“Apparently a member of no less than the British Royal Family is coming here, bringing it. Mr. Robertson certainly has some pull.”
“You bet he does. What about the Saudi goon squad over there?” Jack said.
“They brought the Pillar of the House of Saud, complete with a couple of armed guards.” Zoe shifted hesitantly. “Jack, can we really trust these guys?”
“No,” Jack said. “Not a bit. But right now, they’re being uncommonly helpful and we need that help. The big question will come later—how loyal will they be then? For now, just keep one hand on your gun.”
At that moment, the outer doors to the central laboratory opened and a very attractive young woman strode in, accompanied by two burly bodyguards whom Jack immediately picked as British SAS men.
Paul Robertson exclaimed, “Ah! Iolanthe! I was wondering if they would send you…”
He air-kissed the young woman’s cheeks. Jack noticed that she held in her hands a purple velveteen case the size of a jewelry box—or a Pillar.
Lily gazed at the woman in dumbstruck awe: she was beautiful. Perhaps thirty-five, she had shoulder-length black hair which seemed professionally groomed, perfect makeup with the most exquisitely sharpened eyebrows, and striking green eyes—penetrating eyes that seemed to miss nothing.
Most of all, however, this young woman just had a confidence about her: an easy yet absolute belief in her own right to be here. She dominated the room instantly. Lily had never seen anything like it before.
Paul Robertson performed the introductions. “Ms. Iolanthe Compton-Jones, may I present to you Captain Jack West.”
Jack noted that in his introduction, Robertson had presented Jack to her, a formality of diplomatic etiquette that implied this woman was Jack’s superior.
Iolanthe Compton-Jones shook his hand with a firm grip. As she did so, she appraised him, and smiled at what she saw.
“The Huntsman,” she said, relishing the word. “Your reputation precedes you.”
“Ms. Compton-Jones.”
“Call me Iolanthe. I am the Official Keeper of the Royal Personal Records for the House of Windsor, a position that has existed for nearly seven hundred years and that can only be held by a blood relative of the monarch.”
“And then only by a talented one,” Robertson added. “One in whom the Queen has the utmost confidence.”
Iolanthe ignored the compliment and handed West her velveteen box. “I was instructed to give this to you personally.”
He opened the box to reveal the Pillar inside it.
Jack suppressed a gasp.
It was the first time he had seen one of these fabled Pillars, and its magnificence took him by surprise.
Resting in a fitted velvet hollow inside the box, it was an uncut diamond the size and shape of a house brick. But it wasn’t shiny like any diamond he had seen before. Rather it was cloudy, translucent, more like a piece of ice than a diamond. Nevertheless it was still breathtaking.
Robertson said, “Princess Iolanthe is the emissary of the House of Windsor in this matter.”
“Princess Iolanthe?” Lily blurted. “You’re a real princess?”
Iolanthe turned and saw Lily as if for the first time. She smiled kindly and crouched down in the most ladylike manner Lily had ever witnessed. “Why, hello there. You must be Lily. I’ve heard a lot about you. You’re practically royalty yourself and from a far older line than I. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
They shook hands. Lily blushed, twirling her pink-tipped hair nervously.
“And yes, I suppose technically I am a princess,” Iolanthe said. “I am a distant member of the Royal Family, second cousin to Princes William and Harry.”
“Noway… ”
Beside Lily, Zoe rolled her eyes, at which point Iolanthe noticed her.
“And who might you be?” she inquired politely.
“Zoe Kissane, Irish commandos. No royal blood, I fear.”
Lily jumped in quickly. “Zoe’s a princess, too, you know. Well, her nickname is Princess.”
“Is that so?” Iolanthe said, glancing at the pink end tips of Zoe’s blond hair, before saying, deadpan, “How positively quaint.”
Jack saw Zoe’s eyes flash and he quickly jumped in.
“As you of all people should know, Iolanthe, names are important,” he said. “One can do many things with a name, including hiding one’s past. Today, you’ve brought us your family’s Pillar, an object it has held far longer than it has held its current name.”
Now Iolanthe’s eyes flashed, seeing where he was going with this.
Jack turned to Lily. “You see, the House of Windsor —the name by which the world knows the British Royal Family—has only existed since 1914. But while the name is young, the House is old, very old. Once known as the House of Tudor, then Stuart, in the 1800s it became known as the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, a very Germanic name that not only betrayed the British Royal Family’s strong links to European royalty but which also became most embarrassing during the First World War. To save face, the British Royal Family changed their moniker, naming themselves after their favorite manor, Windsor.”
