Page 54 of The Forgotten Queen
Marx shook his head. He couldn’t quite figure her out.
She pulled out the seat next to him and sat down, opening the notebook to the first page, and began reading. “My name is Sydria Alyson Hasler. I’m twenty-one years old. My parent’s names are—”
“Wait,” Marx said, holding up his hand. “Is that stuffyouremember or stuff you’ve been told?”
“Stuff I’ve been told.”
“How do you know if it’s true or not?”
“I guess I don’t.” Her countenance fell, and he hated it.
“Let’s start with something you remember on your own. Something that no one has told you.”
“Okay.” She fidgeted with the pen that had been tucked inside the middle of her notebook. “My favorite food is a rack of lamb served with mustard shallot sauce.”
“That’s what you remember?” Marx couldn’t help the amusement in his voice.
She nodded.
“You can’t remember your name or anything about your life, but you remember mustard shallot sauce?”
Her dark eyes glared back at him. “Is there a problem?”
Marx tried to contain his laugh, he really did, but it came out despite his best efforts.
“Are you laughing at me?”
He covered his mouth with his hand, coughing the laughs away. “No.”
Sydria bit her lip, trying not to smile, and an adorable crease appeared between her dark brows. She looked very appealing when she tried to be angry.
“Are you seriously making fun of someone with amnesia?”
He shook the remains of his laughter away. “I think you should know something about me before we go any further. I’m not a good person.”
Sydria swatted him on the shoulder, but it was nice. He didn’t have any complaints.
“You’re not a bad person.” She lifted her shoulders. “Itiskind of funny.”
“All right, let’s continue on, and I promise I’ll be on my best behavior,” Marx said, gesturing for her to keep going. “What else do you remember?”
“Playing with dolls. There was always a prince and princess, and they would get married and live happily ever after.”
“Do you remember anything about where you grew up? Was it snowy? Were there lakes? Mountains?” If she could remember a physical landmark, that might help pinpoint which kingdoms they should focus on.
“I see glimpses of it all. Water sloshing around, green fields, snow-capped mountains, cliffs on the edge of the ocean. I don’t know what is real or what my mind made up.” Moisture filled the brim of her eyes. “It’s all very confusing.”
Marx’s chest collapsed. Was he pushing her too hard, too fast? He gave her a gentle smile. “I bet it is confusing. Don’t worry, though. We’ll figure it out.” He placed his hand on top of hers. “Together.”
She glanced down at their interlocked hands, causing Marx to jerk his away—nothing had ever moved so fast. Things had gotten too real.He’dlet them get too real. “I have some things to do this afternoon.” He abruptly stood. “I’ll see you tonight at dinner.”
Sydria looked up at him with hesitation. “Is there another party?”
“No, just dinner with my family. Although, that might actually be worse.”
“Will Dannyn be there?” she asked.
“I assume so. Did your meeting with her earlier go well? I heard my mother didn’t show up.”
