Norah remembered witnessing her elder sisters’ husbands being healed. Young and silly as she had been,Norah had been enamored as she watched her four sisters fall, one by one, for men who had come to the island to seek healing. That was often how the Bianne royals found their spouses–among those who sought healing. Even her mother had once been among the ill, having been crippled as a young woman in a carriage accident.
But in order for the healing to take place, the love of the Bianne prince or princess had to be true. It couldn’t be forced, or no healing would ever occur.
Being aware of all this, how could Norah’s parents have expected that she would fall in love with him? What if she and Philliphadn’tfallen in love? Each would have been trapped in an unhappy marriage.
“What does Prince Phillip need to be healed of?” Norah asked to avoid more awkward questions about herself.
“We weren’t sure at first,” Lady Freya said, staring into her teacup as she stirred it, seemingly unaware that she was doing so. “In the beginning, it seemed as though he was simply sick and might recover unscathed. There were some who had only suffered the temporary symptoms of the illness, after all, and so we had hoped…” She closed her eyes and shook her head before taking her spoon out of the cup. “Then he started losing words. Just a few at first–as though he was growing forgetful.” Her voice grew tight. “We realized soon after, however, that he was truly losing his ability to speak. And after my parents died, he began to lose his ability to communicate completely.”
Norah stared at her, horrified. No wonder the prince had said nothing the night before. He couldn’t. Now that she thought about it… he hadn’t even nodded or shaken his head.
“I will say that I’m so glad you’re here now,” Lady Freya said. “But I’m curious. Why did you wait so long to come? We searched for any members of your family who might have survived. We even sent our navy to the island to rescue those who needed help. They combed the palace.”
“We did come,” Norah said, sitting straighter. “Many, manytimes. But every time Nanny tried to tell the guards who we were, they looked at us and turned us away.”
Lady Freya looked as if she’d stopped breathing, and it was a moment longer before she sucked in a breath. “Were you…” She swallowed. “Were you perhaps wearing that black… wig… band thing you wore last night?”
Norah nodded slowly. “Nanny was worried the pirates would keep looking for me.”
A worry that seemed completely justified now.
“It was a… a trifle she made me wear to hide my hair,” Norah continued. “She said it would be a dead giveaway.”
Lady Freya now looked very much as though she might cry. Her eyes were wet and red, and she was pursing her trembling lips.
“I… Norah, I’m so sorry. There were… so many who came to us, masquerading as you or one of the other princesses after your parents’ death. We gave the guards strict orders not to allow anyone in except those who perfectly matched your description.” She put a hand over her mouth and drew in a deep breath. “But then there were more and more rumored sightings over the last few years, word that one of the Bianne princesses had survived. We chased down every rumor. I even threw a ball for all eligible princesses in the region recently, hoping that if you were alive, you would appear and claim your position as princess.”
Norah let out a strange sound that was half laughter, half sob at the ridiculous nature of the entire situation. No one had wanted her to be reunited with the TiFiorian prince more than Nanny. But in her determination to outsmart the pirates, Nanny had outsmarted the royals, too.
It was only because Norah had broken the rules and healed in secret that anyone had known she was alive at all, it seemed.
“I’m sure I could have handled the situation better,” Lady Freya sighed as she stabbed a berry with her fork and studied it. “But I was young–only just married when Phillipfell sick. Then my parents died, my brother began losing his ability to communicate, and I was suddenly in charge of a kingdom that never should have been mine. I… I shut the palace down to stem the tide of people coming to me for answers I didn’t have.” She gave Norah a sad smile. “So all I can say is… I’m sorry. And that I truly hope you’ll stay and give us one more chance.”
Norah fidgeted uncomfortably in her chair.
“It wouldn’t have to be forever if the situation were truly repugnant to you,” Lady Freya hurried to add. “But… while you’re waiting for our soldiers to find your nurse, we would keep you protected and fed and see to all your needs. The pirates wouldn’t be able to reach you, and you could… Well, you could get to know my brother.”
Norah raised her eyebrows. “Get to know him?” How did one get to know a man who couldn’t speak?
Much less fall in love with him?
“I know it seems a strange suggestion,” Lady Freya said, pushing her chair back and going to stand on the balcony. Norah stood too and joined her. From there, she realized she could see Phillip in an open square in the garden, where he was practicing swordplay with a man in uniform.
“Phillip is far more than his speech,” Lady Freya said, seeming to read Norah’s mind. “He is clever, and only because he’s clever has he come up with so many ways to interact with us still. But if we wait much longer,” Lady Freya’s voice grew tight, “I’m afraid we’ll lose him completely.” She turned to Norah, her brown eyes wide. “I beg you,” she whispered, taking Norah’s hand. “Only try. Anything you can do is more than we have now.”
Norah looked back down at the man in the courtyard. Pity and the familiar feeling of loss warred with fear and resentment inside her. Feelings aside, however, Lady Freya, for all practical purposes, had a point. What else could Norah do? She couldn’t live in the city without Nanny. Not after what had happened with the pirates. Short of hiring herself out as a cook or servant,she had nowhere to go. And even those positions were usually given out only with references, of which she had none.
“Could I… think about it?” she asked slowly. “For the day?”
Lady Freya nodded and gave her a nervous smile. “The stairs that lead into the garden are that way.”
Norah made her way down the spiraling staircase Lady Freya had brought her to and slowly made her way into the garden, doing her best to head in the direction that Phillip and his sparring partner had been. A moment later, she made out the sounds of metal on metal and followed them toward the square she had seen from above.
Phillip was still practicing with the man Norah had seen earlier, but now that she was closer, she could see that the man was much older than she’d expected. His hair was more gray than black, and he called out instructions as they seemed to dance this way and that, their metal swords flashing in the sunlight.
Norah remembered meeting Phillip as a child, but they had both been young, and from what Norah remembered, neither had seemed highly interested in the other. But even if she hadn’t been tasked with trying to fall in love with the man, she had to admit that she couldn’t feel completely indifferent about him now. For there was no denying that he was most impressive.
Phillip might be silent, but he was also strong. His shirt clung to him with perspiration, and Norah wondered that she hadn’t noticed how fit he was the night before. His shoulders were wide and powerful, and his feet and legs were graceful, moving through the duel as though he were taking part in a dance. His blond hair, which had been pulled back at the nape of his neck, was falling out of its tie. And now that she was standing near him again, she realized that he wasshockingly tall.
