“I know he looks quite scary,” Kirstyn went on. “I’ve always been a little afraid of him myself, but he is a good brother, and I’m sure he’ll be a good husband.”
“Tears work quite well with him too!” Margaretha exclaimed. “If I want something from him, all I have to do is cry and he gives it to me. He can’t resist tears. He doesn’t talk much, but Mother says men don’t always want to waste their words, while women sometimes have enough to spare. Mother is very wise, don’t you think?”
“Yes, she is,” Sophie agreed, hoping the conversation would be steered away from Valten.
Adela, the youngest at only two years old, said, “Valten carry me!”
Margaretha smiled at her little sister indulgently. “She’s talking about the time she scraped her knee and Valten carried her all the way home.”
“Don’t worry about Valten, Sophie,” Kirstyn said. “I saw him smile at you last night. I think he likes you already, and before you know it, you two will be looking at each other the way Mother and Father do.”
Sophie didn’t know what to say to that.
Soon it was clear that Sophie couldn’t eat anymore, so the sisters showed her around the castle, promising to also show her around the courtyard and, if they could find Valten to escort them, to show her around the Marktplatz and the main sections of town. Sophie enjoyed being with them, so she went along, vowing to confess the truth of her feelings for Gabe — and her lack thereof for Valten — as soon as she was able.
They showed her every part of the castle, pointing out the various family members’ bedchambers, including Gabe’s room, which Sophie paid extra attention to. As they wandered around the courtyard, the sisters telling Sophie various stories of their adventures growing up, they turned and there was Valten, standing with his usual stern expression.
The three sisters greeted him and, with a slight softening of his expression, he bent down to receive a kiss on the cheek from each of them. He cleared his throat and said, “I came to ask Lady Sophia to go on a picnic with me.”
If Sophie hadn’t been sure he was incapable of such things, she would have believed he was blushing.
What was it with unwanted men and picnics? Unlike her first few requests from Lorencz, she couldn’t think of a single excuse to turn Valten away. “Can Margaretha, Kirstyn, and Adela come with us?” At least she wouldn’t have to be alone with him.
“As you wish.”
Valten led them out of the town gate after collecting a basket of food from the kitchen and a blanket for them to sit on. The three sisters skipped arm in arm across the meadow, leaving Sophie and Valten behind, no doubt on purpose.
“Have my sisters talked you to death yet?” Valten asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence.
“Oh no.” Sophie smiled. “I’m enjoying them very much. They are very sweet girls. You’re very fortunate to have such a wonderful family.”
He was looking at her strangely, as if he didn’t understand her words. He probably took them all for granted, probably wasn’t even worried about Gabe, his brother, who could be in danger or hurt or lost.
Trust …
Sophie took a deep breath.
The sisters exclaimed at a baby rabbit they had found hiding in the tall grass and called Sophie and Valten over to look at it. It didn’t hop away, but its nose twitched and its heart was beating so hard Sophie could see its brown fur vibrating.
Valten took a brief look, then walked on, so they turned and followed him.
The picnic was rather awkward, with Valten’s presence dampening Sophie’s spirits. The outing would have been so much more fun if he weren’t there. But at least he carried their heavy picnic basket. God, forgive me for being ungracious.
After they finished eating, Margaretha and Kirstyn took Adela to see if the rabbit was where they had left it while Sophie and Valten packed up the basket. Just when Sophie was sure she had survived the picnic without having to say more than a few words to the man she hopefully wouldn’t marry, Valten asked, “So did my little brother really rescue you, or did you have to rescue him?”
Valten’s look of disdain made Sophie want to punch him in the face. “Gabe was very brave, as a matter of fact. He saved me not only from Duchess Ermengard, but also from a wolf that was about to attack me, and as I mentioned at the inn, he took an arrow that was meant for me.” She crossed her arms and glared at him. “I doubt anyone could have done any better, even a man who’s won every tournament he’s ever entered but who has never faced a true life-and-death situation.”
Valten stared at her, his jaw as hard as stone. His face turned red, but he never took his eyes off her. Finally, as though it was difficult to unclench his teeth, he opened his mouth and spoke. “So Gabe is your hero then?”
Sophie wasn’t going to keep quiet any longer. If he wanted to know the truth, she might as well tell him now instead of waiting. “He is.” She stared back at him.