I spent the afternoon in the library and finished Northanger Abbey. Bethany kept me company for a short while, and Eleanor stopped in to see what I was doing; she couldn’t understand why I was spending my time in the palace reading and I didn’t bother trying to explain my enjoyment of the pastime.
Kimera kept me company as I prepared for sleep. She placed my nightwear on the bed, applied some mint-scented night cream to my face, and brushed my hair. I loved having her around.
“Are you excited for your date tomorrow?” she asked as we made our way back into the bedroom.
I slipped out of my robe and into my nightgown. “I don’t know if I’ll get even an ounce of sleep tonight,” I said.
“You’re not involved with the new staff member, Jimmy, are you?”
“What? Where did you hear that? No.” I felt she could see right through my feigned shock.
“I’ve overheard others talking,” she said.
“It’s just talk,” I insisted. “Some of the other girls are probably trying to drum up drama where there is none to better their chances and hinder mine.”
“Even if there’s no merit to their accusations, it creates doubt. And doubt will kill a budding relationship.”
“I know,” I said, falling back on the feathery bed. “I’ll try not to give them any more ammunition.”
“Just be careful,” Kimera said. “That’s all I’m saying. You’ve as good a chance as any of the other girls. Don’t let them control your opportunity.”
I thanked her for her advice and crawled under the covers. Kimera turned off the lights and wished me goodnight before exiting my room.
I stared into the darkness and continually glanced at the alarm clock for a long while. The last time I remembered seeing was 11:35 p.m. When I glanced over again at the sound of the phone ringing, it was already past 1:00 a.m.
Groggily, I picked up the receiver. “Hello?”
“Miss Victoria, I’m sorry to disturb you,” the voice on the other end of the line said. “But there is a young girl at the front gate asking for you.”
“A young girl?”
“She says her name is Mina.”
CHAPTER 29
I threw my robe over my nightgown and rushed outside. At the front gate, I saw Mina being detained by two armed guards.
“Mina!” I exclaimed. “What are you doing here? She’s all right. She’s my little sister—step-sister.”
After some brief grumbling, the guards unhanded her and opened the gate. Mina ran in and crushed me with a hug.
“What are you doing here?” I repeated.
“I had to see you,” she said.
I noticed tears in her eyes. “Let’s get you inside. You can stay the night in my room.”
I really wished I had a lock on my door.
Mina was instantly fascinated by my room and explored every bit of it, including the closet and washroom.
“There’s a lot of yellow in here,” she said.
“Yeah, that’s why the Queen calls it the Yellow Room. How did you get here?” I asked.
“I took the train like you did,” she said, appearing in the washroom doorway. “And then paid for a ride to the palace.”
“You never answered me as to why you came.”
She removed her coat, turned around, and pulled the top of her dress down just past her shoulders. A crisscrossing mess of red lines peeked out from the top of her dress. I gasped and apprehensively approached, taking hold of her dress and gently pulling it down to her waist, revealing the full weight of the punishment and torture she’d endured.
“When did this happen?” I asked, unable to hold back a sob.
“Two nights ago,” she whispered as if it was too dangerous to say aloud. “He visited me after we returned home from the ball. And it was bad. But then… a few nights later, he woke me in the middle of the night and dragged me into the cellar—into your old room—and… and…” She couldn’t continue.
“And did this,” I said.
Mina nodded. Her shoulders were shaking and I could hear her crying.
I replaced her dress to cover the wounds again, spun her around, and hugged her. I didn’t know how exactly to hold her since there seemed to be welts and dried blood on every covered inch of her back.
At least her face seemed unharmed, which I’m sure was intentional. He truly was a monster, and now with Mina gone, I feared for the rest of the family.
“I’m so sorry I didn’t go with you that night,” she said, tears streaming down her cheeks. “You asked me to… but Johanna talked me out of it. I was afraid. Then when they brought you back, I… I…”
I stared at her stunned, knowing what she was talking about. “Where were we supposed to go?”
“With Kale. I don’t know where. You didn’t tell me. I’m sorry I didn’t go. And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth earlier. I wasn’t—we weren’t supposed to say anything—to even speak his name.”
“Kale wasn’t a secret?” I asked.
“Not until you tried to leave with him,” Mina said, sniffling loudly. “I can’t go home. Can I stay here with you?”
“This will be the first place he looks for you. You can stay the night, but then I’ll have to find you a safe place.” I thought for a moment, taking in what she’d just told me, and remembering what Kale had said earlier in the day. “I have an idea.”
I called Kimera and had her come to my room. She arrived within a few minutes, fully dressed.
Does she ever sleep?
“I have to ask a favor of you, and you can’t ask questions,” I said.
“What is it? Is this the girl from the front gate?” she asked with a slight stutter, noticeably nervous at my request.
“Word travels fast,” I said. “Yes. This is my little sister, Mina. She’s hungry and I need to order room service for her.”
Kimera’s shoulders relaxed. “That’s nothing. Of course—”
“I’m not finished,” I interjected. “And I need Jimmy to bring up the food.”
“Umm… I don’t believe he’s on shift right now. I can’t—”
“Then find a way to get him on shift. We have time. This doesn’t need to be done immediately. But I do need to see him tonight before the whole palace awakes.”
“I… umm… I’ll see what I can do,” Kimera said, her eyes shifting from me to Mina. “Why—”
“No,” I cut her off. “It’s better to keep you out of it as much as I can. Please just do what you can to get him here in the least suspicious manner possible. Bringing up a tray of food from an officially-placed order seems our best option.”
Mina crawled onto my bed and lay on her stomach, resting her head on an outstretched arm. She wiped her visible cheek with her free hand.
“Yes, Miss Victoria,” Kimera said, regaining her poise and composure. “I’ll do what I can.”
“And you won’t mention this to anyone?” Now it was me getting nervous.
“I will be discreet,” she said. “What would you like to eat, Miss Mina?”
Mina didn’t raise her head or answer.
“Do we have any Neapolitan ice cream?” I asked.
“I’ll check. If we don’t, I’ll have the ingredients mixed. I’ll have it brought up with a glass of milk.” Kimera abruptly left.
Now I was forced to wait and see if she could come through with the request.
I sat next to Mina and stroked her blonde hair, running my fingers through the pink and red accents. “It’s going to be okay,” I said. “I promise.”
“Who’s Jimmy?” she asked.
“You’ll see.”
While she lay across my bed, I removed her shoes and coaxed her under the covers. I kissed her on the top of the head, dimmed the lights, and went to sit on the couch. I could tell from the sound of her breathing that she was already asleep. Then I knew it was safe to let my tears for her flow freely.
I wondered if Kimera would return, but she didn’t.
When
Kale arrived with a dessert tray an hour later, he entered my room alone. He noticed Mina in bed and set down the tray on the coffee table.
“We should let her sleep,” I said.
“The ice cream will melt,” Kale said.
“There can always be more ice cream.”
“Is this us being more careful?”
“This is an exception,” I said. “I need help getting Mina to safety. You said you had a place, people we could stay with where the Queen and the Ramseys could never find us.”
Even though I couldn’t remember what we had or the plans we’d made, it seemed Mina did, which made me feel more confident in Kale’s intentions. And when she awoke, her reaction in seeing him here would tell me everything.
“How is she?” Kale asked.
“He made quite a mess of her,” I said, trying not to well up again just thinking about what I’d seen across the skin of her back.
Kale took a seat next to me on the couch. “It takes everything I have not to kiss you.”
I smiled, but stayed firm in my seated position. He was handsome and seemed sincere, and maybe if I could remember something, I’d feel differently. But I couldn’t just return to who he wanted me to be.
“Are you able to sneak her out of here and hide her with the people you mentioned?” I asked, trying to get off the subject of us.
Kale’s eyes grew wide. “Are you not coming?”
“I want to make sure Mina’s safe, but this doesn’t change what I need to do here,” I said. “I was hoping you’d be willing to help.”
“I want to help you.”
“And this would be a great help to me.”
“For how long?” he asked. “What’s the long-term plan?”
“I haven’t devised a long-term plan. Until she’s old enough to take care of herself, I suppose.”
Kale’s eyes dropped, seemingly upset. When I glanced down too, I noticed my robe falling open to reveal the lacey neckline of my silk nightgown, which I quickly closed.
Kale diverted his gaze away from me, his cheeks flushing, then said, “I have a guy who can sneak her out of here. He can bring her to my family where she’ll be safe. Can she stay here until tomorrow night? I’ll need some time to get things in order.”
“You’re not going to take her?” I asked. I’d hoped this plan would get them both out of the palace.
“Don’t worry. She’ll be in good hands,” he said, bringing his attention back to me. “I’m not leaving. That way, I can ensure you’re in good hands as well.”
The way he looked at me had so much heartbroken longing—the girl he wanted was me, and she wasn’t. It killed me that I couldn’t be that girl. But she was locked away in memories to which I had no access.
“I wish there was something I could do to jog your memory,” he said, as if reading my mind. Kale closed the gap between us on the couch.
When my robe began to fall open again, he took my hand before I could cover myself.
“I wish I could have done more that night—to keep them from dragging you back.” Kale shook his head like he wanted to forget what I couldn’t remember.
When our eyes met again, there were tears in his.
“As much as I want you to remember me—what we had—I’m glad you have no memory of what happened that night.”
I couldn’t take my eyes off him. “I wish a lot of things were different,” I finally said.
“I’m not crazy,” Kale said and chuckled. “I know how this must look. Us. Me.”
“I don’t think you’re crazy,” I said.
And before I could say anything else, he leaned in and planted his lips on mine.
I’d planned to pull away even before consciously realizing there had been a knock at the door, which opened slowly—whoever was in the hallway not willing to wait for a response from inside the room.
Kale jumped back like a startled cat.
I frantically closed my robe and wiped my lips. My skin was burning, my face flushed. This was so not being careful.
CHAPTER 30
K imera quickly closed the door behind her. “I’m so sorry. I did not mean to intrude. I just wanted to check in and make sure Jimmy had come like you’d asked.” Even in the dim light, her face looked as red as mine felt. Her back was against the door.
“It’s not what you think,” I said, springing off the couch and approaching her.
“I didn’t see anything,” she said, but the look on her face was not so convincing.
“What’s going on?” The voice was Mina’s and she was now sitting upright in bed.
“Everything’s fine,” I insisted. “There’s ice cream for you on the table if you want.”
“It’s only somewhat melted,” Kale added.
“Kale?” Mina asked.
“Obviously, you received what you requested, so I’ll be going,” Kimera said and turned to open the door.
“No!” Kale yelled, and then realized he’d probably wake the girls in the nearby rooms. “Don’t let her leave!” His voice was insistent, but much lower this time.
I threw my weight into the door to block Kimera’s exit. “We can trust you, right?” I asked.
“Yes—yes, of course,” she exclaimed.
“If you let her leave, there’ll be guards here in seconds,” Kale said, also approaching the door.
“No. I won’t say anything to anyone,” Kimera insisted. She was shaking uncontrollably now.
“Everyone’s safety in this room relies on her keeping her mouth shut,” Kale said. “The staff carry panic devices for these precarious situations. Hands out where I can see them.”
“I don’t think so,” I said. “If she did, then she wouldn’t have needed a guard in the room with me when I first arrived.”
Kale walked up to Kimera and patted her down, then he reached into a pocket hidden within the folds of her dress, removing what looked like a small remote.
“I didn’t press it,” she said.
Kale held up the device so I could get a better look. I couldn’t believe it. She’d had a panic device the whole time—whenever she was alone with me and I thought we were bonding.
“Why do you have that?” I asked.
“It’s protocol,” Kimera said. “It is by no means a reflection on you. I swear, I won’t tell anyone what’s transpired tonight.”
“What are we going to do?” I asked Kale.
“This just accelerated the plan,” he said. “I need to get Mina out of here tonight.”
Then he turned to her and I saw them truly see each other for the first time.
“Hey there, kiddo,” Kale said.
I could see the recognition on her face and knew in that moment that we really were all connected.
“Where am I going? Victoria, are you coming too?” Mina asked, dropping down from the bed.
“I wish I could, sweetie,” I said, glancing to Kale, then back to Mina. “But I know you’ll be safe.”
“But I want to be with you.”
Kale walked up to her and got down on one knee. “You trust me, right?”
Mina nodded. And I could see she meant it. She showed no fear or apprehension in his presence. I didn’t know how I felt about him anymore. Seeing them together made me ache even more for those lost memories—to get back the feelings I’d supposedly once had for him.
“I’ll keep you safe.” Kale stood up and kissed the top of her head. Then he turned back to me. “Victoria, keep her here,” he commanded, pointing to Kimera. “I’ll keep this in the meantime.” He slipped the panic device into his pants pocket. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
I grabbed his arm before he could leave. “Be safe,” I said.
“Always,” Kale said, giving me a long heartfelt look before disappearing down the hallway.
I’d thought I wasn’t going to get any sleep tonight, but certainly hadn’t expected things to go like this.
Kimera and Mina took seats on opposite ends of the couch. Mina left her m
ilk untouched and began drinking her melted ice cream. Kimera leaned against the armrest and bobbed her leg nervously, while I was left to babysit them both.
“You lied to me before,” Kimera said after a long silence. “You want me to trust you, but you don’t trust me enough to tell me the truth.”
“It wasn’t what it looked like,” I said. “There truly is nothing between us.”
Mina gave me a disapproving glance.
“And I don’t want you to get tangled up in anything that ends up happening to me,” I added. “You can trust me. Can I trust you?”
“It doesn’t matter now. She’ll be gone tonight. Jimmy won’t need to come back later where he could be trapped. The evidence will be gone. There will be nothing left for me to report but hearsay.”
“Who’s Jimmy?” Mina asked.
“It matters to me. Not just about this,” I said, trying to appeal to Kimera—to get back to the way I thought things were between us.
“I’m not going to turn you in, if that’s what you’re afraid of.”
“Or Jimmy?”
“How did you get involved with him anyway? He’s only been here since…”
“Since I got here?”
A lightbulb suddenly turned on behind her eyes. “He came with you.” It wasn’t a question.
“Not exactly with me. More like after me,” I clarified. “And if we’re truly trusting each other, his real name is Kale.”
“What about the Prince? Your date tomorrow?”
“I know. I’m still really looking forward to our date tomor—tonight. This changes none of that.”
“I won’t say anything about Kale—Jimmy,” Kimera said, looking only slightly more accepting of the situation.
Kale returned shortly before sunrise. “The shifts are just about to change,” he said and handed Kimera back her panic device. “We need to leave now.”
“I’ll come see you as soon as I can,” I told Mina and gave her a careful hug.
“He’s not going to be able to find me, right?” Mina asked with big sorrowful eyes. “And you’ll come as soon as you can?”
“I promise,” I said, doing my best to reassure her. “I won’t let anything else happen to you. Kale won’t let anything else happen to you.”
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