Page 46 of Once Upon a Midnight Clear

“You entertained lady friends?” she asked, one brow raised.

“They were merely acquaintances,” Nicholas said. Then he said to Gustav, “Ella and I met at a royal ball.”

“Indeed?” But there was more question in his eyes.

Clearly, he wanted to find out more about how they met, but Nicholas wasn’t so ready to divulge that information. Ella wasn’t sure if she should tell Gustav the truth, either. After all, it sounded odd to say she had arrived by the magical glass slippers. She wasn’t sure the Captain of the Guard would believe her.

All of that seemed like a terribly long time ago, now.

“Yes,” she said. “At a royal ball.”

“Was that something your mother arranged?”

Nicholas gave him a pointed look as they rode along. “You’re not helping.”

Yet, Nicholas didn’t deny his mother had something to do with it.

“His mother has a way with making things happen,” Gustav said to her, a twinkle in his dark brown eyes.

“I haven’t met his mother,” she said.

“You haven’t?” Gustav said.

Nicholas cleared his throat loudly. “No, not yet.” Again, he gave him a pointed look.

“Well,” Gustav said on a breath, “I’m sure she will in good time.”

“I’m sure she will,” Nicholas agreed.

“I’ve known Nicholas all my life,” he said, changing the subject. “We grew up together. Have you known the prince long, my lady?”

She glanced at the prince whose face was still bright red. He wasn’t enjoying Gustav’s company at all.

“Not long,” she said shaking her head.

“And…are you visiting Rovenheim?”

“I think that’s quite enough with the questions,” Nicholas said. “We’re almost to the port. Let’s make haste.”

With that, he kicked his horse into a gallop and headed off, snow spraying in his wake.

“I guess I made him angry,” Gustav said, giving her a sheepish grin.

“I guess you did,” she said with a nod.

They followed Nicholas’s lead and hurried after him.

The rest of the trip was silent and uneventful. Until they arrived at the port. They dismounted their horses and left them with a boarder while they sought a suitable ship. The fierce wind whipped through Ella and she pulled her cloak tighter around her thin frame. The hood refused to stay on her head, so her ears and face were nearly frozen as they walked down the wharf.

There were only two ships in the harbor. One was a merchant ship with only a few sailors aboard. The captain was on shore leave and, therefore, they weren’t planning to leave the port until spring. The few men aboard were only there to keep things tidy and make sure nothing happened to the ship while it was in port.

The second ship was one with several masts soaring into the overcast sky. The sails were all put away, but there were several boisterous men aboard. One hung on the railing as they approached. His overcoat was shabby. He wore fingerless gloves, no hat, and several layers under the coat. His bearded face was smudged with dirt and his long hair was unruly in the wind. Ella had never met a pirate and had only imagined what one looked like. This man looked like a pirate to her.

She shifted from one foot to the other, the velvet bag under her arm shifting, too. She had forgotten it was there while riding and now the slight weight of it reminded her she still carried the glass slippers.

“Ahoy, there!” he called with a wave. “It’s not often we see visitors on the wharf this time of year.”

“Hello,” Nicholas said with a smile. His face was pink from the cold wind. “We’re looking for passage to the Grimbrande Mountains.”

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