Page 29 of To Steal the Sun

Natalie stared at her doubtfully before giving in and laughing along with her.

“L…Latch it,” Charlotte managed to force out, and Natalie leaped into action, securing the door behind them.

They both quieted down, the emotional release giving way to labored breathing that slowly calmed.

Charlotte looked around. “Where are we?”

They stood at the end of a stretch of greenery that was denser and less sculpted than the palace gardens. Some distance away, a large house rose above the green, its crisply painted walls shining in the morning light. Charlotte didn’t remember many details of Natalie’s family home, but it definitely wasn’t this mansion.

“I told you,” Natalie said. “My house is too far. This is Count Oswin’s city home.”

Charlotte whistled softly. “He really is important!” She glanced around, uneasy. “But will he be angry that we turned up like this? What if we led the guards to his house?”

Natalie shrugged. “I checked before we dashed in here. There wasn’t anyone in sight.”

Charlotte frowned, not quite satisfied. “They might ask around. Someone might have seen us.”

“The people of the city won’t help Celandine’s guards,” Natalie said dismissively. “I’m not saying they’d risk their hides to help us, but not getting involved is the safest option anyway, so they’ll all say they didn’t see anything and get away from the guards as quickly as possible.”

Charlotte sighed, having to accept Natalie’s greater understanding of the city and its people. She still didn’t like involving so many other people in her own folly, though.

She didn’t regret the time with Henry, and at least she’d sent Gwen’s apple where it needed to go. But in every other regard…She sighed again.

“There’s no need for the count to know anything about it, anyway,” Natalie said carelessly. “We can just wait here in the garden until the guards give up and go back to the palace and then slip out again.”

“No.” Charlotte shook her head decisively. “We’re here now, and we should go in and find the count. He said everyone in his household is trustworthy, so we don’t have to worry about being seen.”

Natalie gave her a doubtful look, but Charlotte held firm.

“Thinking I could foresee and control all the variables is what got me into this trouble,” she said. “I’m not making the same mistake again. We need to tell him what happened and the danger that someone might trace us here.”

“I suppose—if you insist,” Natalie said a little sourly. But she made no further protest, leading the way through the garden to the back door of the mansion.

When she went to open it, Charlotte leaned around her with a warning look and knocked on the wooden panel instead. Natalie rolled her eyes but stepped back, crossing her arms and waiting silently.

It didn’t take long for footsteps to sound from inside. When the door swung open, the footman on the other side regarded them both with raised brows.

“We don’t usually get visitors to the back door,” he said.

Charlotte smiled as sweetly as she could manage. “I’m guessing most of your visitors don’t come over your back wall.”

The footman’s brows drew together.

“We’re here to see Count Oswin,” she hurried to add. “He’s not expecting us, but he’ll know who we are. You can tell him Charlotte and Natalie are—”

An instant change came over the footman’s face when he heard the names. Leaning out, he pulled them both inside and shut the door behind them.

“They’ll be glad to see you,” he said with an easy grin that took her by surprise. “Come on, I’ll show you the way.”

GWEN

Waiting for sunset in her room, wondering what was happening to Charlotte, was torturous. But she couldn’t go out with the sun so low on the horizon. Being seen around the palace in her bear form would not only enrage her mother but also damage the plans of the rebels.

Gwen had escaped the mountain kingdom and then ridden the wind back to save it, but both sides still wanted her to play a false role as the pure princess—someone whose apparent virtue seemed to involve sitting around waiting and doing nothing at all.

She paced up and down, her thoughts alternating between Charlotte—was she with Henry now?—and Easton—was he thinking of her as much as she was thinking of him? Every now and then she stopped and looked around her room in wonder. It should look different. After all the changes in her, it should look different.

But everything was exactly the same as she’d left it. This was the danger she had recognized earlier. Trapped in the same environment, the new Gwen wavered before the old one.

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