Page 20 of To Steal the Sun

He turned his eyes on Gwen again, but this time his look was open and direct—meant to be seen rather than overlooked. The apparent warmth in his gaze made her squirm given the false note that lay behind it. She stayed silent, however, willing to play along with whatever drama he was enacting for the queen.

“I cannot deny that your daughter is beautiful,” he said, aiming his words at Celandine but keeping his eyes on Gwen. “But I don’t know if I can bring myself to marry a complete stranger.” He finally turned to look at the queen. “May we not have some time alone?”

The queen raised her brows. “I have brought her to you, haven’t I? Or are you saying you cannot become acquainted in my company?”

Gwen tensed at the suspicion in her words, but Henry merely smirked.

“There are some types of…acquaintance…that are uncomfortable to achieve in the presence of others,” he said smoothly, his eyes returning appreciatively to Gwen.

His words surprised a mirthless laugh from the queen. “I suppose I can allow you a few minutes.” She held up a finger, her tone turning to warning. “But a few minutes only. I’m sure I need not remind you that the wedding has yet to take place.”

She swept toward the door, pausing at Gwen’s side and leaning close to murmur in her ear.

“Take note of this lesson, my dear. For all their protestations, all men are the same. Attempt whatever coyness you like, but allow him a kiss now, and you will yet manage to control him.”

Gwen stared at her mother’s retreating form in shock. They had suspected her mother was struggling to maintain control in her absence, but even so she had expected more resistance to her return. She hadn’t expected her mother to treat it like it had never happened. Before her defiance and escape, one of her mother’s last commands to her had been about preparing for her wedding. She hadn’t been concerned about the clothes or the ceremony, but rather about Gwen’s need to control and manipulate her future husband. And now she was speaking as if that conversation had merely been interrupted by a night’s sleep.

Her mother must be more desperate than the count realized if she truly intended to ignore Gwen’s rebellion and disappearance. It was like time had rolled back in her mother’s mind. Gwen had returned, and it was therefore as if she had never left.

Gratitude filled Gwen that she hadn’t spoken up sooner. If her mother truly intended to deny reality, Gwen could use that to her advantage. And she would need every advantage she could manage. A Celandine desperate enough to react in such a way was almost more terrifying than Celandine in her right mind, in full control of every situation. It made her unpredictable and dangerous.

As the door clicked shut, Henry stepped toward her. Grasping her shoulders, he spun her slightly so that his back was toward the door and his body blocked most of hers from view. Leaning close, he positioned his face beside hers.

“Apologies,” he whispered, “but if she opens the door, it will look from that direction as if we’re embracing.”

Gwen nodded, not wanting to waste any of their precious time.

“My wife mentioned you,” he said rapidly. “She knew your name. And you seemed to react when you saw me. Have you met her? I don’t know how it could be possible, but do you know her somehow?” Fear tinged his voice. “Do you know where she is now? Have you seen her in the last few days? She isn’t here in the mountain kingdom, is she?”

Gwen winced, and Henry’s face turned ashen.

“No,” he whispered hoarsely. “How is that possible?”

“I’m sorry,” she murmured, her words falling over each other. “She insisted I bring her here. She’s determined to find you. She wants to—”

“Free me,” Henry said on a groan. He strode once up and down the room, running an agitated hand through his hair. “I can’t protect her if she’s here!”

“Then maybe you need to let her protect you,” Gwen said firmly.

Henry halted and stared at her. But before she could expand on the topic, he glanced at the closed door and hurried back to position himself in front of her again.

“She isn’t alone,” Gwen said softly, unable to ignore the pain and worry on his face. “And it isn’t just me, either. We have allies. And a plan. There isn’t time to explain it all now, but you should just be ready when the moment comes. I’m not working with my mother, and I won’t marry you, no matter what she says or does. But we have to play along with her for now. Even if it gets all the way to the ceremony, don’t worry. Just be ready to move on my signal.”

Henry looked like he was about to argue, but the door clicked behind them. For a half second, Henry leaned even closer to her before a footfall sounded and he started dramatically away.

The queen chuckled. “I’m glad to see the two of you getting along.”

Gwen hoped the flush of fury in her cheeks would be mistaken for embarrassment. She kept her face averted from the queen, lest the look in her eyes give her away. Instead, she gazed out the window, waiting for her emotions to calm.

A flash of movement outside caught her eye, and her gaze focused abruptly. There was someone out there, and it wasn’t a captive servant or a guard. She recognized the swish of the gown that had disappeared around the corner because it was one of her own—one she had loaned to Charlotte after finding her friend still dressed in her nightgown.

The flush surged back into Gwen’s cheeks, this time fueled by a combination of fear and nervous anticipation. She leaned into it, looking from Henry to the queen and then back to Henry before covering her heated cheeks with her hands and fleeing the room.

The queen’s laughter chased her out, and as Gwen dashed along the corridor, she caught the distant words as the queen excused her daughter’s naivety. Gwen rolled her eyes even while she felt relieved her spontaneous subterfuge had worked. She didn’t know how long she had before her mother came looking for her—or set the palace guards to the task—so she couldn’t waste time finding Charlotte and sending her away. The last thing they needed was for Queen Celandine to capture her. From what Gwen had seen, Henry would go along with any plan the queen demanded if she had Charlotte under her power.

GWEN

Gwen ran straight to the nearest exit into the garden, weaving through the paths as she rushed toward the spot she had seen her friend. She stayed close to hedges as much as possible, hoping she wouldn’t be spotted from any of the palace’s windows, and so she nearly missed the two slim figures huddled together in quiet conversation in one of the more secluded spots in the garden.

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