Twice Upon A Time (Unfinished Fairy Tales #2)(94)

Mr. Davenport raises his eyebrows. “And about this lady whom you call your sister now, when did she show up? When did you become certain that the identity theft had taken place?”

“When my sister showed up at my house, several days ago, shivering in a threadbare gown, asking to see me. She had traveled all the way from Moryn, where she was stranded.”

“Stranded?” Mr. Davenport says, an incredulous lilt in his tone. “This lady you call Katriona Bradshaw, who is your sister, was stranded in Moryn?”

“Precisely. She arrived there last June, wearing a wedding dress and a wedding ring.”

What happened at the wedding ceremony comes to my mind. When I first arrived in Athelia, I was in my Victoria’s Secret babydoll slip. Edward had to buy a new wedding ring for me. Somehow, possibly through the goblin’s magic, Katriona Bradshaw must have been transported to Moryn in my wedding dress and still wearing my ring. That accounts for why I lost my ring and had to have it replaced.

The magistrate compares my ring with Katriona’s. Needless to say, they match perfectly.

“The rings are identical,” he announces.

Gasps come from the onlookers.

“Two wedding rings?”

“How come there are identical rings?”

“How did she procure it?”

“If that is the case,” Mr. Davenport says, “is it safe to say that the identity theft occurred last June? That somehow Katriona Bradshaw was kidnapped and sent to Moryn, and this lady became princess?”

“It must be!” Bianca’s voice rises to a shrill tone. “She fainted during the wedding! It must be at that time that this woman came in and stole my sister away!”

Instantly, the crowd starts talking and making a commotion.

“Witch!” someone yells. He might as well have hit me over the head.

“Who is she?”

“Why did she kidnap Katriona Bradshaw?”

I bite my lip until I taste blood. Bianca must be enjoying this. She has found a way to knock me off my pedestal as princess when I believed that it couldn’t be achieved.

The magistrate has to bang his gavel on the table a few times, ordering the crowd to control themselves, or he will close the court to outsiders. That shuts them up pretty quickly.

Mr. Davenport, however, remains calm as he fixes his gaze on Bianca. “Are you implying that my client had the ability to smuggle Katriona Bradshaw out of St. James Cathedral, with all the security guards outside, and enter the church without anyone’s notice?”

A thrill runs through me. When he phrases it that way, it does make Bianca seem ridiculous.

“I object,” Mr. Jones says. “The manner in which the identity theft took place is irrelevant for now. What’s important is that the lady my client accuses is not Katriona Bradshaw. My client had personally questioned the princess and confirmed that she couldn’t even remember her mother’s middle name, nor certain events that occurred to her as a child.”

“Objection, Your Honor.” Mr. Davenport stands up. “We only have Lady Pembroke’s word that my client isn’t Katriona Bradshaw. But why did they never raise objection until now? Could it possibly be that Lady Pembroke holds a grudge toward her own sister?”

Bianca looks as if she is ready to jump out of her box and claw Mr. Davenport’s face. “Why you . . .”

The magistrate has to call for Bianca to restrain herself.

“Your Honor,” Mr. Davenport says. “I would like to bring in a witness who could assist with the motive behind Lady Pembroke’s desire to accuse my client of identity theft.”

Bianca instantly looks around, her face contorted in a nasty snarl. For that moment, she looks repulsive—nothing like the stunning beauty that everyone expected would be queen.

A tall, lanky young man walks slowly down the aisle. It’s Liam.

My jaw drops. Why did Mr. Davenport summon him? Did he suddenly think about it, or did Liam go to him voluntarily? I’ll have to ask him later.

“Mr. Liam Charingford,” Mr. Davenport says. “Tell us what you overheard on November 11th, when you were still a teacher at Princess College.”

“Certainly,” Liam says, staring straight ahead. “I was on my way to the headmistress’s office, when I heard Lady Pembroke speaking in angry tones toward Princess Katriona. She wanted to buy the school, and Princess Katriona refused. When Princess Katriona walked off, Lady Pembroke muttered that she would regret refusing her.”

A murmur runs through the crowd. It is not enough to rouse them into a noisy crowd though. Bianca stares at Liam, her eyes as hard as stones. I’m stupefied—Liam, who always treated me with contempt and even hostility, is defending me.

Bianca looks like she could kill Liam.

“We only have Mr. Charingford’s word for it,” Mr. Jones speaks up.

Liam’s lip curls slightly. “As a matter of fact, I was not the only one who heard the conversation between Lady Pembroke and Princess Katriona. Several schoolgirls were also nearby. If necessary, they can also be summoned.”

“Is it true, Lady Pembroke?” Mr. Davenport asks. “Is it true that you have been harboring jealousy toward your sister ever since she married the prince?”

“Objection, Your Honor!” Mr. Jones says. “This is hardly relevant to the issue at hand.”