Untitled ~ 3

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Chapter Three

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The bodyguards disappeared one by one and in the end only Anna Margaret and the king were left. He kept on eating and he kept on reading. She was long finished, but she did not know where to go. And quite frankly, her legs felt too tired to stand up. She preferred being ignored if that meant she could stay seated.

“So,” he said eventually. “You’re not here to tell me I must get a move on with this heirs business?”

“No. I’d best get back to my hotel.” Still, her legs did not respond to the order she gave them and they failed to lift her out of her seat.

He leant his elbows on the table. “Why? I was looking forward to discussing with you how we can put an end to this interference in my life.”

“I’m afraid there aren’t many options.” She stumbled as she tried to get up from her chair.

He stood up to steady her. “It’s not a good idea to walk to your car like that. They might think you’re drunk.”

“Drunk?” She was alarmed. “Why? Who?”

“It’s Saturday. There might be one or more people trying to catch a glimpse. There usually are on Saturdays. Especially after what was in the paper this morning.”

There were loud pangs suddenly, like fireworks. She gave a start. His Majesty did not wait around. “Come,” he said, heading for the wooden panelling that shielded the terrace from the wind coming from the sea. One panel niftily turned out to be a door.

She had trouble following. Her legs were stiff. Whatever this was, it could not have come at a worse moment. “What is it?”

“I’ve no idea, but it’s best to assume it’s serious.” He carefully closed the wooden panel behind them.

“Just so you know, I’m pretty much dead from running. Just leave me here if that’s easier for you.” She would hide among these thick shrubs here.

“Crawl,” he ordered.

While she did not mind sitting or lying down, crawling was a little beyond her abilities at the moment. She followed nevertheless, trying not to make any sounds. All the while she tried to figure out if the action was coming closer.

He had halted at some point and waited for her to catch up. “I suppose you have enough brains to figure out you should keep your head down?”

“Yes.” She had heard more of the fireworks in the meantime, which she could only think were gunshots at this time of the day. It could, she thought hopefully, be his bodyguards shooting at people and not the other way around. Her chest had tightened when the pangs did not stop and she was hoping it could all be explained in some innocent way. Maybe people were hunting?

He wriggled out his phone. “Set your phone to silent. This is serious,” he said as he seemed to read a message.

Her chest tightened some more and her stomach felt strange. “Who’s doing the shooting?”

“They didn’t ask.” He was calm, as if this happened regularly.

“Where will we go?”

“We don’t have many options. The beach is too exposed, unless we go fast and run towards the rocks. We appear to have a few minutes. I don’t know how tired you are.”

“Yes, do it,” Anna Margaret said without waiting for the other options. She had considered them when they were crawling, but going back in the direction of the house was definitely out. And people might find that door. She preferred to be figuratively dead, not literally.

“We don’t know where they are. We’d best stick close to the land.” He crawled ahead and slid down the rocky slope.

She followed him and they jogged towards the cliff. Sometimes she glanced back in fear, but the trees around the tennis court were hiding them from view. Only if someone descended the steps by the swimming pool would they be seen. Hopefully they would have a few minutes before that happened, although it had taken them longer than that to reach the large rocks earlier. There was one in the middle of their path and King Frederick dropped down behind it to let her catch her breath. Or maybe he wanted see what was happening behind them. Occasionally they still heard gun shots.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

She nodded, but her legs were killing her.

“Next rock then.”

They ran from rock to rock. No one appeared on the beach behind them, but of course people might be watching from the windows. Eventually they were close to the end of the beach. From here they would be able to see everyone coming, but they would not have anywhere to go. To the left was the sea, behind them a steep cliff that protruded into the sea and to their right the same rock, that at this end of the beach was far too steep to climb.

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The villa had been built in a nicely secluded hollow. A few old houses had been torn down to make room for the villa, its tennis court and its swimming pool. There had been an uproar at the time, both at home and here, because of the money it had cost, the building permits that should not have been issued, and the people who had been paid handsome sums to sell their land.

But a place that had been chosen because it was difficult to access was also difficult to escape from. Anna Margaret rested her head against the rock and wondered what plans His Majesty had, if any. He had got them here, that was good. But now what? Were they to hide here until the threat had passed? Anyone shooting at the villa would want either him or her and it was unlikely they would not search the beach if they could not find them anywhere else.

He was doing something on his phone, presumably sending messages. Then he looked up. “We’ll have to round the cliff through the water.”

She was less afraid now, but the numb feeling inside did not go away. “And then? How do you know you won’t run into anything on the road? Is there even a road?”

“We can’t stay here.”

She was glad she had dragged her bag with her, even if it did contain two pairs of shoes. She had taken one pair off somewhere behind a rock. “I can’t keep all of this dry. How deep is the water? Will we have to swim?”

“We can wade, but there are rocks and waves. It won’t be easy.”

“Fun.”

He eyed her bag. “Have you got a plastic bag in there?”

“Yes.” It was the plastic bag that her new running clothes had come in.

“We should wrap my phone in it.”

“And mine, thanks.” Why only his? She got out the plastic bag and wrapped as much in it as she could. Then she put it back into her bag.

He still did not look afraid, but he was much more serious than before. “Does anyone know you’re here? In other words, could they be after you and not me?”

“I doubt it.” She took off her trousers and blouse while trying to stay hidden behind the rock.

He looked alarmed. “What are you doing?”

“You said we have to wade. My clothes will be soaking wet otherwise. They would take hours to dry and it would look very conspicuous. Just look the other way if you can’t stand the view.”

“Oh. It might be a good idea.”

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Around the promontory was another beach, but smaller and with more pebbles. Up on the hillside were a few houses and beyond them a road. His Majesty studied the first house. All its shutters were closed. It was only 8:30 of course. He climbed the rocky steps towards it. There were two small cars in front of the house, but the owners seemed still asleep. He pointed at the grassy hill across the road. “Up there.”

It was steep to climb, but they made it. On top, out of sight, he lay down. Anna Margaret had followed, occasionally with some assistance, hoping no one in any of the houses had seen them climb. Not that they might interfere with two people climbing hills in their underwear, but they would definitely remember it.

“We need to dry up and get dressed. When I get home I’m going to resign and shag women with impunity."

Anna Margaret had no comment on the first part; she quite agreed. The second part of his remark, however, she could not really let pass. “There’s no such thing as shagging women with impunity.”

“No?”

“You’ll still have money, for one, and they’ll want it.”

“I’ll give it away.”

“Then, I’m afraid, that long queue of women will disappear, unless you give it to them.”

He turned his head in shock. “You – that is –“

She did not know if his shock was real, so she shrugged.

“I’m still going to resign. What did I ever do to warrant people coming after me with guns?” he asked, as if he really had no idea.

“You don’t know if it was you they came to shoot. It could have been me.”

“Why shoot you on an unexpected trip to Italy that no one knows anything about? At least I assume no one knows. You haven’t pissed off any Italians, have you?”

Anna Margaret admitted that it made little sense. She had had little difficulties with Italians and she had not informed anyone she would be going here. She was also rarely ensconced in villas with high fences and armed security. At home she had no protection at all. Anyone could get to her there. Why wait until it was difficult?

“Where’s your backup?” she asked after a while after willing her underclothes to dry faster. It was not working yet in the early morning sun and she was shivering. Also, she was feeling rather exposed, even if her companion was not the least bit interested in ogling her. Her swimwear might have been better, but she had not wanted to strip completely. “Surely there must be some emergency plan or squad in case something like this happens?”

“Backup’s local. The rest is down to you, I’m afraid.”

“What?” she cried. Down to her? What did he mean?

“I’m serious. We did look at how to get off the beach, but we didn’t actually practise what to do after.”

“You have no numbers to call?” He had wanted to keep his phone dry; she had assumed he was going to use it.

“I’m not going to call any numbers until I know for certain that it was serious. I’d look a fool otherwise. Suppose someone was shooting pigeons.”

While it was true they had not seen anything of the shooting themselves, she recalled him looking at his phone. “Did your security staff send you a message?”

“Yes. That they were under fire.”

“And they’re not pigeons. So call your numbers.”

“I don’t actually have numbers of useful people,” he confessed. “Other people call them for me.”

Of course. He was never alone and nobody ever counted on him being alone either. She made a mental note to have this changed somehow. These people should be able to help themselves. “Call someone whose number you do have. Someone useful. Not your mistresses.”

He retrieved his phone from the plastic bag and crawled away a bit to make a call. Anna Margaret crept to a point from where she could see the road. It was deserted, as were the gardens of the houses that she could see. The inhabitants still had not come out.

King Frederick crawled back. “I called the ambassador. She said she’d call you. I didn’t tell her we were on a hilltop in our underclothes together and that you already knew.”

“It may be a little tricky to get out of that,” she said with a frown.

“How?”

“If she sends a car, where will you leave me? Pretend I just turned up?” How was he going to explain that?

“She’s not going to send a car. I told her it was safer if I took the bus to Rome.”

She gasped for air. “So she’s going to send ten cars, if not more.” Such a reassurance was really going to put the ambassador off. Yes, really. What was he thinking? Taking the bus to Rome? On his own? And he expected the ambassador to let this happen?

“Ah!” He smirked. “But you know, I’m more intelligent than most people. We won’t be going to Rome, but to France and then home.”

Modesty was a delightful virtue. It was a pity people did not cultivate it more. “I’m duty-bound to stick with you,” Anna Margaret said with regret. “They’d have my head if I abandoned you in this situation, as you have very obviously no clue how to get yourself to anywhere. And if the ambassador calls me, am I supposed to deny that I’m here? I went to school with her.”

“I don’t know what would be wise.”

“You’re more intelligent than most people.”

“Which means most people would either be completely clueless or ready to do something utterly stupid,” he said readily. “Not that I have every solution.”

She felt her bra. It was still moist, but she would not feel comfortable speaking to anyone else without her blouse on, even if it was over the phone and someone she knew. “Do you have any money on you?”

“No.”

“Then how were you going to buy a bus ticket?” She buttoned up her blouse.

“I have a credit card and a bank card.”

“Right.” That was something, at least. “But you can’t use credit cards on the bus.”

“Oh. Well, you know, I am going, whether you like it or not. Either you come with me or you will have to explain to everyone how you let me walk away.”

She had been fearing as much, but hearing him say it was nevertheless a bit of a shock. He had some nerve to say it so casually too. But they did not have time to argue. “Listen. The ambassador knows you’re in the vicinity of the villa. The local police probably know. Whoever was shooting may also know, depending on whether they managed to gain access and search the house. I’m not sure it would take very long for anyone to come looking this way, be it friend or foe.”

“They’d have to search the house and grounds first to make sure I’m not hidden anywhere.”

“Yes, but once they’ve done that, they’ll move to that road down there, as it’s the only effective way out of the area, isn’t it? I don’t think anyone will assume you’ll be hiking over rocky hills. If there was a way to get over, there would be a path – and a couple of hotels.” She looked around pointedly. There was nothing. That meant that accessibility was limited. “And they’ll think you’re impractical and spoiled, so you’ll be on the road.”

He looked at her without speaking. Presumably she was making too much sense to be contradicted.

“Where does the road lead?” she asked.

“There’s a village after a few more bends. Five minutes by car maybe? The village on the other side is closer.”

“And that’s where they were shooting, so that’s not where we’re going. Is there a way out on the other side of your beach, or is it going to be absolutely clear that you’re on this side?”

“The water is deeper there. You’d need to swim.”

“Basically all anyone would need to do is go down this road in two directions and see where you’ll turn up. Great.” She crawled to watch the road again. A small white car went past, but it went in the direction of the villa.