“Oh, you’ll want a drink, perhaps?”
She gratefully took the canteen and swallowed a large gulp of water, and he began dabbing and then scrubbing at her cheek until she felt much as she had as a young girl when her mother had cleaned her face vigorously every night after a day full of escapades outside.
“I wonder if my mother is here,” she murmured.
He paused and looked at her. “Is she here? Dear girl, she has run the Chief-Inspector ragged turning this city upside down to find you. She is desperate to see you.” He continued working on her face, then stopped and eyed her critically. “One more thing. For the princess that you are.” He reached back inside the bag and pulled out a thin tiara, a double line of small diamond chips in a silver circlet that he nestled carefully in her hair. “Subtle, not ostentatious, but will twinkle just so in the light.”
“Oh, Gus.” Her throat burned with emotion.
“And the shoes.” Gus handed her a pair of beautiful high-heeled shoes that sparkled with encrusted stones that looked like starlit diamonds.
“They’re lovely,” she said and smiled. She slipped the right shoe on her foot, and then, as the carriage moved forward, studied the other. Given how swollen her ankle was, there was no way the shoe would fit.
“Perhaps put it on just before you speak,” he suggested, patting her knee.
She grasped his fingers and held his hand tightly, looking out the window at the sparkling city, profoundly grateful to be alive and not locked in a quiet, solitary tomb. She leaned closer to the window, watching the people who milled around the streets amidst the light and the music despite the late hour.
The carriage was beautiful, the cushion like a cloud, and she clasped her shoe in one hand and her gentle savior’s hand in the other. She looked at Gus with wide eyes, hoping to keep the tears from falling and making tracks along her face. “Gus, thank you.” She kissed his cheek, and he closed his eyes with a nod and a smile.
“Dear lady, it was my pleasure. I have learned more about you today—wonderful things—and am amazed at your humility. You are quite a celebrity, did you know? Your disappearance has been news for days.”
She shook her head. “I didn’t know. I’m glad to have been missed.” Her brow creased in worry, though, when she thought of Lysette. “My mother, my family, may not be safe from Lysette. Have you heard from Madeline? Or Mr. Crowe?”
“The Chief-Inspector has placed additional security around your family, and the hunt is on for Miss Lysette.” He paused as though carefully choosing his words. “Mr. Lawrence has been dispatched.” He patted her hand. “You are not alone in this—it has become much bigger than we imagined.”
“And Oliver?” She swallowed. “Where is he?”
Again, the small man paused, and a curl of dread snaked up her spine.
“When I last saw him, he was near the castle courtyard. I cannot speak to his current whereabouts, but I give you my word that I will find him the moment we deliver you to your destination.” He was serious but sincere, and she had little choice but to trust him.
The carriage continued toward the ancient castle that sat alongside a cliff, the water down below. They neared the castle base and climbed upward, the crowd parting for the carriage as they traveled.
Finally, it rolled to a gentle stop, swaying as the driver descended from his perch. Emme looked at her forlorn carpetbag, her faithful portmanteau that had held priceless treasures inside. “Gus, she burned my notes, the pages I’d prepared for this speech.” Apprehension shot through her. “I’ve never spoken to a gathering of such significance, and after all of this, what if—”
“Shh, none of that.” He patted her hand and gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. “The words you need to share tonight are in your heart, not on a paper.”
She looked at his kind, serious face and closed her eyes as he kissed her forehead. “Now, off you go, princess. Your time is here.”
He passed her through the door to the driver. Clutching her shoe with one hand and the driver’s arm with the other, she walked to the base of the stairs and began to climb. When they reached the top, she thanked him, and he offered a deep bow before disappearing back down to the carriage below.
She took a deep breath and turned her face into a soft breeze, feeling the chill but welcoming the fresh air. A few moments more brought stronger winds, and she realized she should make for the relative shelter of the common area where people had gathered to hear final remarks.
She leaned down to slip her foot into the shoe only to lose her grip and watch as it tumbled down the stairs. A small cry of dismay escaped her lips. The staircase was empty, with guards down below preventing anyone else from ascending.
She heard voices in the courtyard where the esteemed group was gathered. Her shoe lay too far away to retrieve, and time was running out. She turned to the courtyard and slipped off the other shoe. The stone was cold on her feet, but she hardly felt it as she made her way through the arched opening.
Heads turned toward her, faces showing shock and then delight. A murmur spread through the small crowd and grew in volume. She spied Giancarlo, who clapped his hands and leapt forward with a cheer. He grasped her to him and led her to the podium, where the Summit director smiled at her in surprise and said, “She is here, after all!”
She had hidden her remaining shoe in the folds of her skirt and dropped it carefully behind the podium.
