Ever After (Unfinished Fairy Tales #3)(59)

“Er…Lady Pembroke,” the clerk intervenes tentatively. “By the rules, one may not speak unless the judge makes the request.”

Bianca sweeps him an icy glare.

“Do you wish to stand in as witness, Lady Pembroke?” the judge asks.

She glances at me, but sits down. “I will if the occasion requires it. Continue with your questioning.”

“Well, Miss Wilson?” The judge levels a stern look at me. “By law, the prince cannot marry a commoner, yet you have revealed yourself as having pedestrian roots, not patrician.”

I remember Edward saying that under Athelian law, a royal cannot marry a commoner unless it is a morganatic marriage.

“Was the prince aware that you were common-born when he married you?”

I cannot bring Edward into this. It’s bad enough that I am prosecuted, but it’s worse if Edward shoulders the blame. He has suffered enough.

I shake my head. “No. The prince knew nothing. It…it was all my fault.”

“So you admit that you are guilty of impersonating Katriona Bradshaw?”

My mouth is dry. It is then I realize I’ve been arguing two different things. I may convince the judges I am the princess, but the case is about assuming Katriona Bradshaw’s name. Whether Katriona is princess or not, I did assume her identity, even though it was never my idea to wrong her.

I lick my lips, my throat dry. The pain in my stomach has started again, more violently this time, and I double over, clutching my stomach.

“Miss Wilson?” The judge’s voice seems far away.

My mind is wiped blank, I can’t think of anything to defend myself, and I’m all alone in this court, with Bianca and Katriona determined to see me convicted of crime.

And then—

“Kat!”

A tall figure cuts through the crowd, his face filled with consternation. Dark, wavy hair, golden-brown eyes, and a face that is more perfect than any sculpture. Edward, my fairy-tale husband, is striding through the court, ignoring the gasps of surprise around him, ignoring the clerk’s pleas that he stay back.

“Release her.” He speaks in a tone so icy that it rivals Bianca’s. “All charges on this woman shall be dropped immediately.”





29





Kat





Edward has come for me.

I want to run and throw myself in his arms, but my knees buckle and I stumble. I don’t know if it’s the relief of seeing him, the stress accumulated in that horrible windowless cell, but I’m on the verge of fainting. Dang, I hate to be so weak.

The uniformed officer stretches a hand to me, intending to support me, but Edward grasps his arm. “Do not touch my wife.”

“Edward,” I croak. “How did…you were supposed to have left…”

“I came back,” he says, placing his arm around my back, oblivious to my filthiness. The solid warmth from his hand reassures me I’m not dreaming. “Thank goodness I returned in time.” His gaze roves over me, taking in my matted hair, my torn and dirt-stained gown, and my big toe peeking out of my hole-filled shoes. His brow wrinkles--he must also have sensed that I’m stinking, as I wasn’t able to bathe for days. “You were in jail.” He looks over at Bianca, and there is such fury in his gaze that she flinches and looks on the ground.

“Your Highness?” The judge says with uncertainty. “I beg your pardon, but no intrusion is allowed while court is in session. I must ask you to release Miss Wilson and take a seat.”

“She is innocent,” Edward says, his tone resounding with authority. “Whatever crime you’re accusing her of, she is not part of it.”

“According to the rules, you must be seated until summoned.”

Edward doesn’t move, however. He looks in Katriona’s direction and mouths something I can’t read. She turns deathly pale, as though she is the guilty one, and nods.

“I…I take it back,” she says. “I withdraw the accusation.”

“What are you talking about?” Bianca looks incredulous. “She’s guilty of serious offense!”

Katriona shakes her head and speaks again. The judge waves his hand, the clerk bangs the gavel, and gradually the crowd quiets down. When the noise is kept to a bare minimum, Katriona opens her mouth.

“His…His Highness has informed me with...with facts I had not known before. Katherine Wilson is innocent. There has been a misunderstanding, and I revert all charges against her.”

The court erupts again. The judge calls for order, but the audience barely heeds him—who can stay still at this moment?

Edward tightens his arm around my shoulder. “Kat, let’s go.”

The next second, I’m shocked when he hooks his other arm beneath my legs and carries me outside, like I’m an invalid.

“Put me down,” I protest. I'm elated to be in his arms, but at the same time I hate that I'm filthy and stinking. “I can walk, honestly. Everyone’s staring.”

He simply winds my arm around his neck, making me nestle closer in his embrace. “They’d stare, whether I’m holding you or not.” He readjusts his grip and frowns. “You’ve lost weight. How long were you in prison?”

“I’m not sure...five...or six days? I wasn’t able to keep count.”