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The prince raced to his wife’s side, and Emily moved away to allow the couple their privacy. She took a seat nearby, her gaze searching for Will. He was speaking with the prime minister and giving orders to the guards. This was it then. He had done his duty. How long until he was gone?
He glanced at her, his eyes unreadable. She gave him a shaky smile to show him she was fine. She would be fine without him. She was no stranger to loss. She had survived the loss of a childand a husband. She could survive the loss of her lover, even if in that moment it felt as though a knife plunged into her chest. But she knew from experience that pain would fade.
“I want to see you both,” the queen said as Albert ushered her out of the room. “I want to know everything.”
“Later, my darling,” the prince said. “Come with me now.” And then to everyone’s surprise, he lifted the queen and carried her out of the chamber. Emily felt tears in her eyes at the sight of the prince’s devotion. She had never envied them before. They had virtually no privacy, no time out of the public gaze. But she envied them now. And she wished Will could sweep her up and carry her away.
THE REST OF THE DAYwas a whirlwind of questions and interrogations. Emily was conscious of Will nearby at times. She heard him order someone to fetch her tea and sandwiches and she tried to eat them, but she was so weary. Her leg had begun to hurt again as well, and finally she was allowed to go to her room, where the queen’s physician examined her leg, cleaned and bandaged it, and prescribed rest. Emily waved away Pratt’s offer of a bath and fell into bed and was instantly asleep.
When she woke again, she had no idea what time it was. Her curtains were drawn and her room dark. She felt ravenously hungry, though, and her body ached all over. The events of the day came rushing back to her, and she wondered how the queen fared and if Will had managed to snatch any rest. With what seemed enormous effort, Emily climbed out of bed and padded to her window. She drew the curtains aside, expecting to see the darkness of the middle of the night. Instead, she was greeted by bright sunlight, more typical of the middle of the day. What day was it? And how long had she slept?
“Oh, my lady! Did you ring for me?” Emily turned to see Pratt entering with a stack of clothing. She set it on a chair and crossed to Emily. “I didn’t hear the bell. I must have been on my way to your chambers already.”
“I didn’t ring, Pratt. What day is it?”
“My lady.” Pratt took her arm and led her back to bed. “You should rest. You still look a bit pale.”
Emily didn’t object. She felt a bit weak and dizzy. Pratt propped up her pillow and tucked the covers in around her. “I’ll send for tea and the physician. He will want to see your leg.”
“It feels a bit better,” Emily said.
“No doubt. You finally rested it.”
“How long did I sleep?”
“A day and then some, my lady. I came to check on you every few hours, but you didn’t so much as move.” She pulled the bell, signaling she wanted a maid. “And no wonder. The entire palace is talking about how you saved the queen’s life.”
The door opened, and Pratt told the young maid to bring the tea tray and fetch the physician. Then Pratt, who was at least ten years older than Emily and moved with practiced efficiency, opened her wardrobe and began to arrange the clothing items she’d brought with her. “I couldn’t salvage the dress you arrived in, my lady,” Pratt was saying, her brown hair with its white cap all Emily could see as the woman bent lower. “I’m afraid it was damaged beyond repair.”
“Pratt,” Emily said, hardly hearing her. “Did you say I slept the rest of the day and night?”
“Oh, yes, my lady. The queen asked about you at dinner but didn’t want to disturb you.”
“How is Her Majesty?”
Pratt waved a hand. “Quite well. Quite well. She is not easy to scare, our queen. She has asked for constant updates from Mr.Galloway and Lord Palmerston on that traitor James. I never liked him, you know. I always had my suspicions about him.”
If that was true, it was the first Emily had heard of those suspicions.
“Now he will rot in prison or face the executioner. No less than he deserves for what he did to our queen. Imagine! Laying hands on Her Majesty!”
“Pratt, you mentioned Mr. Galloway. Could you send for him?”
Pratt turned with brows raised. “In your state, my lady? You’re not even dressed.”
“You can help me into a dressing robe. I need to speak to him.”
Pratt went back to her wardrobe organization. “I’m sorry, my lady, but even if you were dressed, I couldn’t call him for you. He left early this morning. He took his valet and his luggage. The queen was quite annoyed when she called for him and he was no longer at the palace, but Lord Palmerston spoke with her and she was satisfied.”
“What do you mean, he left early this morning?”
“Oh, yes,” Pratt said. “It was not even ten in the morning.”
“Did he leave a note for me?”
Pratt turned to face Emily, her expression concerned. “No, my lady. I don’t think so.”
“Not even a word?”
