I couldn’t sleep. Dallas and I sat next to each other, hands entwined, staring out our respective windows, lost in our own thoughts. At one point, the guards pulled over to refuel the vehicle. “Do you want to stretch your legs?” Dallas asked.
I shook my head. I didn’t want to talk, and I didn’t want to move. All I wanted was to see Winifred.
If she died… If I lost her…
I banished the thoughts from my head. I’d be no use to my family if I arrived a sobbing, blathering mess. I’d finally cleaned myself up and pulled myself together. I refused to start crying again. I might not stop.
Dallas kept his arm around me, and I rested against his chest. I took so much comfort in his presence—his warmth, his scent, his big arm around my shoulder. I nestled against him, feeling safe and protected, even as my nerves thrummed.
Finally, as the sun broke over the horizon, we crossed into Settlement 4. Hours north from the palace, winter’s mark was still heavy on the landscape. The grass sparkled, covered in frost, and the trees were bare. I shivered, looking at my home district. How was my family surviving without me? Did they have enough wood? Had the house gotten too cold, and was that why Winifred had gotten sick? I sat up straighter, throat tightening and body shaking with adrenaline as we headed to the downtown district. Dallas stared out the window with interest, his dark gaze taking in every detail.
“Have you been here before? To Settlement Four?”
“No.” His face twisted. “My father’s made it a priority to keep me out of the settlements. He doesn’t think it’s safe. But now that I see what’s out here, I think maybe there was another reason.” His brow furrowed as he saw some homeless people, huddled together under a bridge.
“Are you safe here?”
Dallas chuckled without humor. “I’m quite safe. I’ll explain that to you at some point, but for now, do not concern yourself with me.”
I nodded, all jittery. I gave the driver directions, and we pulled into my neighborhood. Formerly quite posh, the townhouses had fallen into disrepair since the war. I was quite shocked to see royal sentinels lining the streets, all standing at attention. A full guard was assembled outside my house.
“Your physician travels with security?” I asked Dallas.
His full, luscious lips set in a grim line. “They’re for me.”
“Ah.” We parked in front of my house. Compared to the castle, the place was positively dingy. Still, I held my head high as the guard opened the door and held out his hand for me. It didn’t matter what my home looked like. What mattered were the people who lived there.
So close to them, my heart pounded.
Dallas came to the sidewalk and clasped my hands. “Are you all right with me coming in? I can wait outside.”
“Oh, no, please come with me. You’re the reason I’m here.” I stared at the front door, dreading what might be inside. “And I would like to have you near.”
He looked as if he melted a little, but then he released my hands and respectfully stood behind, letting me go first.
My mouth went completely dry as I climbed the steps and knocked on the door. “Mother? It’s me.” I licked my lips. “Gwyneth.”
A guard opened the door and bowed. “Miss West. Your Highness. We’ve been expecting you.”
I hustled past him.
“Gwyneth? In here,” my mother called from the living room.
I ran to them.
I noticed, without really looking, that there were guards stationed around the room. My brother played on the rug, and my mother sat near my sister. The doctor spoke in low tones to a nurse. A fire roared in the fireplace.
Winnie was on the couch, pale, so pale, with two hectic spots of color in her cheeks. She slept, chest rising and falling, but for some reason, her breathing looked strained. An IV dripped into her forearm.
Remy sat on the floor with his blocks, his eyes wide. “Gwyny!” He reached up for me, and I swept him into my arms, hugging him and kissing his face until he started to squirm.
“I missed you, you little bugger.” I gently set him down and turned to my mother, who knelt on the floor beside Winnie. Dark circles bloomed like bruises underneath her eyes. Her hair was pulled back sharply, and her face looked thin.
“Mother.”
She hugged me fiercely. “It’s so good of you to come.” She was never one for tears, and her voice was even and steady.
I turned to my sister and brushed the hair back from her forehead. Her skin was hot to the touch. “Tell me everything.”
My mother sighed. “It happened at the end of last week. It came on suddenly. She was fine, then she woke up in the middle of the night with a high fever. You know children always start a fever at night. The next morning, she seemed better, but by the end of the day, she was lethargic—didn’t want to eat, didn’t want to drink, didn’t want to play—totally unlike your sister. So I called Dr. Northman, and he diagnosed flu. But there’s nothing he could do about it, and he didn’t have any medicine for her. But then Dr. Cameron showed up.” She motioned to the female doctor across the room. “She started IVs. But Winnie hasn’t woken up, and her fever hasn’t broken. It’s still over a hundred and seven.”
I winced. “The poor thing.”
My mother straightened her spine, smoothed her dress, and looked around the room, blinking. Her gaze settled on the prince, and she quickly rose. “Oh, I’ve quite forgotten myself! Your Highness.” She curtsied, and I marveled at her ability to bring it. She likely hadn’t slept for days, and she was still light on her feet. “Thank you so much for sending help and for bringing Gwyneth here. It means so much to all of us.”
Dallas stepped into the room, looking extremely tall, royal, and out of place. He bowed and took my mother’s hand. “It’s an honor to meet you, my lady. I’m so sorry your daughter’s ill.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
Remy peered around my mother. He looked up at the prince, a solemn expression on his face.
Dallas smiled at him. “You must be Remy.”
“I saw you on the TV,” Remy said without preamble.
Dallas laughed. “Did you see your sister, too?”
Remy nodded. “She looked weird.”
“Remy.” My mother frowned at him.
Remy ignored her, as usual. He kept staring at Dallas. “You’re tall.”
“I am quite tall,” Dallas said agreeably.
“C’mere.” I held out my arms to Remy, and he ran to me. I lifted him up. “Have you been helping Mother?”
He nodded. Still, I noticed the firewood supply was low. I’d have to speak to them about that, but this wasn’t the time.
“Do you feel okay?” I asked my brother.
He nodded. “The doctor gave me the flu test. I don’t have it.”
I hugged him fiercely. “Good. Good boy. I’m going to visit with Winnie for a minute, but then I’ll come and play with you, okay? I’ve missed you so much.” I kissed him again, and even though he wiped it off, he grinned.
“Little monster.”
I set him down, and he immediately returned to his blocks, talking to himself in earnest. Remy’s pretend games lasted for hours. With the cold Settlement 4 winters, it was a blessing he could entertain himself.
I turned my attention to my sister, grasping her hand in mine.
“Hello, Winnie. It’s me, Gwyn.” I squeezed her hand. “You’ll never guess who’s here. The prince. He brought me all the way from the castle just to see you.”
My shoulder was squeezed, and I looked up to see Dallas. He briefly rubbed my back as he made his way to the doctor.
“Dr. Cameron, Your Highness, please join me in the kitchen for tea.” My mother bustled off, and I wondered if she had any fine cups left to serve them with. This was exactly the sort of thing that would cause her grief, but I couldn’t care less.
“Gwyneth.” Dallas was the last one to leave the room. “I’m here if you need me.”
I nodded, touched by his continued kindness. “Thank you.”
I clutched Winnie’s hand as they left the room. “You’d love the prince,” I told her. “He’s very chivalrous and tall and handsome, of course, just like you said. He took me riding the other day. My horse’s name was Maeve. She was pure white, so sweet and strong. Oh, the horses, Winnie, you would love them…”
Comforted by the sound of my little brother playing on the rug next to me, and the feel of my sister’s hand in mine, I relaxed at being unexpectedly home. I’d missed my family more than I could say. I intermittently reached over and ruffled Remy’s hair while I prattled on and on, hoping that I could somehow reach my sister, wherever she was.
Don’t you leave me, Winnie. It’s not your time. Not yet.