprise me if he pulls on former KGB contacts for information as well.
“What did you do before joining Jameson?” Paul asks as he removes his seat belt and settles deeper into his chair. We’ve been so busy planning we haven’t taken the time to get to know one another.
“Navy. Third generation.”
He nods, a knowing smile. “SEALs, I’m guessing.”
“Yeah, although my dad and grandfather were both captains at retirement. They liked to drive the boats that carried people like me around.”
“What did they captain?” he asks.
“My grandfather an aircraft carrier, and my dad a destroyer.”
Paul whistles through his teeth in respect. In his late thirties, Paul has had plenty of experience with military operations given his background in the French Foreign Legion. He most likely has done training ops with our military.
He appraises me before saying, “You obviously chose not to make a career in the navy, but I’m guessing as third generation, you failed someone’s expectations.”
Savvy man.
I give a mirthless nod. “My grandfather died before I left the navy, but my dad isn’t overly happy that I didn’t reenlist. My brother is still in, and he’ll be the golden child for choosing to carry on our family’s service to our country, an obligation I don’t quite understand. I fought and bled for this country, and I saved lives during my enlistment. I’m satisfied with what I accomplished and the reasons why I left.”
Paul nods sagely. “Money and control.”
“Bingo,” I agree with a laugh. “And I’m okay with that.”
“As you should be. Doesn’t mean that what we do isn’t worthwhile.”
Exactly.
I firmly believe that my work with Jameson in its totality is honorable and has immense value to the people we help.