She stepped back and looked at Gisela. “You look absolutely beautiful. The Earl of Hamlin will lose his heart tonight, if he hasn’t already.”
Gisela felt herself blush.
“Oh, I heard about him choosing you to be the tournament queen.” Looking over her shoulder, she yelled, “Bridget! Come now!” Then she grabbed Gisela’s hand and led her to a stool and motioned for her to sit. “I know all about him dancing with you at the banquet. And how he couldn’t take his eyes off you.” She grinned gleefully and patted Gisela’s cheek.
Bridget, Ava’s maid, came running into the room. “Bridget, we must prepare Gisela’s hair for the ball.”
They began brushing and styling and discussing Gisela’s hair, while Gisela tried not to fidget too much. She was terribly thankful to God for helping her escape her chamber and for saving her from Ruexner, but if Ava didn’t stop playing with her hair and let her leave, she would be late.
Valten watched Evfemia Mueller and the two maidens who had called Gisela “Cinders-ela” make their way toward them through the courtyard. When she approached, she bowed low and presented herself and her two daughters to him and his sisters.
Valten was tempted to grab her by the throat and demand she tell him where Gisela was, but Margaretha spoke first.
“Frau Mueller, we were wondering why Gisela isn’t with you. Is she well?”
The woman scrunched up her ugly face, looking first at Margaretha and then at him. “I am sorry, more sorry than I can say, but I’m afraid Gisela has … well, I am so ashamed I can hardly speak the words.” The woman actually crimped up her face as if she was about to cry.
“What?” Margaretha said, once again helping him to forestall throttling the woman. “What has happened?”
“Gisela met a man, a wealthy merchant from Venice, a few days ago. I’m afraid she has run off with him. He promised to marry her, and she left with him early this morning.”
Valten felt the heat welling up inside him. Was she lying? Or had Gisela left with another man? If she hadn’t, then where was she?
His betrothed hadn’t wanted him either. It was the same thing all over again. She’d chosen another man over him.
Valten turned and stomped back to the Great Hall. He just might put his unbroken hand through someone’s face, if given the slightest bit of provocation. Gisela. Could she do this? Would he look like a fool again?
“Ava, I must go!” Gisela’s patience was already gone. They had been fussing over her hair for more than an hour. “Please!”
“Very well. You are beautiful. See?” Ava held up the looking glass for Gisela to see for herself.
Gisela only saw an agitated face that desperately wanted to be at the ball with Valten.
“Thank you, Ava. Now I must go!”
“But you have no shoes!”
They all stared down as Gisela pulled the dress up a few inches to show her bare toes peeking out.
“I have the perfect ones.” Ava turned and pulled out of the wardrobe a pair of white leather shoes with pointed toes that curled up and over, with a jewel embedded on top.
She had never owned a pair of white shoes before—they were too impractical. These were obviously meant only for leisure parties and feasts … and for dancing at a ball.
Gisela pulled them on. Amazingly, they fit. Gisela straightened and hugged her friend. “You are an angel from heaven, Ava. Thank you.”
“Now go. Valten will be waiting for you.” Ava pushed Gisela toward the door, and she was only too willing to leave. She bounded through the doorway, across the marble floor, out the front door, and down the steps to the waiting carriage.
Ava yelled at the coachman, “Don’t let any harm come to her.”
Otto agreed to keep her safe, and the horses started forward. Gisela was on her way, but the horses seemed to move so slowly, Gisela thought about getting out and running the rest of the way. But she’d certainly destroy her delicate white shoes.
O God, please help me get there, and don’t let Ruexner find me. She hadn’t even thought about Ruexner for the last hour. If he was riding along this road, he might stop her carriage and look inside. He would surely recognize her, and Ava’s coachman, Otto, would be no match for Ruexner and his men.
Chapter
16
Valten stalked through the Great Hall, where the Meistersingers were readying their instruments and getting into place. He kept walking, out into the corridor, not sure where he was going. He came to the library and went inside.
It was dark and quiet, but perhaps not the best choice, as it brought back memories of the day his betrothed, Sophia, and his brother, Gabe, told him in this same room that they had fallen in love with each other. They had asked Valten to relinquish his right to marry her.
Valten ran his hand through his hair, the same anger, the same pain, shooting through his chest. Only this time was much worse. Gisela. He had chosen her. He had thought her the most beautiful, the sweetest, the strongest … She wasn’t afraid to stand up to Ruexner, and she’d saved Sieger from Ruexner’s attempt to kill him. She was no ordinary girl. There was no malice, no ugly pride in her eyes when she looked at people. He had even begun to see himself marrying her.
An invisible knife stabbed his heart at the thought of her choosing some other man over him.
Her stepmother had grabbed her in the marketplace. The woman was cruel to her. He’d seen her pinch Gisela’s arm. The thought came to him again: What if the stepmother was lying?
Why would the woman be bold enough to try to trick him? She would pay dearly for lying to the duke’s son. Did she hate Gisela so much?
He spun on his heel, ready to look for the captain of the guard, ready to go look for Gisela himself. As he was walking out of the library, Margaretha almost ran into him.
“Valten, that woman, Gisela’s stepmother, is lying.”
“How do you know this?” Valten sounded like a snarling dog. He blew out a frustrated breath and purposely gentled his voice. “I’m sorry. Why do you think so?”
Margaretha put her hand on her hip and frowned up at him. “I forgive you. I know you’re upset, and you have reason to be. Evfemia Mueller is not telling the truth, because Gisela would never run off with another man. You can see it in her face. She would never choose another man over you.”
“You only knew her for a few hours, Margaretha. How can you be sure?”
“Trust me, Valten. I know these things. I could see her stepmother was lying by the way she spoke to you. And her two mean girls gave her away, besides. The plump one looked terrified and kept wringing her hands, and the skinny one was smirking and her eyes were twitching back and forth.”
“It’s not enough proof.”
His sister grabbed his arm. “Send someone to her house. I don’t believe she ran away with anyone, and she could be in danger.”
“That’s just what I was about to do.”
Valten sent for the captain of the guard, who didn’t keep him waiting long. They met in the library. His father, Duke Wilhelm, followed the captain in.
Valten focused on Captain Hartmann. “I want to know where Evfemia Mueller lives. I want to know everything you can learn about her, and I want men sent to her house now to search for Gisela.”
“Wait.” His father stepped forward. “I can tell you who Evfemia Mueller is. She’s the widow of one of my best knights, Christoff Mueller.”
Valten waited for his father to go on.
“I had forgotten he had a daughter, but Gisela Mueller is Christoff’s only child. And Evfemia took possession of his home and lands and all other property when he died. I had intended to make sure his daughter was taken care of, but I’m ashamed to say I forgot about her. Your little sister, Lindi, died around the same time as Christoff, and I’m afraid your mother and I found it hard to think about anything else for a while. And Evfermia had assured us she would care for Christoff’s daughter like she was her own … The truth is, your mother and I have neglected Gisela,
but Lady Rose has spoken to some other ladies today who say Gisela has been treated badly by her stepmother and stepsisters. I think it very likely that Evfemia is lying about Gisela.”
“Then where is she? We must find her.” Valten spoke between clenched teeth, trying to stay calm. Once again, he was having visions of putting his fist through a wall.
“We’ll send guards to her house. We’ll find her.”
At least Valten knew his father would not rest until he found out what happened to Gisela. But it wasn’t enough. “I want to go with them.”
“The guards will report back. You should stay at the ball, in case she comes here.” Duke Wilhelm lowered his voice. “Besides, Frau Lena says you shouldn’t be riding for at least a few weeks.”
Valten scowled and turned away from his father.
Duke Wilhelm gave the guard his orders, telling him to head south of the town’s western gate to the Mueller house. Valten followed them out, still angry. Angry that his hand was bandaged as fat as a beehive, angry that he didn’t know where Gisela was, still angry at the thought she might have run away with another man, even though she had likely done no such thing.
The ball would begin soon. The music would start and the guests would soon be dancing. The night he’d looked forward to was about to commence without Gisela by his side.
Valten joined the festive atmosphere down in the Great Hall, but the song and laughter made his mood even darker. Valten went to find something to drink and then slipped back into the dark quiet of the library. He stayed there, nursing his thoughts, chafing at the time it was taking for the guards to ride to Gisela’s house and report back.
It was less than half an hour before a guard, out of breath and being trailed by Duke Wilhelm, burst into the library.
“Your grace, my lord.” He addressed each of them and then paused to catch his breath. “We found the house ransacked, and both the front door and the back door were open. We found no trace of Gisela Mueller.”
He also said the rest of the men were searching the road and the neighbors’ houses. It was the only information the soldier knew, so they dismissed him to stand guard outside the Great Hall.
What could this mean? Valten could hardly stop himself from leaving to go search for her. Why had the house been ransacked? It made no sense.
While they waited to hear the next report, his father talked to him, reassuring him that Gisela would be found, but he hardly heard the words.
Valten paced the floor of the library, imagining the violence he would wreak on the person responsible for hurting Gisela. His father gave up trying to talk to him and waited silently, staring out the small window.
Finally, they heard the heavy footsteps of another guard coming down the corridor and entering the library. “We found her.”
After traversing the road toward town and passing through the gate, Gisela’s carriage slowly made its way through the crowded streets. The sound of several horses’ hooves clacking on the cobblestone streets drew closer until Gisela heard shouts, and the coachman pulled the horses to a stop.
Gisela’s heart was in her throat as the door of the carriage was flung open and a strange man stood outside.
“Are you Gisela Mueller?” He was wearing the colors of Duke of Hagenheim’s guards.
“I am.”
“We shall escort you to the ball.”
“I-I thank you.” She sank back against the cushioned seat, drawing in a shaky breath.
The man slammed the door shut, there was more shouting, and they started forward again. The carriage began moving faster than before. After several more minutes, it came to a stop outside the castle.
Gisela was helped out by a guard and found herself surrounded by soldiers. Holding her dress’s hem out of the dirt, she crossed the empty courtyard toward the Great Hall. Light shone through the windows, and she heard music and singing and lots of voices. She could hardly breathe. Had her stepmother told Valten her lies? Did he believe them? Would he be happy to see her now? Or would he be dancing with some other girl?
Valten’s heart leaped at the news.
“What did you find out?” his father asked the guard.
“We went to the closest house and spoke to the owner, Ava von Setenstete, who told us Gisela Mueller was on her way here. She said Gisela had been locked inside her chamber, and that her stepmother had sold her to Friedric Ruexner.”
Valten’s hand went for his sword, but it was not there, as he was supposed to be at a ball.
“According to one of the von Setenstete servants, she escaped just ahead of Ruexner. Gisela went to Ava von Setenstete’s house, who helped her get ready for the ball, and was on her way here in Frau von Setenstete’s carriage. And we found her just as the woman said. She should be here soon.”
Valten’s father told the guard to apprehend Evfemia Mueller and have her kept in the dungeon. Valten’s head was buzzing, but he heard his father also say, “Have every man on high alert, looking for Friedric Ruexner. We must find him and bring him here.”
“Yes, your grace.”
Gisela was safe. Thank God. And she should arrive within moments. Valten headed out of the library and into the Great Hall to wait for her.
Everyone seemed to be having a wonderful time, but Valten could not forget what the guard had said, that Gisela’s stepmother had sold her. Sold her. To Friedric Ruexner. His blood boiled as he searched the Great Hall and saw Evfemia Mueller standing near the back of the room. He watched as two guards ordered her to go with them. She went pale, as if all the blood had drained from her face. Her two daughters, who were standing nearby, covered their mouths as the guards led their mother away.
“Lord Hamlin!”
Valten turned to see Rainhilda, Sir Edgar’s daughter.
“I couldn’t wait to tell you.” She leaned toward him, as if encouraging him to look down the low bodice of her dress. “You were magnificent in the tournament.”
“Thank you.” He kept his eyes at the level of hers, refusing to stare at her chest.
She widened her eyes and laid a hand on his arm. “I was so afraid for you I could hardly breathe.” She leaned even closer, and he took a step away from her. “I’m so pleased you were able to defeat them all. You were magnificent.”
Not wanting Gisela to see him talking with Rainhilda, he backed away further. “I must go. Excuse me, Rainhilda.”
He turned and strode toward the door facing the courtyard, where Gisela would enter. He couldn’t stand around waiting for her. He reached the door and opened it, and there was Gisela, walking toward him, her hair in curls piled on top of her head. It was dark, but he could easily see how beautiful she looked.
When he reached her, he put his hand on her shoulder and searched her face in the dim light.
“Valten.” She said his name on a happy sigh as she looked into his eyes.
He put his arms around her, pulling her against his chest.
Gisela’s heart seemed lodged in her throat as the door opened and Valten came toward her, silhouetted in the light spilling through the doorway. The door closed and the two of them were in the relative darkness of the night, with no one around — except about twenty guards.
She was so happy to see him, to see the concern on his face. When she told him what happened, he wouldn’t be angry with her. He touched her shoulder, and joy overwhelmed her.
“Valten.” She was just thinking how good his arms would feel around her, when he suddenly pulled her to him.
His chest was warm. She wrapped her arms around him and breathed in the clean smell of his dark blue tunic. The soldiers were backing away, and she’d never felt so safe.
“I thought you would be at the tournament.”
“I went home with my stepmother last night, even though I knew it was unwise. I should have known better. The truth is, she locked me in my chamber while I slept.” It was embarrassing to admit. What would he think of a girl who could inspire such hatred in her own stepmother? “I-I was afraid yo
u would be angry with me. I couldn’t bear for you to think I wasn’t coming. I tried everything I could think of to escape, but I was trapped.” She held on tight to him, keeping her face pressed again his chest, not wanting to look him in the eye as she told him the shameful truth of her stepmother’s treatment. But she seemed compelled to tell him all, wanting him to know that she had not stayed away on purpose,
“Ruexner came just as I escaped with Ava’s servant boy. I was terrified I wouldn’t get out before he came. We ran as fast as we could, and I’m afraid I tore Margaretha’s beautiful dress. Ava gave me this dress and fixed my hair. I’m sorry it took so long. I knew Evfemia would tell you lies, and I desperately wanted to see you and tell you the truth so you would not be angry with me.”
He pulled away and held her at arm’s length, staring into her face with a strange look in his eyes. “I am not angry with you.” She wished he would hold her again, but he seemed to be searching her face, or memorizing it. At least he didn’t look angry.
“I wanted to see if you were well.” She reached up and lightly brushed her fingertips over the stitches by his eyebrow. Her heart beat fast as his expression changed. “Is your hand well?” Her voice was breathy as the intensity of his gaze made her wonder if she was being too forward.
He slowly bent his head toward her. He was going to kiss her. How she wanted him to kiss her—
“Valten! There you are! I wondered where you went.”
Chapter
17
Valten’s hand tightened around Gisela arm, and he grunted in frustration. He brushed his finger over her cheek and whispered, “We will continue this conversation later.”
“Yes, my lord.” The mischievous twinkle in her eye almost made him kiss her anyway, even though Rainhilda was staring at them from the Great Hall door. Half the crowd of guests were craning their necks to see through the door Rainhilda was holding open.