She didn’t know why he was suddenly volunteering information she would have liked to have heard sooner. “But they weren’t dismissed as innocent?”
“No. They were and still are the king’s worst enemies. Don’t be fooled by Karsten’s charm. He’s ruthless in his desire to become king.”
“But he was just a child himself back then,” she pointed out.
“Yes, but most of his family thought he should have been named the next king after his grandfather died. There were the disgraced nobles, too. A lot of them lost their titles and lands after the civil war. They should have been banished from the country, but Frederick’s father, newly made king, was hopeful they could redeem themselves. Some have, but some to this day remain resentful and insistent that they had only done their duty to the old king, Ernest.”
“And they’d like to see the Bruslan line back in power, since a Bruslan king would restore their titles and lands,” she guessed.
“Yes, so they couldn’t be discounted. But then no stone was left unturned. Even the more notorious assassins of the day, those with prices already on their heads, were searched for more vigorously. A few were found and questioned, but none of them appeared to be involved in the abduction. But there was also a man who lived here in the city that disappeared that same night. This got a few of the king’s advisers to thinking that the princess’s abduction was not the goal of a nefarious political plot but the work of a bold thief taking advantage of the fact that many of the royal guards were away from the palace with the king.”
She had a feeling he might be talking about Poppie’s real identity. Leonard Kastner did disappear that night, after all. And if they had been looking for a “thief” as the culprit back then, in considering all possibilities it would have been logical to conclude it might have been him.
“Is this why no one knows who tried to have me killed? Far too many suspects?”
“Spies were sent into the Bruslan stronghold, but the few who weren’t caught and killed returned with no proof. While the Bruslans laughed over Frederick’s pain, if the abduction was their handiwork, they were too cautious to claim it. It wasn’t even discovered who had taken up the reins in that family, after King Ernest’s death. The Bruslans are too numerous. Ernest had two daughters, three brothers, two uncles, all of which have had children, who’ve had more children. Even his wife, Auberta, still lives.”
Alana wanted to know if he knew anything else about Leonard Kastner and steeled herself to hear Poppie’s real name before she asked, “And that man who disappeared the same night, I suppose he was never found either?”
“No, he wasn’t. With no evidence that the infant was ever killed, and so much time gone by, it actually began to look more and more like Kastner had abducted the princess and was just too afraid to demand his ransom. Does the name sound familiar?”
Good Lord, he was interrogating her yet pretending otherwise! Even though he’d made love to her, he was still doing his job, just with subtlety now, instead of intimidation!
“You think I don’t know what you’re doing?” she said stiffly, and struggled to get out of his arms. “I’ve already told you why I was taken and by whom. It certainly wasn’t for any ransom, so you’re dead wrong in thinking a thief was responsible.”
“You haven’t actually answered my question, have you? Is your guardian Leonard Kastner?”
“He told me his name. He told me what his occupation used to be. He told me he was hired to kill me by some nameless lackey who worked for someone else. He didn’t go into the details of how he got to me, just that it was too easy.”
“Told you his name? Are we finally getting at the truth?”
“You’ve had that. I would have told you his name sooner, but you made it clear you wanted to apprehend him. So I decided to wait, to give him a chance to do the job he came here to do, to find out who wants me dead.”
“That’s my job, Alana. Who is he?”
“Rastibon.”
“Interesting,” Christoph said after a moment’s pause. “And actually, convenient for you to say so. That name is quite notorious here. Was it given to you at the same time this tale was related to you—or yesterday when your guardian spoke to you at the festival?”
“What the deuce are you implying now?”
He shrugged. He hadn’t let go of her despite her efforts to free herself. He was watching her too closely. He was fishing for something else, but what?
“The investigation into Kastner’s disappearance never really ended,” Christoph continued in the soothing tone he’d used earlier. “When I was appointed to this post, I thought I could view the mystery from a new perspective and even be the one to finally solve it. I questioned all of Leonard Kastner’s old neighbors again, even tracked down those who had moved out of the city. But it was just a formality.”
She raised a brow. “So you never really suspected that townsman? Why have you even mentioned him?”
“Of course he was suspected, but he was never thought to be a murderer. A not so common thief, yes, but not a killer. But I did discover that no further deaths were ever attributed to the infamous Rastibon, suggesting that he also retired about that same time. They are one and the same, aren’t they, Alana?”
And now she knew what he was fishing for. He had come to this conclusion long ago, but he still didn’t think either name belonged to Poppie. Convenient? A name given to her yesterday? He was trying to see if she would use what he’d told her to support her claim, because he still didn’t believe her!
Tiredly she said, “There’s nothing more I can tell you about this.”
“Or you won’t.”
This conversation was getting too frustrating. She strained against the arms still holding her tight in his lap. “Let me up.”
“I like you in this position.”
