Valten awoke the next morning and immediately felt the pain in his hand. He lifted it and examined the bandage. Frau Lena’s wood-and-cloth splint fit snugly to his hand, and was wrapped tightly so that his hand looked like an enormous white stump. The tips of his fingers were barely visible at the end of it, and it came past his wrist, halfway to his elbow.
He growled. Must he put up with such a conspicuous appendage when he was the tournament champion? But he would upset not only Frau Lena but also his mother if he took it off. His mother would cry, and he would put up with almost anything to not make her cry.
He growled again. He’d have to have this thing on his hand when he danced with Gisela at the ball tonight. But he could still dance. He could still hold Gisela with his right hand.
Thinking about Gisela made him restless. He threw the covers off and got up.
“Hugo!”
His young squire came running into Valten’s chamber from the small one next to his, blinking and rubbing his face. “Yes, my lord?”
“Find the captain of the guard and tell him I need a report. After you help me get dressed, I won’t need you any more today.” He winked at the boy. “Go have some fun.”
“Yes, my lord.” Hugo, with wide eyes, ran back to his little adjoining chamber.
Valten would see Gisela tonight. In spite of the pain in his hand, it was going to be a great day.
Gisela awoke with a start. Her door was closing. She jumped out of bed, but by the time she was halfway across the floor, the door shut and a heavy thud sounded on the other side.
She pushed on the door, but it didn’t budge. Despite the fact that Gisela had hidden the crossbar, her stepmother must have found another one to lock her in.
Of course she had.
“Who is there?” Gisela tried to keep her voice calm but forceful. “Who is there? Open this door!”
She listened, but heard nothing. “Who dares to lock me in?” Tears choked her words as despair gripped her.
She pressed her ear against the solid wood door but heard nothing, not even footsteps.
I should have known. What a fool I am. She should have sneaked away to spend the night at Ava’s, or even in the stable. Now she was trapped! How would she ever get to the ball now? She would miss her chance to be with Valten. What would he think of her? What would his family think if she didn’t show up?
“Let me out!” Gisela pounded on the door. “I’ll tell Duke Wilhelm what you did! You’ll be thrown into the dungeon.”
Evfemia’s cackling laugh came from the other side of the door. “You won’t be telling anyone. I have sold you to a man who promises to make sure you are never heard from in Hagenheim again.”
Gisela’s heart pounded harder than her fists. “What man? You’re lying!”
“His name is Friedric Ruexner, and he was very interested in getting his hands on you.”
Gisela sank to the floor, feeling like she was going to throw up.
“He paid quite handsomely,” Evfemia went on, “but don’t worry. He’s a baron and he promised to marry you. You should be thanking me for arranging this marriage for you. It isn’t as if the duke’s heir would have married you. Ruexner is the best you could have ever hoped for. And since I can’t tell the duke’s family the truth, and since we must go to the ball, I shall tell Lord Hamlin you ran away to marry a wealthy merchant.”
No. This couldn’t happen. She couldn’t let this happen! “You will be found out. If you let me out now, I won’t tell them what you were planning.”
Nothing. Then footsteps, getting farther and farther away as Evfemia descended the stairs.
Gisela stared at the door, too horrified to cry, too numb to think. “God,” she whispered. “God, please, please, please … help me.”
Chapter
14
The guard who had been ordered to watch Gisela met him in the corridor as Valten was leaving his chamber.
“My Lord Hamlin.” The guard bowed swiftly.
“I wish to know how things stand after our first two days of the tournament. Walk with me.” Valten continued down the corridor toward the kitchen. He held his injured hand against his midsection.
“My lord, besides breaking up a few drunken brawls and capturing two pickpockets, we had no problems.”
“And what of the two people I asked you to keep a watch over?”
“My lord, our Queen of Beauty and Love remained safe, and no one attempted to bother her all day.”
“Where is she now?” A fresh breath seemed to enter his lungs at the thought of seeing her right away. Perhaps even now she was in the kitchen with his sisters, eating breakfast.
“She went home with her family after the tournament yesterday.”
Valten stopped in midstride and faced the guard. “What do you mean? I thought she was spending the night with Margaretha.”
“No, my lord. I didn’t know of any such arrangement. A woman and her two daughters approached her and said she was coming home with them. Lady Margaretha told me they were her family.”
“Who was the woman?”