Gerlach stood upon the shores of Vertraumen. It had rained all night, and his clothing was soaked. He stared at the green island, while the waves sloshed against the sand. In all his years of service, he’d never imagined he’d have to betray the princess like this.
But there was no choice. His wife and son were at the mercy of the baron, and once the king learned of his role in the princess’s escape, all of them could pay the price. He had to bring her back or risk harm to those he loved.
He walked for hours along the edge of the sand, past the houses belonging to the middle class and a few of the wealthy. He searched for poverty, for only there would he find the sort of men he needed—desperate folk who wouldn’t hesitate to bring him his hostage. And he needed men who could scour the island until the princess was found.
When he reached the outskirts of the town, he found shelters held together with wood and rusted nails. A child stood watching him from the door, a young boy perhaps three years of age. Hisface was dirty, and he looked hungry. Gerlach’s throat burned, but he walked toward the house.
A father would do anything for his child’s welfare—even betray an angel. He voiced a prayer of forgiveness for what he had to do now.
The pounding sound wouldn’t stop. Serena groaned and buried her head deeper under the coverlet. She was shivering, and the idea of removing her body from the bed was akin to freezing to death.
Only when the door flew open, did she shriek and open her eyes.
“What did you do to my shirt?” the prince demanded, tossing the garment at her.
“I…washed it?” She stared at Karl with groggy eyes, wondering why he was in her chamber. When she sat up from the wretched mattress, she saw her gown drying near the fireplace. Which meant she was naked beneath the coverlet and the prince was getting an eyeful of her bare shoulders and side.
“It’s pink, for God’s sake! What did you put in the water?”
Oh. That. She closed her eyes and lay back down on the pallet. “My red cloak. I thought I could wash both of them together.”
“Obviously not.” The words came out in a growl, and his ill temper was too much to endure at this early hour.
“How was I supposed to know this would happen?” He ought to be grateful that she’d washed it at all. Hadn’t she spent most of yesterday cooking for him, straightening up the abbey, and laundering their clothes?
“I thought you had a book of instructions.”
“It said nothing about washing a red cloak and a white shirt. Or washing clothes at all, for that matter.” Rolling over, she pulled the blanket tighter and offered, “You might look fetching in pink.”
“Princess,” he warned. In his voice, she heard the threatening anger.
And yet, she wasn’t at all intimidated by him. Even with all his bluster, the prince had never dared to lay a hand on her. All he’d done was kiss her. And that, admittedly, had been rather pleasant.
“Go away,” she ordered. “I need to get dressed.”
“So do I,” he reminded her. “And I’m not wearing that shirt.”
“Fine. Go and look through the priest’s clothes. I’m certain you’ll find something black to match your mood.” When the door closed, Serena kept the coverlet firmly wrapped around her body, in case he decided to invade her chamber again.
It took half an hour to get dressed, since she couldn’t quite get her chemise and petticoats fastened the way she wanted to. The gown felt awkward buttoned up the front, but she reminded herself there were only two more days. After that, she could have a lady’s maid once more.
She smiled to herself as she finger-combed her hair and prepared to face the second day.
When she wandered down the stairs, the hall was cold and dark. The morning weather had shifted into sunlight while the hearth had died down to coals. Fürst Karl was trying to stoke it, and she saw him wearing an oversized shirt that bunched at his waist.
All right, so she did feel guilty about dying his shirt pink. But it truly had been an accident.
When the prince couldn’t get the wood to light, he cursed beneath his breath.
“The logs are wet, aren’t they?” she predicted. All around the hearth, she spied puddles from where the roof had leaked.
Karl nodded. “It will be cold inside today.”
“But at least the rain has stopped.” She pointed up at the large glass windows. “I thought I’d explore the area around the abbey today. From the top of the hillside, I imagine we could see all around the island.”
“There’s too much to do,” he argued. “We need more food and a fire.”
“I want to see if Durin has a garden, and I’ll try to find some herbs and vegetables.” She walked to the doorway, adding, “The book of cooking receipts that I brought with me has excellent drawings. I’m certain I can identify what I need.”
