Elspeth commanded, yanking at the hands that held her. “I promise I won’t run. I need to go to the Ramsays.”“You’re not going anywhere, citizen,” snapped the guard at her right.She writhed. The guard’s grip burned her wrist. She could see the crowd milling around Alexander Ramsay. She pulled. The guard held fast. She gave a quick yank, but only strained her own joints. Desperate, Elspeth bent down and bit the soft flesh at the guard’s elbow while at the same time she stomped on the top of his foot with the heel of her shoe. With a yelp of pain, he released her. She lunged toward the steps that led to the crowd below.“Elspeth!” she heard a woman cry from the back of the room. She recognized the voice of her aunt. But she couldn’t take the time to worry about Aunt Fi or her cousin Amelie.Elspeth pushed through the throng to find Mark patting the face of his great-grandfather, and his mother fanning the old man with her program.“Grandfather,” the regal woman called.
