Page 21 of To Ride the Wind

“Just know that every time we break our backs in hard labor in the days to come, we will be thinking of you,” Elizabeth hissed. “For it will all be your fault.”

Their mother looked up from where she stood over the stove on the other side of the room, her brows drawing together. Had she heard Elizabeth’s words? Charlotte couldn’t be sure. She told herself her mother couldn’t have heard. If she had, she would have said something—rebuked her oldest and defended Charlotte.

Wouldn’t she? Charlotte wished she felt more sure.

“Every time we’re lonely,” Odelia added, “and if we find no suitors, we will know you are to blame. We could have had everything, but you threw it away for the sake of a foolish dream. It’s hard to comprehend such selfishness.”

Their father stepped into the house in time to hear her final words. Both girls fell silent, looking at him guiltily. He frowned, giving them a sharp look.

“All three of my daughters are welcome under my roof for as long as they wish to say,” he said sternly. “None of you will ever be forced out while I am alive.”

Gratitude rushed through Charlotte, only growing stronger when he turned to her. “Why don’t you join me in the forest today, Charli? I don’t expect the white bear to come until evening, as he did last time.”

She stepped outside, embracing the familiar feeling of escape. Smiling at her father, she fell into step beside him, pleased he was allowing her to accompany him. He rarely did so when he was off to cut wood, since he worried about her safety. But he must have recognized Charlotte’s need for comfort and companionship today. It was getting harder and harder to bear her sisters’ dislike.

They walked in silence, and Charlotte relished it. No one was berating her or trying to convince her to change her mind. Utter bliss.

Once they were well away from the house, her father cleared his throat.

“Are you sure, Charli-bear?” he asked, the nickname once again setting her teeth on edge.

She forced herself to respond calmly. “About what, Father?”

He cleared his throat again. “About the white bear’s offer.”

She stiffened, disbelief filling her. Was this why he had invited her to come with him today? She had thought he was offering her a reprieve, but instead he was joining in the chorus?

He kept his face forward, his voice uncomfortable. “I don’t mention it because of what the bear is offering us. He also wishes to offer you a life of luxury. I know you aren’t swayed by the lure of worldly goods in the same way as your sisters, but I can’t help wondering if you might still benefit from what he can provide.”

She stared at her father, still too shocked to speak, and he finally turned to look at her.

“I do believe we are on the verge of turning around our fortunes here,” he said earnestly. “Your aunt and the other senior valley folk are finally going to—” He cut himself off, shaking his head. “Never mind that. The point is that I haven’t been lying to you all when I said better times are on the horizon for our family. But it’s taken too long. I’ve taken too long.” He looked so crestfallen that her instinct was to comfort him, but for once, she remained silent.

“With or without the bear’s assistance, I think we’re going to have to move,” he said after a moment. “Your mother and sisters have been very clear about their feelings on the matter. I have to give Elizabeth a chance to…” He trailed off, grasping her arms as a new light came into his eyes. “But you don’t have to come with us, Charli! The White Bear is offering you a chance to stay. And not just stay but seek out new frontiers.” He looked in the direction of the mountains, his eyes still shining, and she wondered if he was seeing the Palace of Light in his mind’s eye.

“You can have adventures the rest of us can only dream of,” he whispered. “And perhaps, one day, when your sisters are settled, I’ll be able to come and visit you.”

Charlotte pulled herself free, stepping back. “Adventure?” she asked. “You think I should choose adventure over love?”

Her father frowned, as if confused at her reaction.

“There are different kinds of love,” he said. “You can have a full life without romance. And your sisters might well be right. Even if we move, you might not find someone to match your girlhood dreams. With the bear you can have both security and new adventures. That is not a combination to be considered lightly.”

He continued to speak, dropping his voice even lower, as if he was ashamed of his own words. But she couldn’t hear him, the buzz in her thoughts drowning out his whisper, one line echoing over and over in her head.

Your sisters might well be right.

She had thought she had one ally in the family. One person who saw her and thought she belonged—who loved her for her and would never try to send her away. But she had been wrong. Her father didn’t know her at all.

And what had he said earlier? That one day he might visit her at the Palace of Light? He might not have been motivated by riches, but he was still thinking about how Charlotte’s marriage could benefit him, saving him from the future her sisters were hemming him into.

Tears rose up, clogging her throat and threatening to spill from her eyes. She stopped, desperately trying to hold them in long enough to get away.

“I should have known you would want to send me away, too,” she managed to choke out. “How could you not when you have so much to gain? This is a rare opportunity, and I guess I am selfish to stand in all of your way.”

Turning, she nearly tripped over her feet in her haste to run. She had to get away from him. She had to escape before she started crying in earnest. She couldn’t bear to let her tears fall in front of him.

“Charli!” he called after her. “Charli, wait!”

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