when you dance.”
“Thank you.” She sounded breathless.
“I will look for you tomorrow.”
“Oh.”
“But I may not be able to talk to you at the tournament. You will come to the ball?”
He meant the ball the duke was giving on the third night of the tournament — the ball which would end the festivities. “I will try.”
He leaned down and pressed his lips to her hand.
When he lifted his head, Margaretha was walking toward her.
“I will leave you with my sister. Good night.” He released her and walked away.
Gisela’s knees went weak but she forced herself to stand upright and look at Margaretha, who was smiling from one ear to the other. “Did you enjoy yourself? What am I talking about? Of course you did. Your joy was all over your face. And with my brother! My serious brother, Valten, who hardly even looks at girls, and never asks one to dance — at a banquet, no less.”
Before Gisela had time to ask her what she meant, Margaretha took Gisela’s arm and steered her toward the staircase, where several other people were ascending.
“So, do you like Valten?”
Gisela laughed at the directness of the question.
“Kirstyn would be embarrassed at me asking you that. Forgive me, but I am always saying too much and asking too many questions.” Margaretha clasped her hands and her eyes rolled as if in ecstatic joy. “We will not speak of anything too embarrassing,” she went on, lowering her voice. “But I must say that I’ve never seen him look at anyone the way he looked at you tonight. And he was once betrothed — but that was a strange situation, and I don’t have time to tell you about that. It was only for a short time. At least, she was only here for about twodays before we found out that she was in love with my other brother—but you don’t want to hear about that. Anyway, you must be completely exhausted. I confess I’m quite tired myself, and I didn’t dance for two hours! You will sleep in my chamber with me. Kirstyn and Adela will probably already be asleep when we get there, so we should be quiet. I have a nightdress for you to sleep in.”
Gisela did her best to keep up with what Margaretha was saying as they climbed the steps and made their way to Margaretha’s chamber. She got ready for bed and gratefully slipped in beside Valten’s sister, who was soon breathing evenly.
Gisela lay awake reliving the banquet. She closed her eyes, seeing Valten’s face hovering above her, the way he’d looked at her when they danced, and the way his lips felt on her hand. She let out a long breath, a tear of happiness squeezing from the corner of her eye. What a wonderful night. To think that Valten would choose her as the Queen of Beauty and Love. It was all too wonderful: the dancing, the looks, and the kiss. And tomorrow she would see him again, even if it was only from afar.
His words echoed in her memory, the way he had talked to her at the banquet, asking her where she would go and whether she had a brother, telling her he didn’t like the way Evfemia treated her. His face was etched on her eyelids as she drifted to sleep.
Chapter
10
Valten had never enjoyed a banquet so much in his life. As he readied himself the next morning, instead of meditating on the day’s tournament battles, his mind kept going back to Gisela.
He had surprised himself again at how much he liked talking with her. He may not be as smooth-tongued as his brother Gabe, but Gisela also seemed to like talking to him. The night was full of surprises, as he had not expected to ask her to dance, or, when it was time to say good night, to kiss her hand.
Her skin was so soft and her smile so sweet. Even surrounded by such a great crowd of people, he’d considered giving her a real kiss.
Strange that he could be thinking such a thing when he had only spoken to her once before yesterday. Either he was going daft, or there was something special about her. She seemed to understand how he felt about wanting to
“Thank you.” She sounded breathless.
“I will look for you tomorrow.”
“Oh.”
“But I may not be able to talk to you at the tournament. You will come to the ball?”
He meant the ball the duke was giving on the third night of the tournament — the ball which would end the festivities. “I will try.”
He leaned down and pressed his lips to her hand.
When he lifted his head, Margaretha was walking toward her.
“I will leave you with my sister. Good night.” He released her and walked away.
Gisela’s knees went weak but she forced herself to stand upright and look at Margaretha, who was smiling from one ear to the other. “Did you enjoy yourself? What am I talking about? Of course you did. Your joy was all over your face. And with my brother! My serious brother, Valten, who hardly even looks at girls, and never asks one to dance — at a banquet, no less.”
Before Gisela had time to ask her what she meant, Margaretha took Gisela’s arm and steered her toward the staircase, where several other people were ascending.
“So, do you like Valten?”
Gisela laughed at the directness of the question.
“Kirstyn would be embarrassed at me asking you that. Forgive me, but I am always saying too much and asking too many questions.” Margaretha clasped her hands and her eyes rolled as if in ecstatic joy. “We will not speak of anything too embarrassing,” she went on, lowering her voice. “But I must say that I’ve never seen him look at anyone the way he looked at you tonight. And he was once betrothed — but that was a strange situation, and I don’t have time to tell you about that. It was only for a short time. At least, she was only here for about twodays before we found out that she was in love with my other brother—but you don’t want to hear about that. Anyway, you must be completely exhausted. I confess I’m quite tired myself, and I didn’t dance for two hours! You will sleep in my chamber with me. Kirstyn and Adela will probably already be asleep when we get there, so we should be quiet. I have a nightdress for you to sleep in.”
Gisela did her best to keep up with what Margaretha was saying as they climbed the steps and made their way to Margaretha’s chamber. She got ready for bed and gratefully slipped in beside Valten’s sister, who was soon breathing evenly.
Gisela lay awake reliving the banquet. She closed her eyes, seeing Valten’s face hovering above her, the way he’d looked at her when they danced, and the way his lips felt on her hand. She let out a long breath, a tear of happiness squeezing from the corner of her eye. What a wonderful night. To think that Valten would choose her as the Queen of Beauty and Love. It was all too wonderful: the dancing, the looks, and the kiss. And tomorrow she would see him again, even if it was only from afar.
His words echoed in her memory, the way he had talked to her at the banquet, asking her where she would go and whether she had a brother, telling her he didn’t like the way Evfemia treated her. His face was etched on her eyelids as she drifted to sleep.
Chapter
10
Valten had never enjoyed a banquet so much in his life. As he readied himself the next morning, instead of meditating on the day’s tournament battles, his mind kept going back to Gisela.
He had surprised himself again at how much he liked talking with her. He may not be as smooth-tongued as his brother Gabe, but Gisela also seemed to like talking to him. The night was full of surprises, as he had not expected to ask her to dance, or, when it was time to say good night, to kiss her hand.
Her skin was so soft and her smile so sweet. Even surrounded by such a great crowd of people, he’d considered giving her a real kiss.
Strange that he could be thinking such a thing when he had only spoken to her once before yesterday. Either he was going daft, or there was something special about her. She seemed to understand how he felt about wanting to
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