Chapter 38

There was never a chance to warn Annalise. The wedding, with its ceremony and its pomp, its incense and songs, stretched on like a waking dream, like a spell being cast. The final incantation of the spell would make Annalise a queen.

I followed the steps of the ritual we’d practiced the day before, and suddenly it was over. Leopold and Annalise were man and wife, and I was carrying the train of Annalise’s dress down the aisle, and avoiding looking at the highwayman.

The sun blinded me when we left the cathedral. Welcome fresh air filled my lungs. Mobbing the streets before us, as far as the eye could see, were throngs of waving, cheering people. King Leopold, holding Annalise’s arm, paused to wave to his adoring subjects. He planted a long kiss on Annalise’s mouth, and together they hurried into the golden carriage awaiting them. I climbed into another carriage with several of the bridesmaids and their companion knights, and endured the long, slow ride back.

When we reached the castle, we were directed to join Annalise and Leopold in the grand ballroom, but I broke away from the others and ran up to Annalise’s chambers. I hadn’t forgotten her garters. I viewed them as a sort of peace offering for the inconvenience I’d caused her.

The upstairs corridors echoed with my footfalls. I entered Annalise’s chambers and took a longing look at her view of the sea. Nature had served up a perfect September day, and now the sea looked bluer than I’d ever seen it. How I wished I were swimming with Clair now.

The Starlight lay anchored some distance out into the harbor, and there along the shore near the boathouse lay the boats Leopold and Annalise would use to reach their honeymoon ship. Before the sun set today they would sail away for their bridal trip.

I went to the alcove where the armoire stood and opened the door.

Just then I heard Annalise’s chamber door open, and a footfall on the flagstones. A heavy footfall, that of a man in boots.

Some instinct made me afraid. I climbed into the armoire and pulled the doors nearly shut behind me, then peered through the gap to watch.

The footsteps made their way slowly around the room, but my view was too poor to see more than a dark blur when the figure passed by my hiding place. From the squeak of mattresses and wooden frames, I gathered he’d flung himself upon Annalise’s bed. What kind of outrage was this?

I took a gamble and pushed the armoire door open another inch. No squealing hinges betrayed me. But now I could see who lay there.

The bandit.

He lay on the bed with confident ease, his ankles crossed, his hands resting behind his head, and elbows cocked. Even despising him as I did, I had to admit he was magnificent, dressed in leather trousers and a jacket of dark suede. Underneath was a snow white shirt, again with a lace ruffle under his chin, and a red sash belted around his waist.

What could he be doing here? Did he have some violence planned against the princess—or rather, now, the queen? Did he expect to catch her in an unguarded moment, here, returning to her room? And if so, what could I do?

Oh, for my leviathan! Clair, Clair, can you hear me?

But I knew he could not.

Neither Annalise nor I would be any match for this huge man, I knew. But perhaps together we could be. Perhaps, if we both fought him off and called for help, some help would come. I flexed my fingers and toes, bracing myself to be ready to fight when the moment came, and in the meantime, to hold steady my place.

And there we both remained, listening to the clock tick.

It chimed a quarter hour, and then a half. How long would my absence go unnoticed? Would someone come looking for me? Oh, please heaven, let them come. My legs screamed at the agony of crouching so long, but I didn’t dare change position lest I give myself away.

The door opened, then closed. Footsteps crossed the room. Running footsteps—was it Annalise? A servant? Whoever it was, had she seen him?

The bed squealed again. I moved aside for a better angle. Was he rising from the bed to seize her? Was now the time I should burst forth from my hiding place?

What I saw made my heart stand still.

It was Annalise. She lay on her bed in her wedding dress, most willingly clasped in the bandit’s arms.