Beguiled (The Fairest Maidens #2) - Jody Hedlund Page 0,19
really was, couldn’t I? If I did so, would he finally share who he was? “Mikkel?”
“Hmmm . . .?”
“I am—a princess.”
Chapter
7
Mikkel
I froze. Pearl was a princess?
“My mother is Queen Margery of Warwick.” She whispered the queen’s name as if speaking of a deadly plague.
“Truly?”
She nodded, tightening her fingers within mine, but not before I caught the tremor that told me far more than her words—telling me about her background made her feel vulnerable and frightened.
But why?
I scrambled to remember all I knew about Queen Margery and her children. Though I’d never had the opportunity to meet Warwick’s queen and family, I made a point of keeping abreast of Scania’s relationships with the surrounding nations. And nothing I’d heard about Warwick and Queen Margery had been pleasant.
Early in her reign of Warwick, she’d been obsessed with hunting down her niece, Queen Aurora, who was heir to Mercia’s throne. Because of Margery’s determination to eliminate the young queen, Aurora had been hidden away, and her father was serving as regent until she reached an age when she could reign in her own right.
After years of searching, Margery seemed to have given up her aspirations of taking the throne from her niece. I guessed the time was soon coming when Aurora would come out of hiding and that perhaps Margery would attempt to destroy her niece again.
Several years ago, we’d learned that Margery’s husband had died. And last summer, hadn’t we received news that her oldest daughter had perished? In a hunting accident?
Ethelbard was the name of the queen’s son. That I knew because he would someday be a rival king. But I hadn’t paid attention to the names of Margery’s daughters. Something to do with jewels? Perhaps Pearl had been one of them.
“Margery’s oldest daughter died,” I said. “So you are her youngest child?”
“No, I am her firstborn. Though she tried to kill me during a hunting expedition, one of the huntsmen helped me escape. I ran away and have been living here ever since.”
If an illness or accident had compromised Pearl’s beauty, then she would no longer be a valuable asset to the queen in brokering an advantageous marriage. In fact, maybe Pearl had posed an embarrassment and burden, one the queen wished to eliminate.
“I have heard of Margery’s cruelty. But I didn’t think she was so evil that she would kill her own daughter.”
Pearl started to pull away. “You do not believe me?”
“I do believe you.” I drew her back, not ready for this moment of closeness to come to an end. “I am confused why she would do such a thing, ’tis all.”
“Then we shall be confused together.” The deep echo of hurt in Pearl’s voice told me that she had indeed suffered at the hand of the queen.
I tried to digest everything Pearl had just revealed. She was royalty. Now the conversations we’d had over the past week made more sense. I’d marveled at her enlightenment of matters having to do with ruling a country as well as her insights into other issues that most noblewomen wouldn’t concern themselves with. She was educated beyond what was normal for nobility, and she also carried herself with a proud bearing.
I relaxed against the cold stone wall. “Princess Pearl.”
“Shh,” she whispered. “Please do not speak of my identity to anyone else.”
“If you wish.”
“Vow it.” Her tone took on the commanding quality I’d heard from time to time, and now I understood why. She squeezed my hand. “Please, Mikkel.”
“Very well. I vow it.”
“Irontooth and Felicity are the only ones here in camp who know who I am. And Irontooth will be angry if he learns I have told you.”
“Then he fears I’m here as a spy for the queen?”
“He is a good leader, but he worries about everything.”
“He need not worry. I’m not here to do you any harm. In fact, once upon a time, Queen Margery had sought an alliance and asked my father about the possibility of a marriage between the Princess Pearl and the next Scanian king.” With Warwick’s dwindling resources and growing poverty, the Lagting had decided against forging such a union. “Just think, if things had turned out differently, we may have married each other.”
At Pearl’s stiffening and Gregor’s exasperated sigh, I realized I’d said too much.
“It wouldn’t have happened.” I tried to think of a way to cover my mistake. “The king of Scania is more interested in the princess of the Danes as a future wife for his heir—”