Ever After (Unfinished Fairy Tales #3)(56)
As the room is so small, my legs bump against the bed. All of a sudden, my courage fades into nothing. Like a kid who’s punished, I curl up on the bed and cry. I was a dumbass to visit Sir Langley. But I couldn’t stand by and do nothing when Katriona Bradshaw planned to hand over Princess College to her mother. I just had such rotten luck that Bianca and Katriona dropped by when I was at Spencer’s Sky-High Realty.
And now, Bianca must have ripped up the sign-over of ownership. Katriona is still on the throne. I’ve accomplished nothing, and I’ve got myself in the worst possible situation—in jail.
Even when I thought life couldn’t get worse, such as when I learned I couldn’t survive in Athelia, I had Edward by my side. But now, I’m all alone, helpless, and locked up.
When is he going to come get me out?
I wait. And wait. Until my tears have run dry, and I feel like going crazy in this windowless room, surrounded by darkness. Then finally, there’s a sound. I spring up, the chain clinking on the floor, but no one unlocks the door. Just a hand pushing a tray into the room.
“Wait!” I cry. “What time is it? Is it already evening?”
The person who delivers the food tray doesn’t respond. Then—“Quarter past eight. Leave the tray outside when you’re done.”
Dang. It’s that late already? It was early afternoon when Elle and I visited Spencer’s Sky-High Realty. When she left me to seek Edward, it can’t be evening yet. Why hasn’t Edward come? Doesn’t he even know I’m in jail? Can it—I don’t even want to think of the possibility—can Katriona, or Bianca, managed to prevent Elle from finding Edward?
I’m doomed.
* * *
Two days have passed since I was brought to prison, and no matter how I try to convince myself that I’m already better treated than the other prisoners, it’s hard to stay sane when you’re shut in a dark, windowless room all day. I am let out in the morning for a one-hour walk around the courtyard, but I’m not allowed to speak to other prisoners. I attract attention because of my dress, but I hear someone say, “Lunatic,” and this seems to satisfy whoever is wondering why there’s a prisoner in a fancy gown. Although by now, the gown is dirty and torn at edges. My hair is matted and filthy, my body stinks.
I try to make myself stop wallowing in misery. Until I leave this prison, I can’t let myself succumb to insanity or sickness—well, as much as my willpower allows. I came back here for Edward. Thinking of my husband gives me incentive to survive. If Edward sees my spirit battered, or even if he loses me, it would be like sentencing him to mental death. I remember his disbelief, followed by the violent burst of joy in his eyes, when he learns that I’ve come back to him. I cannot afford to lose heart. I must get out of here alive.
There’s a noise coming through the padlock. The key is turning! Edward has come for me!
I spring from the bed, my heart soaring. Anything, anything, to get away from this horrible place.
“Fifteen minutes, lady,” comes the gruff voice of Gemma.
Lady? It feels like I’m hit over the head. Still, a visitor is better than nothing. I haven’t talked to anyone since I was locked in, apart from asking the time. At the third attempt, the person who delivers my food stops responding, possibly fed up by my questions.
The door opens, revealing Elle. I could have hugged her, if I weren’t in such a terrible state.
“Kat!” The tone of her voice says everything. Elle looks at me like her heart is breaking. “Oh Kat, I’m so sorry.” She turns to Gemma and glares at the matron. “I thought I had told you to treat her well.”
Gemma shrugs. “She got a private cell and she’s fed three times a day. My pardon, lady, but the prison was built to keep people away from it, not make their lives better.”
“Elle,” I quickly say. “Did you tell Edward about me?”
She faces me, her expression of guilt, and my heart sinks. “I’ve tried, Kat. I went straight to the palace after you were taken, but he hasn’t returned yet.”
Can my luck get even worse? Since when did he go away on such a long trip?
“What about his parents? Did you talk to the king and queen?”
“The king was at Parliament, and the queen was visiting a friend in the suburbs. However, Amelie has promised to let me know as soon as possible when Edward returns. She wanted me to bring you food.” Elle hands me a basket. A spicy aroma wafts from the cover. “She knows you like spicy food, so she had the kitchens prepare this.”
Tears prick my eyes. It’s sweet that Amelie remembers I love spicy dishes.
“And this is from me,” Elle says, opening a large satchel she had brought. I barely noticed it when she arrived; I was so disappointed that Edward hadn’t come for me. There is a bundle of clothes made of thick, good-quality material, a toothbrush, and even a woolen blanket.
“Thank you,” I whisper, my heart filled. The prison bed is so freezing cold that it’s a miracle I haven’t developed a fever.
“Time’s up,” Gemma says. “You should go, Lady Elle.”
“I’ll be back soon.” Elle grasps my hand firmly. “I promise I’ll visit the palace every day until His Highness returns.”
After Elle has left, I sit on the hard, wooden bed for a moment, wondering when is the next time I’ll see Elle or Edward. A pang of despair pricks me—not only because I can’t get out yet, but also how Edward must feel when he knows I’m in jail.