Queen's Crown by Anne Wheeler

Author:Anne Wheeler
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Anne Wheeler

Chapter Eleven

Regardless of what Damir had said, I knew he hadn’t believed my claim. Why would he, when Thomas and Laurent had both suggested the opposite? I struggled with his calm acceptance for hours as the sun circled the tower, leaving my stone bench shrouded in shadows that hadn’t been there when the soldiers had locked the door behind the departing king.

The earlier warmth had departed too, and I shivered in my still-damp gown as the breeze through the window cooled. By the time Thomas entered, a hunk of bread in one hand and a flask of water in another, I would have done anything for a blanket and dry shoes. Instead, he took a white dress from a soldier outside and handed that to me as well.

“You expect me to wear this?” I asked.

He closed the door, leaned against it, and nodded toward the dress with his chin. “King Damir wishes you to be suitably attired for the execution.”

I dropped the gown to the floor and stared at the shadows swimming in the folds of the silk. White, naturally, and the reason for Damir’s choice of the celebratory color was apparent. I was forbidden from mourning. Become a maiden again, as if Laurent had never existed in the first place. And Thomas himself, always one to appreciate the dramatic, was reminding me of what Laurent himself had forced me to wear in the dungeon at Lochfeld.

“I would rather wear what I have on, thank you.”

“That is not your choice.” In the shadows, his eyes flashed. “You are allowed no preferences anymore—or were your circumstances not clear enough?”

“Thomas.” Stepping over the fabric, I held out my hands. “I don’t want any food. Or the dress. Or any of this. Please. You can still fix this. If you ever cared one bit for me—please help me. Help us.”

He scoffed, and the sound was a dagger through my heart.

“Put it on.”

Without releasing his gaze, I picked it up and crept behind a column to change in almost-dark privacy. That was something, and so was the cleanliness of my new garment, even if my stays were filthy. How long had it been since I’d picked them out in my room at Lochfeld? Time had so little meaning anymore.

Thomas gave me—or perhaps the gown—an approving nod when I ventured from behind the stone once more, having disposed of the wet shoes as well. Without a word, he opened the door and motioned me out onto the landing, where six soldiers waited. I stumbled on the threshold, and when I looked up, all seven of them were staring at me with no expression whatsoever.

Any warmth I might have felt upon discarding my wet clothes vanished as I crept down the stairs, surrounded by this group who hated me more than I could comprehend. It wasn’t the chill of the evening though, just a desperate, ill feeling. Part of me knew what was waiting for me at the bottom, but part of me refused to imagine the horrors.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.