Twice Upon A Time (Unfinished Fairy Tales #2)(89)

What have the goblins done? I open my mouth, but no sound comes out. Instead, I sink further into my chair, wishing that this were a nightmare and I’d wake up soon.

“What is that?” the king and queen say at the same time.

Katriona starts to tremble. “Apparently, it seems that I have been kidnapped from my wedding to . . . Edward.” My husband’s jaw tightens. Apart from his family and close friends, no one calls him by his first name.

“Bring the ring to me,” the king commands. “Kat, your ring, please.”

I hold my breath as he compares the ring to the one I am wearing. They look exactly the same.

“That day when you returned from your honeymoon,” the king says slowly, turning to Edward. “You told me that you had to go to the jewelers because Katriona had lost her ring.”

Edward nods slowly. “It doesn’t matter, Father. I don’t know how this woman acquired the wedding dress and ring, but Kat is the one I wanted to marry. Not her.”

“She deceived you!” Bianca screams. “Ask her who she is! Ask her why she took the name of Katriona Bradshaw! She shouldn’t even be on that throne.”

“Calm down, Lady Pembroke,” the queen says coolly. Bianca looks down and apologizes in a low voice, but the wrath remains in her eyes.

My hands feel cold, numb. I should speak, but what can I say? I have no idea how Katriona Bradshaw got transported to Moryn.

“Well,” the king addresses me. “What do you have to say?”

Edward grasps my hand so tightly, I think my bones might break. “I . . . I’m sorry,” I say. It is no use trying to prove that I am Katriona. “But I swear, I didn’t mean to do you any harm.”

“I don’t care who she is, nor where she came from,” Edward says fiercely. “She is the woman I love and the only woman I desire for my wife.”

“Edward.” The king’s voice is stern. “This is not a moment for a passionate outburst. If this lady had knowingly taken the identity of Katriona Bradshaw and sent her away to a foreign country, it is a crime that cannot be overlooked. Even if she is considered royal.”

“Exactly!” Bianca exclaims. “This woman, whoever she is, may look innocent, but inside, she harbors a mind more poisonous than a viper. She has stripped everything from my family, condemned my mother to the country, kidnapped my sister, and forced her to live, helpless and alone, in a foreign country. If my sister didn’t have a will of steel and persisted until she found a chance to journey back to our country, she might have died in Moryn. I demand you seize this heartless person and make her pay for the crimes she committed.”

There is a moment of silence. “What should we do?” the queen says quietly.

The king lands a fist on the arm of his chair. “I need some time to figure out how to deal with this. For now, bring Kat . . . these two women . . . to separate rooms and keep them there. If necessary, I will let the High Court decide what is to be done to them.”

Edward stands up, his face agitated. “Father! You cannot order my wife to be locked up.”

“This is a very serious matter,” the king says gravely. “I promise you, if Kat is not found guilty, I will personally issue a pardon. For now, the most important thing is to discover the truth.”

“What is to become of me?” The question slips from my lips before I know what I’m saying.

Edward squeezes my hand so hard that tears spring into my eyes. “Nothing will happen to you, love. I will find a way to fix this. You are my wife, and I intend to keep you with me. Whatever it takes.”

The exact words he said to me during our first quarrel. I smile at him, trying not to let him see how worried I am. Bianca is bent on revenge—she won’t stop until I am punished. I have to come up with a plausible story. Otherwise, I am doomed.





41





Before I am escorted back to my room, I glimpse Bianca sending me a look as sharp as a knife. If I were a piece of meat, she would have cloven me in half. I try to catch a glimpse of Katriona as well, but her back is turned toward me. Multiple questions race through my head. What is she thinking? She must hate me for stealing her identity and telling everyone that I am her. Is she going to take advantage of my fortune? My hands shake. No. Never. Even if I am denounced a liar, a cheat, or even a witch, I will never give Edward up. Not after all the trouble it took me to get here.

Both Amelie and Mabel are dusting the furniture when I return. One of the palace guards—not Bertram—has been assigned to stand outside my door in case I suddenly escape. I could laugh. Where could I escape to? I have no family, no relatives in Athelia. I do have Elle and Poppy, but it’s unlikely they are able to shield me.

I wonder what Poppy would say. After all, she is the only one, apart from Edward, who knows I am not from Athelia. Still, I don’t know what she might think of me if she believes that I had taken Katriona Bradshaw’s identity through some nefarious scheme.

Think, I command myself. I have to think of an explanation to convince the king and queen, and maybe even the people of Athelia, that I am a victim as well. But no matter what excuse I come up with, there’s no denying the real Katriona Bradshaw’s existence, and I had been using her identity. She is also a victim of this mess. If I defend myself and call her a liar, I’ll be inflicting further harm on a girl who hasn’t done anything wrong. But if Katriona Bradshaw obeys Bianca and convicts me of fraud and abduction, I’m dead meat for sure.