The increasing cold deepened my foreboding.

But as soon as I stepped through the back door, the sight of Chicky waiting for me in the hallway loosened the tightness in my chest. I wrapped my arms around her neck, and she sat up and hugged me with her wings and her eagle talons. “What are we going to do?” I mumbled into her feathers.

We must do what we know is right.

Thanks.I winced, smiled at the irony, and felt stumped. Following my own advice would be much easier if I had a clue.One step at a time,I reminded her as well as myself.

Some of the household servants were still around. I knew this because they provided a lunch for me, basic but filling. Chicky insisted she could feed herself and politely thanked whoever might be listening for the many meals they’d provided for Dodger and her.

I echoed her sentiments. “I’ve never seen you, and you can’t speak to me, yet I’ve felt accepted by friends since the day we arrived. Thank you so much. I don’t know how much longer we will all be here, but we’re together now.”

I couldn’t sense the Gamekeeper anywhere nearby.

While Chicky headed outside to hunt, I returned to my refuge, the music room, and picked up a hymnbook. I played and sang for hours, the words and music soothing my spirit.

Darkness fell early. When I tired of playing and returned to my chamber, the lamps lighting my way seemed dim. But some thoughtful servants were still at work, for I found a crackling fire on my room’s hearth, and someone had laid out a shimmery bronze-silk jumpsuit and matching heels.

Amazed at the sight, I gaped, burst into tears, then laughed at myself. “Thank you! It is lovely. You want me to dress for dinner?” Why else would they lay out something so utterly impractical?

I took my time in the bath. When I emerged, wrapped in a silk kimono, Chicky was lounging on the hearth, picking at her gleaming talons with her equally sharp beak. “Better?” she asked.

“Yes. How are you?”

“Ready for next adventure,” she purred.

I leaned against her side and dried my hair before the fire. “You sound as if you know what your next adventure will be.”

She tilted her head to look at me with one bright eye but said nothing.

I opened my mouth, ready to ask what she was thinking . . . then quickly reconsidered, feeling even more unsettled. I took extra care while applying my makeup, braided my long hair with bronze ribbons entwined, and slipped into the lovely clothes. After all that effort, I paused to admire my reflection in the wardrobe’s mirror. I looked glamorous and rather mysterious by firelight.

“Beatrice be brave.” Chicky’s reflection appeared beside mine, her words sounding more like an order than an observation.

“Brave?”

“Not listen to fears.” She ruffled up, shook herself, then seemed to deflate, smoothing her feathers with her beak. “Chicky eat in kitchen. Let you talk.”

I made a quick escape, trying not to project too much significance into her words. Only a few lamps lit my way to the dining room, and once I arrived there, I missed Win’s company.

Where was Dodger? Had he and Winifred made it to Faraway Castle?

Trying not to focus on my fears, I let my eyes stray to the statue of dancers between the picture windows. Strange, how it always made me think of Niel and the Coronation Ball. Stranger still how a dream could feel like a memory. I vividly remembered the way that young king had made me feel. Lovable. Desirable. Interesting.

When I was awake, I generally imagined the perfect man for me as less . . . well . . . “Arrogant” seemed too strong a description for Niel . . . Maybe he was rather self-centered, but that was typical of royals.

Ugh. If I could have chosen my dream man, he would certainly not be a king.

But . . . but then he wouldn’t be Othniel—Siegfried III, who was literally my dream man.

A plate of steaming roasted vegetables and chicken, a bowl of diced fruit, a pitcher of water, and a lump of cheese waited at my usual place. Just when I was pondering how I might carry it all up to my room, the Gamekeeper appeared in his usual chair—a mere shadow.

I let out a startled yip, but blessed relief followed. “Oh, I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Thank you.” His voice was quiet. “May I sit with you while you eat?”

“Please do! I always enjoy your company. Chicky is eating in the kitchen.”

“The kitchen staff spoils her,” he remarked, and I heard a smile in his voice. “I enjoyed your music today.”