Hereafter (The Lost Princesses Book 3) Read online

  Next to me, Rex sidled close enough that his leg brushed against mine. The tightness of his grip on his reins and the stiffness of his demeanor told me he was on high alert, aware of every movement and every possible threat.

  Even with the retinue of his men fanning out behind him, he was in very real danger here so near to the enemy camp. They could capture him, hold him as a prisoner, and perhaps use him as a bargaining tool to make King Ethelwulf capitulate to their demands. I had no doubt if the roles had been reversed, Rex and King Ethelwulf wouldn’t have hesitated to use the situation to their advantage.

  In spite of my anger, I had no wish for any ill to befall Rex. He was after all, still my husband, and a small part of me longed for him and the special bond we’d shared, however briefly.

  I chanced a glance at Rex. Through the slits in his helm, his eyes met mine. They issued an assurance that he intended to keep me safe and would fight to the death for me if need be.

  Even with the rift that had opened between us, I knew I hadn’t misjudged him entirely, that underneath the complicated layers, goodness and kindness existed.

  “Your Majesty,” the Earl of Langley spoke to the group of his knights mounted and waiting on the opposite side of the tent. “I present to you Prince Ethelrex and Princess Emmeline.”

  I looked around for the queen, but no one moved except one knight. He dismounted, strode forward, and stopped near the tent next to the guards who had set up the meeting place.

  Perhaps the queen was already waiting for me inside?

  The knight glanced first at Rex and the men behind us. Then he slipped off his helmet.

  I stifled a gasp as I found myself looking not upon a man, but upon a woman with long, blond hair that flowed over her shoulders now that it was free from confinement.

  Was this Adelaide?

  Her gaze shot to me, filled with such hope I had no doubt this was my older sister. She studied my face, taking in every detail.

  “Emmeline, welcome,” she said, warmth and excitement reaching out to embrace me. “This is a joyous day to finally meet you.”

  “Thank you, Your Majesty.” I bowed my head. “I’m grateful for this opportunity to meet you as well.”

  Adelaide shifted her attention to Rex again, who lifted his chin. He’d never bow to Adelaide. He likely expected her to show obeisance to him instead.

  For a long moment neither Adelaide nor Rex spoke. Adelaide’s weapon hung casually at her side, but her grip was tight. Likewise, Rex’s fingers flexed around the hilt of his sword. His body radiated tension, and his horse whinnied as if warning against impending doom.

  “Prince Ethelrex,” Adelaide finally said, narrowing her eyes upon him. “I admit I did not expect the king to send his son to negotiate peace.”

  Rex removed his helm, revealing his rugged countenance, piercing eyes, and warrior-like intensity. “The king did not send me. I came of my own accord so I might ensure my wife’s safety.”

  “You are afraid we shall not let her return with you?”

  “She is mine, and I shall fight to the death anyone who touches her or tries to take her from me.”

  Adelaide wouldn’t seize me, would she? What purpose would a separation from Rex achieve? Even if she wanted me to stay, I wouldn’t—not with Mother and Father languishing in the castle dungeons.

  The queen studied the prince’s face. “You married the princess for political gain. Now that you have influenced the people in your favor, you have no more need of Emmeline.”

  Of course, the king and prince still had need of me. Today’s mission proved that. Likely, they’d continue to make use of me as long as they could. But I couldn’t say any of that, not now. Not with my parents’ lives at stake.

  “Royal marriages may start as political arrangements,” Rex replied. “But they can become more.”

  “Then your intentions toward my sister are noble?”

  “I have pledged her my life and love before both God and man. I shall never be swayed to break my vow.”

  With so public a declaration, I didn’t dare look at Rex lest he see that he was softening me much more than I wanted. Even if he genuinely wished to honor our marriage vows, I couldn’t forget he was putting his aspirations and his father’s whims above my needs.

  When Adelaide shifted to scrutinize me, I refused to give way to the need to squirm. Instead, I forced myself to remain calm and unexpressive as my father had trained me.

  “I should like very much the chance to visit with Emmeline,” my sister said, waving to an adjacent tent. “Perchance Emmeline would join me for refreshments?”

  “I would be honored,” I said.

  Rex was off his horse and beside mine before I could begin my descent. With his hands fitted securely around my waist, he lifted me down and steadied me. Even then, his fingers lingered, drawing my eyes up to his.

  Crinkles at his temples reflected his worry. “Be careful.”

  I wanted to retort that if he was worried about me, then why was he making me steal? Why wasn’t he more concerned about helping me find a way to free my parents instead? I lifted my chin in defiance.

  Too late, I realized my mistake. Before I knew what he was doing, he swept down and captured my mouth in a kiss like none we’d yet shared. His lips were demanding and possessive and desperate all at once, so that I lost my bearing and grasped his arms to keep from buckling. His hands upon my hips drew me closer. Even though his armor separated our bodies, I was still very much aware of our proximity, his strength, and his passion. How was it possible one touch could make me as wobbly as a newborn fawn?

  He broke our kiss as sharply as he’d begun it, pulling back a fraction so that his breathing bathed my now swollen lips. “If you need me,” he whispered, “call my name. I shall remain close at hand.”

  His lips were so near I could almost feel them and was surprised by how much I wanted them against mine once more. Thankfully, he released me and took a step away before I could make a fool of myself and rise up to kiss him again. Instead, I dropped my focus to the grass and didn’t dare look at him. I was supposed to be angry with him, not fall into his arms.

  What must Adelaide and her husband think of our display?

  With heat rising into my cheeks, I followed Adelaide to her tent, bending past a flap and entering a spacious interior. With the canvas pulled back at a hole in the ceiling, sunlight flooded the grassy floor and showed a table surrounded by several rudimentary benches.

  “Please, sit.” She motioned me to one of the seats while she retrieved a jug and two cups from the center of the table.

  Tentatively, I lowered myself and folded my hands in my lap. With her back to me, I took stock of her armor and wondered how I would be able to get to her leather pouch beneath the iron layer.

  “When did you discover your identity as a princess?” She poured amber liquid into one of the cups.

  “I’ve always known.”

  Her gaze swung to me, and I dropped mine to the tabletop, hoping she hadn’t read my thoughts. “Then Sister Katherine didn’t find you and tell you?”

  “No. Was she supposed to?”

  “She sought me at my home in Langley and next found Maribel at her convent in the Highlands. In both cases, she led King Ethelwulf right to us.”

  “Yes, my father kept me apprised of the happenings. He always brought back news after one of his trips to the market.”

  “Father?” Adelaide poured liquid into the other cup.

  “Lance was like a father to me and Felicia a mother.”

  Adelaide set the jug back on the table, corked it, and then handed me a cup. Accepting it from her, I noticed again how beautiful she was even in her armor with lines of sweat and dust upon her face.

  I sipped the liquid to discover a sweet but spicy ale. Adelaide, too, took a drink, all the while assessing me.

  “They raised me to know everything about my family and history.” I offered the explanation I expected she was looking for.


  She lowered her mug to the table and wiped the rim with her forefinger. “I was surprised to receive the news that Prince Ethelrex spared their lives.”

  Although I sensed Adelaide had many questions about what had led me to marry the prince, she watched me without condemnation. At least none yet.

  “He vowed to let them go unharmed if I handed myself over to him.”

  She nodded.

  “I had no choice but to marry him or watch them suffer.”

  “Then you married him against your will?”

  How honest could I be with this young woman who was still a stranger even though she was my sister? “I attempted to get away from him, but as you can see, he’s a strong man . . .” I twisted my mug. “And persuasive.”

  “He has persuaded you to love him?” Her question was quiet but hit me as if she’d shouted it.

  My gaze shot to hers. “No, I loathe him.”

  “Not according to the reports I received regarding your public wedding and the feast.”

  “Reports cannot always tell the whole story.”

  “Your kiss just now confirmed your affection.”

  “Because he is persuasive.”

  “Because he cares about you in return.”

  “Not enough.”

  “Why?” The glint in Adelaide’s eyes told me my answer was significant.

  I picked up my cup and took a quick sip. How had she gotten to the real reason for my visit in so short a time and with so little effort?

  She traced the rim of her mug again. “You are not here to negotiate peace, are you, Emmeline?”

  I stiffened, expecting her guards to come in, grab me on either side, and drag me away. No matter how hard Rex fought, we were too close to the enemy camp and would quickly be outnumbered.

  When the canvas door flapped open, I jumped from my bench, and it toppled backward into the grass. Rex’s name was on the tip of my tongue. But at the sight of the newcomer—a woman—I froze.

  One look was all I needed to know she was Maribel, my twin. Although she had the same golden hair and blue eyes as Adelaide, the heart shape of her face, high cheekbones, rounded chin, and long neck were like mine.

  As her gaze alighted upon me, she squealed with excitement, then closed the distance and threw her arms around me.

  “Emmeline, oh, Emmeline,” she said with such joy, squeezing me until I couldn’t keep from hugging her in return. “I have lived for this day.” She sniffled as she held me tight.

  A small ache formed in my chest. I’d never thought I’d needed my sisters, had always believed I fared well enough without them. But what if I’d missed out on something special I hadn’t known I’d needed?

  Maribel pulled back but didn’t let go. Instead, she studied me and smiled again, even though tears now streamed down her cheeks. “You are just as beautiful as they say. Even more so.”

  “Thank you.” I tried to make my voice work past the lump in my throat. “You’re both so lovely, I can’t compare.”

  Maribel released a soft laugh full of delight. “Rumors say you are the ravishing, dark beauty who stole the prince’s heart.”

  Ravishing? I smiled at the exaggeration.

  Maribel laughed again and drew me into another hug. This time I went willingly and somehow felt as though a part of me had finally come home.

  I lost track of time as we ate from the simple fare servants brought us. Maribel kept the conversation lighthearted and pleasant. And thankfully, Adelaide didn’t attempt to probe me further regarding the true nature of my visit.

  Adelaide told about her childhood growing up with the Langleys, her husband’s family, and how she’d always secretly loved Christopher. She also spoke of her time evading King Ethelwulf’s men who’d come after her.

  Maribel described her life at Highland Convent and how she’d considered becoming a nun until Sister Katherine’s visit had changed everything. Maribel relayed her and Edmund’s adventures as she’d fled from King Ethelwulf’s guards. And she told fondly of how she’d fallen in love with Edmund through it all.

  Of course, they wanted to know about my life in Inglewood Forest. Maribel was particularly fascinated and asked all about living with my parents and Bede and what it was like knowing I was a princess all those years and having to keep the secret.

  My mind flashed to the few occasions we’d had guests. One time Mother had covered me in blankets in the dormer room, where I’d huddled in fear for hours. During another incident, she’d made me hide in the forest in the dugout tree, a tight, dark spot. I’d been filled with such terror I’d lain paralyzed until she’d finally come after me.

  After such experiences, my nightmares about the king’s soldiers in black chain mail had always been worse.

  “Sometimes I wonder if I may have been better off not knowing,” I replied quietly, the morning sunshine streaming in through the opening at the top and warming the tent. “Maybe I’d be stronger and braver like the two of you.”

  Maribel reached for my hand and squeezed it. “From the moment I learned you had been captured, I have thought you must be so brave to face the prince and King Ethelwulf with such dignity.”

  “I have only done what I must to keep those I love safe.”

  “Then God has gifted you with the highest form of courage,” Adelaide said, sliding her bench back into the shade, likely growing warm in the layers of her armor. Did I dare hope she’d shed it and provide me an opportunity to get what I’d come for?

  “‘Highest form of courage’?” I released a shaky laugh. “I am much too afraid most of the time to lay claim to any courage.”

  “Courage is not the absence of fear but the determination to persevere when circumstances are at their worst.”

  I liked her definition, but I certainly didn’t feel gifted with courage.

  “I also believe true courage puts the needs of others above one’s own.”

  “I agree,” Maribel added. “I could not have made such a sacrifice to marry a stranger, especially one who looks as though he could tear apart a dozen wolves with his bare hands.”

  “He has proven himself kind and even generous,” I said, defending him before I could catch myself.

  “And yet he has asked you to do something you do not wish to do?” Adelaide’s question was gentle and yet direct.

  From everything I’d witnessed about her in the short hour we’d conversed, I realized the rumors regarding her gift of wisdom were true. She was insightful beyond her years. And though I hadn’t seen Maribel in her role as a physician, her gift of healing was obvious as well. She’d healed the rifts of time and distance, bonding us quickly together.

  If my sisters both had such powerful gifts, had God given me one too? Was it the courage of which Adelaide spoke?

  I’d never believed I had courage since I’d grown up anxious and fearful. But what if my courage ran deeper than my circumstances? What if I had always been stronger than I’d believed?

  “What has the prince asked you to do?” Maribel queried innocently, clearly not realizing my ulterior motives for the visit the same way Adelaide had.

  “While he may be kind and generous, he is still his father’s son.” I kept my voice low. Rex was somewhere outside the tent, and I didn’t know what—if anything—he could hear of our conversation. “His loyalty to the king takes precedence over me.”

  Adelaide glanced to the tent door and lowered her voice too. “The prince has shown his devotion to you by risking his life to come so near our camp with you. Alas, he would have been wiser to send his trusted men rather than expose himself to capture.”

  “He’s a skilled warrior—”

  “He loves you and has no wish to lose you.”

  Except for an infusion of warmth into my chest, I could find no ready response to Adelaide’s declaration.

  “He might remain loyal to his father,” she continued, “but I see in him worthy qualities that may yet redeem him.”

  “He does have many worthy qualities,�
� I concurred.

  Maribel squeezed my hand again, this time admiring my ruby wedding ring. “He must, if he has gained your affection.”

  Adelaide shifted on her bench, her body tense. “Tell us why you are really here, Emmeline.”

  “She’s here to meet us,” Maribel started, but a sharp look from Adelaide silenced her.

  If I told them the truth, maybe they’d be able to help me find a solution to my problems. What other choice did I have? Especially since I had no way of getting the ancient key from beneath Adelaide’s armor.

  “King Ethelwulf sent you to retrieve the final key,” Adelaide stated without taking her gaze from my face.

  I knew I should keep my expression impassive, but I was too impressed with her keenness to mask my surprise.

  Apparently, my reaction was answer enough, for she shifted back on her bench, letting her body relax.

  “I understand if you hate me now.” I pulled my hand away from Maribel’s and tucked it into my lap. “I deserve it. But I vow it was not my will or desire to deceive you or steal the key.”

  Adelaide watched me, her eyes clear as though she’d yet to condemn me.

  “Although Rex allowed my parents to go free,” I said, “King Ethelwulf sent his men out to seek and capture them.”

  “If only our scout had roused sooner,” Maribel said compassionately, “perhaps Edmund and his men could have intercepted your parents first.”

  My mind returned to the first night of my capture and the battered man tied to the tree. My betrayer. Though I wanted to be angry at him, I couldn’t fault him for capitulating under torture.

  “The scout was unconscious and barely alive when Edmund’s men discovered him,” Maribel continued. “They had to leave him behind in the care of a woodcutter. Edmund said they didn’t know for sure if the prince had you, but with his hasty departure, they suspected as much and began their chase after him with little thought to what had become of your parents, believing them dead.”

  I nodded in understanding. My parents weren’t their concern, not when so much else had been at stake—and still was.