I sat at my small table and wrote a letter. The guards might be forbidden to let me in to see Cole, but I doubted they had received any orders about letters. I knew I had no real need to tell him of my decision, but I wanted to, if only to keep myself accountable. If I kept an escape plan in the back of my mind, it might prevent me from putting my full mind into finding a better solution.
Sure enough, when I delivered Cole’s letter, the guards hemmed and hawed, but eventually agreed to thrust it through the slot usually used for food delivery. I watched the floating letter disappear, and then left the dungeon with a lighter heart.
Chapter 24
I had expected to feel nothing but frustration for the ball, but a new sense of hope had entered my heart, and I couldn’t quite resist getting sucked into the excitement of the preparations. Tara and Lottie had recruited several more maids to assist them, and the atmosphere in my chamber was light and festive.
They speculated about what Dominic might wear, giggling as they declared him handsome despite his beastly features. I raised an eyebrow but didn’t dispute their claims. I wouldn’t have called him handsome exactly, although he was certainly compelling, demanding your attention in a way that couldn’t be denied. And he had most definitely been handsome before the curse—at least if his portrait was anything to go by.
They all made me close my eyes while they brought out my dress and carefully placed it over my head. It slid across my skin, as soft as silk, and settled around me with considerable weight. I was led to a mirror and then told to look.
When I did, I gasped. Tight fitting across the bodice, the gown flared out at the waist into the biggest skirt I had ever seen. But that wasn’t what had elicited the reaction. The entire dress glowed. Shimmering in the candlelight, it shone like…“sunshine,” I whispered. “And moonbeams.” When I looked closer, I realized the entire dress had been woven out of actual gold thread, mingled with silver.
“However did you create such a thing? And so quickly.” It must be worth a small fortune.
They all laughed and assured me their seamstresses had been more than up to the task. I think they were merely relieved to have something more challenging than servant’s clothes to work on, said Tara. It’s been years now since any ladies visited this castle.
They arranged my hair so that it was only half up, the curls cascading over one shoulder, and then declared me perfect. I actually blushed at their extravagant compliments. I couldn’t help wondering what Dominic would think when he saw me.
The ballroom had somehow been polished in the short time since the servants had announced the ball, and the rose garden had managed to provide enough blooms to decorate the large space. I stood at the top of the shallow flight of stairs that led down into the room and took a deep breath. I tried to tell myself my nerves were due to the roomful of invisible people, and not to the one person I could see.
As I descended, light hit my dress from every direction, the chandeliers reflecting in the tall mirrors that lined the walls. Now I truly did shine like the sun.
The effect of the mirrors made the room seem much larger than it truly was, a gorgeous riot of silver and gold and crystal, punctuated with the red of the roses. I reached the bottom of the stairs and looked up into Dominic’s face. He stood several steps away from me, dressed in a long jacket that matched the deep red of the roses and was embroidered with gold and silver thread that glowed like my gown.
His piercing blue eyes were locked on me, and the expression in them made me swallow nervously. He strode forward, stopping far too close for comfort.
You look…beautiful. He held out his hand in a silent request for a dance.
I dipped down into a slight curtsey before placing my hand in his. “And you look very dashing.”
An invisible orchestra struck up a waltz, and his hand encircled my waist, pulling me against him more firmly than the dance strictly called for. I didn’t protest. He twirled me around the room as effortlessly as if I were flying, leading us through the other dancers who I couldn’t see. My heart soared at the beauty surrounding me and the exhilaration of the movement, and for a moment I forgot the way time pressed in upon us.
Apparently, Dominic felt the same way, because when the music paused at the end of the song, he whispered, Can we forget everything else, just for now, and dance?
I nodded my agreement, ready after the last few days to be free from the pressure and stress for one evening. We danced, clasped close together, as if in an embrace, for song after song. Dominic’s strength made even the most difficult of moves simple, and he twirled me through the air as easily with one hand as with two.
This whole strange summer had been like a dream, removed from the normal realities of life. But never so much as during this ball, when I danced through a ballroom that appeared empty, but was filled with the sound of other dancers. Sometimes I forgot that Dominic and I weren’t the only ones there, and then Tara or Lottie would call a greeting as they, presumably, swung past in the dance, and the illusion would be shattered.
Every few songs we paused to seek the drinks and refreshments that had been set up on a long table to one side of the stairway. Tara sidled up to me at one point to let me know that Samuel had danced the last two dances with Lottie. She sounded triumphant, and I wondered what she had done to bring the two together.
At one such break I saw an entire pile of sticky buns leaving the table, and caught Gordon in the act of sneaking out of the ball. He assured me that he wasn’t up to any mischief and would, in fact, be on his best behavior—he just needed me to refrain from letting Gilda know he had disappeared. He assured me earnestly that he wouldn’t have dreamed of doing so, except that one of the stable boys had found a lizard longer than his forearm out near the stables, and if he didn’t go now, he might miss it.
I laughed and swore myself to secrecy, and then Dominic swung me back into the dance. I could feel his silent chuckles, and I wondered if he had been fascinated by lizards as a boy, too. I remembered how uncomfortable he had been when I included the servants in my birthday cake on my actual birthday. He showed no discomfort now, to be dancing with them all. I couldn’t pinpoint a moment when his attitude had changed—it had been as gradual as the warming weather.
When I smiled to myself at the thought, he looked down at me quizzically, but I just shrugged, not wanting to put it into words. We danced for dance after dance, but eventually I grew weary enough to welcome a rest. He offered me his arm and led me through a curtain and onto a balcony which looked out over the gardens. I leaned on the stone balustrade and stared up at the stars. Here I could truly believe that we were all alone.
“I keep asking myself what is the strangest thing I have experienced since coming here, but I cannot decide.” When I looked sideways at Dominic, I saw he was watching my face. I flushed, glad the darkness hid the color in my cheeks.
I have been thinking that I have never experienced such an evening. I had always considered balls tiresome before this. He shook his head as if unable to believe his foolishness.
“Ha! I knew you were delaying this one.” I smiled. “Although, in truth, I also thought I was sick of balls after the endless number we endured during the Tourney.”
Ah, yes. The Tourney. Darkness closed over his expression. Will it always stand between us?
I straightened and spun around to lean backwards against the stone rail. “How can it not? It’s the reason for our betrothal and for my presence here.”
I never intended to use a Tourney to choose a bride. But what other choice did I have, trapped here as I am?
I bit my lip, not wanting to ruin the evening with a fight. “You could have chosen not to seek a bride at all, could you not?”
That was…not an option.
I frowned, willing him to go on, but he fell silent. I clenched my teeth, sick of his silence and secrecy. “My good friend Celine broke her leg in the first trial and had to compete anyway, for weeks and weeks. And another girl, barely old
enough even to participate, nearly died. Was that what you wanted in order to find a bride strong enough to withstand you? They say each Tourney reflects the man who called it…”
His face went still, his hand clenching into a fist. I did not know it would be like that. He leaned his hands against the stone and looked out into the night. But I can understand why you want nothing to do with me. A twisted psyche like mine does not deserve a bride as beautiful as you. He barked a laugh. Each of our outsides reflects our insides, do they not?
My anger melted away, and I had to hold back tears. “When I entered this evening, I thought that I had never seen you look so handsome.”
He shook his head dismissively. I did look handsome once. But it did not serve me in the end. Good looks could not prevent my curse.
“Please tell me what could have done so,” I begged. “There is still time. Let me help you!”
A spasm ran across his features, but he did not turn to look at me. I moved closer and reached my hand up to cup his face. Gently I turned him toward me, angling his head down so that I could look into his eyes. “Tell me what I can do to save you, Beast,” I whispered.
His breath stilled, and I realized how close his face was to mine. He moved fractionally toward me, and my own breath hitched in my throat. I felt the warmth of his skin beneath my hand and smelled the musky scent I had come to associate with him.
A tingle of anticipation filled me as he moved closer still, and all rational thought was overwhelmed by a sudden desire to feel his lips pressed hard against mine. He moved even closer, and I felt the faintest touch, no more than an impression of warmth, before he pulled abruptly away.
I fell back, gulping deep breaths of the cold air in an effort to cool my cheeks, flushed with embarrassment. I risked a small glance at him, but he was looking out into the garden once more, his hands gripping the stone so tightly I feared he might crush it.
I owe you so many apologies, Sophie, that I know words could never be enough. But I will show you my regret with my actions. No longer will I take advantage of the fact that you are trapped here. You are free to move through the castle, and to come and go, as you please. You may order your evening meal in your room, if you wish it, and you may order me away from you. I will obey.
I stared at him, my mind trying to keep up with the change of subject. “I may go anywhere I please?”
A pained look crossed his face, but he seemed to brace himself. “Yes. I will tell the guards to let you pass freely.”
Oh, he thought it was Cole on my mind. But I was thinking of someone far more important. “And what of your bedchamber?”
His head whipped around to stare at me, and I flushed again. I hurried to explain myself. “Am I free to visit the royal mirror?”
Oh. He relaxed slightly. Yes, you are free to visit it whenever you please. Consider it a very belated birthday gift from me.
“It is just the gift I was hoping for.” I smiled at him, giddy with excitement. Not only at the prospect of seeing Lily but also of feeling connected to the other kingdoms again. Who knew what wisdom I might receive from my family?
Spontaneously I flung my arms into the air and twirled around and around. When I stopped Dominic was watching me with an expression half of amusement, half of sadness. You want to go right now, don’t you?
I froze. “Oh! Can I?”
When he nodded, I actually jumped up and down before rushing over and placing a kiss upon his cheek. “Oh, thank you, thank you.”
I ran from the room, holding my huge skirts out of the way so they wouldn’t hamper my progress. At the door of the ballroom, I looked back. He stood where I had left him on the balcony, one hand pressed against the place where I had kissed his cheek. I bit my lip, but the pull to the mirror overwhelmed everything else, and I ran on.
Thoughts not only of my twin but of my parents and my brother and sister-in-law filled my mind. And my adorable little niece and nephew. I couldn’t wait to see them again, even if I could only view them from afar.
I was too distracted by my thoughts to pay attention to where I was going, so I didn’t see the dark figure in the corridor until I collided with him. I would have fallen if he hadn’t gripped my arms. My mind raced, full of confusion. I had just left Dominic behind, but no one else was visible and solid like this.
And then my eyes adjusted to the darkness, and I remembered there was one other person in the castle who could present such an obstacle.
“How? What?” I sputtered, trying to get out a coherent question. “How are you here?”
Cole smirked. “How did I escape from the Marinese prison? That’s the question you should have been asking. Really you royals are all the same. Complacent.”
“Let me go right now, or I’ll scream,” I warned him.
“Oh, I wouldn’t do that, if I were you,” he said. I took a deep breath, preparing to yell as loudly as I could, despite his words, and he hurried on. “Not if you value your sister’s life.”
I shut my mouth instantly, the blood draining from my head. Lily. “What do you mean? Tell me immediately.”
He shook his head. “You really should have agreed to come with me. We could have kept everything perfectly pleasant, you know.”
“I will never marry you!” I spit the words at him, almost too enraged to speak.
“Oh, I think you will. And you’ll speak the words of the coronation and make me king. Otherwise you can watch your sister bleed out in front of you.”
“Why should I believe you?” I asked, scrambling to think clearly in the midst of my panic.
He shrugged. “I assume the Beast brought the Palinaran royal mirror with him? Ask it to show you Lily. You’ll see soon enough that I have her in my custody. She’s waiting in the Palinaran capital with friends of mine who know what to do if you attempt to defy me.”
I tried to slow my frantic breathing. If he was invoking the mirror so casually, he clearly did not fear what it might show me.
“And don’t think of turning to that Beast of yours for help,” he continued. “If I don’t return, my friends know what to do. Don’t think you could get to her in time.”
Tears filled my eyes, though I fought against them. “You cannot think he will just let me leave with you.”
Cole shrugged. “That’s up to you to figure out. Tell him any tale you like to convince him to let you go and not to follow you. Feel free to be as astonished as you like when my escape is discovered. I’m going to the capital immediately—I’ve had enough of this creepy place with its floating objects. But I have no desire to travel the whole way with an enraged Beast on my tail, so I’m leaving you here for now. Check my story in the mirror, if you like. Then you spin that monster a convincing story and follow me within a day—alone—or you won’t see your sister, or her betrothed, alive again.” He shivered. “I don’t know how you’ve been able to stand this filthy place. I think when I’m king, I will order it razed to the ground.”
I stared at him in horror. “But what about the wolves, and…the bears?”
He shrugged. “You can’t imagine I would really have risked my life riding here through a dangerous wasteland, do you? The wasteland and the animals are gone, they’ve been slowly disappearing for weeks. The rest of the kingdoms will figure it out soon enough and start sending parties in. But we’ll have taken the crown by then, and none of them will be able to dispute the legality of it.”
He let me go and stepped backwards, shaking his head. “I nearly had you, too. I could see it in your face before that creature burst in on us in the dungeons.” He shrugged. “Oh well, maybe this way is better. Acting is exhausting.”
I trembled uncontrollably as he faded away into the dark. All I could think of was Lily. I had to rescue Lily.
Part III
The Capital
Chapter 25
I must have stood there, frozen in place, for several minutes. And then my legs were moving of their own accord, and I was running toward the Beast’s chamber
. I burst through the door and ripped back the curtain, my mind fully focused on Lily.
“Show me my sister, please,” I said, running my words together in my haste. The fog appeared almost instantly, and I held my breath, knowing there was no use in hoping Cole had been lying.
Sure enough, when the mirror cleared, I saw Lily, lying with her head in Jon’s lap. Both of them had ties around their hands and feet, and Jon was glaring at a guard I could just see in the corner of the room. I placed my hand against the mirror, tears filling my eyes. How had he got hold of them?
He must have stolen the letter Lily was part way through writing me. Which would explain why she hadn’t signed it, and why it didn’t mention anything specific about Cole. He had probably been afraid that if he forced her to write a fake letter, she would find a way to include a coded message to me.
I stepped back and pulled the curtain across the mirror, not wanting to see any more of the scene. At least they were together and looked healthy enough for the moment. I could only imagine how angry they must be, however.
I left the room and slowly made my way back toward the ballroom. Would the Beast still be there? It was a place to start, at least. The raging part of me wanted to tell him the truth and send him after Cole. But I knew I couldn’t do that. It was all too likely he had spoken the truth, and his men had instructions to kill their hostages if he didn’t return.
Another thought hit me. I couldn’t send Dominic after Cole, even if I wanted to. He couldn’t leave the castle grounds. Because, while some aspects of the reverse curse on the kingdom itself were lifting, Dominic’s curse remained firmly in place.
And yet I felt an utter certainty that if he knew what was happening, he would insist on accompanying me, despite the risk to himself. Which meant I had to make sure he didn’t even suspect the truth. I decided on a convincing story and rehearsed it in my mind.
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