“You keep it.” His brown eyes glowed warmly as he looked at her, and for a moment, she thought he intended to kiss her ... but she felt torn, the timing was all wrong. Then, feeling relieved that he didn’t, she turned away. Tucking the damphandkerchief into a coat pocket, she took in a steadying breath and started to walk through the woods again, trudging step by step through the ankle-deep snow.
Her father was dead. She would never see him again. Not in this world. She tried to remember the last words he’d spoken to her, that he loved her. God be with her, he’d said. God’s plan in God’s time. It was almost as if he’d known ... his health was failing . . . his life was ending.
CHAPTER
Fifteen
After several minutes of mindlessly plodding through snow, Adelaide stopped. Realizing Anton was still with her, she turned to him. Feeling somewhat helpless and confused, she spoke out in a voice that sounded small and vulnerable and nothing like her usual confident self. “What now?”
His brow creased as he rubbed his chin. “You mean for this walk? Do you want to go on? We’ve already walked quite a ways. Are you tired?”
“Oh...” She glanced at the wooded hillside around her, realizing she’d probably been wandering like a befuddled nomad. “Are we lost?”
He grinned, turning to point at the clearly visible tracks in the snow behind them.
“Yes, of course.” She slowly nodded. “Maybe we should go back.”
As they retraced their steps, she asked Anton what would happen next. “I mean, in the kingdom. Now that King Max is gone, will Prince Georg be crowned king?”
“I don’t think so. But I don’t know for sure.” He gave her a sideways glance. “I suppose that will depend on you.”
“On me?”
“It was the king’s dying wish that you would accept the throne, Adelaide. He left a letter specifying it.”
She stopped in her tracks. “How can I possibly do that?”
He pursed his lips but said nothing. It felt like he was studying her closely, perhaps sizing her up, asking himself the same questions that were racing through her mind.
“What equips me to rule Montovia, Anton?” She glared at him with balled fists, like this was a fight. “I am not even a citizen here. I can hardly speak German. I don’t really understand Montovia. I barely know your history and definitely don’t understand your laws. I know absolutely nothing about ruling a country.”
“I understand.” He placed a hand on her shoulder and looked deeply into her eyes. “But your father must’ve believed in you, Adelaide. King Max was a very wise ruler. He must’ve felt you were fit to rule Montovia or he wouldn’t have made it his dying wish. Because, more than anything, the king loved his country. And he loved you too. My uncle read me the letter over the phone. He wants you to read it as well. Your father called you a miracle. He believed God sent you to him just in the nick of time.”
Once again, his gaze was so warm and intense, his face was so close ... she expected a kiss. She closed her eyes, unsure of her emotions, but when his hand fell off her shoulder, she opened her eyes to see him stepping back with a solemn expression. For the second time she felt mixed emotions of disappointment and relief, and Anton simply shoved his hands into the pockets of his borrowed hunting jacket.
She started walking again, trying to think rationally. “This is just so unbelievable. I can barely wrap my head around it.” She wanted to pour all this information through her normally analytical brain, wanted to sieve out the gurgling emotions that muddied the waters. But it was too much to process.
Montovia had lost its beloved king, but what did that really mean? What did it truly have to do with her?
Suddenly she remembered the queen’s phone call and the implications of what she’d overheard. Images of her attempted abduction also flashed through her mind.
“What has become of Queen Johanna?” she asked. “Has the police chief questioned her yet? And what about my uncle Farcus? Did they find him?”
Anton seemed almost amused. “Now, you remind me of your father. Getting right down to business.” As they continued trekking back to the farmhouse, Anton told her all that he knew about the situation. The queen’s phone records had indeed revealed her connection to Steffen, as well as the suggestion that she was involved in some nefarious plots. Not only with the king’s missing brother but perhaps with Adelaide as well. “Queen Johanna and Prince Georg, as well as a few others, are being held for questioning. So far, the queen is not talking, and Georg, although he’s been more cooperative, doesn’t seem to know much.”
“Will it be in the news? An embarrassment for the kingdom?”
He shrugged. “The kingdom has a long history of embarrassments. The royal family will be the main topic of conversation for a while, but it’s amazing how forgetful the public can be. Especially with all the other distractions.”
“Distractions?”
“You know. The new princess, the missing prince, death of a king . . . they have plenty to talk about right now.”
“I suppose that’s a bit like the US and celebrities. But what about Prince Farcus being at the family villa outside of Vienna? Any update on that?”
Anton shook his head. “It was empty like before, but our investigators found evidence that he had been held there.”
“Against his will?”
