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“And the money I helped you give him?”
“I had to sign an agreement that what had taken place with this celebrity would never resurface because word of it would ruin his image. I agreed and then tried deleting the emails, but Damon held onto them. He’s been using them to threaten me. To get me to give him money to keep him from posting the emails and exposing the entire mess.”
“This is blackmail!” Henrik swore. He rounded and paced a few steps toward the orchestra and back to her. The conductor continued to wave her arms, but she sent an uncertain glance to Henrik as if awaiting instruction. “Why haven’t you done anything?” he asked. “Gone to the police or—”
“I promised not to disclose any of it. I’ve felt stuck between that promise and Damon’s threats. It would be too late if I ever did anything like that. Damon made as much clear. I even had a restraining order put on him, but he was so angry after that I had the police remove it.”
Henrik ran his hands through his hair, his thoughts sprinting. What could be done? How could they get these emails deleted?
“I had a plan,” Lily said. “I’ve been saving up enough money for the last year to start a new life in Italy.”
“You were going to run away.”
“Yes.”
“Then.” He gestured to her. Even without her hair, she was so beautiful it hurt. “Then this makeover isn’t a last-ditch effort at the latest styles.”
“No.” Her weak smile was filled with sadness. She reached out to touch his arm and then seemed to think better of it. “Now you know why I can never marry you. Why I can never be your queen.”
“Nonsense.”
“How can I help you run a country when I couldn’t even manage my parents’ business dealings? And what if Damon leaks those emails? My reputation would only ruin your kingdom, Henrik, and I couldn’t bear to see you look at me the way you’re looking at me now.”
Henrik turned away and then back to her again. He’d never been this angry in his life. He worked to keep his voice steady, but even he could hear traces of emotion lacing through his tone. “If you think I’m letting you go now, knowing this lunatic will still be threatening you, you don’t know me.”
“Let her go, Henrik.”
The King stood at the base of the stairs in his robe, scowling. How long had he been standing there? Henrik was so distracted by Lily’s confession, he hadn’t noticed anything else.
Lily’s eyes snapped closed.
“She’s doing you a favor by leaving, son,” Father said. “Doing us all a favor. I only hope her residence here hasn’t completely muddled your future prospects.”
“You heard?” Henrik said.
“Of course, I heard. She should have been upfront with you sooner. You never should have brought her here. The Von Frosk line can’t be sullied by mediocrity.”
“Do not call her that.” Henrik prayed Lily hadn’t heard, but a flash of red hair and the slamming front door told him she had.
Henrik itched to go after her, but Father gripped his arm to keep him in place. Mother appeared in her robe as well, her hair pulled away from her face.
“Maybe it’s better this way, dear,” she said with a peacemaking kind of expression.
“Like Hades it is.” Henrik wormed free. The orchestra had stopped playing. He jerked open the front door and ran out into the frigid morning snow. “Lily!” he called to the cold yard. The fountain, the snow-covered bushes, the frosted air, and the distant mountains emphasizing the sky’s lightening color were his only response. Fresh tire tracks circled around the drive. Henrik ran, following them to the street, hoping he could wave the driver down, but it was no use. Though he searched, she was nowhere in sight. Lily was gone.
18
Lily had to catch a train to the airport in Sweden. The Einvarian station was sparse at this hour of the morning. Through her tears, she could still appreciate the timeless stone walls and the sunrise brightening the painted glass squares that made up the station’s high windows. She ran her suitcase on the smooth marble squares beneath her feet. A large board indicated train departures and times, and Lily paused to find her platform.
She tried hiding her emotions, but the devastating look on Henrik’s face when she’d told him the truth refused to leave her mind. The king’s insulting, final words added more sting, and it was all she could do not to break out into sobs. She’d never felt so lost. In a foreign country, unable to go home, unable to return to the only familiar thing she knew here in Einvar.
Her anxiety was on overdrive. The only option was to carry out her plan, to disappear to central Europe and pray even if Damon released those emails no one would be the wiser. She could start a new life. All she needed was to board a train…
“You cut your hair.”
The sinister, low voice was too familiar. Too haunting. She considered going on and ignoring him, but Damon gripped her arm and forced her to face him. He stood there, lip curled.
“Going somewhere?”
