Valten’s gaze lingered on Gisela before quaffing the rest of his drink and walking away.
“I’m sorry, Gisela, but I wanted to talk with you, and I knew Valten would get irritated with our girl talk. Your dress is divine.” She took a step back to get a better look at it. “And that icy-blue color makes your eyes sparkle — oh my! And your hair is so lovely.” She gave her another quick hug. “I hope you can stay with me tonight and forever. We could end up as sisters, maybe very soon!”
Did she mean she thought Valten would marry her? No, she probably was only talking about what Valten had said about her staying at the castle. She wanted to ask Margaretha to tell her more about Valten, but their little sister, Adela, came up behind her, crying. The nursemaid shook her head apologetically at Margaretha. “I’m afraid she’s overtired and says she won’t go to sleep unless you come and sing her a song.”
“Oh, of course, my little liebchen.” Margaretha cupped her little sister’s cheek, then turned back to Gisela. “I must go, but it’s just as well. Valten isn’t known for his patience.” Then her expression changed. “Not to say that he can’t be patient, but I know he wants to be with you, and if we make him wait too long he won’t be happy. I shall return soon!” She waved at Gisela then took her little sister’s hand and hurried off with her and the nursemaid.
Gisela looked around and saw Valten talking with a guard — clearly not one of the guests, as he had on partial armor and a sword at his hip. Not wishing to interrupt him, Gisela drank some more of her spiced wine and water, then put the tankard down on the table. She started to walk over to look at the fresco painted on the wall, but before she could note much more than a couple of knights on horseback and ladies in pink and blue and green gowns, someone tapped her on the shoulder.
Rainhilda stood just behind her, her eyes wide and solemn. “Pardon me, Gisela? Is that your name?” She scrunched her face as if it pained her to utter it. “Your sister Irma is upset and crying. Won’t you please talk to her? She’s over there.” She gestured to the doorway to her left.
Gisela turned her head toward the darkened corridor where Rainhilda pointed. A girl was crying into her hands. She looked up and locked eyes with Gisela.
Irma. Gisela’s stomach twisted. The last thing she wanted to feel was pity for her stepsister.
“Gisela, please come and help Contzel.” Irma sniffed, wiping her face with a handkerchief. “She’s thinking of doing harm to herself.”
“What can I do?” Gisela felt a stab of pity in spite of herself. Contzel had never been as cruel to her as Irma and Evfemia. She had gone along with her mother and stepsister, but Gisela had sometimes wondered if she would have been a kind person if it had not been for them.
“She’s wracked with guilt and wishes she had talked mother out of selling you to Ruexner. She thinks you could never forgive us for what we did.”
“I don’t hold any grudge against Contzel.”
“Please, won’t you tell her that yourself? Perhaps she won’t do herself harm if you will only tell her you forgive her.”
Gisela glanced over her shoulder. Rainhilda had disappeared and Valten was still talking with the guard and wasn’t looking her way. She probably should have someone come with her. However, she didn’t want anyone being privy to the conversation she was about to have with Contzel, where she forgave her for any involvement in selling her to Ruexner, trapping her in her chamber, and all the myriad of things they had done to her over the years, not least of which was forcing her to work as their servant.
Gisela looked from Irma to Valten and back again. “Where is she? I shouldn’t leave the Great Hall.”
“She’s just inside the corridor.” Irma started crying again. “She’s all I have left, now that Mother is …” She sobbed rather loudly before blubbering, “In the dungeon.”
Her tears seemed more real than any she’d seen her cry before. “All right. But I can’t be gone long.”
Gisela stepped through the doorway into the darkened corridor. Why was it so dark? Someone should light the torch in the wall sconce. “Where did you say Contzel was?”
Irma let the door close behind them. The back of Gisela’s neck prickled. Her heart began to pound. Something was amiss. Irma was trying to trick her, she was sure, but before she could voice her alarm, someone threw something over Gisela’s face. A hand clamped over her mouth as she tried to scream. Biting fingers dug into her arms. She kicked but lost her footing and felt herself being dragged down the corridor, away from the ball and away from Valten.
“We are still searching for Ruexner, but there’s no sign of him,” the soldier told Valten. “We’re questioning people as well. So far no one has seen him.”
“Keep all guards on the search, except for the ones guarding the castle.”