Princess in the Iron Mask - By Victoria Parker Page 0,55

me feel so sick I could hardly breathe...hardly walk. My mother took me to the hospital. I think they’d had some specialist flown in.’ She shuddered, gripped the sheet at the delicate dip in her throat. ‘I could hear every word through the open door, but my legs... I couldn’t move to close it. I covered my ears but she was ranting at him. Railing. Going on and on. I’d never heard her in such an awful state.’

She huffed a laugh, the sound so damn hollow his guts twisted.

‘You’ve met her, Lucas. So chillingly calm. So strong. But this day she was almost wild. “Look at her!” she screamed to the doctor, jabbing her finger in my direction. “Just look at her. My beautiful daughter is no more. You have to do something.” On and on she went, for what felt like hours.’

Lucas watched her knuckles scream in protest as she twisted the sheet in her fingers, her eyes closed, her teeth sinking into her lower lip as she stifled her sorrow. And he’d swear his chest had cracked open.

‘Someone carried me out to the car. She was so deathly silent and I was so numb. She couldn’t bear to look at me. When we reached the Arunthe tunnel there was traffic everywhere.’

Her chest rose and fell with short, sharp breaths and the need to touch her, hold her, was so strong his arms ached.

‘I think we’d been followed,’ she continued, brushing hair from her damp brow with trembling fingers. ‘There was always stuff in the papers, wondering what was wrong with me. Why I was kept under lock and key while my sisters enjoyed their independence. I think being so secretive must’ve made it worse.’

The room was dim, but Lucas saw one silvery droplet trickle down the side of her face. The pain in his chest tore up his throat. ‘Querida—’

‘Suddenly,’ she said, ‘men were crawling over the car like locusts, banging on the windows so hard I thought the glass would shatter. They yanked at the door handles, over and over, trying to get in. And my mother... She pushed me down—said I had to hide, to stay out of view in case they saw me. “No pictures of her,” she was screaming. “No photos. No photos.” Yelling. Crying. “They can’t see her like this.” I just wanted to die. That’s exactly what I wished for.’

Her voice trailed to a pained whisper and Lucas strained to hear her.

‘She screamed at the driver to move forward and he tried to switch lanes. He tried. He tried.’

Lucas ground his jaw so hard a shard of pain shot up to his temples. ‘The car crashed?’

‘Yes,’ she said, her chest rising as she struggled to wrestle her emotions into submission. ‘Next thing I knew I was in London. Hidden. Locked up.’

Her voice ebbed once more and Lucas leaned closer.

‘The Princess in the Iron Mask.’

‘What?’ he said, frowning deeply, sure he mustn’t have heard her correctly.

‘That’s what the other children called me. Although it was probably my own fault. I had at least two copies—you know, the novel by Alexandre Dumas? The mask they needed to hide the face of the King’s twin?’

He jerked upright, shaking his head. Adamant. Goddamn furious. ‘No, Claudia. No.’

‘Yes.’

‘That was just children being mean and spiteful because you are royalty. Most children dream of such a thing, querida.’

She dashed her hands across her cheeks. ‘And my mother saying those things? Was she just being mean? Telling everyone I wasn’t beautiful any more? That she couldn’t bear to look at me? Touch me?’ Her voice hitched on the last word and she flung back the covers and vaulted off the bed. ‘I need to go now.’

‘No!’ he said, lunging, grabbing her hand, keeping her at the side of the bed until he stood before her. Cupping her face, he looked deep into her eyes. ‘Listen to me, Claudia. I’d say your mother was past herself with worry because no doctor could diagnose or even help. She had to watch you suffer. Can you imagine that?’ Lucas tilted her face, needing her to see the conviction in his. ‘Think of how you feel when you sit with Bailey. It hurts you, sí?’

She nodded, just once, eyes flooding, spilling. His heart tore.

‘I’d say your mother didn’t think or realise the words she spoke would affect you so. Whilst she is not the most affectionate of people, I believe in this case she was unthinking. Not uncaring.’

‘You think she honestly cared about