me, it will only be so he can follow you. And you will lead him straight to me.”
She nodded, knowing he was right. But if her father died, not knowing where she was. If she was alive or dead—tears filled her eyes. If she didn’t say good-bye, as she hadn’t said to her mother, she couldn’t live with herself.
“If you are wrong and he is dying as I fear, I will be free soon enough.”
He shook his head. His smiled vanished and his brows lowered above his eyes. “I forbid it.”
She felt ill and gasped her belly. He what? “Now I understand why Pastor Joseph said he couldn’t marry us yet—”
Caleb let her shoulders go and ran both of his hands down his face as if he knew what she was about to say. “I must go see my father. You cannot hold me against my wishes. You are not my husband.”
She turned on the heel of her slipper and hurried away from them, from him and into the throng.
Almost instantly someone grabbed her wrist and pulled her behind a nearby tent. It was the man from the cooking pot vendor! Willow opened her mouth to scream but the man covered her mouth with his hand.
“What are you doing with the king?” he asked in an accusatory tone. “Do you betray your father? I’ll make sure he hears of this!”
He let her go when she dug her fingernails into his wrist. “I betray no one!” she defended herself, stepping back. “Caleb is not a real king. The people only—”
“His father was King Samuel Desai of Predaria. Your father killed him. He was the heir, now most regard him as…king…hey there, where are you walking off to?
He tried to grab her, but she kicked him in the nethers like Shauna showed her and then hurried back to the inn.
None of them were there. They must have gone looking for her. She waited.
While she waited, she began to cry. So many things became clear to her in that instant between shock, mortification, and pure anger. The villagers had indeed been bowing to him, just as the innkeeper had. Everyone knew the truth, but her. The hatred Caleb and Shauna felt for her father had nothing to do with the land, it had to do with the crown he stole from them, the titles he took, the wealth, the castle…
She was going to be sick.
He’d lied to her just like he had about his coin. But this was worse. Oh, this was worse.
He was the king.
Chapter 23
“Willow!” Caleb called out when he spotted her standing near the inn. Shauna was already running toward her. Jonas was still looking for her.
Caleb uttered continued prayers of thanks as he ran toward her. But as he neared, he noticed she was crying. She said something to Shauna, who’d reached her.
Caleb slowed as his sister turned to look at him. Her expression was one of pity and worry over him. What had Willow said to her?
“Where were you, my love?” He reached Willow and lifted his hand to wipe her cheek with his fingers. “Why are you crying?”
She moved away from him and backed into Jonas, who had arrived. She slapped his hand away when he reached for her. “Don’t touch me, and don’t call me princess again. I’m not a princess.” Her sorrow-filled gaze avoided Shauna and found Caleb, who’d gone from golden to pale.
“You know then,” he said, not wanting to drag out the obvious.
“Know what, Caleb? Say it!” she seethed through clenched teeth.
He looked at her, knowing this was the end. She would never forgive him. His heart shattered and sent shards everywhere within him, making him ache to hear her, see her, touch her, smell her, and taste her. But he was losing her. “I am King of Predaria.” He closed his eyes when a sob broke out from between her teeth.
“Willow—”
“You let me believe you were a commoner!” she shouted at him.
Standing a little farther off now, Jonas tried to pull Shauna away. But she didn’t budge, nor could she seem to drag her gaze away from Caleb’s pained expression.
“All this time, Caleb…” Willow continued to back away. “All this time you kept this from me. How did you do it? Did you bribe the villagers with your coins? Did it amuse you knowing that I was nothing but the daughter of a usurper?”
“No, Willow,” he whispered, aching to wipe the tears in her eyes. Tears he had caused.