insist on being referred to by a title that will cause people to scorn me."
"Why should you be scorned?"
She looked up, surprised to find Luke standing practically at her elbow. "Otto said Rudolf would insist that people continue to use our titles. From what you've said, I thought that might be unwise."
"Would you have everybody calling you Valeria?" Otto asked.
"In America we refer to an unmarried lady by her family name," Luke said. "After she is married, she takes her husband's name."
"What would I be called?" Valeria asked. "Probably Miss Badenberg."
Valeria had been addressed as princess or your highness for so long, she couldn't imagine anything else. Still, she liked the simplicity of his suggestion. With no title, she could become anonymous. That thought frightened her as much as it intrigued her. She'd always been a princess. She didn't know how to be anything else.
"What did you want?" Luke asked.
"To ask about provisions," Otto said. "The chef will need to replenish his larder in two days. Please take us to a town where suitable supplies can be obtained."
"The only way to do that would be to go back to Bonner," Luke said.
"Are you saying there are no towns ahead of us?" Otto asked.
"How far is the next town?" Valeria asked. It was obvious what Luke meant.
"It depends on how far we can travel each day," Luke replied. "If we were on horseback, we could be there in two days. With all these wagons, probably a week at a minimum."
"We will starve before then," Otto said.
"Can we get food when we get to this place?" Valeria asked.
"Yes, but not what you're used to." He pointed to the remains of their lamb. "Out here, if you want lamb, you have to buy it on the hoof and dress it out."
"That's absurd," Otto said.
"Well, it's not likely to be a problem," Luke said. But Otto enjoyed only a moment of relaxation. "I doubt you'll find any lamb to buy, on the hoof or otherwise."
"Goose," Otto said. "I would love a fat goose."
"You'll find salt pork and dried beef," Luke said. "Anything else will have to come in a can."
Otto looked horrified. Hans looked equally nonplussed.
"What can we eat if we run out of food?" Valeria asked.
"You're not going to like it," Luke warned.
"I haven't liked anything that has happened to me in the last year," Valeria snapped. "And not much that's happened to me during my whole life," she added as an afterthought.
"You have two choices," Luke said. "You can eat with us. I brought enough to last the trip for all of us."
"And the other choice?" Otto asked in a faint voice.
"You can go hunting," Luke said. "Your best bet is a mule deer. They generally don't go too far from the river. If you bag one, it ought to last you a few days. If you've got your heart set on sheep, you can climb any one of the mountains you see from here. If you're lucky, you might get a desert bighorn, though you might have a hell of a time getting to the kill before a mountain lion does."
Otto lost considerable color.
"If you're interested in pork, there's a piglike creature called a javelina. I don't like it myself, but some people think they're right tasty. You'll probably need three or four of those."
"I didn't hire you to be told I had to hunt for my food," Otto said. "I demand-"
"You didn't hire me," Luke replied, cutting off his angry explosion. "Hans did. And I was hired to take Valeria to Rudolf. When I asked about supplies, you said you would take care of your own."
"We expected to be able to buy what we needed."
"You could if there were anybody selling it." "But there isn't," Otto nearly shouted.
"Now maybe we can start to deal with reality," Luke said.
"What does that mean?" Valeria asked.
"It means you make your food last as long as possible.
It also means you'll have to get used to eating things you've never eaten before."
"I will not hunt for my food," Otto declared.
"I doubt you could," Luke said. "You're much too fat." "How dare you-"
"You need to eat more at breakfast and less
"Why should you be scorned?"
She looked up, surprised to find Luke standing practically at her elbow. "Otto said Rudolf would insist that people continue to use our titles. From what you've said, I thought that might be unwise."
"Would you have everybody calling you Valeria?" Otto asked.
"In America we refer to an unmarried lady by her family name," Luke said. "After she is married, she takes her husband's name."
"What would I be called?" Valeria asked. "Probably Miss Badenberg."
Valeria had been addressed as princess or your highness for so long, she couldn't imagine anything else. Still, she liked the simplicity of his suggestion. With no title, she could become anonymous. That thought frightened her as much as it intrigued her. She'd always been a princess. She didn't know how to be anything else.
"What did you want?" Luke asked.
"To ask about provisions," Otto said. "The chef will need to replenish his larder in two days. Please take us to a town where suitable supplies can be obtained."
"The only way to do that would be to go back to Bonner," Luke said.
"Are you saying there are no towns ahead of us?" Otto asked.
"How far is the next town?" Valeria asked. It was obvious what Luke meant.
"It depends on how far we can travel each day," Luke replied. "If we were on horseback, we could be there in two days. With all these wagons, probably a week at a minimum."
"We will starve before then," Otto said.
"Can we get food when we get to this place?" Valeria asked.
"Yes, but not what you're used to." He pointed to the remains of their lamb. "Out here, if you want lamb, you have to buy it on the hoof and dress it out."
"That's absurd," Otto said.
"Well, it's not likely to be a problem," Luke said. But Otto enjoyed only a moment of relaxation. "I doubt you'll find any lamb to buy, on the hoof or otherwise."
"Goose," Otto said. "I would love a fat goose."
"You'll find salt pork and dried beef," Luke said. "Anything else will have to come in a can."
Otto looked horrified. Hans looked equally nonplussed.
"What can we eat if we run out of food?" Valeria asked.
"You're not going to like it," Luke warned.
"I haven't liked anything that has happened to me in the last year," Valeria snapped. "And not much that's happened to me during my whole life," she added as an afterthought.
"You have two choices," Luke said. "You can eat with us. I brought enough to last the trip for all of us."
"And the other choice?" Otto asked in a faint voice.
"You can go hunting," Luke said. "Your best bet is a mule deer. They generally don't go too far from the river. If you bag one, it ought to last you a few days. If you've got your heart set on sheep, you can climb any one of the mountains you see from here. If you're lucky, you might get a desert bighorn, though you might have a hell of a time getting to the kill before a mountain lion does."
Otto lost considerable color.
"If you're interested in pork, there's a piglike creature called a javelina. I don't like it myself, but some people think they're right tasty. You'll probably need three or four of those."
"I didn't hire you to be told I had to hunt for my food," Otto said. "I demand-"
"You didn't hire me," Luke replied, cutting off his angry explosion. "Hans did. And I was hired to take Valeria to Rudolf. When I asked about supplies, you said you would take care of your own."
"We expected to be able to buy what we needed."
"You could if there were anybody selling it." "But there isn't," Otto nearly shouted.
"Now maybe we can start to deal with reality," Luke said.
"What does that mean?" Valeria asked.
"It means you make your food last as long as possible.
It also means you'll have to get used to eating things you've never eaten before."
"I will not hunt for my food," Otto declared.
"I doubt you could," Luke said. "You're much too fat." "How dare you-"
"You need to eat more at breakfast and less
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