The Sky Beneath Her(52)

“Freedom.” The word escaped my lips before I could think.

“If you help me, I can help you escape.”

The waters drifted past, peaceful and slow. “I don’t see how.”

“It’s very simple. I know people who could get you out of the city. If you could get to the river again, there would be a boat waiting for you.”

The idea of sailing away from Vienna was tantalizing. And the thought alone was dangerous.

“I cannot.”

“Just two invitations to the party, and I’ll help you escape.”

“He would kill me.”

“Alfred is a dangerous man. He has a reputation for violence. If you stay with him, it’s a matter of time before he kills you. The way I see it, you have nothing to lose.”

Raising my chin, I stared at the water. “This is a trick. Alfred has sent you.”

She shook her head slowly. “He did not. I’m here because you can help me.”

I said nothing.

“Take the book. Slip the two invitations between the pages and return it to this bench. I’ll be here tomorrow night. If you do that, I’ll find you safe passage out of the city. You can sail the Danube River to the Black Sea and disappear. The chaos of the party will be the perfect time to escape.”

There would be hundreds of guests and staff in the house for the party. It would be chaos. And Alfred would be distracted with his guests.

She stared at the waters, her face calm and relaxed. “Can you acquire a maid’s uniform? No one watches the maids when they’re leaving.”

The uniforms had been ordered. It was important that the staff all look the same so they could go as unnoticed as possible. My stomach churned at the idea.

“Get me those invitations, and there will be a boat waiting.” She rose and faced me. “Think about it. This might be your only opportunity to escape.”

I never responded, but I took the book and left. The next day, I slipped into Alfred’s office and took two handwritten invitations. That night I returned to the river with the volume and the invitations. She wasn’t there. And for several seconds, I expected to see Alfred. This had been another trick, another reason to punish me. But when the night remained silent and no one appeared, I set the book on the bench and left.

Now as we stood on the deck of the Oceanus, I watched her manicured fingers tapping the railing.

“I didn’t think you’d make it this far,” she said. “You are cleverer than I’d imagined. I’m told you barely made it to the boat in time.”

Her familiarity was unsettling.

My past crashed in around me, and I could feel the air leaving my lungs as the ship rolled under my feet. Knowing I’d been recognized left me nauseous. A door opened, and a steward with an armload of towels passed us.

My mind raced.

“I hear Alfred was in rage when you vanished. He had all the train stations searched, alerted local police, and notified the army. He told everyone that you weren’t in your right mind. I know he’s still looking for you.”

My husband would search to the end of his days to find me. Not out of love, but because of the wish I’d made. “What do you want?”

“Several weeks after the party, he sent police to question me. I spent a week in a prison cell until he came to see me.”

If that was all he’d done to her, then she was lucky.

She flexed the stiff, gloved fingers. “He struck a deal with me. Find you and report back to him.”

“Why would you do it? You’re free now.”

“He has a great hold over me.”

“What?”

She sighed. “Perhaps I’m a selkie, and he has taken my skin hostage.”

“This isn’t a fairy tale,” I said.

“No, it’s not. Either way, I have no choice but to fulfill his request.”

My mind shouted caution even as I asked, “How did you find me?”

“I followed the rivers and the oceans and spoke to the people I knew along the way. Remembering a quiet, bruised, and battered woman of means was not difficult.”

“What do you want? I have no money.”

“I want freedom too.” She studied my rounded belly. “Did you know about the baby when you left?”

I had not. “Alfred must never know about the child.”

“He would move heaven and earth for you and his child.”

“Leave me in peace. There’s nothing I can give you.”

“Peace isn’t in my future or yours. We’re both trapped.”

“We don’t have to be.”

She sighed. “I have a proposal for you. I will trade your freedom again if you give me the child.”

I gripped my belly. “No.”

“Alfred wants me to deliver you to him, or he’ll find me and kill me.”

“He wouldn’t let you go. He’ll kill you.”

“Perhaps, but I have family and friends who have been taken to a camp. They will only be released if I return with you.”

Alfred would think nothing of taking a family, especially with Roma roots, to get what he wanted. Though the explanation sounded plausible, I couldn’t believe she wasn’t lying. “And you believe him?”

Her eyes darkened. “I have no choice.”