The River Maid (15 page)

Christian stood next to her, looking up at the sky, his blue eyes like the sea at its deepest. She wanted to reach up and touch his face. Her heart was so full it hurt. Before she could hesitate, she stood up on tip toes and pressed her mouth to his. His lips were soft
under hers. For a brief moment, warmth coursed through her, but then he pulled away.

“
No, Lorelei, we mustn’t.”

“
Did I do it wrong?” she asked.

“
No, it’s just….” He broke off. The other guests were looking at them and whispering frantically. Christian took her arm and drew her away from their gaze, around a corner of the castle and out of sight.

“
I’m sorry,” she said. She had done something terribly wrong. Perhaps she shouldn’t have kissed him in front of other people.

“
Don’t apologise. This was my fault. I was going to wait until after the ball to talk to you, but I should have spoken to you sooner. Will you walk with me?”

“
I would go anywhere with you.”

He seemed troubled. He led her along a path away from the castle. They walked in silence along the cliff, the river a dark shape below them. He stopped.
“Lorelei, I want you to know…” He broke off and looked down at the ground for a moment before he continued. “I think we’ve become friends since you came to stay.”

“
Is something wrong, Christian?”

“
I want you to know how much I care for you. I would never hurt you.”

She smiled up at him.
“I care for you too.”

She stood on her tip toes and pressed her mouth to his again, but he didn
’t respond. He pulled away. “No, Lorelei. I care for you, but not in that way.”

She frowned, confused.
“I love you, Christian. I’ve always loved you. I want to be with you.” She put her arms around his neck and tried to kiss him again. He pulled away, almost roughly and held her away from him. He loved her. He had to love her. She had given up everything for him.

“
No, Lorelei. I’m sorry. I truly am. I care for you, but I don’t love you. You’re like a sister to me.”

“
But you have to love me. I love you.”

“
I’m sorry.”

“
No.” She stepped back, out of his grasp. There was a wetness on her cheeks and a searing pain in her chest. She couldn’t breathe. “You do love me. You have to love me.”

She stumbled away from him. He didn
’t love her. Christian didn’t love her. It hurt so much, she couldn’t bear it. Blinded by tears, she ran along the cliff, slipping and stumbling in the dark, stones crumbling at her feet.

Christian followed, calling out to her.
“Lorelei, it’s not safe. Please come back to the castle.”

She stumbled to the cliff edge. Below was the river. She heard Christian come up behind her. She turned to face him. Tears ran down her face unchecked.

He held out his hand. “Come away from the edge.”

“
You were supposed to love me. Why don’t you love me?”

“
I’m sorry,” was all he said.

“
She said that you didn’t love me.”

“
Who said?” He stepped toward her. “Please, Lorelei, come back to the castle.”

He didn
’t love her. She had given up everything for him and he didn’t love her. She had nothing else left. She stepped back off the cliff.

Chapter Sixteen

Adrianna rested her arms on the riverbank and watched as fireworks exploded in the sky. She still hadn
’t left. Every day, she decided she would go tomorrow and when tomorrow came, she promised herself she would go the next day. The town was all that she had ever known. Here, she could at least watch them, even if she could never be with them. She decided she would wait until after winter had passed and then she would leave, but she knew she was lying to herself. There would always be an excuse for why she hadn’t left. 

Earlier in the day, she had seen the stream of carriages making their way up the winding path that took them up to the castle. Judging by the number of them, they had come for a celebration. Was it Lorelei and the prince
’s engagement they were celebrating or their wedding? A wedding would have taken months to plan, but perhaps with the war they had made it a small affair. She could imagine Lorelei in a white dress, a wreath of flowers in her golden hair, the prince standing next to her. Adrianna watched the fireworks, feeling like they were signalling the end. This was it now. She would never get her legs back. Unable to watch any longer, she turned to go back to her cave when she heard shouts coming from the cliff above her. It sounded like the prince and he was calling for Lorelei.

A dark shape hit the water. There was a shout from the cliff and then another shape hit the water. She swam toward them. The prince
’s head broke the surface. “Lorelei,” he shouted. He turned around in the water, calling her name. He saw Adrianna and froze. In the moonlight, she could see his face clearly. For a brief moment, their eyes met and then suddenly, he disappeared.

Adrianna dived under. The prince was being pulled down. She grabbed his hand and tried to pull him up. Unable to breathe, he struggled desperately, frantically trying to get to the surface, but whatever was pulling him down was strong. She let go of him and swam further down to find the source. It was impossible to see in the dark, but the moonlight filtered down and, for a brief second, Adrianna saw what was pulling the prince to his death. A white hand had hold of his arm. Adrianna grabbed Lorelei
’s hand as the prince went limp. Nails raked across her arm as they fought. Lorelei kicked out with her legs, but Adrianna held onto the prince. She wouldn’t let Lorelei take him. She broke Lorelei’s hold and quickly pulled the prince to the surface. With her tail, she was faster than Lorelei.

She towed him to the bank and heaved him up onto the soft ground as much as she could. Unconscious, his head lolled to the side. She realised he wasn
’t breathing. She took a deep breath and put her lips to his and breathed into his mouth. There was no response. She did it again. Suddenly, his lips moved under hers and she quickly moved away as he choked up water. Coughing, he rolled onto his side.

“
Lorelei,” he gasped. 

Adrianna looked out at the river, but the surface was dark and still.
“I can’t see her.”

He opened his eyes and met her gaze.
“Adrianna?” 

“
Shh, don’t talk. Save your strength.” She brushed back the wet strands of hair from his forehead. His eyes drifted shut and he started to shiver from the cold. “Your Highness?” She shook him gently, but he didn’t respond. She said, “Christian,” and he stirred. “Christian, you have to listen to me. You can’t fall asleep. You must stay awake.” She shook him again, but he didn’t react.

She saw bobbing lights from lanterns heading toward them. She was afraid to leave him alone in case he slipped back into the water, but horses were approaching and she could hear Monsieur Gaspard calling the prince’s name
.

Reluctantly, she left him, disappearing into the water just as they arrived. She watched from further up the river as Monsieur Gaspard
dragged the prince out of the water and up onto the bank. Men dressed in the prince’s livery, came bearing lanterns and rope.

Monsieur Gaspard put his ear to the prince
’s chest. “He’s alive,” he said with relief. “I’ll take him back to the castle. Keep searching for Lorelei.” They lifted the prince onto the horse and tied him on. Monsieur Gaspard mounted behind him and held the prince in front of him as he rode back to the castle.

Adrianna watched them until they disappeared from sight. The prince looked so pale, slumped over on Monsieur Gaspard
’s horse. She looked out at the river, but there was no sign of Lorelei. She couldn’t believe that the maid had tried to drown the prince. Had the prince rejected her? Something must have happened to cause her to try to harm him. Perhaps she would give Adrianna her legs back now. She looked down at the scratches on her arm in the moonlight. Lorelei’s nails had cut deep, slashing open the skin. She wasn’t sure that she wanted to see Lorelei again.  

~~~~~

Gaspard awkwardly tugged on the reins, trying to guide the horse back to the castle and hold onto Christian. Fortunately, the horse seemed to know the way better than he did, despite the darkness, and needed little urging. Marie rushed out as soon as Gaspard entered the courtyard.

“
Is he…” Marie trailed off, unable to say it, her hand gripping his stirrup.

“
He’s alive,” Gaspard said.

Marie closed her eyes in relief. She reached out and touched her son’s cheek. “He’s so cold.
We have to get him warm.” She looked behind Gaspard and frowned. “Where is Lorelei?”

Gaspard shook his head. “We didn’t find her. I have men out
searching for her now.”

He could hear the faint sound of music drifting through the open windows. The orchestra still played, oblivious to what had happened. A footman came out and together they lifted the prince down from the horse. Marie led the way up to Christian
’s room. Gaspard and the footman followed, with Christian hanging pale and lifeless between them.

He hadn
’t noticed Christian’s absence from the ball at first. It was only the sudden whispers and gossip that the strange girl in the green dress had been seen kissing the prince that had caused him to go in search of his friend. He had heard shouting and followed it to the cliff’s edge. Far below, he had heard Christian shouting Lorelei’s name and then silence. He had rushed back to get help. He had never run so fast in his life.

Marie pulled back the covers so they could lay Christian on the bed. He was so pale. The colour had leeched away from his face, making him look like he was dead.

“I’ll fetch more blankets, while you get him out of those wet clothes,” Marie said.

Gaspard stripped off Christian
’s wet clothes. The prince was shivering violently. Marie came back with brandy and an armful of blankets. Gaspard held the glass to Christian’s lips and tipped a trickle into his mouth. Christian choked as the liquid hit his throat.

“
Easy, my friend,” Gaspard said.

Marie wrapped more blankets around him.
“The doctor is on his way.” She took his cold hand in hers and chafed it, trying to get some warmth into him.

“You should return to the ball. The guests will wonder what has happened,” Gaspard said.

“Let them wonder.”

“Marie --” Gaspard began.

“I don’t care about the guests. All I care about is my son. He’s all I have left.”

He didn
’t try and reason with her. Christian murmured something. He was feverish, tossing from side to side. Gaspard, who had been in the process of putting a pillow under Christian’s head, froze. 

“
What did he say?” Marie asked.

Gaspard straightened. He wasn’t sure he had heard him correctly. “
He said ‘Adrianna’.” Marie looked puzzled. “She was the girl that disappeared from the town the day that Lorelei appeared from the river,” he explained.

Marie tucked Christian
’s hand under the blanket. “Why would he say her name? He never even knew her.”

Gaspard looked down at Christian. “
I don’t know.”

Chapter Seventeen

“
I’m not leaving until I have seen the prince or spoken to the princess.”

Gaspard held back a sigh and forced a smile onto his face.
“Madame, as I explained earlier, the prince has been taken unwell and the princess is with her son. She is unable to leave his side. She has asked me to send her apologies and see you off safely.”

The elderly woman sniffed. He couldn’t recall what her title was; which showed just how exhausted he was. He had sat with Christian all night, keeping vigil. He had promised Marie that he would deal with the guests, but he had come down to find that the rumours and gossip had already spread. Everyone was talking about how the prince hadn’t returned to the ball after the fireworks, but had disappeared with the mysterious girl. No one knew who she was. Some even said they had seen her kiss the prince. Gaspard had tried to explain Christian
’s absence away, but few had believed him.

“
And what of that girl in the green dress? Has she also been taken unwell?”

He didn
’t answer. He’d had similar questions from the other guests. He continued shepherding them outside. They were the last of the guests now, but they were also the most stubborn. It had been a long time since he had been at court and he had forgotten how difficult the ladies could be, especially when there was an unmarried prince involved.

“
We have to see the prince before we go,” the younger girl chimed in, pouting. “I want to tell him how much I enjoyed dancing with him.”

“I will be sure to tell him,” Gaspard replied. 

“I hope the prince’s illness isn’t too serious,” the older one said, the mocking tone of her voice suggesting she didn’t believe he was ill.

“
He will be quite recovered in a few days.” Gaspard opened the door of the carriage and held out his hand to help her in. Unable to delay any longer, she climbed in. He heard her mutter something about him being an odious little man, but he was happy for her to think that if only she would go. The younger girl climbed in as well and Gaspard shut the door. He watched with relief as the last of the carriages pulled away. 

He mopped his forehead with his handkerchief and made his way into the now empty castle. He had shaved and changed his clothes before he had gone to deal with the guests, but the lack of sleep was catching up with him. He had tried to deter the guests from their questions about what had happened to the prince last night, but if they stopped in the town they would easily be able to find out. By now the gossip would have trickled down from the servants at the castle. He had sent out a search party at first light to look for Lorelei. After they had found Christian, he had ordered them to keep searching, but to be discreet. He wondered if his decision not to gather more men from the town to help with the search had cost Lorelei her life
. If he had gathered more men to look, would they have found her? He would never know. As he went wearily up the stairs, he heard sobbing. A housemaid sat against the wall, her knees drawn up to her chest, crying softly.

“What is the matter, mademoiselle?” he asked gently.

She raised a tear streaked face. “I heard about Lorelei. They say she’s dead.”

There was no need to keep it a secret now. “
There was a terrible accident. We believe that she fell into the river.” The housemaid pressed her hand to her mouth to stifle her sobs. “I have men out searching for her. Why don’t you go to the kitchen and sit down.”

She nodded. He helped her to her feet and she went off, crying into her handkerchief. He wished he could rest as well. He knocked on the door to Christian
’s bedroom and entered. 

Marie hadn
’t moved from Christian’s side. She sat perched on the edge of the bed, holding a damp cloth to Christian’s forehead. Marie looked exhausted. Her evening gown was creased and stained and her dark hair was tumbling down her back, having come loose from the pins. But she still looked beautiful to him, even in her ruined finery.

“
How is he?” he asked. Christian was pale, but not as pale as he had been when they had first found him. The doctor had been during the night. He’d said to keep him warm and that he would return in the morning.

Marie wrung out the cloth in the basin.
“He’s still feverish.”

“
You should get some rest. You’ve been awake all night. I’ll sit with him.”

“
No. I wouldn’t be able to sleep anyway.” Christian thrashed on the bed. “Hush Christian.” She cupped his cheek and shushed him.

Gaspard frowned. Christian
’s arm had slipped out of the blankets. He lifted it up. Purple bruises ringed his arm. Christian’s entire chest and back were covered in a mass of purple bruises from the impact of hitting the water. He was lucky he hadn’t broken his neck. But the bruises that covered his arm were evenly spaced. They looked like the imprint of a hand gripping him. Disturbed, he gently tucked Christian’s arm back under the blankets.

“
Did they find Lorelei?” Marie asked. 

“
They’re still looking,” Gaspard replied.

“
I don’t understand any of this. How did they come to be in the river?”

She began to cry. In the six years that he had been Christian
’s tutor, he had never seen Marie lose her composure. He went to her and drew her gently into his arms and held her while she sobbed. Eventually, she pulled away and wiped her eyes with a lace handkerchief. He reluctantly let her go and stepped back to give her some space, the boundaries that divided them once more in place.

“Go and rest, Marie,” he said, his voice soft. “I will wake you if anything changes.”

She nodded and left him. He settled himself in the chair next to the bed, intending to rest his eyes for just a moment. Hours later he woke up.  

“
Adrianna,” Christian said, thrashing on the bed in his sleep.

Gaspard pulled his stiff body out of the chair and went to his side. “Easy, Christian,” he said, settling a hand on his shoulder.

Christian opened his eyes. He looked around as if unsure where he was. “Gaspard?” he said, as if uncertain.

“It’s me, my friend. You’re safe. You’re back at the castle.”

“Did you find Lorelei?” he asked, his voice a sleepy murmur.

Gaspard hesitated, unsure of how to answer. He couldn’t tell him she was probably dead. “I have men out looking for her now.”

“I told her, Gaspard. I told Lorelei that I didn’t love her.”

“Whatever happened was not your fault.” 

Christian shook his head. “She ran. I went after her. I tried to explain and then she…she just stepped back off the cliff. I jumped in after her. It was so cold and dark. I couldn’t see her. I couldn’t see anything. And then something dragged me down and pulled me under. And then I saw her. The girl you used to speak to. The one who disappeared. She pulled me up. She saved me.”

“Adrianna is dead
. You must have imagined it.”

“No, I saw her. I know I did. She spoke to me. She never spoke to me before.”

“People see things when they nearly die.”

Christian closed his eyes. He was struggling to keep them open.
“I saw her.”

“You need to get some sleep,” Gaspard said gently.

Christian lay back and closed his eyes and within seconds, Gaspard heard the deep even sound of his breathing. He tucked the blankets around the boy who was the closest thing he had to a son. He wanted desperately to believe him when he said that he had seen Adrianna, but he could feel how hot Christian’s skin was under his hand. He must have imagined it.

~~~~~

Adrianna watched the men, all servants from the castle, as they searched the riverbank for Lorelei. They used oars to push aside the overgrowth and probe the water at the edge of the river. She wished she could ask them how the prince was. He’d been unconscious when they had carried him away. He had seen her, she was sure of it, and there had been recognition in his face.  

She gently traced the deep gouges on her arm where Lorelei had attacked her. She had stayed out in the river all night, too afraid to go back to the cave in the dark in case Lorelei was there. When she had finally gathered enough courage to go back, she had found it empty. Nothing had been touched. She had searched the river around the town for Lorelei, but she had found no sign of her. The mermaid had been here for hundreds of years and she knew the river better than Adrianna. It was possible she had another cave to hide in.

Beneath the water, her tail moved back and forth, the scales shimmering green and blue. Surely Lorelei would want her tail back now? But she wasn’t sure that she wanted to come across Lorelei; the girl she had seen last night had been vengeful and terrible. If she wanted Adrianna to have her legs back, surely she would have them?