“Put me down!” I demanded, battering him with my balled fists and kicking feet. That, too, he ignored, walking toward what I presumed was the room he’d paid for. Still, I was determined not to give up. “At once, you brute!” I shrieked.
He did not heed my words until we were safely inside the room and he’d closed the door behind him. When he set me down, it was not very gently, and I glared up at him from the floor. “I understand that you are not happy to be here,” he said, returning my angry stare. “Nor am I pleased to be saddled with such a spoilt little girl. I suggest we both do our best with the situation at hand.”
“If you’re so unhappy with me, then take me home!”
“I also suggest that you start behaving like the royalty you claim to be,” he continued in the same measured tone, as though I’d never spoken. “Or I shall see you soundly thrashed.”
I glowered, making my hatred for him plain. If my eyes could have pierced him, he would have bled to death then and there. Howdarehe threatenme?
My abductor met my stare, as calm as ever in the face of my wrath. At that moment, he bent his hulking frame over me, and I couldn’t help but take notice of how big and broad his shoulders were. They looked accustomed to hard labor, and if his easy handling of me earlier was any indication, all of him was probably hard and muscled beneath his tunic. A single copper curl fell over his eye, which he brushed away impatiently.
“Do you understand?”
A little gasp escaped my lips. First, he had the gall to threaten me, but now I must show acquiescence of my situation, like a chastened child? I wouldn’t do it. Iwouldn’t!
Yet, the stern warning in his eyes was enough to temper my anger. I had no true choice here, royalty or not. I had to go along with whatever he wished, regardless of how terrible I might find it. When I was returned home, when he was captured, he would be punished for his crimes, but until then I was subject to his will. And his large, heavy hands told me that he would have no problem carrying out what he’d promised.
His features were hard with determination—his chiseled jaw clenched as he waited for my answer. I knew that if I pushed him, he would deliver on that threat and more, so as much as it pained me, I bowed my head. Though I refused to speak, he must have decided that he’d humiliated me enough for the moment. He straightened and gave me a nod.
“Very well then.” After he’d spoken, he offered me a hand to help me from the floor, and I forced myself to accept it without flinching.
Chapter Two
The moment sunlight hit my face, I awakened, wondering how long I’d been asleep. My jailer had warned me the night before that we would be leaving at first light, which gave me cause to wonder why he’d changed his mind. I began to sit up, but as soon as I moved the room spun in a way that made me certain that I would be sick. With a groan, I sank back against the pillows and closed my eyes once more. Even that simple act was exerting.
“You’re awake.”
“Unfortunately,” I whimpered.
“I can see that I was right not to wake you.”
My eyelids fluttered open and I peered at my captor. “Why didn’t you?”
“I’m afraid you’ve taken ill. You cried out during your sleep and when I checked on you I realized you were burning with fever.”
My hand felt limp and lifeless as I raised it to check my forehead. When I pulled it away, it was damp with sweat. “Oh!”
“No need to worry, princess. I’ll see to it that you’re well taken care of.”
“I’m not…” My words trailed off, for I was too weak to complete even that sentence.
“Yes, I remember. Perhaps one of these days you’ll find it appropriate to tell me your name.”
I did not bother to reply, choosing instead to turn away from the sound of his voice and try to get comfortable once more. If I’d had the strength for it, I would have told him that there was no cause for it. One way or another, we would be going our separate ways, even if he didn’t yet know it.
* * *
Yet, for all my brave thoughts I could hardly summon the energy to use the chamber pot, much less plot and carry through with an escape plan.Soon,I promised myself, even as I allowed myself to be fed broth like a baby. The fever raged on, and there were hours where I lost track of time and where Iwas. In some moments, I thought myself back at Hohenzollern, safe in my rooms and waiting for my husband to come to me. At others, I thought I was inside Württemberg Manor, hiding from the duke, though I couldn’t seem to remember why.
Only in the first hours of the morning did I realize where I was, which was both disappointing and a relief all at once.
“You were crying out,” he told me as he brought a wet cloth to my brow.
“I called you… Wallace,” I said as I remembered.
“Yes. Who is Wallace, my lady?”
“My… my husband,” I whispered through cracked lips. “The duke.”
