The horse covered miles of shoreline until they reached the narrow forest path toward the abbey. Serena rested her back against him but didn’t speak a word. Only when they reached the gates did Karl dismount and lift her down. Since she wore no shoes, he continued to carry her inside.
“Please, put me down,” she protested.
“Not yet. You haven’t any shoes.” He brought her within the large hall with the Gothic windows, before he crossed over to the winding staircase. For a moment, he eyed it, considering what to do.
“If you try to carry me up those narrow stairs, you’ll knock my head against the wall,” Serena warned. “I can walk.”
She was right, and he saw no choice but to let her down. When her bare feet touched the ground, she winced at the cold.
Karl followed her up the stairs to the chamber, noticing the abrasions around her ankles from the ropes. And yet, as she walked, she carried herself like the princess she was. Her posture was straight, her hemline gently lifted as she ascended.
But he scented the fear around her and the way she seemed to be holding herself together by the barest thread. He blamed himself that they’d taken her. The injuries were his fault for notprotecting her well enough. And no matter that they’d achieved a rescue, he couldn’t forget his failure.
When she opened the door to her chamber, Karl spied the straw mattress on the floor. He’d forgotten how meager her accommodations were, for he’d deliberately kept everything austere. He’d meant to provoke her into agreeing to the marriage. Instead, it made him feel like the bastard he was, for treating her like this. She hadn’t deserved any of it.
His gaze fixated upon the mattress while his mind went through an ordered list of how to best handle the situation.
“If you’ll build me a fire, I’ll be comfortable enough,” Serena said.
Her expression hadGo Awayfirmly written on it.
He wasn’t about to extend her suffering for another night. Not when he could offer her something better.
“You’re not sleeping on that tonight.”
She sent him a confused look but followed him outside the chamber, down to the largest chamber where he’d spent the previous night. Karl pointed inside his own room. “You’ll sleep here.” Though the bed was small, at least the coverlet was warm.
Serena turned and stared at him. “You had a bed last night while I slept on the floor?”
He ignored the question and began preparing a fire in the hearth. From behind him, he heard her approach. “Answer me, Fürst Karl. Did you sleep there?”
“I did.” He stood while the fire struggled to catch hold of the tinder. Behind her pale complexion, he saw the anger rising. There were no excuses for what he’d done, and he didn’t bother attempting an explanation. “I made the wager intending to win. By any means possible.”
Her eyes glittered like shards of ice. “And you thought that would make me want to marry you?”
“I’m a bastard, Serena.” He admitted the truth, even knowing she wouldn’t take it for its true meaning. “I always have been.”
She stared at him, shaking her head. “I know you rescued me tonight. And perhaps you think I owe you a debt. But—”
“You’re not going to marry me,” he finished. “And you’d die before considering it, wouldn’t you?”
She stared at him in disbelief, as if she couldn’t find the right words to respond. But neither did she deny it.
“I’ll sleep in your old chamber tonight,” he informed her. “In the meantime, I’ll bring you something for your wrists and ankles. And food.”
She moved nearer to the fire, huddling as close as she dared. Just as he was about to leave, she admitted, “Today was yet another reason why I don’t want to be a princess any more.”
In her eyes, he saw the downtrodden look, as if she had little hope remaining. There was nothing he could say to convince her otherwise, for she’d already given up. If she wanted nothing more to do with him, so be it.
He left her in search of warm water and bandages for her wrists and ankles. All the while, he tried to convince himself to simply send her away. Let her live her own life, since that was what she wanted.
But she was innocent of the ways of the world. Someone would take advantage of her naivety and exploit her weaknesses.
He tore off a piece of bread from a loaf and slammed it on a tray, along with some wine. The problem was, he didn’t want to send her off by herself. Despite her wishes, he wasn’t about to return to Lohenberg as a defeated man.
Karl returned to her chamber with a tray he’d arranged, as well as an old pair of Durin’s shoes. It wouldn’t do much, but it made him feel as if he could make amends for what had happened.
When he entered the room, he found her sitting in the same place. Her hands were clenched around her knees as if she couldn’t get warm.
