Martha walked into the crown prince's private study with her heart in her throat. Fear made it hard to breathe and her legs heavy. Her uncle pulling her into the study was the only reason she could move.
He had told her—while she was standing in front of the west wing, praying that the Queen would answer her—that the crown prince was seeking her. Her uncle looked wretched. He had asked her the night before, and she had admitted to not seeing Rose leave but still insisted she had nothing to do with the kidnapping.
He had seemed relieved by this and had urged her to tell the truth. That the crown prince could be forgiven as long as she could prove this would never happen again. Martha had simply nodded, not thinking much about it. At the time she had thought the Queen would save her.
