The Underground Part 23

"Those men should never have been imprisoned and you know that. They were released after watching your speech. There haven't been riots, but there are Webavision photos of people making posters and writing on sheets that they are hanging from bridges all over the country saying: "Long Live Queen Shayla."

"Really?" Shayla said. She looked at Nathaniel and he could see a glimpse of the love that they had s.h.i.+ning through.

"I'm sorry," she said to Nathaniel as soon as Gerald left with the dinner tray.

"For what?" he asked.

"I wasn't very nice earlier. This isn't your fault."

"You have nothing to apologize for. You've been under tremendous pressure. You are strong, at least as strong as your mother, but with your father's conscience. I love you and always will love you," he said.

She walked over and kissed him with a pa.s.sion that felt freer than ever.

"Just give me some time. I'll get through this. We'll get through this," she said.

She led him to the bedroom and he kissed her while unb.u.t.toning her s.h.i.+rt and then unhooking her bra, but he stopped when he saw the tears slowly escape her eyes.

"Are you alright... we don't have to..." he said, wiping her tear away with his finger.

"I want to. I'm happy and sad all at the same time," she said.

"Why are you happy? Because you helped all those men?"

"Partly, but I'm also happy because I can really be with you, without hiding. I can be with you as Nathaniel DeLuca, as my husband."

"But I didn't even propose yet."

"Men don't propose."

"They do now," he said, getting down on one knee.

Chapter 38.

Simon was still amazed about the events of the last few days. If someone told him that the Queen's daughter was the polar political opposite of her mother and she was going to be the new Queen in less than a week, he would have laughed at the absurdity.

Now he was on his way back to the Underground to find out what was next. Chester told him that this was only the beginning. The castration laws weren't officially changed, even though the C Centers weren't currently performing castrations. Until there was true equality, the Underground would remain intact, with some major regrouping.

They'd be working directly with Shayla, and he looked forward to the next chapter. Perhaps there would be less driving. He wondered if he and Eudora would settle down into a little house with a yard and a garden and a white picket fence. That thought made him chuckle.

He still had one more delivery, his most important, and he almost felt sentimental. That wasn't like him.

As he turned off the highway onto the b.u.mpy road for the millionth time, he noted the Midwestern skyline that began to set over the Kansas plains. His pa.s.senger should be awake by now, but he didn't even hear a peep from the back.

When he pulled into the Underground garage, he got out of the driver's seat and opened the van doors. Her eyes were open, but she looked sleepy. That's what the shot did, so he wondered how she would be in a few hours or a few days. It was certainly going to be interesting.

"I'm going to take that tape off, okay, but no screaming or biting, alright?" he said, feeling a kindness toward her that he had never thought the Queen would elicit from him. Her nod was gentle and he slowly took the tape off her mouth.

"Where are we?" she asked, looking at him in a way that made him pause.

"You'll find out in just a minute," he said quietly, feeling something that he wasn't sure how to describe. This bothered him a little, but this wasn't the time for thinking. "You alright?" he asked.

"I'm okay, thanks," she said, with a small smile that he couldn't help but return.

"It's a big step down," he said, helping her from the van. She looked around the garage but didn't say anything as he gently took her arm and led her toward the waiting elevator. When he pushed the b.u.t.ton, the elevator's usual cricks and cracks sounded as they descended, their ears popping as their eyes held onto one another until the ding of the bell alerted them the doors were opening.

He led her down the hallway and saw her head turn to read the mantra of the Underground, crudely painted in large letters next to the podium where the guards usually sat.

Keep your Laws off my Body. Equal Rights and Justice for all Men.

Just then, they stepped out from behind the podium.

"Your majesty, I'm Crosby and this is our leader, Chester. Welcome to the Underground."

Acknowledgements.

I'd like to thank the many people who have contributed to making this book release possible.

First and foremost, I'd like to thank my dear friend, s.h.i.+ra Block McCormick. I feel deeply blessed to have you in my life. For thirty years you have guided me and shared your wisdom, which helped me to become a better person and writer. Thank you for reading countless drafts, for your patience, tireless a.s.sistance, infinite encouragement and editing prowess.

I am so grateful to Amy Batchelor, Brad Feld, Cathy Hunter Gould, Deahn Berrini, Jennifer Pitts, and Jenny Lawton for your constant support from the very beginning.

I thank Renee Bacher, Christina Tiemann, Kim Fay, Halley Suitt Tucker, and Wendell Wellman for invaluable feedback and forgiving me the confidence and courage to put this story out into the world.

Grat.i.tude to Heloisa Duarte Fitzgerald, for not only encouraging all my creative endeavors, but for your inspired photography that I feel honored to use on the book jacket as well as on my website.

Thanks to Jenny Hudson, of merrimackmedia.com, for your dedication to creating a great book and beautiful website and for making the book production process seamless. Thanks to Donna Berger for your lovely print book design. Thanks to Paul Beeley of create-imaginations.com for your gorgeous and inspired book cover art.

My family always supported my writing. My father, Rabbi Paul Levenson, and my mother, Marlyn Katz Levenson made sure that every room of our childhood home dripped with books. My mother also endured weekly trips to the library with all four, less than well behaved, kids to foster a love of reading. Special thanks to my sister Yonah Levenson Hirschman for proofreading and editing various versions of this book, and to my brother Dode Levenson, whose writing accomplishments far outweigh my own. You helped me learn about plot, dialog, and writing a synopsis. You also encouraged me to keep going just when I needed it. Thanks to my brother Bobby Levenson for reading an early draft and cheering me along from the sidelines.

I thank my unbelievably wonderful aunts, Judy Clapp and Irene Rimer. You have both been invaluable in my life in so many ways including offering encouragement with my writing endeavors.

I'm also very blessed to have families that extend beyond my homestead. My yearly pilgrimage to Ashokan Fiddle and Dance Camp has been a vital part of recharging my batteries, particularly when I was discouraged. I especially want to thank Betsy Kubick, Debra Clifford, Dotty Moore, Eric Brock, Kathleen Moore, Rebecca Kalin, and last, but not least, my dear friend Rebecca Unger a.k.a. Dr. Reba.

The New England Chapter of the Romance Writer's of America has been instrumental in my education about the business of writing and finding like-minded friends who are extremely funny and supportive. Both traits are important when surveying the publis.h.i.+ng arena. I could not have done this without the help, encouragement, and wisdom of some key people who are part of this amazing organization, including Annette Blair, Janet Campbell, Jenny Brown, Jessica Smith, Marie Force, Mike Myers, Pam Claughton, and Traci Fleischman and Valerie Harris.

A number of people believed in me when I didn't think I could continue to work on this project. I have never forgotten their encouragement. Thank you all for your love and support: Alexa Albert, Amy Goldminz, Avi Weiss, Bonnie Watson, Carol Miller, Claire and David Weis, Darryl Settles, Dave Jilk, Deb Elliott, Dell Lunceford, Eve Goldminz, Fernando Albertorio, Hank Kniskern, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Helena Collins, Jennifer Cohen Katz, Jennifer c.o.o.n-Wallman, Joanna Meiseles, Jodi Solomon, Jodi Turek, Julie Nussbaum, Kathy Van Patten, Larry Coury, Lisa Owens, Lori Rutter, Lynne Levenson, Marci Sapers, Michele Janis, Michael Tucker, Michael Walsh, Mich.e.l.le Katz, Mike O'Connor, Nina Ghareeb, Pam Janis, Paul Nowinski, Paul Sandberg, Peggy Conant, Paris Stulbach, Valerie Sandberg, Sandra Herman, Simone Hnilicka, Susan Ruf, Tori Stuart, and Will Herman.

I also want to thank two significant people who fueled my writing aspirations: I was very fortunate to take courses in college with Pulitzer Prize winner Madeleine Blais more than twenty years ago. Her ability to tell moving, true stories about people with a beauty and sensitivity is unmatched.

I must also thank my previous agent, Marly Rusoff, for believing in my storytelling. I will always be thankful for my experience working with you.

I want to thank my husband, Warren Jay Katz, who I love with all my heart and soul, for inspiring me to pick myself up and keep learning and working hard.

Finally, I want to thank all readers who continue to support writers in all ways. I sincerely hope you enjoy my stories. Many more are on the way.

Sincerely, Ilana Katz Katz.

end.