Page 19 of Veil of Winter

“Northeast. To a cottage in the woods. Jacob’s sister lives there, along with a woman named Astrid.” She hated how weak her voice sounded. “Ysabeau knows the way.”

She would be glad to see Astrid, whom everyone had calleddieabgefalleneFräulein, or “The Woman Who Fell.”

When she was a child, Elyce was out walking with a servant and a guard when they heard a scream. Elyce looked up and saw a man chasing a woman, who then fell from a rock cliff. Elyce’s guard and servant carried the woman to Jacob’s sister’s cottage, as it was the nearest house. Astrid had remained unconscious for days, unresponsive and barely breathing. No one knew who was chasing her, though Elyce was certain she had seen a distinctive marking on the sword the man was holding.

Though the injured woman had told them her name was Astrid when she first awakened, she seemed to have lost her memory and did not know where she was from. She spokeGerman, English, and French and was well educated, but her accent was strange.

Elyce had gone to visit her a few times, until her aunt stopped the visits, saying it was beneath a princess to visit peasant women. But Elyce knew that Astrid had stayed with Ida, even after she had recovered. Elyce only hoped no harm would come to Ida and Astrid—or Jacob—for helping Elyce run away.

As they rode at a steady pace, Elyce remembered what Delia had said in her letter. Sir Gerard had prayed and felt that God was telling him to come here and help her. Was that true? Had God really sent him, an English knight, to help her escape King Claude’s plans for her and her people?

Certainly he wasn’t helping her because he was concerned for her. They’d only met once before, at a ball. And she had not given him any reason to care about her now, as she’d not been very pleasant to him. In fact, she had not kept her emotions hidden from him at all. She’d unleashed words of anger and even outrage at him.

He probably thought less of her than she thought of him. For at this moment, she was glad he was here.

***

Gerard’s forehead burned anew as he remembered how the princess had reacted to him. She was humble enough now, as she lay limply against his chest, but she was so weak, she had no choice but to accept his help. What would she do when she no longer needed him? She seemed the type of person to forget he hadhelped her at all and turn her little nose up at him at the first opportunity.

Obviously Delia did not know what a haughty, proud princess her friend was or she would not have sent him on this ridiculous errand.

But truly, he was not here because Delia had sent him. He was here because of the vision and because he knew that God wanted him to go and help Princess Elyce.

Was it too much to ask to have her say thank you? He could be home at Dericott Castle right now, enjoying his brother Edwin’s company, instead of traipsing through a half-frozen country with an ungrateful princess.

Gerard constantly listened for horses coming after them. Would they shoot an arrow through his back, or wait until he had deposited the princess on the ground?

After they had traveled for an hour or so without incident, a house appeared on the forest path ahead of them.

Ysabeau said, “We are here.”

Herewas a small cottage nestled among several large beech trees. But at least there was a small stable where their horses could stay warm.

As they drew near and slowed their horses, two women came out of the house, one much older than the other.

“Princess Elyce, it is good to see you,” the young one said, bowing.

“Astrid, I’m happy to see you as well,” Princess Elyce replied in a weak voice.

“These men are Sir Gerard and Sir Oswalt, English knightsin our service,” Ysabeau said to the women. Then she turned to Gerard and Oswalt. “This is Ida, Jacob’s sister, and Astrid.”

“We cannot stay here long.” Princess Elyce seemed to rally her strength to lean away from him so he could dismount.

As soon as his feet were on the ground, he reached up and carefully pulled her from the saddle into his arms. He couldn’t seem to hold any resentment toward her when she was draping her arms around his shoulders so trustingly.

“Come,” Ysabeau said after Sir Oswalt helped her dismount. “The princess needs to rest.”

“Ysabeau, we cannot stay here, not as we planned.” Elyce’s voice was strained, but she looked determined.

“What do you mean?” Ysabeau followed as Gerard carried Princess Elyce into the cottage.

Since the princess was out of breath, he answered for her. “She means her father and King Claude will send men to find her. They will track us here.”

“But you are so weak.” The pitch of Ysabeau’s voice went higher. “You need to get your strength back before we make the long journey to Prague.”

“We cannot risk staying here,” the princess answered softly. “We will eat and drink a bit, rest for half an hour, then we must try to put some distance between us and the castle.”

Astrid hurried ahead of Gerard and showed him to a room where he placed the princess on a bed.