Ever After (Unfinished Fairy Tales #3)(60)
Edward’s jaw tightens. “I’ll make sure you eat properly from now on.”
The crowd becomes a blur, the deafening noise becomes a buzz, as Edward carries me away from court, his arm a pillar of support. Outside, along a wide road, Bertram stands next to a sleek black carriage—the one Edward uses when he doesn’t want to be recognized.
“Princess Kat.” Bertram bows and averts his eyes, as if he can’t bear to see my pathetic state. “The court ordered her release?”
“Of course. I would have removed her by force if it comes to that.” Edward’s face is grim. “Let us depart without delay.”
Edward wraps a long cloak around me and bundles me into the carriage. At that moment I could do anything for him—never have I felt such overwhelming affection for him. I’m so thankful to be out, to be away from prison, and safe from the noose. Tears run down my face, and Edward wipes them away.
“There, don’t cry,” he whispers soothingly. “I’ve got you, Kat, and God forbid that you stray in danger again. Everything is going to be all right.”
“Where are we going?” A jolt of alarm runs through my head. “We’re not going to the palace, are we? You can’t bring me back when Katriona is still officially princess.”
“Don’t worry.” He presses a finger on my lips. “We’re going to Henry’s. I already wrote him and asked him if he could lend use of his house, and he readily agreed.”
I let my head fall on his shoulder, all strength drained from my body. Even if we're heading to a straw hut, I wouldn’t mind. As long as he is by my side, anywhere is fine by me.
* * *
Henry’s place is like heaven, after experiencing jail. It’s not as magnificent as the palace, nor on par with Bianca’s residence, but it’s distinctly more expensive than Poppy’s house.
Once we step off the carriage, Thomas, Henry’s butler, is already waiting by the door. He bows low as we enter the parlor, and does not even blink that the prince is carrying a woman who resembles a street rat.
Soon I’m conducted to a bathroom upstairs, where a middle-aged woman (I was later to learn she’s the cook) scrubs away the layers of dirt and washes my hair, scenting it with floral shampoo. What a relief it is to step into a clean, sweet-smelling nightgown that isn’t patched or torn.
“Sorry it’s a mite larger for you,” Cook says, toweling my hair dry. “There wasn’t enough time so I got you one of my own. But I expect His Highness will send a supply for you soon.”
I thank her and assure her it’s no problem at all. A while later, a maid ducks her head into the room and informs us that Edward is waiting for me.
Edward is in the library, reading a book. A fire crackles merrily in the grate. I’m reminded of the first time we met in Henry’s library. So much has happened between us since that encounter.
“Kat,” he exclaims. Relief spreads over his face as he gazes at me, now clean and presentable. “How are you feeling now?”
A rumble from my stomach answers his question. We smile at each other; Edward hails the maid and tells her to bring a dinner tray.
I sit down on the sofa, kick off my fluffy slippers, and snuggle against him, enjoying the heat radiating from his body. He raises my chin and kisses me, his lips soft and warm on mine. Oh, how I’ve missed moments like this.
“What did you say to Katriona Bradshaw that made her drop charges?”
Edward gives me a ruthless smile. It’s not often that I am witness to the darker, manipulative part of him. “I’ve found out her past when she was in Moryn. She’s already married to a young farmer in a small Moryn village.”
“No. Freaking. Way.” That’s why he disappeared for so long. He went to make sure that Katriona was already married.
“Mother was suspicious about her behavior. She had attempted to be kind to Katriona, and asked her where she was before you moved into the palace. Katriona was evasive when answering; it seemed that she was hiding something. When Mother mentioned this, I remembered that when we attended the emperor’s wedding, Katriona was reluctant to participate in public events, such as riding through the city or taking a boat ride. It was as if she did not want to show her face in public. It later occurred to me that maybe she didn’t want to be recognized. I asked Henry to do some investigating for me. When Katriona was transported to Moryn, in order to survive, she agreed to marry a local farmer.”
Despite my dislike for Katriona Bradshaw, my sympathy goes out to her. What would I have done if I had ended up in a small village, alone and helpless, instead of being a younger daughter of an earl?
“Obviously, she wasn’t happy with the arrangement. While she was not as popular as her sister, she had expected to make a match in the peerage. Not to an illiterate person, not far away in a foreign country, not in a tiny village. So once she had the chance, she stole everything she could from her husband, made her way to Moryn’s capital, and boarded a ship to Athelia.”
That must be when Jér?me sighted her. When he came on the State Visit to Athelia, he had told me I looked familiar. It was Katriona Bradshaw that he had seen in the streets.
“And you tracked down her husband?”
“We did. Since she stole his life savings, he was frantically looking for her, and once we gave out the description of a red-haired Athelian girl, he answered our ad. I met him in person, and he showed me the wedding ring.” He looks at me with regret. “If only I wasn’t away, I could have saved you.”