I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself. One thing Justine is right about—my temper isn’t helping anything. Instead, I wait until I can keep my voice level before speaking again.

“Perhaps I did jump to conclusions,” I say evenly, “but only a short while after you told me there was nothing to worry about with this man, I had to hear from a palace maid that you’d left with him, suitcase in tow. How was I supposed to interpret that? You didn’t tell a soul where you were going, and you didn’t even think to tell your own husband that you were leaving for an undisclosed amount of time.” I rub my cheek. “I want to trust you, Justine. Honestly, I do. But if I’m to do so, I need you to trust me, too.”

She stares back at me, emotions dancing through her eyes. She’s still angry—that much is clear—but I think I see a little sorrow in her eyes, too. And maybe even some shame. Her gaze falls down to her feet for a moment, then moves back up to me.

“You haven’t given me many reasons to trust you,” she says finally, and her voice is as carefully even as mine is.

“Nor you me,” I counter. “But I guess that just makes us even, doesn’t it? We both have room for improvement.”

I release her, and she crosses her arms, but I’d swear a little of the anger has left her eyes, and instead, I think I see something like…understanding.

“What exactly are you suggesting?” she says. “Because if you think I’m going to turn around and go back to Rosvalia with you after this stunt you just pulled, you’re sorely mistaken.”

No, I can see why she wouldn’t exactly agree to that, but what’s the alternative? I glance over at my sister and Carter, suddenly remembering we aren’t alone. Sophia is glaring at the other man.

“We’ll go to your friend’s gallery opening,” I say, “but I will be your date. Not this bastard.”

Justine rolls her eyes. “This wasn’t ever a date. When will you get that through your thick skull?”

I glare at Carter again, and he looks partially angry and partially like he wishes he were anywhere but here.

“Call it what you will,” I say. “Either way, I think this is something we should do together. A way of starting over.” My eyes drift back to Carter, and I try to choke down my dislike of the fellow. “All four of us. So you’ll see you can trust me.”

Justine takes a long moment to consider this. She doesn’t look happy, not exactly, but she doesn’t look angry anymore, either. Just thoughtful.

“Fine,” she says slowly. “I guess we’ll see if we can trust each other.”

That seems to settle everything, at least for the moment. I settle myself back for a long train ride.

And good God, is it a long train ride. It seems like Justine and I have reached an uneasy sort of peace, at least for the moment, but we’re not quite at the point where we’re ready for chummy conversation. The four of us spend most of the ride in complete silence, and the tension in our compartment is so thick that I’m surprised any of us can breathe. Even Sophia is uncharacteristically quiet, though she alternates between eyeing Justine suspiciously and glaring at Carter.

Unsurprisingly, though, she’s the first one to finally break the uncomfortable silence.

“So who exactly is this girl we’re visiting?” she asks.

“Emily is a friend of Carter’s and mine from college,” Justine says. “She’s opening an art gallery in Berlin.”

“Sounds fun,” Sophia says. She thrums her fingers on the windowsill, then looks over at Carter. “Out of curiosity, Carter, what exactly do you do? In life, I mean.” Her voice is sweet, but I don’t think any of us in the car miss the sharp look in her eyes. She’s fishing for something, and we all know it.

“Sophia,” I say carefully, not wanting to break the uneasy peace Justine and I have managed. “Perhaps we should—”

“I can speak for myself, thank you,” Carter says. His tone is pleasant but clipped. I glance at Justine, but she isn’t even looking at me—her eyes keep shifting between Sophia and her friend. Is she readying herself to jump to Carter’s defense? Or is she jealous that he’s talking to another woman?

Wait, I stop myself. Don’t go down that road. I bite my tongue, waiting for the conversation to play out without my interference.

Carter continues, a bit stiffly. “To answer your question, Your Highness, I’m an artist.”

“Oh,” Sophia says, nodding. “I see.” She clearly means more than that, but for the life of me, I don’t know what. What, exactly, is my sister up to?

“Carter is really talented,” Justine says. “He won a few prestigious art prizes for his work while we were in school together.”

“Hm. So you must be pretty famous, then,” Sophia says. She props her hands behind her head, squinting as she studies him.

“I do well enough,” he says, staring right back.

Sophia continues to glare at him, but now I recognize the spark of mischief in her eyes. Uh, oh. This is about to get interesting.

She’s quiet for a long moment, and I’m fairly certain the other two are holding their breath, just like me, waiting to hear what she’s about to blurt out next.

Finally, her lips curl into a smile.

“Are you in love with Justine?” she says.

“What?” I blurt out, just as Justine makes a choking sound of surprise. Carter, oddly, doesn’t even blink.

“Sophia,” I say, “don’t you think this is a little inappropriate, considering…?” Considering I recently punched the guy after assuming the same thing? Justine and I have finally managed to be civil to each other—we don’t need to open this can of worms again.

But Sophia doesn’t look the least bit concerned. She still has that wicked smile on her face as she waits for Carter’s answer.

And Carter looks perfectly calm.

“Honestly,” he says, “Justine and I have only ever been good friends.”

“Hm. If you say so,” Sophia replies, her eyes narrowing again.

“Believe me or don’t, that’s the truth.” He doesn’t sound particularly concerned either way.

“I just want to make sure your intentions are honorable,” Sophia says. “With regards to my sister-in-law and my brother. Because frankly, your actions so far seem to suggest otherwise.”

He shakes his head, a wry half-smile on his lips. But I don’t miss the stiff way he holds himself. He’s holding his own against my sister’s interrogation, but he doesn’t like it.

“I assure you, Your Highness, you have nothing to worry about,” he says. “As long as your brother behaves himself, of course.”

Something flashes in my sister’s eyes. If he’s not careful, he’s going to wake her temper again. And that’s the last thing Justine or I need.

Fortunately, at that moment, a voice comes over the speakers.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we are now approaching Berlin.”

“Well listen to that,” I say, jumping up and trying to position myself between my sister and Carter. “We’re here!”

Justine gives me a strange look—if I didn’t know any better, I’d say she’s almost amused. I notice the way she glances nervously at Carter, though.

Who exactly are these two to each other? I think, jealousy building in my chest again. Maybe I should let Sophia have at him—if she scares him off, then I have nothing to worry about.

Right now, though, I have something to prove to Justine. We need to learn to trust each other, and I will do whatever it takes to show her she can trust me.