“Graf von Reischor told me that he’d found you.I didn’t believe him.”She beckoned for him to draw nearer, and Michael forced himself to come and sit beside her.
The Queen’s dark hair held no traces of gray.It was braided and wound into an elaborate coiffeur, adorned with jeweled hairpins.She wore a black moiré gown trimmed with black velvet.
“They told me I was mad when I said that the boy they gave me was not my son.No one would believe me.”She stared at him.“You look a great deal like the child I lost.Are you he?”
“I don’t know.”But something about the queen’s voice, the soft tones of it, was familiar.“I thought I was Michael Thorpe.I don’t remember anything about this country or anyone else.”
She reached out to him.“May I?”He gave a nod and she touched his cheek, studying his face closer.“How did you end up in London?”
“Abigail Turner claimed she took me away when men were trying to kill her husband.She hid me in London these past twenty-three years.”
“Abigail Turner.”The queen’s face darkened with rage.“She deserves to be put to death for what she did.”
“She saved my life,” Michael countered.He explained what Mrs.Turner had told him, and all the while, the queen listened with an unreadable expression.
When he’d finished, he said, “I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t believe a word I said.Why should you?I’m a stranger claiming that I could be your son.”
“You don’t want this throne, do you?”the queen said slowly.
“No.”He strode away from her, even knowing that it was rude.“I wanted to believe that Mary Thorpe was my mother.I wanted to go back to my life as a lieutenant in the British Army.”He folded his arms across his chest, switching to Lohenisch.“But I can’t deny the memories I have.Or this language that isn’t truly mine.”
When he turned back to face the queen, her gaze met his.
“You’re not a lieutenant, are you?”With her posture ramrod straight, she rose and walked towards him.“Show me your left calf.”He raised the leg of his trousers, lowering his sock until he bared the scar.
Her hazel eyes glistened, and Queen Astri covered her mouth with her hands.“You’re the son I lost.Fürst Karl.”
“My name is not Karl,” he protested.“I am Michael.”
“Yes.Karl Peter Michael Henry, Fürst of Lohenberg.”She drew closer, staring at the scar.“It was in the wrong place, you see.The scar on the boy they gave me.His scar was just above his ankle.Yours was below the knee.But the king wouldn’t believe me.He told me that the boy was our son.The scar was enough to convince him.He had me locked away, believing I’d gone mad when I said the child wasn’t ours.
“May I?”she asked, and once again he realized that she was treating him like royalty, requesting permission before she touched him.
Her arms went around him in an embrace, and awkwardly, he stood still, not sure of what to do.When she moved away, her eyes were wet.“You don’t know me.I’m aware of that, but it’s been so very long.”
Another tear rolled down her cheek, combined with a laugh.“I was right, you see.They didn’t believe me, but I was right.The boy they gave me wasn’t you.”She removed a handkerchief and wiped her eyes.“I thank God you’re alive.”
The door to the queen’s antechamber opened, and Fürst Karl entered.He strode forward, bowing to the queen, but his eyes blazed with fury.
“Your Majesty,” he greeted her.To Michael, he said nothing.
“Get out,” she ordered Karl, pointing at the door.“I’ve no wish to see you.”
“My lady Mother, I—”
“Out!”she shrieked.“Leave my presence!I am not your mother, and you are not my son!”Her face filled with loathing, and Michael glimpsed the prince’s shuttered expression.
“If you have need of me—”
“I would never call you if I had the need.You are nothing to me but an impostor!Lying traitor!”
The prince sent Michael another dark look, bowing to the queen before he made his way out of the chamber.
Queen Astri apologized as soon as the door closed.“Tonight, I will order a welcoming feast for you, my son.And the world will know the truth of who is the real prince.”Her face curved in a smile.“They have only to look upon your face to see it for themselves.”
But despite her happiness, Michael hadn’t missed the hatred upon Karl’s face.He’d just deposed a man who had been born and bred for the throne.And he had no doubt that Karl would fight for his kingdom.
Hannah ducked behind the tall wooden chair when Fürst Karl exited the chamber.Anyone could have heard the queen’s rejection, and from the iciness on the prince’s face, it was clear he was furious.
