Grandfather chuckled again. My dear, you understand more of your place in this world than you think. You must learn to trust yourself too.
***
The lengthening afternoon shadows stretched far across the road, leaving us in deep shade more often than not. We had passed through a few small hamlets and crossed the paths of a handful of travelers without incident, and yet I still watched the forest with a nervous gaze. The effort of walking nonstop on little food and even less rest had turned my feet to lead. I was considering taking a break in Adaleiz’s saddle when the clatter of carriage wheels, jangling harnesses, and pounding hooves sent my pulse racing again.
A large band of uniformed riders flanked an elegant carriage that roared toward us like a blazing comet. I breathed hard and clawed uselessly for a storm cloud that would never come when Brahm gripped my shoulder and tugged, breaking me out of my panic.
“Wait, Evie. It’s all right.” Excitement lit his face. “It’s only my sister.”
Mouth open, I gaped at the approaching procession. The sleek chocolate-colored horses were obviously well fed and expertly groomed. The brass on their tack gleamed despite the dim lighting. What I presumed was the Schulze family crest adorned the door of a mahogany carriage. The riders escorting the carriage wore dark livery—coffee-brown suits, boots, and caps trimmed in gold. The entire entourage exuded an air of high class and big money.
My lip curled, but then I remembered my blood was bluer than anyone else here’s. Even if my kingdom had been a humble one, I had no right to resent Brahm’s sister sight unseen.
Gold velvet curtains hid the carriage’s occupant, but the moment the wheels stopped turning, the door swung open. A tall blond girl stepped out. She was perhaps my age, maybe younger, and wore a sky-blue dress. Her gaze swept over Malita and Niffin, dismissing them without a second glance. She paused on me, and I felt the weight of her scrutiny for a moment before her attention shifted to her brother. A blazing smile transformed her face from harsh and critical to warm, young, and happy.
“Hannah.” Brahm bowed. “What an unexpected delight.”
“Well, of course it is.” She fluttered her lashes melodramatically. “You thought you still had several hours of slogging through this dreadful forest, but here I am, your shining beacon of hope. You can add this rescue to the long list of favors you already owe me.”
Brahm approached the carriage as Hannah skipped down the steps. He whisked her into his arms and squeezed until she squeaked. “How did you know we needed a ride?”
She pounded his back until he released her. Glaring at him, she smoothed wrinkles from her bodice. “You know we were monitoring railway communications. If something went wrong, I wanted to know immediately. Good thing I did, too, because apparently something did go wrong.”
Brahm stepped aside, faced me, and winked. “We had it under control, didn’t we, Liesl?”
I huffed. “Something like that.”
He swept his hand toward me. “Hannah, let me introduce you to my friend Liesl and her companions, Niffin and Malita.”
Hannah glanced at my friends again. Niffin nodded. Malita merely offered a flat stare, obviously apathetic to Hannah’s grandeur.
“It’s a pleasure.” I bobbed a curtsey.
“Liesl, is it?” She strode closer, studying me with piercing blue eyes the same dark shade as a late-evening sky.
I wondered how this game was supposed to go. It appeared she was pretending not to know me, but who among us didn’t know my true identity? The only ones here besides Hannah, Brahm, and my two closest friends were the uniformed members of Hannah’s retinue. Like statues, they sat astride their horses, grim faced and unmoving, their gazes all focused on our surroundings. Were they not to be trusted? “Yes, my lady.”
Hannah’s lips quirked. Her nostrils flared. “You look tired.” She flicked her fingers, beckoning. “Come. Sit with me inside. A friend of my brother’s is a friend of all Schulzes.”
“What about my friends?” I motioned to Niffin and Malita.
“They have a horse. Let them ride.”
I put a little steel into my tone. “I don’t go anywhere without them.”
“They’re welcome to join us.” She rolled her eyes. “But there’s no room in the carriage for more. They’ll dine with us, and they’ll have a private room in my house, of course.”
Following her up the steps into the carriage, I wondered how much of her condescension was an act and how much of it was real. Bram took a seat beside me on a padded bench covered in gold velvet. Hannah sat across from us in the center of her own bench. Her thin smile and the way she looked down her nose suggested she enjoyed lording over the rest of us. Perhaps her condescension wasn’t an act at all. I started to regret her involvement and, more importantly, her money.
Don’t be so quick to judge, Grandfather said. You didn’t much care for Princess Karolina when you first met her, and look how that relationship turned out. Besides, you don’t have to like her. You simply need to find out if you can work with her.
Begrudgingly, I agreed. I’d also given Brahm a chance to prove himself, and it seemed he was a reliable fellow. Hannah deserved at least as much deference.
The carriage set off with a jolt, and Hannah snickered when I latched onto Brahm’s arm for balance. Releasing him, I muttered an apology under my breath and drew aside the curtain to peer out the window.
“So,” she said, “you’re the one.”
“The one what?” I released the curtain, and it fell with a soft swish.
Her eyebrow twitched. “The one Gideon made all the fuss about.”
“I don’t know what Gideon’s said to you.”
Brahm snorted. “He didn’t say much. It’s not his way. But he didn’t have to. It’s in the way he says your name. The look on his face when he talks about you.”
A small spark flared in my chest. What was it? Longing? Jealousy? Suspicion? “When did you last see Gideon?”
“We’ve corresponded with him plenty. I received a letter from him last week.”
“That’s not what I asked. If you haven’t seen him, how did he send you a message?”
“My solicitor was on business in Inselgrau,” Hannah said. “Gideon contacted him there, in Braddock, just before my agent was scheduled to return.”
“So you haven’t recently seen him?” The thought that Gideon might have returned to the Continent and visited Hannah instead of coming to see me piqued a sort of jealous response I’d never admit to anyone, especially not the condescending girl sitting across from me.
“The last time I actually laid eyes on him was just before Daeg’s big ceremony.” She studied her nails, picking at a cuticle. “The one designed to take your birthright and give it to Aodan. Gideon was looking for his father. I told him where to find him.”
I perked up. “You know Gideon and his family that well?”
