Chapter 3

When I heard that Lily was missing, my mind went utterly blank.

Ethel was beside herself. She wrung her hands and blamed herself through her tears.

I stopped her and ordered her to gather everyone in the household to begin searching for Lily at once.

I went into the street to look for her myself.

Most of the shopkeepers along that road knew me well. As soon as they heard that Lily was missing, they joined the search.

We had gone some distance when, to my astonishment, Lily came running toward me and threw her arms around me.

Tears welled up in my eyes. I held her close and looked her over again and again, unable to breathe easily until I was certain she was unharmed.

“My darling, what happened? Where were you? You gave me such a fright!”

Lily clung tightly to my neck. She was clearly shaken.

After she had been soothed, she pointed a trembling little finger toward a distant spot.

“Mama, that gentleman brought me back.”

I followed Lily’s finger and froze.

Was that not the coachman who had once served Edmund?

He had been the very man holding the reins when I saw Edmund off in his carriage all those years ago.

That only meant that the person inside that carriage was…

I dared not think about it.

I hastily adjusted my veil and, propriety forgotten, turned to make my escape with Lily in my arms.

Before I could leave, however, a voice called after me.

“Are you the child’s mother? Is this how you thank someone who has returned her safely to you?”

I would have known that voice anywhere.

It was Edmund Montmirail.

Part of me longed to march straight up to the carriage and demand an explanation, but I could not risk him taking Lily away from me. I had no choice but to hold my tongue and murmur my thanks.

Seeing my humble gratitude, the person in the carriage let the matter rest.

I broke into a cold sweat as I carried Lily home.

She sucked contentedly on her stick of honeyed apple and poked my cheek with a tiny finger.

“Mama, you’re blushing!”

As soon as we returned home, my parents took turns sweeping Lily into their arms.

It was not until after supper that I managed to wrest my daughter from their grasp.

“Darling, did the gentleman in the carriage ask you any questions? Do you remember?”

Most three-year-olds did not remember such things, but Lily possessed a remarkable memory.

This time, however, she disappointed me.

“Hmm… I don’t remember. I only remember he was a very handsome gentleman!”

Wonderful! She had inherited my weakness for a handsome face.

That told me absolutely nothing.

I decided at once that Lily would not be leaving the house for the next few days. I also set my contacts along the trade routes to inquire whether any wealthy merchant or official had lately arrived from the capital.

After making inquiries, however, none of them could tell me anything.

I had no option but to keep Lily and myself hidden at home.

Two days later, the governor called at our house and asked to speak with me as the head of the merchants’ guild.

Portshire was a coastal city. The king wished to expand the kingdom’s maritime trade. A distinguished gentleman had therefore been sent from the capital to oversee the undertaking.

My nails nearly pierced my palms.

“My Lord, may I ask who this gentleman from the capital is?”

“A prince, perhaps, or an heir to some great noble house. I don’t recall his precise title, but he is certainly a member of the royal family.”

The moment I heard that, my uneasiness subsided. I agreed to attend the banquet that very evening.

After all, Edmund was a Montmirail, not a Neville.

Yet the instant I entered the banquet hall, I stopped dead.

The man seated in the place of honor was none other than Edmund.

The very moment our eyes were about to meet, I withdrew my foot and turned swiftly towards the privy.

Seated upon the commode, I still could not believe what I had seen.

Did Edmund belong to the royal family?

I needed to avoid him at all costs. If he learned of Lily’s existence, he would surely take her from me!

No trading venture was worth that risk.

I decided to remain in the privy until the banquet was over.

Perhaps I had been there too long, for I somehow fell asleep.

When I awoke, the noise outside had ceased. The banquet must have ended.

I opened the door quietly and was just about to slip away when a drunken man seized me from behind.

“Matilda, how much longer do you intend to hide from me?”