Chapter 2 - Goodnight Sweet Prince / 2

......................

Two days before the ship was due to dock in New York, the news arrived from London.

King James III of Great Britain was dead, killed in an uprising for the throne. The young Prince of Wales and his sister were missing, as was the King's brother, the duke of York.

Charles was very nervous those last two days. He thought that there were Windsor spies onboard who recognized him and the children. He knew he couldn't let the Stuart line die out. Even if they never regained the throne, it was still one of the most well-known families in Britain. He knew there were clans in Scotland that were still loyal, but he didn't want another Culloden on his conscience. They'd all be safer in America. They would disappear into the hills of Connecticut and no one would ever suspect their true identities.

Stephanie said they could travel with her to Connecticut if they wished. "Thank you," said Charles, "but we must tell someone that we want to become citizens. That should take some time."

"I'll leave you my number and the directions to get to my house," she said as she wrote. "Right now, I'm staying with my father at his boarding house and maybe I can put in a good word for you and, hopefully, there'll be a room for you when you arrive."

"That's very kind of you. I hope we won't be intruding."

"No, not at all. I'm sure the children will love Greenwich." She knelt by the children. "I'll be seeing you soon. Behave yourselves." She rose and gave Charles a quick kiss. "Good luck." She walked down the gangplank. "You'll want to go to City Hall. A taxi can take you. I'd stay, but I might miss my train!" She waved and continued down.

...----------------...

They arrived in Greenwich, Connecticut two days later and they were directed to the Blake Boarding House. Stephanie greeted them with hugs and kisses then introduced them to her father who said he only had an attic room for them to share. Charles thanked him. "We don't mind. We shared a room on the ship and this will be a lovely change." He looked at James. "Won't it, Steven?"

"Yes, Uncle John," he replied. "It will be big compared to that."

Mr. Blake smiled. "Stephanie will have to show you to your room. I have a few things to take care of."

Stephanie picked up one of their small bags and James picked up the other. Charles carried Anne upstairs. "How did everything go in New York? What did Immigration have to say?"

"Because of the delicate situation in England and the fact that I worked for the old

government, there should be no problem in procuring a citizenship. They asked about the children's medical records and vaccinations and gave us all a thorough examination. I gave them this address and phone number. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all. I want to help you any way I can." She stopped at the top of the stairs and opened the door. "Here it is." The room was quite big with a sloping ceiling and two bow windows. There were two beds, a desk, chair, large bureau, and a walk-in closet.

Steven walked in and stared in wide-eyed wonder. Even though he had known luxurious

rooms, this one was so different, so personal. He walked to one of the windows and saw a little boy playing. "Who's that?" he asked Stephanie.

"John Fitzgerald. He's close to your age, I think. I'll introduce you later. Are you hungry after your trip?"

...----------------...

As promised, the next day Stephanie introduced Steven to John Fitzgerald and the two

became close, inseparable friends. They played all summer long and spent all day, every day, together.

In July, John received word from the government and they offered him a job with their intelligence department. He accepted, hoping his information would help his England. He told his news to Stephanie. "I'll have to go to Washington before I settle down close to home. Before I go, however, I want to ask you something."

"I'll take care of the children as if they were my own."

"That's good to know because what I want to ask is, will you marry me?"

"I've only known you for three months," she replied, surprised, "but I feel like I've known you all my life. Yes, I'll marry you." She kissed him.

That night at dinner they told their respective families. Stephanie's father was ecstatic. "A government employee in the family. A nice steady job with pension." John smiled knowing that intelligence was far from steady.

Steven was a bit surprised. He liked her, but wasn't sure if he could get used to her acting like a mother, she seemed more like a sister or a friend. He then looked at his uncle's happy face--he was always smiling when he was with Stephanie. He smiled in return then gave Stephanie a hug and a kiss. Sara didn't understand what was going on and Steven tried to explain it to her. "Uncle John is going to marry her and she'll be part of the family. You can pretend she's an older sister."

"Oh." She smiled and clapped her hands. She then toddled over to Stephanie and tugged on her sleeve. Stephanie bent down and Sara gave her a kiss. "I love you, Stiffy!"

"I love you, too, Sara."

Two days later, John prepared to leave for Washington. He took the two children aside. "When I'm gone, I want you to behave yourselves and do whatever Stephanie says. Okay?" They both nodded. "Good." He kissed them both goodbye, stepped into the waiting taxi, and waved from the back seat as it drove away.

...----------------...

John Taylor walked into the Intelligence Offices and told the secretary he had an

appointment. "Yes, Mr. Taylor. If you'll follow me."

He was shown into the director's office. "Ah, Mr. Taylor, do sit down. I'd like to thank you for coming all the way from Connecticut."

"Good jobs are hard to come by without citizenship."

"Yes, well... I have gone over your story. With your credentials from British Intelligence, I'm sure you'll be a great help to us here. Now, tell me about yourself."

John took a deep breath and prepared to tell his story. He only lied about his name and downplayed his actual position in the old government. "That's about it, sir. Before my brother died, he asked me to bring his children to the States."

"What are their names again?"

"Steven is almost five and Sara is three. They're staying with my fiancée in Connecticut."

"How long have you been engaged?"

"Two days."

"I wish you luck with it."

"Thank you, sir. Is there anything else you need to know?"

"Just one thing: why did you decide to join us? In your situation, I would have just stayed comfortable in Connecticut."

"Let's just say that this whole thing has become somewhat personal. I want to make it better for the King's lost children--if they ever make it back."

"I've arranged for you to have a job in New York--purely a desk job for 'beginners'. As you progress, you can go up the ladder. Soon, you just might be able to go back to England."

"Thank you very much, sir," John said as he rose from his chair. "You won't regret this."

On the train ride back to Greenwich, John thought about his brother. Everything had seemed to be going fine until the Windsors decided to ruin it all by fighting for the throne. Maybe it was just part of the Stuart heritage; to be chased out of England, or to be killed. He just hoped that the children would make it back to London someday and not to have to hide their identities.

...----------------...

John worked as an analyst in the New York offices of the Secret Service, solving

hypothetical situations. He felt it kept his mind nimble and in practice as he learned the ins and outs of American Intelligence. At home, things were progressing smoothly. The children had become accustomed to their new lives and acted as if it was all they had ever known. James, no, Steven--it was even dangerous to think their names--asked some questions about "before" and John hedged around the truth so as not to trouble his nephew's young life. Stephanie enjoyed their company and took them for outings to the park and the museum. She had even interested Steven in reading! He was glad that they liked her so much because, if anything ever happened to him, all they would have was each other.

John and Stephanie were married in October at the Second Congregational Church at the corner of the Post Road and Maple Avenue, said to be the highest point in Greenwich. Steven was the ring-bearer and Sara was the flower girl. They had no time to get away for a "real" honeymoon, so they spent the weekend at the Pickwick Hotel.

At Christmas, after the children had made a mess of the living room with torn wrapping paper, John made a toast to his late brother. "Al though he was never able to get away and meet us, he died knowing that his children were safe and might one day return to the land of their birth." He sat down, hoping it was ambiguous as possible. Stephanie smiled at him and he knew that even if they didn't return, they'd still have a rich and full life here in New England.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***