Twice Upon A Time (Unfinished Fairy Tales #2)(90)



I drop into my window seat and gaze outside. The palace gardens are a snowy paradise, and there are even a few children pelting snowballs at each other. I shiver slightly, despite a roaring fire lit inside, and grab a satin wrap hanging on the back of my chair. Is there a book of Athelian law in here? What kind of punishment will I get for deceiving the royal family? From what I have known about Athelian society from the papers, one could be sentenced to hard labor for just stealing a loaf of bread. Granted, it’s less likely for aristocrats to be punished, but they could decide that I’m not noble. I’m just ordinary Katherine Wilson.

“Princess?” Mabel pokes her head through the door. “Lady Elle has come to see you.”

“Of course,” I say. “Show her in.”

“Certainly, Princess. By the way, why is there a guard outside the door? Not that I’m complaining. He’s so good-looking!”

Another time I would have laughed and encouraged her to go for the guy, but I can barely crack a smile when that guard is here to watch over me.

Light footsteps tread on the carpet and Elle bursts in. She looks lovely, with her rosy cheeks and golden hair. Any other time, I would have been glad to receive her. But now, with my head still hurting from the story I need to come up with to defend myself, I don’t feel like seeing anyone.

“Hello, Elle.” I manage a fake smile.

Her eyes are sparkling, and she comes forward and takes my hands. “You won’t believe the news, Kat.”

“You ran away to Ruby Red with Henry and got married?”

Elle gasps. “Oh, no! Of course, I wouldn’t dare to do that. His parents would never forgive me. However.” She looks like she is going to explode from happiness. “We are engaged.”

This temporarily knocks the thorny issue of Katriona Bradshaw from my mind. “Oh, my goodness,” I exclaim. “How did you manage to persuade her? She has been against your marrying Henry for ages. What could possibly make her change her mind?”

Elle smiles and casts herself on the low sofa. “It’s a shock for me too. Sometimes I still feel that this is all a dream, and one day I’ll wake up and discover that Henry is engaged to another girl.”

“So how did it happen?”

“Do you remember that Dr. Durant had invited Henry to Moryn? I know he really wants to go, but when I went to see him, I found that he was gone. Thomas told me that the duchess made Henry return to Somerset Hall with her. I was able to spare some time from the orphanage and school, so I decided I had to do something. With the train, it is so much easier to get to the country.” Elle folds her hands together. “I bought a ticket and went down to Somerset alone.”

“Oh, my God.” The things that she is willing to risk for love. “Have you ever taken the train before?”

“Never. You should have seen me at the platform; I didn’t know which direction to go.” Elle smiles softly. “I wasn’t thinking of persuading the duchess to approve our marriage. You see, I wanted to see for myself if Henry was willing to give up the chance of going to Moryn and instead inherit Somerset. I dressed as a commoner and tried talking to the gardener, the housekeeper, and the servants. I learned that Henry was indeed unhappy coming back and being forced to inherit the estate. I know him, Kat. I know that all he has ever wanted was to be a doctor. I didn’t want to let the duchess force him to give up what he loved.”

“So . . . what did you do?” I still don’t get how Elle managed to change the duchess’s mind.

Elle takes a deep breath. “I changed into the clothes of a lady. I hired a carriage and drove up to the estate and handed in my card. The duchess had no choice but to receive me. I told her that I am willing to give up Henry, but on one condition—only if he is allowed to go to Moryn and later pursue his career in medicine.”

I cannot freaking believe it. “That’s incredible. Did you really mean it? Did Henry hear you say that?”

“It doesn’t matter what I think,” Elle says. “I was determined. If I cannot marry Henry, I won’t settle for anyone else. I love him, but because I love him, I want to see him happy and doing what he loves. If that means I need to sacrifice myself, I am prepared to do it.”

I feel like saying that Henry wouldn’t be happy either if he cannot marry her, but considering that the outcome is a success, I keep my thoughts to myself. “And the duchess relented?”

“She was furious. She told me I had no right to decide what her son does. I told her that all I wanted was for Henry to be happy. And then our conversation reached the grand duke, who was still convalescing. He told the duchess to show me in, and he asked me if I truly meant what I promised.” Elle takes a sip of water and continues. “I told him how I valued Henry’s happiness above my own. I also told him that even if I could marry Henry, if I were to become the mistress of this house, I would rather not marry him at all. Because of who both of us are, we would never be able to become conventional rulers of this district.”

She paces for a few seconds and turns to me. “Henry happened to return at that moment, and his father told him about our conversation. Henry stated that he would have no one but me. They had a huge row, but the grand duke took our side, and eventually the duchess relented. A distant cousin is going to inherit the estate. Henry asked for my hand, and we are unofficially engaged. Once he finishes his year with Dr. Durant, he’s going to come back to Athelia and we will be married.”

Aya Ling's Books