Page 74 of Songs and Spun Gold
She lacked the trained grace of his noblewomen, but she carried herself with the confidence of one. Now, she had the clothing to match.
“You look beautiful,” he praised, reaching for her hand to bend over it. She whisked both behind her back. “May I escort you to the dining hall?”
“I look like a fool in these borrowed feathers,” she grumbled. “If your father wants you to marry a village girl, why can’t I dress like one?”
He raised an eyebrow. “You ‘borrowed feathers’ for the theater, and that didn’t seem to bother you.”
“I wasn’t pretending to be someone else or trying to impress anyone then; I was simply matching the dress code.”
“So don’t pretend.” Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he shrugged. “Be Katrin, and if my father has a problem with it,that’s his fault.”
“And your courtiers?” she challenged. “I was told they would be there as well.”
“Some of them will.”
Katy folded her arms, narrowing her eyes at him. “Are you going to be Axel? Or will you be pretending again?”
She had him there.
“A prince lacks the luxury to simply be himself.” He leaned his shoulder against the stone wall of the hallway, barely avoiding a tapestry depicting one of his ancestors fighting a dragon. “Especially when he is expected to lead the people one day.”
“But his wife can do whatever she wants?” Katy matched him, leaning against the wooden frame just past the door. It looked uncomfortable.
“You’re not my wife yet. My father could change his mind.”
“And if he doesn’t?”
The right side of Axel’s mouth tugged up. “Then he will be unable to claim that he knew not what he was getting himself into.”
She finally cracked a small smile. “You might both be sorry by the time the night is out.”
Only if his father was sorry enough to let her go.
Despite Katy’s assertions, she was relatively quiet during the meal. She kept tugging her neckline up or attempting to draw her sleeves over her bare shoulders. Occasionally, one of the noble guests would whisper to a neighbor, eyes on the newcomer at the prince’s side. Axel tracked Katy’s reactions in his peripheral vision, not wanting to make it obvious that he was paying attention, but she either didn’t notice the gossip surrounding her or didn’t care.
After dinner, she waved off his offer of an escort back to her suite, instead latching onto a familiar face standing near thedoor. A wave of wagging tongues spread from her exit with his newest guardsman, but she would correct any erroneous rumors that came her way. It might be fun to witness.
He excused himself shortly afterward, retreating to his rooms to grab his cloak before slipping out to the gardens. It was dark and chilly outside, but he preferred the freedom of the open air when he couldn’t be striding about the darkened stage at the theater. His quarters were better than other rooms in the castle, but they still often felt like a prison.
Besides, if Katy had been less prickly earlier, he would have invited her out for a stroll; why not go by himself?
As he walked, he thought back over the emotionally charged events of the day. When Katy had introduced him to her friends, his guilt had increased significantly regarding his father’s suggestion that he woo her. She hadn’t introduced Fritz as a relative, and he had followed her to the capital. Add the way Fritz glared at him, and Axel had begun to suspect the reason Katy was so adamant that she be set free.
Her behavior had been inconsistent, though. She was clearly aware of Fritz’s romantic interest, but she had seemed as frustrated with him as with Axel. She’d acted as if she were trying to spare Fritz’s feelings, but she’d been ready to shove him out the door. She’d referred to him as a suitor after he was gone, but she’d refused to leave the castle behind and let him take care of her and her family.
All in all, Axel couldn’t decide how he should feel about tearing her away from that young man.
It was a still night. He trudged along the path with his head down, lost in his mental trails. A few months ago, the theater would have filled his thoughts, but now, his promise to look for Gunther was unimportant next to the puzzle that was his betrothed.
“Why did you call me here? You know how dangerous it isfor me to be on the grounds.”
Axel stopped abruptly at the hissed voice. It had come from a few rows over.
“But they are resisting. The prince asked for her freedom. If I had not been there—”
Dropping to a crouch, he hid himself behind the shrubs. He would recognize that wheedling voice anywhere, but why was Lord Ulrich meeting with someone out here? And what did he mean about resisting?
“You already have what you need. The compulsion we placed upon Steffan will be strong enough as long as you refresh it daily; you do not need to be present every time his foolish son appears to plead for the girl.”
