Page 50 of Legacy of Glass
“They think she’s run away,” Olivia said. “But I’m not convinced. It just doesn’t sound like Marigold to me.”
Cade’s face settled into rigid lines. “You think she’s been abducted?”
Olivia swallowed and nodded. “That’s the only conclusion I can come to. Kasper seemed to think it was a possibility, but I’m not sure how much influence he has with his parents. Lady Emerson wouldn’t listen to me at all. She basically kicked me out of the house when I tried to suggest it. So I can’t imagine you’d have any more luck.” She cocked her head to the side. “I assume you were going there to ask about Marigold?”
Cade nodded. “I was going to beg them to tell me where she is so I could at least send a letter.” He looked down. “She might be in danger right now, and I’ve been sitting in the palace, doubting her! She may even…” He swallowed convulsively, unable to finish the sentence.
Olivia shook her head vehemently. “No, we mustn’t think like that! If there’s anyone who can stay alive, it’s Marigold. And you mustn’t blame yourself for doubting, either. You thought her safe at home with her family, so it was reasonable to question her sudden silence.”
“I should have trusted her.” Cade sounded tormented. “But I always thought her love for me seemed like a dream. How could someone so vibrant and beautiful and brilliant love me? And then I heard she’d been chosen to wear the glass slippers...” He shuddered. “It seemed only natural they’d choose her—all the other girls at court faded beside her. And of course Julius would easily fall for her once she appeared at the ball. He probably would have already if he didn’t always hold himself so aloof—waiting to do his duty and marry his parents’ choice.”
Cade stopped and swallowed. “Marigold tried to fight it, of course. She never liked being dictated to. But Lord Emerson was adamant that she accept the betrothal, and how could I stand in the way of her becoming queen? If I truly loved her, I had to stand aside and let her step into a bigger life. It was easy enough to believe that she would forget me and learn to love Julius. I suppose I was trying to protect my own heart by telling myself she must have already fallen out of love with me…”
Olivia’s eyes moistened. Cade had been ready to step aside and watch the woman he loved marry his best friend, believing they would be happy with each other. And he didn’t even speak as if he had resented Julius. Every look and word confirmed he truly cared about both Marigold and his friend.
But even so, she slipped out her mirror just far enough to angle it toward his face. She truly thought Cade was sincere, but she had to rule out the possibility that he was merely a good actor. If Marigold had seen his true face and fled from him, it might offer an alternative explanation to abduction.
For several seconds, the mirror showed nothing, and she pressed her lips together. It was an unfortunate moment for it to stop working. But then the surface rippled, showing her a visage even more devastated and lovesick than Cade’s actual face.
Her heart softened even further, and she slipped the mirror away, placing a gentle hand on his arm.
“We have to find out what happened to Marigold. Will you help me? Surely together we can convince Julius to?—”
“To what?” asked a cold voice behind her. “I’m here, so you can ask me directly.”
Olivia dropped her hand from Cade’s arm, turning to see Julius striding toward them, jaw clenched and eyes narrowed.
Chapter17
Julius
Julius stood outside Olivia’s sitting room door and drew a breath. He’d arrived a little later in the morning this time, but he didn’t want to arrive too late. She might be annoyed at him for making her wait.
But when he knocked, there was no answer. He frowned and knocked again, this time louder. Was she still in bed? It didn’t seem likely. But perhaps she was in her bedchamber and couldn’t hear the knock on the sitting room door.
He tried the handle, pushing the door open when he found it unlatched. On the other side of the door, he discovered an empty room, save for the tray of breakfast—long since consumed from the look of the leftovers.
His eyes strayed toward the door that led to her bedchamber. If she didn’t answer a knock on that door, he would have to find a maid to go in and check on her. If she was still in bed after all her plans for the day, she might be ill.
But the door stood wide open, allowing him a clear view of the equally empty room beyond. Olivia wasn’t asleep—she was gone.
Julius’s mind went blank for a moment. Where was she? She couldn’t be in lessons. His mother had specifically given them both the morning off so he could escort her to her old home, as Olivia had requested. Was she wandering the corridors trying to find his suite?
He hurried back out, prowling through the wing that held both their suites. But he could find no sign of her. And the servants he passed claimed not to have seen her either. Had she wandered into a different section of the palace by accident?
When he stopped yet another servant to ask after her, he was finally met with something other than a blank stare.
“Lady Olivia? Oh yes, I saw her leaving the palace first thing this morning.”
“Leaving?” Julius asked with a sense of foreboding.
The servant shifted uncomfortably. “Well, I can’t say for sure, of course, Your Highness. I didn’t follow her or anything.” The man threw him an uncertain look. “Should I have done so? She didn’t look lost.”
“No, no, I’m sure she would have asked for assistance if she needed it.” He hesitated. “She will have been on her way to her aunt’s house. She had business there this morning.”
The man’s face cleared. “Aye, that makes sense, Your Highness, since she was headed outside.”
Julius produced a smile—the court smile that he had long ago learned to manufacture regardless of his mood.
