by Aya Ling
“My goodness.” The queen puts a hand to her mouth. The king rubs his eyes, looks at us, then rubs his eyes again.
We do look similar, Katriona and I. When we were in the carriage on our way to the palace, I had taken a good look at her. Her face isn’t as round as mine, and she has more freckles over her face, but it’s no problem passing us off as twins.
And then an alarming realization enters my mind—she looks more like me when I was seventeen. The reality of the situation starts to sink in. I have not entered Katriona’s body like I did last time. I am here in my twenty-four-year-old self, while she . . . where was she when I was sent to Athelia this second time?
It was a huge mistake, Krev’s voice echoes in my head. He must be referring to Katriona Bradshaw. No wonder the goblin didn’t seem to mind when I was in Athelia for the first time, because I was in Katriona’s body. But now, looking at my doppelgänger standing quietly behind Bianca, hands folded and eyes downcast, it registers in my mind that this is indeed a huge, thorny issue.
It’s impossible that I can prove that I am Katriona Bradshaw. But if I’m not Katriona, what is to become of me? Even if I tell them the truth, the king and queen won’t believe me. They’ll think I’m crazy. My palms grow moist as my anxiety heightens. I hunch my back and hold my elbows tightly, trying to make myself seem inconspicuous. How am I going to get out of this situation unscathed?
“We need to move to a private room,” the king says finally. “This is a problem that deserves our full attention.”
We are led through a corridor until we reach the king’s receiving chamber. On our way, servants halt and stare at us in disbelief. Oh no. Now everyone knows or is going to know that I am not Katriona Bradshaw. I’m a fraud.
When we enter the receiving chamber, footsteps pound outside, and Edward appears. His hair is mussed up, his chest heaving, and when he sees me and Katriona, he looks as though someone has struck him on the head.
“Kat,” he starts. “Why are you . . . what happened?”
“That,” the king says, “is what we need to find out now.”
I head to the throne—four seats are set for us, but Bianca grabs my arm. “You do not deserve to sit on the throne, witch.”
“Remove your hand, Lady Pembroke.” Edward’s tone is freezing. “Whatever you wish to say, she is still the princess.”
The king sends us a disapproving look, but he does not comment when Edward pulls me along. The king, queen, Edward and I sit on the thrones, while Bianca, Lady Bradshaw, and Katriona occupy the seats below. I close my eyes for a second and pray. There must be a way out of this. There must.
“Bianca Bradshaw,” the queen says slowly. “Are you saying that the woman sitting beside you is your real sister, while the woman my son married is not?”
Bianca lifts her chin. “We were deceived. I don’t know what kind of magic she has been using, but somehow she took advantage of my sister’s identity, called herself Katriona Bradshaw, and tried to gain favor with you.”
“There is no magic in this country,” the king says sharply. A bit too vehemently, like the mention of magic offends his ears. “What proof do you have that the woman with you is your real sister?”
Bianca repeats our conversation at our house, describing in detail how I failed to answer all those basic questions. “I would guess that this woman” —she points at me— “is some despicable commoner, and upon discovering that she resembles my sister, she hatched this plot. She abducted my sister, sneaked into our house, and used every opportunity behind our backs to seduce Prince Edward.”
“Kat never tried to seduce me,” Edward says sharply. “If anything, I had to persuade her to marry me.”
He deals her an intense glare, and Bianca flinches.
“Pardon me, Your Majesties,” Lady Bradshaw says, speaking for the first time. Compared to Bianca, she looks nervous. Possibly because she had been convicted of her crime committed toward Elle. “But this is not uncommon. If you had read the latest gothic novel, The Woman in Red, you will find a similar occurrence in the plot—two women who look alike are exchanged.”
My heart jumps. I’ve read the novel she has been talking about. Two women who look similar enough to be passed off as twins, one rich and one poor, are exchanged so that the poor woman could inherit the rich one’s fortune. The narrative is chilling and horrifying, and it fascinated the public (including me), and according to Mr. Wellesley, it has sold thousands of copies.
“Let us not bring fiction into this,” the king says contemptuously. “How could Kat manage to remove Katriona Bradshaw? Were there any accomplices? And if she has been masquerading as Katriona Bradshaw, then where was Katriona Bradshaw this whole time?”
Bianca colors. “It seems to have occurred after the wedding, Your Majesty. My sister was unconscious, and when she woke up, she found herself in a small Moryn village.”
I feel as if cold water was splashed over me. Jérôme told me that he saw a girl who looked like me in Moryn. It had to be Katriona Bradshaw. And to think I dismissed his comment, never imagining that she’d come back and stir up all this trouble.
The real Katriona speaks. “Forgive me, Your Majesty, but I truly don’t know what happened to me. When I woke up in the village, I was wearing a wedding dress and I had this.” She holds up a glittering ring. Next to me, Edward catches his breath. It is our wedding ring, the ring I lost when I arrived in Athelia.
What have the goblins done? I open my mouth, but no sound comes out. Instead, I sink further into my chair, wishing that this were a nightmare and I’d wake up soon.
“What is that?” the king and queen say at the same time.
Katriona starts to tremble. “Apparently, it seems that I have been kidnapped from my wedding to . . . Edward.” My husband’s jaw tightens. Apart from his family and close friends, no one calls him by his first name.
“Bring the ring to me,” the king commands. “Kat, your ring, please.”
I hold my breath as he compares the ring to the one I am wearing. They look exactly the same.
“That day when you returned from your honeymoon,” the king says slowly, turning to Edward. “You told me that you had to go to the jewelers because Katriona had lost her ring.”
Edward nods slowly. “It doesn’t matter, Father. I don’t know how this woman acquired the wedding dress and ring, but Kat is the one I wanted to marry. Not her.”
“She deceived you!” Bianca screams. “Ask her who she is! Ask her why she took the name of Katriona Bradshaw! She shouldn’t even be on that throne.”
“Calm down, Lady Pembroke,” the queen says coolly. Bianca looks down and apologizes in a low voice, but the wrath remains in her eyes.
My hands feel cold, numb. I should speak, but what can I say? I have no idea how Katriona Bradshaw got transported to Moryn.
“Well,” the king addresses me. “What do you have to say?”
Edward grasps my hand so tightly, I think my bones might break. “I . . . I’m sorry,” I say. It is no use trying to prove that I am Katriona. “But I swear, I didn’t mean to do you any harm.”
“I don’t care who she is, nor where she came from,” Edward says fiercely. “She is the woman I love and the only woman I desire for my wife.”
“Edward.” The king’s voice is stern. “This is not a moment for a passionate outburst. If this lady had knowingly taken the identity of Katriona Bradshaw and sent her away to a foreign country, it is a crime that cannot be overlooked. Even if she is considered royal.”
“Exactly!” Bianca exclaims. “This woman, whoever she is, may look innocent, but inside, she harbors a mind more poisonous than a viper. She has stripped everything from my family, condemned my mother to the country, kidnapped my sister, and forced her to live, helpless and alone, in a foreign country. If my sister didn’t have a will of steel and persisted until she found a chance to journey back to our country, she might have died in Moryn. I demand you seize this heartless person and make her pay for the cri
mes she committed.”
There is a moment of silence. “What should we do?” the queen says quietly.
The king lands a fist on the arm of his chair. “I need some time to figure out how to deal with this. For now, bring Kat . . . these two women . . . to separate rooms and keep them there. If necessary, I will let the High Court decide what is to be done to them.”
Edward stands up, his face agitated. “Father! You cannot order my wife to be locked up.”
“This is a very serious matter,” the king says gravely. “I promise you, if Kat is not found guilty, I will personally issue a pardon. For now, the most important thing is to discover the truth.”
“What is to become of me?” The question slips from my lips before I know what I’m saying.
Edward squeezes my hand so hard that tears spring into my eyes. “Nothing will happen to you, love. I will find a way to fix this. You are my wife, and I intend to keep you with me. Whatever it takes.”
The exact words he said to me during our first quarrel. I smile at him, trying not to let him see how worried I am. Bianca is bent on revenge—she won’t stop until I am punished. I have to come up with a plausible story. Otherwise, I am doomed.
41
Before I am escorted back to my room, I glimpse Bianca sending me a look as sharp as a knife. If I were a piece of meat, she would have cloven me in half. I try to catch a glimpse of Katriona as well, but her back is turned toward me. Multiple questions race through my head. What is she thinking? She must hate me for stealing her identity and telling everyone that I am her. Is she going to take advantage of my fortune? My hands shake. No. Never. Even if I am denounced a liar, a cheat, or even a witch, I will never give Edward up. Not after all the trouble it took me to get here.
Both Amelie and Mabel are dusting the furniture when I return. One of the palace guards—not Bertram—has been assigned to stand outside my door in case I suddenly escape. I could laugh. Where could I escape to? I have no family, no relatives in Athelia. I do have Elle and Poppy, but it’s unlikely they are able to shield me.
I wonder what Poppy would say. After all, she is the only one, apart from Edward, who knows I am not from Athelia. Still, I don’t know what she might think of me if she believes that I had taken Katriona Bradshaw’s identity through some nefarious scheme.
Think, I command myself. I have to think of an explanation to convince the king and queen, and maybe even the people of Athelia, that I am a victim as well. But no matter what excuse I come up with, there’s no denying the real Katriona Bradshaw’s existence, and I had been using her identity. She is also a victim of this mess. If I defend myself and call her a liar, I’ll be inflicting further harm on a girl who hasn’t done anything wrong. But if Katriona Bradshaw obeys Bianca and convicts me of fraud and abduction, I’m dead meat for sure.
I drop into my window seat and gaze outside. The palace gardens are a snowy paradise, and there are even a few children pelting snowballs at each other. I shiver slightly, despite a roaring fire lit inside, and grab a satin wrap hanging on the back of my chair. Is there a book of Athelian law in here? What kind of punishment will I get for deceiving the royal family? From what I have known about Athelian society from the papers, one could be sentenced to hard labor for just stealing a loaf of bread. Granted, it’s less likely for aristocrats to be punished, but they could decide that I’m not noble. I’m just ordinary Katherine Wilson.
“Princess?” Mabel pokes her head through the door. “Lady Elle has come to see you.”
“Of course,” I say. “Show her in.”
“Certainly, Princess. By the way, why is there a guard outside the door? Not that I’m complaining. He’s so good-looking!”
Another time I would have laughed and encouraged her to go for the guy, but I can barely crack a smile when that guard is here to watch over me.
Light footsteps tread on the carpet and Elle bursts in. She looks lovely, with her rosy cheeks and golden hair. Any other time, I would have been glad to receive her. But now, with my head still hurting from the story I need to come up with to defend myself, I don’t feel like seeing anyone.
“Hello, Elle.” I manage a fake smile.
Her eyes are sparkling, and she comes forward and takes my hands. “You won’t believe the news, Kat.”
“You ran away to Ruby Red with Henry and got married?”
Elle gasps. “Oh, no! Of course, I wouldn’t dare to do that. His parents would never forgive me. However.” She looks like she is going to explode from happiness. “We are engaged.”
This temporarily knocks the thorny issue of Katriona Bradshaw from my mind. “Oh, my goodness,” I exclaim. “How did you manage to persuade her? She has been against your marrying Henry for ages. What could possibly make her change her mind?”
Elle smiles and casts herself on the low sofa. “It’s a shock for me too. Sometimes I still feel that this is all a dream, and one day I’ll wake up and discover that Henry is engaged to another girl.”
“So how did it happen?”
“Do you remember that Dr. Durant had invited Henry to Moryn? I know he really wants to go, but when I went to see him, I found that he was gone. Thomas told me that the duchess made Henry return to Somerset Hall with her. I was able to spare some time from the orphanage and school, so I decided I had to do something. With the train, it is so much easier to get to the country.” Elle folds her hands together. “I bought a ticket and went down to Somerset alone.”
“Oh, my God.” The things that she is willing to risk for love. “Have you ever taken the train before?”
“Never. You should have seen me at the platform; I didn’t know which direction to go.” Elle smiles softly. “I wasn’t thinking of persuading the duchess to approve our marriage. You see, I wanted to see for myself if Henry was willing to give up the chance of going to Moryn and instead inherit Somerset. I dressed as a commoner and tried talking to the gardener, the housekeeper, and the servants. I learned that Henry was indeed unhappy coming back and being forced to inherit the estate. I know him, Kat. I know that all he has ever wanted was to be a doctor. I didn’t want to let the duchess force him to give up what he loved.”
“So . . . what did you do?” I still don’t get how Elle managed to change the duchess’s mind.
Elle takes a deep breath. “I changed into the clothes of a lady. I hired a carriage and drove up to the estate and handed in my card. The duchess had no choice but to receive me. I told her that I am willing to give up Henry, but on one condition—only if he is allowed to go to Moryn and later pursue his career in medicine.”
I cannot freaking believe it. “That’s incredible. Did you really mean it? Did Henry hear you say that?”
“It doesn’t matter what I think,” Elle says. “I was determined. If I cannot marry Henry, I won’t settle for anyone else. I love him, but because I love him, I want to see him happy and doing what he loves. If that means I need to sacrifice myself, I am prepared to do it.”
I feel like saying that Henry wouldn’t be happy either if he cannot marry her, but considering that the outcome is a success, I keep my thoughts to myself. “And the duchess relented?”
“She was furious. She told me I had no right to decide what her son does. I told her that all I wanted was for Henry to be happy. And then our conversation reached the grand duke, who was still convalescing. He told the duchess to show me in, and he asked me if I truly meant what I promised.” Elle takes a sip of water and continues. “I told him how I valued Henry’s happiness above my own. I also told him that even if I could marry Henry, if I were to become the mistress of this house, I would rather not marry him at all. Because of who both of us are, we would never be able to become conventional rulers of this district.”
She paces for a few seconds and turns to me. “Henry happened to return at that moment, and his father told him about our conversation. Henry stated that he would have no one but me. They had a huge row, but the grand duke took our side, and eventually the duchess re
lented. A distant cousin is going to inherit the estate. Henry asked for my hand, and we are unofficially engaged. Once he finishes his year with Dr. Durant, he’s going to come back to Athelia and we will be married.”
Unbelievable. After all this time, they are finally together. Oh, how I wish I could have been at the estate to witness Elle confronting the duchess. And I’m glad that the grand duke is more open-minded compared to the duchess. Then I remember Sir Montgomery. Maybe the grand duke has something in common with Sir Montgomery, who eventually gave in to his daughter’s choice.
“Congratulations!” On an impulse, I get up and hug her. “I’m so glad for you both.”
Elle laughs. “When I was a servant, I only dared to hope that my mother and my brothers could be safe and healthy. I only prayed that I could support them. I never dreamed that I could marry the man of my dreams. I must have been born when lady luck smiled upon me.”
Speaking of luck, I am brought back to reality. I will certainly need some luck when it comes to dealing with the real Katriona.
“By the way,” Elle says. “There’s a man stationed outside your door. Did you meet any trouble or threats that you require a bodyguard?”
I think of the Bradshaws. “Something has happened,” I finally say. “But it’s really complicated. I don’t know how I can explain it.”
“Princess!” Mabel pops her head through the door. “Sorry to interrupt, but His Highness insisted on coming in.”
Edward strides into the room. When he sees me, relief breaks over his face. Despite Elle’s presence, he strides up to me and embraces me fiercely.