Page 106 of Songs and Spun Gold
“Was there really a ghost, Katy?” she had asked upon their return, eyes wide with excitement. “Did you see it?”
It had taken much persuading to get her to drop the topic. Finally, Angelika suggested that they show Katy their dresses. Liesl was happy to oblige, trading ghosts and fires for dresses and wedding talk.
The wedding was beautiful, but the tragedy the night before had cast a subtle pall over the festivities. Axel smiled broadly throughout, and Katy smiled back, but he was subdued at the reception afterward.
“Are you all right?” Katy asked, leaning over and squeezinghis hand. “You’re somewhere else again.”
Axel gave a return squeeze and a half-smile. “Sorry, Katy. I keep seeing the chandelier crashing to the ground, the roof covered in flames…hearing Lotti’s voice cut off before everything went crazy…smelling the smoke. I want to be as wildly happy as this day deserves, but…”
“I know what you mean.” The wedding party had its own table, and Liesl was busy chatting with Otto across Angelika, while Prince Michael was focused on his food, which gave them a moment of privacy. “I think I washed my hair three times this morning to get all the smoke smell out. Were any of the fire brigade seriously injured?”
“A few burns, but they’ll heal. The cast all made it out before the fire spread to the stage, and everyone in the audience escaped.” He picked up his fork and fiddled with his roast lamb. “No reports of an unknown woman backstage.”
“Maybe she slipped out without being seen.”
“Maybe.”
He fell silent again, staring at his fork as he slowly turned it in his hand. It was a shame to let any of the marvelous banquet go to waste, but Katy had little more appetite than it seemed her new husband did.
Husband. She was married.
If what the gold-spinning stranger said was true, his side of the deal was now complete. All that was left was for Katy to pay the price.
Suppressing a shiver, she picked up her spoon with her left hand, unwilling to relinquish Axel’s, and scooped up a bite of roasted potatoes. She knew that the stranger’s deal and the fire at the theater were unrelated, but it seemed like an ill omen. If she were less hopelessly in love, she would have turned tail and run this morning.
Because while Axel was convinced that magic wasn’t real,she knew it was. And magic seemed like a valid explanation for what they’d seen, even though she hadn’t felt the hair on her scalp lifting as it had when the stranger had spun gold.
But someone with magic trying to control Axel through threats of danger and someone else with magic laying claim to their future child?
It wasn’t the most auspicious start to their marriage.
The festivities progressed to dancing, which naturally required the bride and groom to begin. To everyone’s surprise, she and Axel finally performed the traditional opening dance. After that, Axel danced with his mother. Katy should have danced with her father; since he wasn’t present, she danced with Otto, who had performed the role of her father in the wedding. He had been forced into dancing lessons in the mornings, and he was clearly uncomfortable with the formal style.
Katy lightened the mood by converting their dance to a village version about halfway through. Queen Carina shook her head as she watched them over Axel’s shoulder, but Otto enjoyed himself more, and she caught a twinkle in Axel’s eyes whenever he faced them.
After that, the music and the dancing broke through Axel’s distress, lifting him to the heights one expected on one’s wedding day. He smiled, he laughed, and he sang silly lyrics to the melody as he twirled Katy around the floor. Only loud enough for her, but even quiet, his voice was marvelous.
Katy felt her own spirits lift as the evening progressed. Some people gave her nasty or disapproving looks; after all, most members of the nobility did not think that a poor miller’s daughter should be marrying a prince. Especially those who had eligible young daughters or who were eligible young daughters themselves.
However, a surprising number of people appeared perfectly sincere in their congratulations and smiled indulgently atAxel’s obvious pleasure in showing her off.
Even if all of them had hated her, seeing Axel happy made the specter of the future less frightening. He loved her, and she loved him; surely, with that, they could face down anything and come out ahead.
~
A gentle knock at the outer door of her suite woke Katy the next morning. Yawning, she reached her arms over her head and pointed her toes, feeling the stretch all the way down her back. She sat up and tossed the covers back, slipping her feet into a pair of amazing slippers as she called out sleepily, “Coming. I’ll be there in just a minute.”
Muffled, indistinct muttering answered her. The sound surprised her at first, but then she remembered. Smiling fondly, she pulled the sheets back from where she had tossed them over her new husband’s face. A few of his wavy locks hung over his eyes.
He was adorable asleep, she decided. After applying a gentle kiss to his forehead, she stood up, moving slowly this time so she wouldn’t disturb him, wrapped herself in a dressing gown, and went to see who was at the door.
“May I help you?” Katy asked, surprised to find a footman standing in the hallway. She rarely had people at her door, and when she did, it was generally a maid or Axel. Footmen had no reason to call on her.
His eyes dropped briefly to her dressing gown, then jumped back to her face as he gulped. Holding out his hand, he said, “A letter for you, Your Highness.”
He bowed as she took the paper from him. “A letter?” Who did she know that would have sent her a letter that would not have sent it with her sister or Angelika?
“Dropped off this morning, Your Highness. A ragamuffinwho often runs errands in town gave it to the guards at the gate.”
