Runaway
Chapter Four
By Katrina Chance
Three days later
Henry stood staring out his window once again, wondering where Danielle could be. The wedding hadn't happened, thanks to Gabriella. She had come into the hall, crying loudly and upon reaching the altar and kneeling there, he understood. She was in love herself, with someone her parents didn't want her with, but he understood and had let her go to him. Upon that moment, he removed his cape and ran out of the palace, only stopping to ask Maurice where Danielle was. When Maurice had told him that she had run away, Henry was devastated. He knew it was his fault and had promised himself that he would find her.
Now, days later, he stood and waited for both Laurent and Jacqueline to finish getting ready to go. The three of them agreed to leave together and go look for her. They were determined to find her, no matter what it took, but under no circumstances were any of them to go off alone. They would stay together and they would find her. They would do what it takes to find her.
Henry turned when he heard the knock on the doorframe and turned to find his mother, Marie, standing there with a worried look on her face. "Mother, don't worry. I'll find her and bring her back here."
"What if she doesn't want to return? Or what if you are unable to find her?" Marie asked her son.
"I will not return until we do find her. And if she doesn't want to return, I will stay with her until she is ready to return to her home here. I know the truth now, thanks to Jacqueline and I need to be able to apologize to her and ask for her forgiveness," Henry told his mother.
"I know. I will worry while you are out there, though. I'm a mother, that's part of my job," Marie said.
"If only Rodmilla had been that worried about Danielle during her life, this never would have happened," Henry said with contempt.
Marie nodded and her mind churned at how Rodmilla had treated Danielle and how she would be punished for what she had done. When Jacqueline had explained to then that Danielle was actually her stepsister, but that shortly after the death of August du Barbarac, Danielle's father, she had been turned into a servant, both Marie and Francis were angry and were determined to punish both Rodmilla and Marguerite for the mistreatment. But they had agreed that the punishment would wait until they could find Danielle. Every day, Marie came up with every cruel way that they could make those two pay.
Danielle made her way down the staircase of her new home and headed for the study once again. But this time, it wasn't to read. Today, her adoptive brother was coming home and he had asked his mother for Danielle to be waiting in the study. She had agreed and now was making her way to the room to await him. She couldn't wait to meet Michael and to see if he was the same brother that Ariel had described for the week that she had been a part of their family.
Danielle entered the study and sat down in a chair at the far end of the room, wanting to see her brother before she let herself be known. Even though, at twenty years, he was the heir to his father, he was still a very mischievous young man, Ariel had told her and both Melisande and Thomas had agreed with her.
Danielle sighed as she waited for her brother. She thought about what she had heard from the messenger that had passed through the village the day before. The royal wedding hadn't happened. Princess Gabriella was now with the man she loved, but what about Henry. Had he changed his mind about her or had he decided to marry another young woman. She could only wonder.
A few minutes later, a handsome young man entered the room. Danielle gasped at the sight of him. This could only be her new brother Michael.
She rose from her chair and approached him. "Hello, Michael."
"Hello, my dear new sister. Welcome home," Michael said as he embraced her. He smiled into her hair, reveling in the feeling of newness in their relationship.
They parted and Michael smiled at her. She was as beautiful as their mother had described her. He couldn't believe that her stepmother hadn't capitalized on that. Instead, he had been told, she had been treated like a servant, rather than a child of the woman. He swore that one day, Rodmilla would pay for the mistreatment.
The siblings went ahead and headed for two chairs that faced each other near a window in the room and began to get to know each other and tell stories from their experiences.
Jacqueline sat atop her horse as she and Laurent waited for Henry to come out of the palace with his bag so they could start their search for Danielle. She couldn't quite believe that she was doing this, but she knew in her heart that she had to. She had to find her stepsister and reunite her with Henry. The two of them deserved to be happy. As happy as she was, she thought as she turned to her fiancé. The day of the aborted wedding, Laurent had asked her to marry him and she had accepted. She couldn't wait to become his wife.
They both had agreed to keep it a secret and not to announce their betrothal until they found Danielle. She so wanted her stepsister to be there when they revealed their happy news. She hoped that they would be able to find her and find her soon.
Henry stepped out of the palace just then and silently climbed on his horse, tying his bag to a portion of his saddle. Then the three of them started off on their adventure, hoping that it would end quickly.
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