CHAPTER 21
Katy
W hat had she been thinking?
She hadn’t been, obviously. The prince’s touch and his sweet words had addled her brain; there was no other explanation. Just like they had when he had been a simple actor named Gunther.
He appeared at supper that night; the physician had finally freed him from his isolation. He tried to convince her to walk with him in the garden afterward, but she refused on account of his physical condition. He said he was fine, and he looked fine, but she couldn’t bring herself to take the chance. It wasn’t worth it.
The next morning, he knocked on her door before breakfast with the same request. She refused again, for the same reason as the night before. Instead of being deterred, he asked for permission to join her in her sitting room.
She didn’t have a good reason to say no, and so, despite the nagging voice in her head that whispered that getting closer to the prince was a bad idea, she agreed. They sat on different pieces of furniture and spoke of nothing profound, but it was the best hour that Katy had spent in a long time.
Not wanting to be trapped in her room, she spent most of the day wandering about the castle and familiarizing herself with the halls. The prince crossed her path multiple times. When she asked about the duties that she had expected to occupy him, he waved it off, claiming good fortune had put them in each other’s way as he traveled from one to the next.
The next morning, a light tapping drew her to her door. On the other side, Axel stood with his hands in his pockets. “Are you ready?”
“Ready for what?” she replied, raising a single eyebrow. “Did we have plans that I don’t remember making?”
Running his eyes over her hair and dress, he grinned before grabbing her hand and tugging her through the door. Callouses that she assumed came from weapons practice scraped against her palm. “Come on! I’ve had a great idea.”
“And that would be...?”
He winked. “I’ll tell you when we get there.”
The curious eyes of servants latched onto their joined hands as they flew through the corridors. She should have pulled away, but she didn’t. After all, his long strides might have left her behind if he weren’t dragging her along by her hand. His tight grip didn’t mean anything.
Katy tried to control her blush, but she knew she failed.
After several turns, she found herself in an unfamiliar part of the castle. Axel put his hand on a doorknob, turned to grin at her, and pulled it open with a flourish.
Beyond it was a small room with a brown upright piano, two wooden music stands, and a few unpadded chairs. The walls were mostly bare, having only a few pieces of paper tacked up. A small window on the west-facing wall let in a little early-morning light. Unlike the rooms to which Katy had become accustomed, the floor was bare stone.
She followed him in, peering around curiously while he pulled the door closed behind them. “Now will you tell me what’s going on?”
“The theater has been having some troubles lately,” he began, crossing over to the piano where two tall, thin books sat. “ Part of it is a series of notes. Some have demanded that I play the lead in a production; others have insisted Gunther returned to the stage and said that I would know where to find him.”
Katy’s mouth dropped open. “Someone has betrayed your secret? But who? Who else even knows?”
“I don’t know. But to help the director out, and to prevent the note-writer from sending anything more revealing, I agreed to look for the young man Gunther and convince him to play the lead in a single performance.” He picked up one of the books on the piano and grinned. “Therefore, I have a part to learn. This is the time of day that I usually sneak off to the theater to work on such things, but I thought it would be more fun to stay here and let you help me, instead.”
Katy felt her eyebrows rising toward her hairline. “Sneak off? How do you manage that?”
“Your cousin,” he replied, waggling his eyebrows. “At first, it was slipping out through his gate. After opening night, my father insisted I take a guard with me whenever I leave the grounds in the morning. I dragged your cousin along because I knew he wouldn’t divulge my secret.”
“Why don’t all three of us go, then?”
Shaking his head, Axel said, “Most of the strange things have been small stuff, but a couple have had the opportunity to hurt someone. I would prefer to keep you away from the theater during the off hours.”
Katy strolled over to the window while she absorbed this information. Was he hiding something else from her, or was he purely concerned for her safety? “How do I help you?”
“I need to learn the music.” He gestured to the bench in front of the piano. “You play the starting note, and if I’m having trouble hearing a passage, you can play it for me.”
Running her hand along the smooth wood, she walked around the piano to join him in front of the keyboard. He had opened the book that sat on the little ledge above it. Its many lines and dots laughed at her.
“We’ll skip to measure 15, since that’s where Cesar comes in.” He flipped through the book in his hand, looking at it as he strode to one of the music stands. “Are you ready?”
She found the line with Cesar next to it, and she saw numbers across the top of the page, but she didn’t see the number fifteen. Even if she had, she wouldn’t have known what to do with it.
“Katy?” He looked over the top of his book. “Is something wrong? Do you not know the notes on the piano?”
Twisting her hands in her lap, she turned her eyes to the courtyard outside the window and admitted, “I don’t know how to read music. I’m sorry.”
“No, I’m sorry,” he sighed. “I should have thought of that. It would be more surprising if you did know.”
“Is there another way that I can help?” she asked hesitantly.
He was already heading back toward her. Gesturing to her to scoot over, he settled himself on the bench next to her. It creaked a little under their joint weight but fell silent once the prince stopped moving. He smiled and asked, “Would you like to learn?”
She gave a little laugh and tried to ignore the fact that his hip was pressed up against hers on the narrow bench. “You’re going to teach me?”
“Why not?” He reached across her to point to a spot on the page. Katy leaned back a little, but his side still brushed against her. “This symbol at the beginning of each staff – oh, the group of five lines is a staff, by the way – is the clef. That tells you what the names of the lines and spaces are.”
“Names?”
“Of the notes, so you know which key to play on the piano. The bottom line on this clef is G, and it corresponds to this one.” Leaning across her, he pressed a key. “Then the space above it is A, the line B…” He continued up the staff, playing each note as he went.
“Wouldn’t it be easier if we switched places?” Katy suggested. With the prince out of the way, she was able to sit straight again, but she had a feeling he would be returning.
“Then I would be bumping you with my elbow,” he said, demonstrating by playing some notes that were in front of him.
Smothering a grin at his exaggerated motions, she asked, “Why not use your left hand, instead?”
His eyes darted from side to side before he put his mouth near her ear and stage-whispered, “Because I’m a dunce with my left hand.”
The hair above her ear fluttered in the light breeze of his breath. It sent a pleasant shiver down her spine, but she restrained the urge to shrink away. Whatever the prince was up to, he didn’t need the ego boost of believing that he had affected her.
He already had enough of that from her frequent blushes.
Straightening, he continued, “If my left hand were actually useful at the piano, I would use it from here, and we would be much more comfortable. See?” So saying, he snaked his left arm behind her and settled his hand on the keys. “Isn’t that better?”
“You really don’t have any sense of propriety, do you?” Katy rolled her eyes, plucking his hand off the piano and attempting to draw his arm over her head even as he squeezed her closer. When he was in a playful mood, he was impossible.
“I’m a prince. I’m the definition of propriety,” he loftily replied. He relaxed his arm, and she finally pried it off her side, placing it back at his side where it belonged.
Once she had him back on track, they spent some time drilling the names of the notes on the bass clef and their positions on the piano. Axel rehearsed from his spot next to her since she was still learning. It was marvelous to listen to him sing, even when he faltered over an unfamiliar passage or squawked a note he wasn’t prepared for. The polished music at the theater, when he performed songs he must have sung a hundred times, was beautiful and awe-inspiring, but watching him sing something for the first time had its own charm. His intense focus as he learned the part, his hand waving for purposes unknown to her, the way he would stop and hum a few notes quietly before either continuing on or requesting she play a section: she could stay here all day.
“Do you sing, Katy?”
The question took her by surprise. Giving him a small smile, she ran her fingers lightly over the piano keys. “A little. Nothing like you.”
“I didn’t sing like this when I started. It’s taken a lot of work.” He set his right elbow on the top of the piano and propped his head on his fist, turning toward her without crowding her like he had earlier. “Will you sing something for me?”
“I don’t—”
“Please.”
His warm brown eyes were so earnest, so hopeful. She interlaced her fingers and buried her hands in her lap. “As long as your ears won’t mind.” Axel smiled encouragingly at her. Taking a deep breath, she began shakily, “If I spoke to you, Would you remember me ? Would you know my twinkling eye?”
As she began the song, his eyes brightened. When she reached the end of the first verse, he joined her, singing the harmony that the female lead was supposed to have since she was singing his part. The whole time, he kept his eyes fixed on hers, something glimmering in their depths. She wouldn’t have looked away even if she could have .
The song ended, and neither of them moved. Katy knew she shouldn’t be letting herself get lost in his eyes, but at the moment, she couldn’t remember why.
“You have a lovely voice, Katy,” Axel whispered. As his elbow collapsed forward, bringing his head with it, she realized that she’d been leaning forward. And now, his face was shockingly close to hers.
Her heart started pounding. He was close. Too close, and getting closer. His lips were barely an inch from hers! She should move, but shock held her frozen. No man had ever—
Pushing onto his left elbow, he moved onto his side, bringing him into surprisingly close proximity. “But then, any time spent with you is well spent, Katy.” He leaned forward, and she found her breath growing shallow as her heartbeat sped up. Was he about to—
Where had that memory come from? And so clear, too?
It was a concern for another time, because the friend who had abandoned her wasn’t here. The prince was. And with his mouth hovering over hers, he seemed intent on finishing what her friend had started.
“You’re late.”
Sighing, Axel closed his eyes and withdrew, turning toward the door. Katy chose to visit the window instead. It was easier to hide from her cousin that way.
“Can we help you, Otto?” The prince’s voice held a note of long-suffering.
She wasn’t facing him, but she could see her cousin’s muscled form leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed in a casual pose. Or would he be standing stiffly at attention since he was speaking to royalty?
“Your parents were concerned when you didn’t appear at breakfast. Bertram is scouring the gardens again.” Amusement tinted his voice.
“And you didn’t join him? ”
“No. Kat didn’t show up, either, and numerous servants reported seeing the two of you together this morning. Between the locations you’d been spotted and my inside knowledge, I made an educated guess. And I was right.” She could hear his satisfaction.
The piano bench creaked in time with the rustle of fine fabrics. “I suppose I should relieve their fears.” The light thud of his boots approached her. “May I escort you to breakfast, Katy?”
Such an offer was that of a gentleman, but Katy hesitated before replying. After what had just happened, should she keep her distance? She liked the prince, but she barely knew him. And she had seen many variations of his behavior during their short acquaintance.
Peeking over her shoulder, her eye caught the sight of her relaxed cousin. The fact that he was so comfortable in the prince’s presence was a point in Axel’s favor, especially considering Otto – who was like a big brother to her – must have seen the position she and Axel were in before he announced himself.
“Of course,” she replied at last, settling her hand on the elbow that he offered. Idly, she wondered if he wore short sleeves when the weather was warmer, like the young men in her village, or if she would feel his sleeve under her hand even in the summer.
The thought brought her up short, almost causing her steps to stutter as she followed him down the hall. She couldn’t still be in the castle come summer; she didn’t know how long the king intended to allow them before the wedding, but the longer she stayed, the less likely she was to gain her freedom. And no matter how pleasant time with the prince was, no matter how much her cousin might approve of him, she could not afford to stay unless it was the only way to keep her family from destitution.
She couldn’t let herself forget that the stranger had claimed her child for accepting his help. It was unthinkable, and she would have left already if not for the consequences for her mother and sisters.
When they entered the dining room, King Steffan glanced up from his plate, focused on their joined arms, and then nodded to his son. Axel’s arm tensed under her hand, and his eyes narrowed briefly before he transformed into the bright, glowing personality that he generally portrayed for his parents and members of the court.
“Good morning, Father, Mother,” he greeted as he pulled Katy’s chair out for her. “I apologize for worrying you; I received a copy of the score for the new production at the theater, and I allowed my enthusiasm in sharing it with Katrin to overwhelm my good sense. As such, I failed to keep an accurate accounting of the time as it passed.”
Queen Carina patted her mouth delicately with a napkin and placed it back in her lap before replying. “Singing again, Axel? I thought you had decided to give that up.”
Katy was about to respond indignantly on Axel’s behalf when the king added, “It’s fine if you want to serenade your bride, son, as long as she’s the only one. And see to it that it doesn’t interfere with your responsibilities. I had reports of several things you missed yesterday.”
His parents really did disapprove of his music, didn’t they?
“My apologies, Father,” Axel said humbly, bowing his head in the king’s direction. “I did fail to appear a few times yesterday. However, it was not music which pulled me away, but fair Katrin herself.” He turned adoring eyes on her. “I happened to encounter her in the hall and could not bring myself to leave her company immediately, thus leading to my absences. ”
She knew he hadn’t really had that much free time.
“So fickle,” the queen muttered into her glass.
“I am only attempting to follow Father’s wishes, Mother,” the slighted prince answered genially. “Would you prefer me to be as miserable as Katrin herself? Or should I ride off into the countryside, searching every village along the way until I locate the woman of my dreams, then convince her to elope and flee with me to Castellia?”
“Castellia?” his mother replied, brows furrowed in confusion. “Why not Daraigh?”
Lifting a piece of buttered toast, he bit into it, chewed with an expression of rapture, and swallowed before giving an answer. “I may love Michael, his family, and their beautiful kingdom, but the sword maidens of Castellia are far better suited to protect me from Father’s wrath than all the forces that King Phillip has to offer. In addition, following me to Castellia would require either a navy – which we don’t have – or marching through Daraigh or Amitié. Neither would be likely to agree for such a cause, not even with Uncle Felix married to King Antoine’s sister.”
The picture he painted made Katy giggle. The queen sent a scowl in her direction, but King Steffan remained focused on his son. “It is admirable that you wish to spend time with your betrothed, Axel. Be that as it may, skipping out of your duties is not acceptable. I will ask my steward to lighten your load if you feel you need more time to get to know each other before your wedding next month.”