A few of the servants were up, but the halls were otherwise deserted, and I wandered through them in a haze of memory. It had been less than two years since I had called this place home. And yet the me who had lived here felt distant and strange. But, as I paced up and down, my eyes alighting on familiar objects and rooms, I was forced to admit to myself that in some ways I was still the same person.
I examined my motivations of the day before. I had told myself I remained silent out of respect for Julian, but that wasn’t the whole truth. Part of me had been gripped by fear. If I spoke up and told the truth and Julian did not back me, who would believe me over the son of a viscount? Especially when the story painted me in such a heroic light.
My steps quickened as my thoughts twirled. The royals had shown me nothing but kindness. They had included me where I had no right to be included, they had trusted me, and when I had told them of my past life here, they had believed me over Monique’s lies.
So why did I hesitate now? People have believed you before, spoke up that voice inside. For a while.
I wrestled with myself. Surely my hesitation harmed no one. If my theories were correct, the royals had not been the target of the accident. And surely, now that he had arrived safely home, Julian would tell his father the whole truth, and a proper investigation would be conducted.
My steps slowed, and I drifted around a corner. The sight of two unwelcome figures made me draw swiftly back.
“What did you do?” hissed Monique to her companion.
“You can’t blame me if your precious prince rushed to rescue somebody else,” said a haughty voice that sounded somehow less confident than it had in the past.
“You told me I would have my chance to be thrown together with the prince, not that you meant to sink the boat—with Julian inside! I thought this would be like our trick with Evangeline and my necklace. Not murder!”
I gasped, and then clamped my hand over my mouth. Was this the confirmation of my theory, then, as well as the past wrong against me? Two confessions in one.
“Sink the boat? What are you talking about? So now I am to be blamed for Julian’s catching his leg on a nail as well as the prince’s desertion of you? It seems to me, he likes that little baron’s brat better than you—not to mention the commoner.”
I didn’t have to see him to picture the smirk that no doubt accompanied his statement. But Monique, to her credit, would not be deterred.
“Do you think I care about that when Julian could have died!”
“So he has made it through the night, then?” Marcus tried to sound nonchalant and failed.
“No thanks to you,” she snapped. “I’m telling my father everything you told me.”
Did her voice sound closer? I drew further back.
“Wait, Monique,” Marcus sounded a little desperate now. “You’re misinterpreting everything.”
Their voices seemed to have paused again, as if he had halted her progress somehow. I continued to inch back silently, however.
“Let go of me!” Monique’s outraged cry was followed by running footsteps and then we were face to face. She halted for the briefest moment, her glassy eyes widening. Then she threw up her hands. “Oh, of course. Of course!” She almost cried the final words before taking off again.
I stood frozen in shock as Marcus also rounded the corner.
“You,” he said, his voice icy, as he advanced toward me. In all the years I had known and feared him, I had never seen such an expression on his face. I abandoned any pretense of dignity and ran as fast as I could.
Several corridors over, I was still running headlong when I collided with a tall figure. My momentum nearly carried us both to the ground, but I managed to steady him at the last moment, stepping back to look up at Julian in surprise.
“Should you be out of bed?” I blurted out, the words the first to come to my lips.
“Perhaps not,” he said, “but I needed to speak to my father.”
I waited for him to say something else, but for a long moment he just regarded me, a confused look in his eyes. I remained silent. He was the one who owed me explanations, not the other way around.
“You risked your own life to rescue me,” he said at last. “And then you held your silence. Why?”
I blinked at him. “Would you have rather I left you to die?”
“No, of course not. But it would not have surprised me if you had.”
“A pretty idea you have of me,” I said, shaking my head, knowing I must see the humor in the situation or I would cry from so much pent up emotion.
He shrugged. “I am aware you disputed your banishment. It would not be unnatural for some resentment to remain.”
I stared at him, slowly shaking my head. Did he really think my only complaint against his family was my banishment? I considered pouring out all my grievances, throwing the many injustices into his face, but instead my shoulders slumped. What would be the point?
“I would not let someone die over such a thing,” I said instead. “As for why I stayed silent, I have been busy asking myself the same question.” I said no more. The inner workings of my mind were none of his business.
“Well, whatever your reasons, I thank you. I have told the whole story to my father, and he will see justice done.”
I thought of my own experience with the viscount. He was certainly implacable once he perceived a crime had been committed. It seemed I could rest easy and put aside my internal struggle. But I couldn’t help asking.
“It was Marcus, I suppose?”
Julian nodded, his expression difficult to read. “I cannot imagine why he felt our trip to be an appropriate time to dispose of me, but his jealousy is hardly a secret on the island. It was he who injured me, though he claimed it to be an accident. He accompanied me below deck and when I went into the cabin, he locked me inside. I can only imagine he then sabotaged the boat. If it had not been for your fortunate arrival, and the fact that I keep a second, hidden, set of keys, I would now be at the bottom of the ocean. He heard, as did I, my father charge my crew with the care of the three royal persons. I suppose he saw his opportunity.” He shrugged. “Whatever motivated him, we shall now at last be rid of him.”
I stared at him. Perhaps I should not be so surprised by the cold statement. His cousin had just tried to kill him. I opened my mouth and then closed it again. What more was there to say?
Moving slowly now—the route taking me far longer than it should have, lost as I was in my thoughts—I made my way back to Celine’s chamber. I found the other girl already up and gone. Throwing off my dressing gown, I hurriedly prepared for the day. Perhaps I would find her in the breakfast hall.
But halfway there, a call of, “Evie!” interrupted me. Turning, I found Celine and both princes hurrying toward me.
“There you are!” the princess exclaimed, falling on my neck.
Frederic, who was still hurriedly buckling on his sword belt, slowed, his face relaxing. “Celine became concerned when she woke to find you gone.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” I said. “It never occurred to me…I couldn’t sleep and have been walking the halls.” I drew a deep breath. “I hear the viscount has determined the boat was indeed sunk and has even discovered the culprit.”
Cassian raised an eyebrow as Frederic said, “Already?”
“I just ran into Julian,” I said. “But perhaps we will find them all in the breakfast hall. They should be the ones to tell the tale.”
The three of them joined me, and we did indeed find the viscount calmly involved in consuming several slices of ham and toast. When he saw who had arrived, he stood and bowed.
“Your Highnesses.”
Frederic indicated he should be seated, and we all took seats of our own, although none of us touched the food. Monique, who sat beside her father, looked nervously between us. Her mother and Shantelle were absent, as was Marcus. Julian had presumably returned to his sick room.
“We hear you have discovered the truth of yesterday’s events,” said Frederic, his eyes never leaving the viscount.
The man paused and placed his food back on his plate.
“It is more than regrettable, Your Highness. It is infamous beyond words that you should have been placed in such a situation, and I am merely grateful that you all escaped harm.”