Page 94 of Songs and Spun Gold
Katy waited until they had put some distance between themselves and the noblewomen before lowering her voice and laughing, “Can you believe that she thought there was something between us, Otto?”
“It isn’t that surprising,” he replied with a little smile. “We have spent quite a bit of time together since your arrival. Including plenty of time without the prince.”
“Not to mention,” Axel added, “as soon as I was out of the picture the other day, you snatched him up in my place.”
She elbowed Axel in the ribs. “You know that’s not how it happened!”
Laughing, he said, “Maybe not, but I like my version better.”
As they approached the door that would lead them inside, Axel abruptly said, “You really do miss your family, don’t you?”
“I do,” she replied. She couldn’t help the wistfulness in her voice. “Until I came here, I’d never gone a day without them, except the trip when I met you.”
He nodded, a thoughtful expression on his face, as he stood aside while Otto opened the door for them. “I’m sorry that my father took that from you, too.”
“It wasn’t your fault.”
He didn’t reply, only leading her through the door with a nod and murmured thanks to her cousin.
When they reached the library, he lowered his arm. “As usual, this is where I must leave you. Shall I return here when I am finished, or simply meet you at dinner?”
“I could pick out a book and bring it to your study, unless that would distract you,” she suggested quietly, not quite meetinghis eyes. Instead of releasing his arm, she took a risk and let her hand slide down it until she could wrap her hand around his. His eyes widened slightly, but one side of his mouth pulled up in a lopsided grin as he tightened his fingers around her own. “Then you wouldn’t have to fetch me, because we would already be together.”
“I like that idea,” he murmured, reaching up with his free hand to brush one of her curls. “I’m headed to a meeting, but I’ll see you there when I get back?”
“As long as Bertram doesn’t bar the door against me,” she joked. Axel smiled, squeezed her hand as he lifted her knuckles to his lips, and then strolled off down the hallway.
Katy watched him go. If she had no choice but to marry him, despite the terrible possibility of the stranger’s words being true, she might as well make the best of it.
Thankfully, she didn’t think that would be too hard to do.
CHAPTER 26
Katy
Katy eyed the carriage with a skeptical tilt of her eyebrow. “Are we going somewhere?”
“Yes, in fact,” Axel said lightly. There was a bit of smugness in his expression this morning. “Ordinarily, I would not travel by carriage. However, I have verified with your cousin that in addition to dancing lessons before my birthday, I have been remiss by failing to ensure that you know how to ride a horse. We will have to rectify that omission at a later date.” She accepted his offered hand and stepped up into the vehicle. “Besides,” he added as he followed her in, “traveling by carriage has an added benefit.” Reaching past her, he pulled the curtains over the windows.
“What are you doing?” she squawked as his side brushed against her. In the few weeks since their argument outside the theater, he had resumed his former habits. Mornings in the music room were once again full of teasing and laughter instead of the awkward thing they had become after the argument. But there was more space in the music room.
“Keeping you from peeking.” He grinned at her. “You’re not allowed to know where we’re going until we get there.”
“Why? Afraid I’ll throw open the door and bolt?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know.”
She settled against the seat as the carriage began moving. She had seen all five of Axel’s guards with their horses. Did thatmean that they were going somewhere dangerous? Or on a longer journey than normal? Up till now, they had only taken walks to places near the castle.
Try as she might, Katy failed to convince Axel to divulge a single clue regarding their destination. He chatted pleasantly, played with her curls until she pushed him away with laughing protests that he would ruin her hair, and foiled her occasional attempts to pull back one of the curtains, but whenever she brought up the purpose of the trip, he would close his lips and smile mysteriously.
She grew more curious as time passed. She’d lost track of their direction, but the rattle of the carriage wheels had long since changed from the clatter of hard cobblestones to the softer sound of dirt or gravel. Likewise, the passing conversations of citizens, rumbling of other carriage wheels, and clip-clops of other horses had been replaced by the chatter of squirrels, the songs of birds, and the less-noticeable sounds of their lone carriage and accompanying guards.
“I know what this is.” Katy placed a hand over her chest and widened her eyes. “You’ve finally revealed your true colors! You’re dragging me out to the middle of nowhere to do away with me, as I suspected when you lured me out of the theater!”
Giving her an easy smile, he leaned back against the carriage door and replied, “You caught me. My plan is to stop the carriage in a heavily wooded area and give our guards the slip by pretending we’re sneaking off for a romantic rendezvous. I’ll then leave your body for the wild animals while I flee into the wilderness in a vain attempt to avoid your cousin’s vengeance.”
“A flawless plan,” she grinned. Then, hoping to catch him off-guard, she spun in her seat and reached for the curtain next to her. He lunged toward her, but his position and relaxed posture put him at a disadvantage. Even so, she managed only a brief glance before he wrapped his arms around her waist andtugged her back. But it was enough to catch sight of a familiar vista, even if she’d rarely seen it from this direction.
