Mercy.Shewas three steps ahead ofhim.
She predicted I would agree to this before I even showed up.
Gideonwasrusty.
“That’s a three-day voyage.” Not far behind them, he saw police officers pushing through the crowd. “All of my things are back at the hotel.”
“I’ve taken care of everything.” Rune nodded toward the lighter suitcase. “That’s Soren’s. You’ll have to make do with his wardrobe.”
He’d have to wear the prince’s clothes? For the next three days?
“Absolutely not.”
“Oh, are silk and brocade too fancy for you?” Beneath her gray hood, Rune rolled her eyes.
“They won’t fit me!” he spluttered.
“Men with guns are chasing us, Gideon. Well-fitting clothes are the least of your concerns.”
She was right.
His mood darkened.
Caught behind a group of tourists gawking at the architecture, Gideon dodged around them and into the street so he and Rune didn’t lose ground to the police behind them. Up ahead, theArcadialoomed. It was a passenger steamship, and its long gangplank rose from the quay to the upper deck, where a few stragglers stood waiting in line to board.
Beyond theArcadia, out in the harbor, a fleet of Soren’s warships were emerging through the morning mist. Gray plumes from the vessels’ smokestacks choked the sky.
The prince’s navy must be getting ready to sail for the New Republic.
“You better be right about this,” Gideon said as he glanced behind them. Officers were searching civilians only twenty paces away, asking questions.
His body was a coiled spring. How was Rune so calm?
“What if someone recognizes your name? Or your face?”
“The tickets are in your name,” she said as they reached the gangplank and started up it. A group of four stood in line ahead of them. From their fashionable clothing, Gideon guessed they were in Caelis as tourists, or here on business. “And I plan to change my face.”
Gideon didn’t like the sound of that.
“Next!” a loud voice called, piercing the silence.
They both glanced up as the passengers ahead stepped off the gangway and onto the ship. The ticket taker stood in a crisp navy uniform. When his bored gaze fell on them, he paused, glancing from Rune’s dress to Gideon’s suit.
“Well, isn’t this a sight. It’s so refreshing to see a young couple settling down instead of sowing their wild oats all over the place! Congratulations on your nuptials.”
Gideon was about to correct the mistake when Rune slipped her arm through his and stepped in closer. The press of her body surprised him.
“It was a lovely ceremony,” she said to the ticket taker, beaming up at him. “We eloped.”
Oh. No.
No no no.
Gideon glanced from Rune’s lace wedding dress to his vintage suit, realizing this wasexactlyhow it looked: like they had just been married.
“I’ve dreamed of a wedding in the Umbrian Mountains ever since I was a little girl.” Rune smiled sweetly up at Gideon. So sweet, it was making his stomach ache.
What have I agreed to?
