The butler led him to the back of the manor, on a deck facing the ocean. He traveled with two guards, all of them on horseback. The journey was long, nearly a day. The snow made their descent challenging, but as soon as they reached level ground, everything was easier. The coastal town was blessed with warmer temperature.
"I thought you are in hiding?"
Emory tore his eyes off the distant waves and turned his head.
Simon St. Vincent was obviously surprised to see him. The man's Winfield estate near the heart of Herst was certainly not the best place to hide from enemies. This was his first time, but Emory had heard about the tragedy that happened in Winfield during the Belcourt Conflict, and the innocent lives they lost one fateful night.
Friends and foes alike knew who owned the place, and there were already rumors, although not strong, of the powerful people the St. Vincents were associated with.
"I won't stay long," he said. "Why? Are there activities in the area?"
"None that I know of, but we're constantly checking everyone who comes in and out of the island." The man let out a grunt of pain as he sat beside Emory. "I was going to see you in three days, but since you're here, it's more convenient. The cold is killing all moving parts of my body." They waited as his breathing became even. "Did something happen?"
"I want you to send word to Coulway."
"Is this about the princess?"
He nodded, face impassive. "Tell the Clover to have men at the ready and meet the princess when she docks."
St. Vincent blinked at him. "She's coming to Coulway?"
"No. She's coming home."
St. Vincent fell silent as he looked at him. "You're finally getting rid of her."
"There's no use having her around if my intentions remain the same."
"We might have a problem."
"If you mean the ship from Gavaria, tell Blackwood they don't have to wait for it. Tell him to have one of my ships ready for sail."
"No, that's not it. I was going to see you in three days," the man said. "To deliver news." Emory waited for his next words. "Steffan Winchester, Crown Prince of Gavaria is on his way to Sutherland."
Emory's brows dipped into a frown. "For what?"
St. Vincent shrugged. "His letter did not say. The Clover is more concerned about security, of course. They suggest that we stop his ship for inspection before granting entry."
He nodded. "Of course."
"Then perhaps we can postpone the princess' journey out of Sutherland? Maybe she can go home with her brother."
He thought about it for a while. "I don't care how she gets home. I'll send her down from Birchfield in two days. Henry will travel with them."
"Are you certain about this?"
His jaw tightened. Nodding, he added, "Also, I'll need a room for tonight."
***
She woke up with a terrible headache. Rolling flat on her back, she spread her arms wide on the bed, brows fused in concentration. Last night, she remembered crying, but she didn't know why or how it came to be. Then she had a faint picture in her head of Emory getting up and leaving her outside in the snow and never came back.
Did she say something wrong again?
Or mayhap, just like two months ago, he forgot about her again.
"You were too foxed," Lucy said from the window. "You fell in my bed crying."
She rose on her elbow, closing her eyes against the dizziness. "Why was I crying?"
"Your words were garbled. I couldn't catch a thing."
Florence moaned, falling back into the pillow. "Have you broken fast?"
"No. Henry is still cooking."
She frowned. "Where's Emory?"
"He left very early with two of the guards."
She sat up. "To where?"
"We don't know. Henry said it's official business."
"But isn't the roads unsafe?"
"Henry said he knows the terrain better than anyone." Lucy suddenly joined her in bed with an excited smile. "I have something to tell you."
"What?"
"I strongly believe that the king is starting to like you."
She frowned, remembering his scowling face in the tree house. And she was certain, although the details are quite foggy in her brain, that his face looked dangerously furious when he got up and left her outside the manor. "Why do you say so?" she asked.
"I tested him, of course. I suggested a match between you and Henry and he didn't like it. He was definitely jealous." Lucy giddily grabbed her hands. "Maybe the only thing that's stopping him is he thinks you're not Florence. In his mind, it's wrong to like the cousin of his betrothed. Mayhap, if we tell him the truth, he'll—"
"He'll kill me."
"No, he'll be angry, but then he'll forgive you." Lucy squeezed her hands. "Let's test my theory some more before telling the truth."
Florence winced, because her confidence had started to wane in the past few days. She grew to like Henry and the friendship they built, and she learned a lot about Emory—What he liked, what he hated the most—and based on those, she was quite convinced she would never be the queen he'd want. She was already contemplating giving up. Leave Sutherland and escape somewhere else.
But now this? A spark of hope? She hated hoping, because that was everything she did since she was young. "You really think he can like me?"
"Flo, I think he already does."
Impossible. But for the first time since they arrived, she was finally seeing some optimism in Lucy. Mayhap her cousin was seeing something she couldn't and she should believe it.
Emory didn't return that afternoon, nor that evening. They waited for him, even worried, but Henry assured them the following morning that of all that he was good at, Emory was best at traveling through the snowy Birchfield road. "Trust me on this," he said. "That man can reach Birchfield even with his eyes closed." When they continued to stare, he belatedly added, "Apart from the king, of course." Florence bit into a smile as Henry struggled to explain. "As the king's closest adviser, he frequented this place numerous times."
Afternoon came and there was still no sign of Emory. However, just as they were to retire for bed that night, they heard the horses from outside. Florence rushed to the window and ran downstairs with Lucy, throwing coat over their nightdress. Henry was already waiting in the hall when they arrived.
"See?" he told them. "He's back."
The door opened and Emory's eyes landed on Florence first. Then, with his deadpan eyes, his eyes jumped to Henry. "We need to talk."
Without much of a word, he brushed past the two ladies. Henry shrugged before following his cousin to the library.
"Well, he's apparently alive and well," Lucy said. "You can rest easy now."
"Whatever do you mean? I wasn't worried."
"You pestered our window with your presence since this morning, cousin," Lucy said with laugh.
"Where do you think he went to?"
"I don't have the faintest idea."
"Should we wait for them?" Before Lucy could answer, she shook her head and said, "No, of course not. Why should we?" They walked arm in arm to the stairs. Halfway there, the library door swung open and they both stopped as footsteps neared.
It was Emory. He paused at the foot of the stairs, eyes on Lucy, not her. "You are to pack your things tonight. You'll travel to Coulway first thing in the morning."
***
He wasn't surprised when Lucy, who he now knew was actually Florence, demanded for an explanation.
Emory, despite what everyone thought, hated being angry because he knew what his temper was capable of. He liked balance, and change was his enemy. That's why he liked to plan. To think ahead and avoid potential problems.
The arrival of the Grand Princess in Sutherland caused quite a stir in his mind. He tried to get rid of her as fast as he could because she was never a part of his plans from the start. Then came the assassination attempt on his life, another incident he didn't expect to actually come close. Everything he planned for months was put on hold, and he had to come here in Birchfield where his first problem waited to once more rock the balance.
Learning that she had been fooling him from the start was quite an experience. He didn't know what to do. A part of him told him that she must have her reasons. The other part of him thought he should get rid of her now before she could cause havoc in his peace of mind, which she had been doing since they met.
She was too confusing. Too distracting.
One moment she would act like an entitled princess, making stubborn demands that tempted him to reveal his identity and reclaim his authority. But then she would act like a completely different woman, doing reckless and childish things that tempted him to do things he could only think of when he was with a potential lover. But like his previous lovers, she did not have the sultry smile or the sensual curves. Her laughter was far from seductive, her words even more so.
Worse, his initial response when he discovered who she really was alarmed him. He wasn't furious. He was relieved. And that very response was what made him furious.
Was he out of his mind? Real problems waited in Coulway, his life was threatened. He didn't have the luxury to be distracted by a mere princess from Gavaria. And maybe she was sent here to distract him. Who knew?
He listened as Henry did all the talkingg, providing all the safe answers he hastily gave him in the study earlier. He barely gave Henry the time to mull over the fact that he was best friends with the Grand Princess.
"The king wants the princess safe because of the current threat in his life." His cousin's words were followed by a short silence. For a few seconds, the study was still. "I will escort you back to Coulway, of course."
The real Florence stared at Emory. "Is this true?"
"Yes," he replied. Their eyes measured each other for a while.
"Wouldn't staying here be safer?"
"The king prefers that you have ample protection in case something bad happens," Henry provided.
Emory, eyes still on Florence, added, "There's another reason. Prince Steffan is expected to arrive in Sutherland soon."
To his surprise, Florence paled, as did Lucy. "No!" Florence said, a spark of fear in her voice. "We have agreed. The king will come here for—"
"We didn't agree to anything. You made demands and our hospitality has reached its threshold," he said, eyes locked on hers. He was done playing her game. Henry shifted uncomfortably in his seat as Emory continued. "You have fooled us from the start."
"What do you mean?"
"We know who you are. But Grand Princess or not, you have deceived the crown. At a very crucial moment at that. This deception just after the recent assassination attempt on the king warrants immediate action." She opened her mouth to argue, but he held up his hand to stop her. "I am only here to enact the king's orders. Be grateful the crown only sees you as a threat and nothing more. I don't care to know your reasons because you shall be questioned in Coulway. The betrothal is considered null. You are to be taken to Coulway where you shall be investigated and can only leave as soon as you are cleared."
The real Lucy grabbed her cousin's hand to stop her when she tried to stand. "Florence, please," Lucy said, begging with her eyes. "Please. Just stop. It's over."
"I suggest you listen to your cousin for once. She sounds more sensible." Emory stood and stared at the two women. "This is not a child's game, Princess. And this shall be the last time you ever fool Sutherland."
Florence remained motionless, lips tight, eyes glaring.
He stopped when he heard her voice speak so differently for the first time. "Very well. I demand for a ship be made available as soon as I can leave. I am not waiting for Steffan, nor have I any desire to meet the king." A slight shiver ran up his spine. Her voice was as sharp and cold as the icicles on the roof outside.
He scoffed, realizing that there was definitely so much more about this woman that he had not yet seen. She didn't like her brother for some reason, too. It was a shame that he wouldn't find out why. Wouldn't uncover more of her. Shaking that thought out of his mind, he focused on her statement. "All the more convenient," he replied before leaving the parlor.
***
"We are lucky he is not throwing us in the gallows," Lucy told her the next day as they stood outside for the carriage. The weather was not at its best, but the two large sleighs should be enough to get them to town, Henry said.
They didn't have enough time to talk last night. Lucy was in disbelief, and Florence had nothing to say as she packed their trunks.
"We'll leave Sutherland as soon as they clear us," she said instead.
"Are you not worried? They're going to question us! They must think we're part of the assassination attempt."
"No. I'm more worried about Steffan."
Marius, the guard, turned to them and Florence walked toward the sleigh without a word. Lucy followed. They sat side by side and waited in silence.
Henry soon walked out of the manor, completely covered in layers of coat.
"Good morning," he greeted. "These will keep you warm." He handed them blankets, which they accepted.
Henry stared at them for a moment, looked up at a window on the second landing, then faced them again with a sigh. "This was not how I imagined things to turn out, but this is for the best," he told her.
He joined them inside the sleigh as one of the guards sat behind the two horses. The other sleigh, driven by another guard, carried their trunks.
Soon, they were leaving. Florence couldn't help look up. She scoffed as Emory turned away from the window and disappeared.
"Why did you do it?" Henry asked, breaking the silence.
By this time, Florence already considered him a friend. She may have deceived him, but the fondness she had for the man was genuine. He had a small smile on his face as he waited. "Probably the same reason you and your cousin have for deceiving us first."
He looked stunned for a moment. "I do not think the king or anyone has ill intentions," Lucy nervously said. "It is mere miscommunication. Right, Henry?"
Florence just continued to smile at Henry. "We are not sure of that, Lucy. We never got his confession."
"You know," Henry said, disbelief in his eyes. "Since when?"
"From the very start," Florence replied with a scoff. "He lied to my face. I had to return the favor."
"But Lucy is right," Henry said. "We had no ill intentions for the deception. His life is truly in danger. It is code of conduct to keep his identity secret." When Florence remained quiet, Henry shook his head slowly. "I'm even more curious about you. You suffered two months in Birchfield. That tells me you want to marry him badly. Why?"
Florence sighed and looked away. Whatever her reason for coming here, Emory or Henry didn't have to know. The reasons were selfish and they wouldn't understand.
She wasn't worried about the investigation, nor was she angry about Emory's actions. She was more afraid. Now that her brother was on his way to her, she did not have much time. The only way to outwit Steffan was to marry the king or leave Sutherland before her brother arrived. Since the latter was no longer an option, she was left with no other choice.
***
Emory tried to take his mind off everything, and the only way he knew at that time was to keep himself busy in the kitchen. He was halfway through when he realized he prepared too much for himself and the two guards left with him.
Slamming his knife down, he braced his hands on the table to glare down at the cutting board. His jaw twitched.
He should feel good about the whole thing. He won. He finally got rid of her.
He had restored balance. He was alone again. In no time, he would be back in Coulway and things would go on as they should be. But the nagging feeling at the back of his mind wouldn't leave him. Her proud face flashed before him. Even her terrible powdered face that first time they met. The dreamy look in the tree house. The sadness when she talked about her mother. And the bitterness when she shared stories of Gavaria.
"Sir," Marius said at the door, snapping him from his thoughts. "You should see this."
He followed Marius outside where a strong gust of wind greeted him. A blizzard was brewing fast.
"What do we do?" the guard asked.
"How long since they left?"
"Two hours the most."
Only two? It felt like an entire day had already passed. "They should not be too far down the road. Henry will know that the best option is to turn around and go back." He stared down the road and gritted his teeth. There was nothing but white. "If they're not back in two hours, prepare my horse."
But merely an hour later, he was already putting on layers of coat, ready to leave. Henry was the next best person to survive a Birchfield blizzard.
He'll know what to do.
However, as they waited for the two hours to come, they saw two horses making their way to the manor. As they pulled up into the courtyard, his eyes did a frantic search. They left with four horses, but only two returned. There were five humans, and only three came back.
"Where's Florence?" he asked before anyone could even start.
Lucy's face was pale as snow from behind one guard.
"She took one horse, Henry another," Lucy said, eyes already filling with tears. "We were traveling in pairs of horses as Henry instructed, but somehow, along the way..." She choked, the tears finally falling. "We...We lost sight of them."