Page 96 of Songs and Spun Gold
It took some persuading, but she managed to leave Fritz at the tanner’s shop when she and Axel finally returned to her home. Axel joined them for their simple supper. He looked completely out of place in his fine clothing at the rough wooden table, but he was as relaxed and comfortable as if he were dining in the breakfast room at the castle. At times, he almost seemed more comfortable than when he was with his parents.
Thankfully, Katy’s father was on his best behavior in front of his prospective royal son-in-law, and he stayed home instead of visiting the tavern. Katy was especially glad since the prince had secured rooms at the tavern for himself and his guards. The less Axel saw of her father in his drunken state, the better.
With only two nights at home, Katy determined not to waste any of it. Babette agreed to watch their sheep for Liesl, so Katy spent the next morning with her mother and sisters while they chatted and did chores. It surprised her when the prince didn’t show up. Since he hadn’t mentioned any work in Flussendorf, she had expected him to spend the time at her side as usual.
Just after lunch, she heard the sound of the front door creaking on its hinges. Shortly after, the squeaking of the old, wooden stairs preceded a light rapping on the handrail.
“May I come in?”
“Door’s open,” Liesl called back with a cheeky grin.
“Your...Highness,” Mother managed as Axel entered, the blanket held above his head with one hand. She struggled a little straighter in the rocking chair. “It is...a pleasure to...have you back.”
Waving her down, he replied, “It is my honor to be here,Miss Sabine. Please, as I said before, no formalities from Katy’s family.”
Katy looked up from where she was washing their bowls. “Good afternoon, Axel. Did you enjoy your morning off?”
“I did.” He gave her one of his glowing smiles, but as his eyes took in the old, worn dress that she had donned that morning, some of the sadness crept back into them. “I know your time with your family is limited, but I was hoping to steal you away for a little bit. Do you mind?”
“I don’t know if I—”
“Oh, go ahead, Katy,” Liesl cut in, giving her a wink. “He is a prince, after all! It’s not every day that a prince asks you to walk with him.”
“Not true,” Katy said wryly. “Whereas I don’t get to see you every day anymore.”
Axel stepped forward, lifting one of her wet hands. “Please, Katy? I promise not to keep you long.”
His grip on her hand was tighter than normal. Meeting his eyes, she found she could no more resist his request now than when he had first asked her to walk with him. “All right.” She turned toward her mother. “Mother, do you mind if I run off for a bit?”
“Of course not,” her mother replied with a small, weak smile. “Go…have fun…with your prince.”
Katy felt her cheeks heat at the possessive, but she did her best to keep her embarrassment off her face as she dried her hands and let Axel lead her from the mill.
“Where are we going?” she asked. Instead of escorting her on his arm, he was simply holding her hand. It felt spine-tinglingly intimate.
“Someplace I found this morning.” He gave her a small smile as he led her along the bank of the Felsig. It was all familiar to Katy, but she was curious to see what he had discovered.It made her happy to share her home with him and to have him share his excitement with her.
After about ten minutes, he led her up a small outcropping of rocks that overlooked a waterfall. It was a beautiful spot, one Katy liked to visit during the rare opportunities she had to wander.
“Did I find the right spot?” Axel pulled her closer to the water’s edge, reaching up and playing with her curls. “I went down the river first. It took me a little while to realize that I shouldn’t have had to go so far.”
“Wait. You weren’t just exploring and happened to find this place? You were actively looking for it?” She looked up at him in astonishment. “But why? I could have shown it to you.”
Drawing her closer, he stared into her eyes with a fond expression mixed with the sadness of the last day and a half. “Because I didn’t want to ask. I wanted to bring you to your favorite place.”
Her favorite—? A memory from a couple of months earlier wiggled its way along the edge of her mind.
“I have something I want to ask you,” he began. “But first, I have something to tell you.”
Her heart did a funny little jump, and she found it difficult to hold his intense gaze, but at the same time, she couldn’t look away.
“I can’t change my father’s mind. And I don’t have access to the funds that you would need to pay him back. But I do have an alternative for you, if you want it.” He swallowed and looked at the waterfall before continuing. “I’m afraid any direct involvement on my part would be thwarted by my father. In light of this, Tobias has agreed to provide you and your family with positions at his family’s home in Himmelsburg. It wouldn’t be glamorous; they would be service positions, but you would be able to work your way into better ones once you’ve provenyourselves to the housekeeper. You would have your own place to live, so your mother would be taken care of.” Katy felt her mouth fall open as he spoke. “His family also has an estate in the country. They would be willing to provide employment there, instead, if you did not wish to live in town.” He gave her a sad smile. “I’m afraid it isn’t near a river, but at least it would be closer to what you’re used to.”
Pressure building behind Katy’s eyes warned of impending tears. “But why would—”
Axel’s hand trailed down her cheek. “Because it isn’t right that my father is holding your family’s livelihood over your head. I haven’t liked it from the beginning. But after you yelled at me in front of the theater, and then when you begged Otto for a hug a few days later, I realized that I had to do something more than try to talk some sense into my father. I want you to be happy, Katy.” The tears were beyond impending now, building at the corners of her eyes until they spilled over and trailed slowly down her cheeks. “So I did what I should have done from the start and found another way.”
“Axel, I—I don’t know what to say,” Katy stammered. “I never expected...”
