CHAPTER 29
Katy
A bsolutely not!” King Steffan declared.
Katy stirred her porridge, keeping her head down. She wanted to help Axel, but she wasn’t sure how much help she could be in this fight.
“Father, you’ve known about this for weeks.” Axel had a tight rein on his frustration, but Katy could see it in the slightly narrower opening of his mouth as he spoke. “Katy and I have been in the rehearsals. We’ve discussed this. How can you change your mind two days before the performance?”
The king’s eyebrows drew together. “That was before I heard the rumors about the poltergeist at the theater. I will not risk my only son and heir, nor his bride.”
“Does that mean you’re not even going to let us attend the performance?” Axel asked incredulously.
“Of course, it doesn’t,” the king said dismissively, picking up his fork. “I have not heard of any accidents occurring in the audience chamber, and it is unlikely that you would be hurt in the center of it. I simply don’t want you on the stage.”
“How am I supposed to leave the cast in the lurch like that?” Axel demanded. “I committed to doing this performance. And you want me to back out because of a ghost? There’s no such thing!”
“As I understand, there are always understudies for key roles,” King Steffan replied calmly. “I am sure that they will be pleased to fill in.”
Katy listened as Axel continued to argue with his father. She understood why he wanted to do the show, and she was flattered by his insistence on her inclusion. But the idea of performing a leading role in front of a crowd was rather daunting. Especially the night before their wedding.
She had enough on her mind with just that; she didn’t need to worry about succumbing to stage fright.
Lifting her spoon, she took a bite of the porridge. It had more flavor than when she or Adele made it, but porridge was porridge. The salted meat and eggs weren’t appealing this morning, though. Not when their wedding taunted her with its nearness.
She couldn’t be happier about marrying Axel. But it was soured by the memory of the red-haired stranger.
All I ask is your firstborn child. You see? Nothing too costly.
Could she really have made that deal? What could possibly have possessed her to do so?
Promise you won’t forget me?
The sound of the baritone voice almost caused her to drop her spoon; it hadn’t invaded her thoughts in weeks. Could she have made the foolish deal regarding her noble friend, and the stranger had somehow twisted it to cover the prince?
She hoped not. Because while she couldn’t envision herself agreeing to that deal for someone she’d never met…could she be so certain that her besotted eleven-year-old self wouldn’t have made it about him ?
“Fine,” Axel sighed as Katy focused back in on the present. “I’ll walk down to the theater after breakfast and inform the director.”
“You’ll do no such thing,” the king replied. “I won’t have you in the building until the performance. A messenger has already been dispatched to inform him. ”
The muscles on Axel’s jaw stood out for a moment before they relaxed. “Of course, Father. Thank you.” Too quiet for his parents to pick up, he muttered, “I hope the note-writer doesn’t find out.”
~
“Does the train really have to be this long?” Katy asked, twisting her upper body to search for the end of the trailing fabric.
Queen Carina clicked her tongue at her. “My dear, you are marrying the crown prince. If anything, it should be longer. Besides, it’s far too late to ask the seamstress to change it. The embroidery is already complete, and the train has already been affixed to the dress. To change it would require ripping out that entire seam.”
“I know,” Katy sighed. “And I appreciate the dress. Really, I do. But it’s just so...”
“I realize that it’s more elaborate than you are used to,” the queen said gently, coming in front of Katy and folding her hands loosely in front of her waist. “But you’re going to be a princess tomorrow, Katrin. You have to dress the part.”
Tilting her head, Katy observed the queen’s relaxed pose. “May I ask a question, Your Majesty?”
“Certainly,” the queen replied with a smile. “But you must dispense with the formalities, Katrin. You’re marrying my son tomorrow.”
As if she didn’t know it. The rank to which she would officially ascend tomorrow was mind-boggling, to say the least. “You’ve disapproved of me since I arrived in the castle. But you don’t seem to now. Why the change?”
The queen stared at her for a moment before covering her mouth with a dainty hand and releasing a delicate giggle. “Oh, my, as direct and blunt as ever, aren’t you?” Katy cringed slightly. “ Truth be told, I was quite upset when my husband picked Axel’s bride for him. Especially when Axel revealed that his Heidi was a simple village girl as well. And then you seemed to be trying your hardest to prove your disdain for us and our way of life.”
“I was being rather deliberate about it,” Katy admitted with a small smile.
Queen Carina smiled back. “I noticed that it changed. But I also noticed that whatever my son once felt for Heidi paled in comparison to what he feels for you. And whereas she only wanted his title, you clearly want my son. He loves you with all his heart, and I believe you feel the same for him. And that’s enough for me.”
Touched by the queen’s words, Katy found she could only nod in reply.
“Now, I think that’s enough of that. If the seamstress is satisfied with the fit,” the queen paused to check for the seamstress’s nod, “it’s time to get you out of her masterful creation and check on the decorations in the throne room.”
The decorations in the throne room were progressing quite nicely. Katy had no opinion on the process other than “It’s beautiful” and “But isn’t it too much?” Unfortunately, Axel was busy with his own pre-wedding tasks, so Katy couldn’t escape the queen with the excuse that she wanted to spend the time with him.
She and the queen were walking past King Steffan’s study when raised voices caught her attention.
“I don’t care what the director claims, Axel, I am not changing my mind.”
“But the note-writer has threatened a disaster at the theater! How can you ignore that?”
Slowing her steps, Katy drifted toward the closed door, leaning closer to hear better. There had been another note ?
“I will not bow to coercion. One of your ardent fans from the ball may be willing to risk punishment if discovered, but I am not willing to put you into danger.”
“This isn’t a new development, Father! These notes have been appearing for months. And what if the disaster occurs during the performance? Keeping Katy and myself out of it might be the very thing that puts us in danger, not to mention everyone else!”
The queen stepped up behind Katy. “Eavesdropping, my dear?”
Katy grimaced, holding up a finger to request a moment as she turned back to the door, blocking out both the queen and the guards standing outside.
“So it’s a rabid theater fan. That doesn’t change anything,” the king said calmly.
“This person threatened to seriously harm the lead actor the last time, Father,” Axel ground out. “Over nothing more than the actor Gunther performing the second night instead of opening night.”
“And did it happen?”
There was a pause before Axel replied more quietly, “No. I was able to contact the young man in time, and he performed on opening night.”
The king’s sigh was loud enough to hear through the door. “This is the problem with your soft actor’s heart, son. You gave in to the threat, so now this fool believes he can get away with anything. You must learn to call his bluff.”
“But what if it isn’t a bluff, Father?” Axel pled. “What if he’s serious and something terrible happens? All the accidents—”
“The accidents are either unfortunate or caused by a force beyond our control. A human perpetrator would have been visible at the accidents, but a ghost cannot write notes. Therefore, whatever may be happening at your precious theater, the notes and the accidents are unrelated.”
“But—”
The king’s voice was stern and unyielding. “If you are that convinced of danger, Axel, I can simply forbid you from attending at all.”
Once again, it was silent. As it stretched out, Katy began to surrender to the queen’s impatient look. Then, just as she turned away, Axel broke it. His voice was perfectly calm and even, but it was the type that accompanied his best masks. “Very well, Father. Since you desire it, I shall cease worrying about this. Katy and I shall attend as planned, and let us all hope that your greater wisdom as king has led you to the correct response.”
A moment later, the door opened swiftly, but under perfect control. Axel stepped out wearing a pleasant mask with slightly lowered eyelids that betrayed his frustration. His expression lifted when he caught sight of her. “Katy. Mother. I take it you heard that?”
“Yes, your sensitive bride insisted on listening in,” his mother replied with a lift to one of her perfect eyebrows.
Taking a step closer to him, Katy said softly, “I don’t know if I caught it all. But I think I caught enough.”
Axel met her eyes, allowing some of his true feelings to leak through. “Mother, do you require Katy at this exact moment? Or may I steal her away from you for a short time?”
“Be my guest. I think she was ready for a break from me, anyway.” There was a smile in her voice. “Heaven knows, you’ll be busy enough later that you should steal a few moments where you may. Go on, then.”
Grabbing her hand, Axel led Katy through the halls to his own study. He closed the door behind them before releasing a heavy breath and dropping his mask .
“What are we going to do?” Katy asked, making sure to keep her voice low. They were alone, but the heavy wooden door wasn’t thick enough to block all sound. She knew this was a conversation that they didn’t want overheard. “Are you going to try to sing anyway?”
“I can’t.” Axel shook his head. “Mother and Father will be there. Even if I managed to slip away without drawing notice, they would be sure to recognize me once I appeared on the stage.”
“You don’t think they would cause a scene, do you?”
“I don’t know,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “But even if they let the show proceed, I can’t imagine the trouble I would be in for openly defying a direct order from my father.”
“But if it prevented the note-writer’s disaster?” Katy pressed, stepping forward and resting a hand on his shoulder. “Wouldn’t that be worth it?”
“I don’t know,” he repeated, an edge of frustration in his voice. “I don’t know what the disaster would be. And what if my father is right, and it’s an empty threat? What if I were to defy my father for no reason at all? And I would never even know, because if I sing, this disaster won’t happen, whether it was an empty threat or not. The only way to know for sure would be to do as my father says.”
“But Axel—”
“I know, Katy.” He wrapped his arms around her, crushing her to his chest. “But there’s nothing I can do. Even if I was willing to risk my father’s wrath, I’d never make it onto that stage. There’s nothing I can do.”
As Katy wrapped her arms around him in return, she felt the helplessness that she could hear in his voice. There was nothing they could do.
Except hope the king was right.
~
Their large group arrived at the theater about twenty minutes before the curtain opened. Unlike the last time they were there, they didn’t wait in line; King Steffan was more than willing to pull rank and slip them past the crowds. Katy gripped Axel’s arm tightly with both hands as they swept into the entry hall and through to the auditorium, the crowds parting before the wedge of guards at their front.
Once they were seated, Axel grasped her hand tightly. As their joined hands rested on his knee, she could feel his tension in his grip, even though his face was the picture of calm and patience. Katy was sure that her own apprehension was just as clear in her grip, but written across her face as well.
Everyone around them behaved with the excitement expected of a new production. Katy kept waiting for something to happen, but the audience settled into their places, the ushers came by and extinguished the many candles in candelabras and wall sconces around the edges of the room, and the curtain rose without any sign of a problem. As the show progressed uneventfully, Katy felt herself begin to relax.
“Well, son, I hope you see now how foolish you were to be concerned,” King Steffan said heartily as the lights were lit for intermission. He wore a smug grin as he stood and surveyed the room. “Halfway through, and not a disaster to be seen.”
“Indeed, Father,” Axel replied. He wrapped an arm around Katy, and she could feel by the way he pulled her in that he remained concerned. “Not even on stage. So you see, there was no need to call us from our parts.”
“Nonsense, Axel!” the king huffed. “If your note-writer was going to cause trouble, he would have done it by now. However, if there is any truth to this ghost, it might choose to act at any point. We won’t know that my caution was undeserved until the final curtain. But even if it was, better safe than sorry. ”
“Shouldn’t that same maxim have applied to the note?”
The king shook his head indulgently. “The difference between giving in to coercion and being prudently cautious, son. One of these days, you’ll learn the wisdom of that.”
Instead of responding, Axel gave his father a small smile before slipping out to the aisle, murmuring to Katy that he would return with drinks for them both.
They were about halfway through the fourth act when the leading actress shrieked, pointing at something above her. An ominous creaking noise came from the direction of the stage. Then the candelabras and wall sconces sprang back to life. Katy reached over to grab Axel’s hand. He pushed himself to the edge of the seat, ready to launch to his feet.
A haunting melody in an alto voice began to rise above the worried rumblings of the crowd and the panicked cries of the cast as they fled the stage. It grew until it seemed to fill the auditorium. Axel’s hand convulsed against hers. “Lotti?” he gasped. “What is she doing?”
The voice abruptly cut off when a loud crash was heard offstage. But before Axel could jump to his feet, there was a rattling noise all around them, and then someone screamed as every candelabra, every wall sconce in the room toppled to the floor and the great, sparkling chandelier plummeted toward the orchestra pit below.