But it wasn’t that.
“A twin?”he asked.
“Perhaps she actually is Maxine, and the woman I visitedwith is her sister, who, for whatever reason, is registered at the hospital asMaxine.Perhaps it’s the Maxine with us who is pretending to be her sister.Although your mother wanted you to have the proper schooling, and thus you wentto a proper school, you were always home for the holidays.I, personally, wouldnever dream of losing that time with you.”
Loren said nothing, but he felt his face soften at thememories.
Because his father told no lies.
His early life had been marked with mourning, his motherdying when he was five, his sister dying when he was eleven.
But he’d learned to crave adventure because his fatherdropped everything and gave one to him every school holiday.
Ansley carried on, “I think one of the girls was hurt in away that couldn’t be fixed, and perhaps the wife was responsible.Edgar sentthe other girl away.And the guilt ate at her until she couldn’t take itanymore.”
“And once she took her own life, then why would the daughternot return?”Loren queried.
Ansley shrugged.“Perhaps she’s an unhappy reminder of thewife.I sadly forget the woman’s name, but I do remember what she looked like,and her daughter certainly looks like her.”
“Has word of twins ever been uttered about Edgar’soffspring?”
“What other possible explanation could there be?”Ansleyqueried.“When I say she’s the woman I sat with on several occasions, Loren, Ido not jest.Except for the fact that Maxine was bright and sweet, what she wasnot was droll and quick-witted.”
In that moment, considering the possibility of twins, athought occurred to Loren.
A thought about something he held in strictest confidence atthe behest of his friend, a friend who was also his king.
Something that was a state secret of such magnitude, he’ddie before he breathed word of it.
However, upon thinking of it, he dismissed it.
It was too fantastical.
And from what he knew, it took grave magic to affect it.
That being producing such a “twin.”
There wasn’t a witch in all the NorthlandsorSouthlands who held this much magic.Not anymore.
But even if there was, no one but a very select few knew ofthe existence of that other world.A world, it was his understanding, that wasmarkedly different from his own.It would be a profound shock to anyone whomade the switch, impossible to recover easily.
In fact, decades had passed, and Loren could still see howliving in a different world affected his queen.She navigated it rather well.But he noted when things surprised her, or at other times he caught it when Torwas covering for her.
Lady Maxine was not like any woman he’d ever met.
But she didn’t speak or act like Queen Cora.
She was definitely of his world.
Considering the impracticality of it, Loren set that thoughtaside and asked, “You made the betrothal arrangement with him at her birth.Obviously, at that time, he didn’t speak of another child.And as far as weknow, no one has heard word of this.Why would a father hide one of hisdaughters…ever?”
Ansley shook his head.“I have no answer to that.But I’malso not Edgar Dawes.He’d sell her to the highest bidder, something he did interms of status, if it meant he’d get something out of it.Perhaps he saw whathe wrought in the deal he struck to make his girl a duchess, and he held hisother daughter back to see what she might bring.In the meantime, Maxine, orher sister, was irreparably injured, the woman with us was inFleuridia, perhaps not desirous of return, and he delayedyour wedding because he was machinating to convince her to fulfill her part ofthe contract or fill her sister’s shoes.”
“You do know that sounds preposterous,” Loren noted, sayingthis even if he knew of another explanation, which was even more preposterous.
“I also know of no one, even the mightiest of witches, whocan mend an injury like the one the woman at the sanitorium had.I’vedispatched a man to ascertain she’s still there.When she is, which she willbe, as she surely isn’t the woman with us, it will at least assuage my concernsthat it’s notmewho’s being preposterous.”
“There’s an explanation, Father, and might I suggest wesimply ask them?”
