Page 27 of Songs and Spun Gold
“Are you all right?”
“Of course. We knew from the start that this couldn’t continue past tonight.”
Maybe she was wrong. Maybe his hood was hiding it.
“Oh,” she said, swallowing her foolish disappointment. “Well, that’s—that’s—I’m glad that you’re—Goodbye, Gunther.” Unable to pretend she didn’t care, she spun away from him and reached for the door handle.
A warm hand grabbed hers, lightly tugging her back. “Katy, wait.”
Katy?
Hey, Katy?
She kept her face lowered, still facing the door. It was a common nickname.
“I mean, Katrin,” he corrected himself. His voice was earnest. “I know that your family depends on you.” When had she told him that? He must have picked it up from her stories. “If you can’t make it back, don’t let me hold you back from living your life. It’s…it’s all right if you forget about me.”
Promise you won’t forget me?
Without turning, she asked, her voice shaky, “Why? Are you going to forget about me, too?” Just likehedid?
“Never.”
It was barely more than a whisper, but she couldn’t pretend she’d imagined it.
He squeezed her hand before releasing it. She listened as his footsteps traveled along the stones of the walkway, then disappeared down the road.
When she could stall no longer, she turned the knob and entered the inn so she could face Angelika’s wrath. But in her mind, she heard the echo of his final whisper.
Never.
CHAPTER 7
Axel
Axel woke to the quietshinkof metal rings sliding across the curtain rod. Groaning, he rolled over and pulled a pillow over his face to block the beam of light stabbing his closed eyes.
“He lives,” a voice drawled from somewhere nearby.
“Go away, Tobias,” he moaned into the pillow. “And don’t come back for several hours. Or better yet, don’t come back at all.”
There was a pause, then the soft tap of a glass being set on a table. “Can’t.”
“And why not? What are you even doing here?” Axel lifted the pillow enough to glare at his friend, who was sprawled out in an armchair nearby. Tobias was rarely seen outside his home before noon.
“If I leave, the queen will come in. And she is…distressed by your behavior.”
Axel groaned again and let the pillow fall back over his face. He’d hoped for more time before he had to engage in damage control.
“What behavior?”
The scuff of the glass leaving the table was soon followed by a swallow. Throat moistened, Tobias replied, “Something about returning to the castle past your bedtime with a bottle in your hand.”
“I don’t have a bedtime,” Axel scoffed. “Is that all?”
Snorting, Tobias said, “Staggering through the gates and barely making it to your bed without passing out isn’t enough for you?”
He hadn’t beenthatbad. Even with his over-acting. Although hewasstill wearing his clothes – he’d have to apologize to the laundress for the wrinkles in his red waistcoat.
