Page 86 of Songs and Spun Gold
Remembering the last time they’d had this conversation, Axel swept the room with his eyes, but they were alone; there was no unwelcome advisor lurking in the corner. “I’m not sure.” They’d had fun that afternoon, but the previous evening, she’d been staring off to the southeast, ignoring his attempts to joke with her.
As it was his dearest wish to keep her, it was tempting to simply accept his father’s will. Do nothing, and Katy would be his, no questions asked.
But he wanted her to want it, too.
Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself and asked, “Father, can’t you let her go? It’s…it’s what she wants.”
“Absolutely not!” His father jerked back, eyes shocked. “You cannot let her decide to leave, Axel!”
Axel stared at his father for a few moments, startled by the response. “Why not?”
“Haven’t you noticed? How full of life she is? How vibrant?” Father sighed and rested his chin on a fist. Axel nodded slowly. “It’s like…” He trailed off, gazing at the far wall. Finally, he continued. “Like having your sister again.”
A smile tugged on Axel’s lips. He’d noticed it the first time he met her, but her allure was more than that. She was similar to Helena in many ways, but Katy had won his heart by being kind and selfless, fiery and unfailingly honest. Helena had been fiery, but her unusual upbringing had resulted in a certain amount of selfishness, not to mention a disregard for other people’s feelings sometimes.
“The hole where she should be is still there; nothing will change that.” Father straightened back up. “But with Katrin around, I spend less time wishing I knew what went wrong, what I could have done differently. The burden is less somehow.” Catching Axel’s eyes, he stated firmly, “You cannot let her choose to leave, Axel. She must stay. Youmustwin her heart.”
He’d been trying. He wanted her to stay, too. More than anything.
But not because she felt like she had no other choice.
~
“When do you learn the blocking for Cesar? Doesn’t the show open soon?” Katy asked as Axel led her through one of Lars’s and Astrid’s dances.
Without pausing their movement, he lightly replied, “Opening night is in three weeks. I suppose I should learn the rest of my part sometime soon.”
“Will you be singing on opening night again?” Katy smiled up at him as she completed a turn under his arm. It was one of her friendly days. So far – he never knew what might trigger a reversal.
“I haven’t worked that out yet,” he admitted sheepishly. “I haven’t even confirmed with the director that I’ve located Gunther, let alone convinced him to sing. I’m surprised I haven’t heard from him.”
Katy spun into him, landing with one hand on his chest as required by the blocking. He wished he could decide if she would do it by choice. Did her love of honesty mean he could trust the look in her eyes when he was Lars and she was Astrid? Or was she a better actor than he thought?
“Shouldn’t you take care of that?”
“I suppose.” He caught her wrist as she pulled away from him, pausing their conversation as he sang the line that came next. They finished the song and froze in the final pose. “But that would mean going to the theater.”
Relaxing to a normal standing position, Katy raised an eyebrow. “I thought you liked sneaking off to the theater.”
“I do.” He stepped forward and wrapped one of her curls around his finger. “But I like playing with you more.”
“So, take me with you,” she replied with a shrug. “Then you can do both.”
“I don’t want you to get hurt.” Bringing his hand a little closer, he brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers. “But I do need to take care of a few things. I’ll go tomorrow morning. Will you be all right without me?”
She rolled her eyes. “Somehow, I think I’ll survive.”
A cleared throat from the edge of the room drew their attention. “Yes, Otto?” Axel prompted.
“Pardon my suggestion, Your Highness, but you should take Kat with you.” The guard leaned back against the wall. “Everyone knows you spend this time together. If you disappear without her, it will draw attention.”
“What if I go in the afternoon? I can take Bertram, and it will look like official business; then no one will think twice about her absence.”
“That will only work for your meeting with the director,” Otto quietly replied. “You can’t go to the theater every afternoon without raising suspicions.”
Frustrated, Axel turned away and strode to the far wall, hands on his waist. Otto was right; he’d established patterns with Katy over the last month, and he didn’t have a viable excuse to be seen at the theater regularly. It was why he slipped away in the mornings with Otto. But even if he wasn’t concerned about the accidents, he was hesitant to introduce Katy to Lotti. He didn’t like the way his teacher had obsessed over her.
“Will you at least agree to wait with Otto?” He started to cross back to her but paused at the sight of the frown on her face.
