Otto agreed to keep her safe, and the horses started forward. Gisela was on her way, but the horses seemed to move so slowly, Gisela thought about getting out and running the rest of the way. But she’d certainly destroy her delicate white shoes.
O God, please help me get there, and don’t let Ruexner find me. She hadn’t even thought about Ruexner for the last hour. If he was riding along this road, he might stop her carriage and look inside. He would surely recognize her, and Ava’s coachman, Otto, would be no match for Ruexner and his men.
Chapter
16
Valten stalked through the Great Hall, where the Meistersingers were readying their instruments and getting into place. He kept walking, out into the corridor, not sure where he was going. He came to the library and went inside.
It was dark and quiet, but perhaps not the best choice, as it brought back memories of the day his betrothed, Sophia, and his brother, Gabe, told him in this same room that they had fallen in love with each other. They had asked Valten to relinquish his right to marry her.
Valten ran his hand through his hair, the same anger, the same pain, shooting through his chest. Only this time was much worse. Gisela. He had chosen her. He had thought her the most beautiful, the sweetest, the strongest … She wasn’t afraid to stand up to Ruexner, and she’d saved Sieger from Ruexner’s attempt to kill him. She was no ordinary girl. There was no malice, no ugly pride in her eyes when she looked at people. He had even begun to see himself marrying her.
An invisible knife stabbed his heart at the thought of her choosing some other man over him.
Her stepmother had grabbed her in the marketplace. The woman was cruel to her. He’d seen her pinch Gisela’s arm. The thought came to him again: What if the stepmother was lying?
Why would the woman be bold enough to try to trick him? She would pay dearly for lying to the duke’s son. Did she hate Gisela so much?
He spun on his heel, ready to look for the captain of the guard, ready to go look for Gisela himself. As he was walking out of the library, Margaretha almost ran into him.
“Valten, that woman, Gisela’s stepmother, is lying.”
“How do you know this?” Valten sounded like a snarling dog. He blew out a frustrated breath and purposely gentled his voice. “I’m sorry. Why do you think so?”
Margaretha put her hand on her hip and frowned up at him. “I forgive you. I know you’re upset, and you have reason to be. Evfemia Mueller is not telling the truth, because Gisela would never run off with another man. You can see it in her face. She would never choose another man over you.”
“You only knew her for a few hours, Margaretha. How can you be sure?”
“Trust me, Valten. I know these things. I could see her stepmother was lying by the way she spoke to you. And her two mean girls gave her away, besides. The plump one looked terrified and kept wringing her hands, and the skinny one was smirking and her eyes were twitching back and forth.”
“It’s not enough proof.”
His sister grabbed his arm. “Send someone to her house. I don’t believe she ran away with anyone, and she could be in danger.”
“That’s just what I was about to do.”
Valten sent for the captain of the guard, who didn’t keep him waiting long. They met in the library. His father, Duke Wilhelm, followed the captain in.
Valten focused on Captain Hartmann. “I want to know where Evfemia Mueller lives. I want to know everything you can learn about her, and I want men sent to her house now to search for Gisela.”
“Wait.” His father stepped forward. “I can tell you who Evfemia Mueller is. She’s the widow of one of my best knights, Christoff Mueller.”
Valten waited for his father to go on.
“I had forgotten he had a daughter, but Gisela Mueller is Christoff’s only child. And Evfemia took possession of his home and lands and all other property when he died. I had intended to make sure his daughter was taken care of, but I’m ashamed to say I forgot about her. Your little sister, Lindi, died around the same time as Christoff, and I’m afraid your mother and I found it hard to think about anything else for a while. And Evfermia had assured us she would care for Christoff’s daughter like she was her own … The truth is, your mother and I have neglected Gisela, but Lady Rose has spoken to some other ladies today who say Gisela has been treated badly by her stepmother and stepsisters. I think it very likely that Evfemia is lying about Gisela.”
“Then where is she? We must find her.” Valten spoke between clenched teeth, trying to stay calm. Once again, he was having visions of putting his fist through a wall.
“We’ll send guards to her house. We’ll find her.”
At least Valten knew his father would not rest until he found out what happened to Gisela. But it wasn’t enough. “I want to go with them.”
“The guards will report back. You should stay at the ball, in case she comes here.” Duke Wilhelm lowered his voice. “Besides, Frau Lena says you shouldn’t be riding for at least a few weeks.”