The Lady and the Prince

Elizabeth and Nick took a morning walk so she could show him the garden that wasn’t hers anymore. She was pleased to see it hadn’t changed much. Someone had been taking good care of it, and she explained what each type of plant was for—food, flavoring, or medicine. Two guards followed them discreetly.

Nick grimaced at her when they noticed the guards. Elizabeth asked, “Are you armed?”

“No, of course not. Are you?”

“Just my dagger. I know we seem safe here, and the guard encampment isn’t very far, but it’s easy to walk off to look at something and ignore security. And don’t forget I was attacked not too far from here.”

“I remember. Are those your brothers practicing swords?”

Elizabeth looked and nodded. They walked over to watch Jamie and Charlie fencing under the eye of their arms tutor. But the two boys were distracted by their visitors and stopped.

“Hey, Your Highness,” Charlie said, “I bet you couldn’t beat Jamie.”

Nick gave up trying to get respect from them; maybe they could be friends, sort of. “We’re going to be brothers-in-law. You might as well call me Nick.” He turned his head and winked at Elizabeth, who gave him a little nod back. “And I’ll bet Jamie couldn’t even beat Elizabeth, much less me.”

Jamie said, “Aw, she’s a girl. Girls can’t sword fight.”

Elizabeth went over and took Charlie’s practice sword. It was a little short for her, but it would do. “Let’s just see, shall we?”

The arms tutor stayed out of the way. If the nobility wanted to do something crazy, it was above his rank to object. Jamie prepared reluctantly, but as soon as the fight started he lunged in fast, trying to prove his superiority over his sister quickly. Elizabeth just as quickly disarmed him, his sword flying out of his hand.

Jamie looked stunned. “No fair. How did you do that?”

“It was absolutely fair. I’ve been practicing with a sword too. Go get it and try again.”

The second time she let him hold on to his weapon, but drove through his weak guard, drew an X on his chest with the blunt point, and gave him a pat on the head with the side of the practice blade. Charlie started laughing at the stunned expression on Jamie’s face.

Jamie backed up and said, “Gee, you’re good, Elizabeth. How did you learn so fast?”

“I had an excellent teacher, and I worked very hard.” She gave Charlie back his practice sword. “And remember, Nick has been training for ten years or so. I’ve only been training for a few months.”

Both boys looked at Nick in awe, imagining incredible sword feats. Nick was a little worried Elizabeth might have gone too far, but it would be all right as long as he didn’t have to actually prove his skill. He and Elizabeth continued their walk.

They stopped back at the stable and watched the blacksmith at work for a little while, but Elizabeth could tell Nick didn’t want to get too close to all that iron. They took a more leisurely look at the horses too.

Back at the house they did the grand tour. All of the rooms were open, and most had been redecorated. Elizabeth showed Nick the little room she had lived in since her parents’ deaths, but knocked first. It was a servant’s room now, but it had not changed much except for her personal items.

The ballroom was stunning with three huge chandeliers equally spaced down the middle, a raised platform at one end for the musicians, and tall red drapes with gold tassels drawn over a bank of windows. It was as gaudy as anything in the palace, and Elizabeth approved. A room just for parties should be bright and cheerful.

Lunch was simply sausages, stewed cabbage, fresh tomatoes, and bread. Elizabeth could see Gramp watching Nick carefully, thinking the prince would turn up his nose at what was essentially peasant fare. Elizabeth had no concerns at all; Nick would eat anything even vaguely edible placed in front of him. He cleaned his plate—twice—and had a healthy serving of fruit and cheese for dessert. Gramp was chuckling to himself by the end of the meal.

“What’s so funny, Gramp?” she asked.

“Oh, nothing. I forgot how much teenage boys eat, although these two are getting there themselves. Of course Jamie is a teenager now, but I think Charlie on average eats even more than he does. Don’t you, boy?”

Charlie swallowed his mouthful of fruit and said, “I just eat until I’m full.”

Jamie added, “Me too. Oh, Nick said we could call him Nick now, Gramp.”

At Gramp’s raised eyebrows, Nick shrugged and said, “I figured I’m going to have to put up with them for the next fifty years or so, so we might as well be on a first-name basis.”

“Hmm, well, your decision, Nick. Charlie will be mucking stables, cleaning grates, and carrying firewood for the next ten days to make up for his rudeness to you. Right, Charlie?”

“Yes, sir,” Charlie said gloomily.

“Cheer up, it could be worse, and it’s only for ten days,” Nick said.

Curious, Jamie asked, “What would be worse?”

Nick frowned a little. “Having someone else take your punishment instead.”

“How could that be worse? It sounds great!” Charlie declared.

“It’s not great, Charlie. It’s very hard seeing someone else suffer for something you did wrong. It’s far better to pay your dues yourself and not have to feel bad about not only doing something wrong, but hurting innocent people too. It takes a long time to get over the guilt, if you ever do.”

“Did that happen to you?” Charlie asked in a small voice.

“That’s what happens to princes a lot, including me. As children we make mistakes like anyone else, but anything serious, someone else is punished.”

Jamie said thoughtfully, “That does sound hard. But you’re still a child officially, aren’t you?”

“My father the king said I’m to act as an adult and be treated as an adult. This is a signet ring I’m wearing. That means I can act for all of Anglia. It’s a big responsibility.”

“But you’re only two years older than I am.”

“That’s right. Fortunately, you have your grandfather to be Baron Stratton and make all the important decisions for the entire barony, so you can be just Lord Jamie for a while longer, many years maybe. Ruling Anglia is a much bigger job and takes all the Warwicks, including me and a lot of other people too.”

Elizabeth could see both her brothers were impressed. Nick had found a much better way to get them to respect him than just calling him by his title, and she was a little impressed herself.

Gramp broke the solemn silence. “You boys are going to be late for lessons if you sit there much longer. Get along.”

He turned to Elizabeth. “Your friends will be here at midafternoon for tea. And Nick, I’d like a private word with you if you have the time.” Gramp knew, of course, that Nick had plenty of time since there weren’t any scheduled activities.

Elizabeth went to consult with Sylvie on which of her dresses would be best for tea—appropriate for her upcoming rank and new level of sophistication, but not boastful or overwhelming for her friends. Overwhelming was being saved for the ball.

Nick followed the older man into his office. Gramp closed the door behind them and sat down in his big desk chair, while Nick lounged in one of the chairs facing the desk.

Gramp started with, “You’re a young prince, and I’m an old baron. I can’t very well threaten you with anything really, but I want Elizabeth treated well after you marry her.”

Nick sat up straighter and replied, “Of course I’ll treat her well. Have you mentioned to her that she should treat me well too?”

Gramp snorted. “You’re the man. You’re in charge, and you’re stronger physically as well as being a member of the royal family. You could do anything you wanted to and get away with it.”

“Hardly. I’ve got more rules to follow and people around to make sure I follow them than you would expect. Look, Elizabeth and I love each other, and we also like each other. I trust her and respect her, and I expect as I get older I’m going to depend on her for a lot. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”

Gramp evaluated those statements and found he believed the young man in front of him. He relaxed a bit and smiled. “Well, good. There’s other business too. Duke Aggradon informed me I’m supposed to be training peasant conscripts for a possible defense of Anglia against Franck. What do you know about that?”

As Anglia’s Spymaster-in-training, Nick knew a great deal more than he could say. “I know that Franck has called in her conscripts and is readying her army. Whether King Louis is actually going to attack anyone or if he’s just posturing, there’s no way to be sure.”

“The land I’ve been able to get back so far only has five cottages on it with a total of seven males between the ages of sixteen and fifty. I haven’t weapons to train them with, and I can’t spare them anyway. I need the taxes from their crops.”

“Duke Aggradon is required to supply weapons if you don’t have them. You are going to have to spare them for training, but only half need to go if the conscripts are called up. But you also have servants that qualify. They must be trained and count against your levy too.”

“It’s been a long time since we’ve had to go through this folderol,” Gramp said peevishly. “My few men wouldn’t make any difference anyway.”

“Sir…Gramp, every man counts. Under my brother Richard, all the lords have been training their conscripts yearly. You just haven’t been involved because you didn’t have anyone to train. Fortunately, your grandsons are too young, or at least one of them would be expected to lead your men into battle.”

Gramp fidgeted a bit. “You’re too young too, right? My granddaughter isn’t going to be a widow before she’s married?”

Nick hesitated. Even though he was still underage, he was officially an adult, although for fighting in a war the king might excuse him. So why give the old man more to worry about? “Yes, I’m underage still.”

“Good, and I’m overage, so it looks like we’re all safe except for the fellows who actually do the work around here. I’ll ask the duke for weapons, and I suppose the boys’ arms master can do the training. It’ll give those tutors something to do when they’re not teaching besides sitting around eating my food.”

Nick smiled, but Gramp continued. “You want to go for a ride? I’d like to see how your hunter goes, and I’ll show you what land I’ve gotten back so far and what I plan to do with it.”

Nick agreed and spent the afternoon riding and listening to Gramp lecture him on land management, horse breeding, and getting the most out of tenant farmers.

Elizabeth waited in the parlor for Christine and Agatha. She remembered the last time they had been there together and mused on how much things had changed. The parlor furnishings were new, and she was dressed in clothes more expensive than her previous entire wardrobe—more expensive than her friends’ clothing most likely. They had been kind and generous to her without acting like she was a charity case and she was grateful to them, but didn’t know any way she could repay them.

Their two carriages arrived almost together. Agatha came in first, and went to the door of the parlor to greet her as soon as the butler had taken her fur-trimmed hat and cloak. Agatha stopped when she saw Elizabeth.

“Elizabeth, look at you! You look wonderful. Is that the latest style from Londinum?”

Elizabeth said it was and embraced her friend, noticing how conservative Agatha’s dress now seemed to her. Christine entered, gave her silk-lined hooded cloak to the butler too, and hugged Elizabeth as well.

The three went into the parlor and chatted about fashion for a few minutes. Elizabeth could see both her friends taking careful note of what she was wearing, from her shoes to the ring on her hand. They were both wearing rings too—Agatha’s a large diamond engagement ring, and Christine had both an engagement ring and a wedding band.

Christine saw her notice and said, “I’m Mrs. William Porter now. Will insisted I give you this. It’s a dinner invitation for tomorrow night for you and Prince Henry, cohosted by me and Agatha. I told him it wasn’t entirely appropriate since we’re only commoners, even though we are just filthy rich, so it’s all right if you say no.”

Elizabeth read the invitation, grinned, and said “Why not? Nick won’t mind as long as the food is good.”

Christine looked at her blankly. “Nick?”

“Prince Henry Nicholas Warwick, he goes by Prince Nicholas, but I call him Nick like his family does. Agatha, I noticed your ring too. I can hardly wait for you to tell me who you are engaged to.”

Agatha hesitated. “I hope you won’t be angry, but it’s John. He asked me last month, and his family and mine would make a wonderful alliance, and he is just so handsome. I nearly swooned when he went down on one knee and offered me this ring.”

Elizabeth laughed a little. “Yes, he is good-looking. Of course, I’m not angry, I have Nick. Believe me, John is all yours.” She rang a little silver bell, and within a minute a maid in uniform brought in tea on a little cart. It was a new silver tea service, and there were a great many tiny sandwiches, cookies, cakes, and tarts. Elizabeth was very happy that the kitchen could turn out such a nice tea now.

After they had nibbled and caught up with each other’s lives, Elizabeth offered to show them some of her wardrobe, and her friends eagerly accepted. She took them upstairs to her room, and Sylvie brought out her dresses and accessories as Elizabeth described what each would be appropriate for. Christine and Agatha exclaimed over them all and told each other which of their own outfits could be adjusted to look more like Elizabeth’s.

Elizabeth said, “Our last night here, we will be having a ball. The invitations just went out, so you should be getting them soon. Sylvie, bring out a couple of the evening gowns, will you? I want Agatha and Christine to be well-dressed in the latest thing at the ball too. The three of us will put to shame all the other ladies that snubbed me before.”

“You’re inviting them?” Christine asked in surprise.

“Of course. All the local gentry are invited as well as Duke Aggradon. It will be the first time the duke has been here since the house has been renovated. Gramp wants to show it off to everyone, including me and Nick.”

Agatha and Christine looked at each other and laughed. “That is just perfect,” Agatha said. “Those snobs are going to be green with envy and red with embarrassment.”

“But they’ll have to come with both the duke and Prince Nicholas in attendance,” Christine finished. “Our dinner will just be our families, so it should be more relaxed. But your ball is going to be great fun, I can hardly wait.”

Elizabeth noticed Sylvie smiling broadly and humming a little as she started putting the outfits away. Elizabeth and her friends went back down to the parlor where Christine and Agatha told her all the latest about those who would be attending the ball. The afternoon passed very pleasantly, but eventually her friends had to go home.

When they went out into the foyer, Elizabeth heard men’s voices she recognized and called out, “Nick?”

He had just come in from his ride, but Nick followed her voice into the foyer. He was dressed for riding and smelled a bit horsy, but he stood up ramrod straight and put on his slightly arrogant “prince face” when he saw company. Elizabeth realized with his riding boots on he was actually taller than she was now and nearly as tall as she was without them.

“Nick, these are my good friends, Mrs. Christine Porter and Miss Agatha Marham. Ladies, may I present His Highness, Prince Nicholas.”

Both of her friends curtsied passably well, and while they were doing that, Elizabeth gave Nick a smile and a wink. He relaxed and smiled back, taking each of her friends’ hands in turn as they rose and bowed over it, murmuring, “Mrs. Porter, Miss Marham, I am honored to meet friends of my betrothed.”

Elizabeth had never seen her friends flutter and gasp before. They were both just thrilled that a prince would treat them as if they were great ladies. Elizabeth said, “They’ve invited us to dinner tomorrow, and I’ve accepted if that’s all right.”

“Of course, I would be pleased to dine with these ladies. Elizabeth has told me about her life before she came to the palace, how much your friendship meant to her. Now you have my friendship in return as well as Elizabeth’s.”

Agatha could only say, “Oh, my.” Christine managed, “We are so honored, Your Highness.” They both curtsied again and left.

“Thank you, Nick. That was very nice of you to be so kind to them.”

“They were kind to you before you were my fiancée, so certainly I’m going to be nice to them. Just give me a sign when we run into those girls that thought they were too good for you. I’ll work up an aristocratic sneer for them.”

“Thank you. How was your afternoon with Gramp?”

“Fine. He has some good ideas about expanding and making his barony self-supporting. I must say though I’m learning more about breeding animals on this trip than will ever be of use to me. He wants Falcon to cover a couple of his mares, and I told him it was all right with me even though it will make my horse a bit fractious when we leave.”

“You two are really getting along? Gramp doesn’t scare you at all?”

“Of course not, I’m a prince. I’m totally fearless and always in control, right?”

Elizabeth just laughed and gave him a kiss. “That was for being so nice with my friends.”

“Oh ho, bring me some more friends,” Nick replied and kissed her back. But the foyer was too busy a place for kissing, so they went to change for dinner.

On the ride, Nick had noticed a nearby stream that looked like a good place to fish. So in the morning he dressed in old clothes, rounded up Elizabeth, and went to find her brothers. They were in history class, but he walked in and interrupted the tutor.

“History will still be exactly the same after we’ve left, so Elizabeth and I want you to go fishing with us.”

Jamie tried to do the right thing. “We have lessons. Gramp will be mad if we skip.”

Charlie added, “We know, we’ve tried it.”

“But I outrank Gramp. You have to follow your prince’s command. He can’t argue with that, so come fishing, but change into old clothes first.”

The boys whooped in delight and tore out of the classroom. They soon joined their elders in getting the equipment and tromping down to the stream. Nick had the basic skills now, and the four of them had fun, although they didn’t catch anything except a few small ones which they released back into the water.

They came back late to lunch. Gramp scowled at the boys who looked worried, but Nick said, “Not their fault. I made them come, so if you’re going to be mad, be mad at me.”

“I’m mad because you four snuck off without me. Next time, I come too!” Gramp said with a fake growl.

After lunch they all got cleaned up except Charlie, who had a punishment session scheduled in the stable. But he went off to it smiling; he liked the stable.

Nick and Elizabeth browsed the new Stratton library. It was a small room and a small library compared to the palace, but Elizabeth enjoyed seeing some of the books she loved as a child and showing them to Nick. There were even a few easy books in Franckish, and they sat down and read one together, Nick helping her when she ran into an unfamiliar word.

They dressed simply but elegantly for dinner and used the smaller black coach to go to the Porters’ mansion. There were other coaches arriving, but the royal coachman driving just wove past them to the front of the line and deposited them at the front steps without a wait.

Christine and her husband, Will, greeted them inside the foyer as soon as they had removed their outerwear. Will Porter was a large, slightly plump young man who seemed to smile a great deal. His bow was a little clumsy and not nearly as deep as it should have been, but Nick inclined his head in return and then shook his hand warmly.

Agatha and John were welcoming guests as they entered the parlor where everyone was gathering before dinner. Elizabeth hadn’t expected so many people, but apparently there were quite a large number of family members in the area, and they had all been invited.

Nick and Elizabeth mingled, receiving bows and curtsies, handshakes and hugs. Nick was quite nonplussed when Agatha’s grandmother hugged Elizabeth and then him when she was introduced. Elizabeth could see that Agatha was acutely embarrassed by the extreme breach of etiquette but Nick recovered and spoke kindly to the little old lady, who just beamed at him in return.

Dinner was finally announced. Elizabeth found the place settings confusing since it seemed to be for seven courses when there were only six. She kept an eye on how Nick handled it and quickly realized everyone else was doing the same. Many of the attendees had never eaten such a large formal dinner and weren’t quite sure what to do with the shining plethora of plates, glasses, and utensils in front of them anyway.

Nick whispered to Elizabeth, “Just use Anglian rules but Drusian variations for the fish and dessert courses, and it’ll all come out even.” And he was right; his eight years of PGE classes had actually paid off in the hinterlands of Aggradon.

After dinner, the men went to the den and the women back to the parlor. Christine and Agatha passed around petit fours, and the women listened avidly to whatever innocent tidbits about the royal family Elizabeth cared to drop and eagerly awaited her every word on current fashions in the palace.

The men settled in the den with port. Nick soon realized he had been placed in the largest overstuffed chair, and everyone else was in someway circled around him. It made him a little uncomfortable to have so many older men treating him with deference; he was used to mature adults treating him like a child. Well, he was a prince and officially an adult. He needed to adjust to the situation; it would happen more and more.

He very likely disappointed his audience. Nick talked about commerce, which interested most of them, but he deflected questions about the king and the rest of his family with simple complimentary statements. When questioned about Franck’s intentions, he could only tell them what was general knowledge—Franck had called her conscripts and was making threatening noises, but no one was sure yet if King Louis was seriously going to attack or in what direction.

It was dark, and the air was cool by the time they finally said goodnight to their hosts. In the carriage, Elizabeth snuggled against Nick happily, and he was pleased to draw her in close and drape his cloak over both of them.

Elizabeth said, “I don’t think I remember when I’ve enjoyed an evening so much. I liked Will, did you?”

“Sure, he seemed a nice enough fellow but awfully provincial.”

“Well, this is the provinces, so everyone is provincial. I was too when I came to the palace.”

“I know. I remember that dress you were wearing; scared the heck out of me.”

“You thought my dress was scary?”

“No, but it was odd-looking, and I was afraid you were going to be weird in some way.”

“Really? And what do you think now?” Elizabeth drew back from him a little so she could see his face better.

“I think you are uniquely wonderful.”

“Nice save, Nick.” She leaned in and kissed him.

When she moved back, Nick said, “Hey, you’ve been eating candy.”

“No, petit fours, and you’ve been drinking wine.”

“Goes together pretty well, doesn’t it?”

“Absolutely.” They snuggled and kissed all the way home.

The next morning Nick got another fat delivery from his Commerce messenger and spent the day working and grumbling.

“Blasted Commerce! How long do I have to do this job, Winkershime?”

“Have you thought of a better cover, Your Highness?”

“No.”

“Then I suppose you will have to do it until you do, Your Highness.”

Nick sighed. He was sitting sideways on a couch with pillows behind him, his shoes off, and his feet up. “These spy reports haven’t said anything new in a week. It’s all the same, every batch we get. What is Louis waiting for?”

“I’m just your valet, Your Highness. The Franckish king does not confide in me.”

“Ha-ha, very funny,” Nick commented sarcastically. “I suppose the longer he waits, the better for us, unless he’s still got conscripts or mercenaries coming. I wonder if he’s superstitious, awaiting a sign or for the stars to align or something?”

“Again, Your Highness—”

“Yeah, I know, it was a rhetorical question.” Nick put the papers down.

“After the ball tomorrow night, we’ll be heading for Denland. I don’t know Duke Quenton. What can you tell me about him?”

Winkershime paused in folding Nick’s handkerchiefs. “He’s a rather weak character, I think, very much under the influence of the Earl of Ulle. We shall have to be careful and observant at Denland, Ulle, and Montexter, Your Highness. Ulle and Montexter have intermarried over the generations and are often a united front with Denland hovering in the background.”

“So I’m going to be doing a lot of spying starting with Denland.”

“Yes, Your Highness, and we will need to watch for signs of witchcraft as well.”

Nick made a noncommittal grunt while sorting his papers and stuffing them back into his valise. “Do you know anything about witch finders, Winkershime? Like where we might find one and how they work?”

“I’m afraid my knowledge of witch finders is extremely limited, Your Highness. Perhaps they are simply witches with such a small talent they cannot do magic themselves, but can only recognize it in others. That is one theory anyway. Another is that they are the opposite of a witch, although that doesn’t really make much sense since they can only detect magical ability, not stop it.”

“Well, I wish we had a magician that could tell us what Louis is thinking. Is there anything I’m supposed to do tomorrow before the ball?”

“No, Your Highness, your schedule is free.”

“Good, then I’m sleeping in. Save me some breakfast. Good night, Winkershime.”

Thunderstorms began during the night, but by morning the rain had been reduced to a drizzle. Elizabeth was afraid the rain would continue and dampen the ball, but by afternoon the clouds had broken up, and the sun was periodically shining.

Elizabeth spent the day making sure everything would be perfect for the party. The chandeliers were lowered, polished, and loaded with fresh candles. The ballroom was cleaned and the floor gleamed. She went over the menu with the kitchen staff and made sure the wine had all been delivered and was chilling in the wine cellar and that everything was going well with the food preparation.

She realized her presence wasn’t really needed, but it eased her nervousness to reassure herself the preparations were on schedule. Mildred was in charge, and Elizabeth knew she was competent; at least poking her nose in didn’t perturb her old servant at all. And everyone, even the new servants, became aware of how important it was to their soon-to-be-a-princess mistress, and perhaps they tried just a little bit harder.

In late afternoon Elizabeth bathed and washed her hair, put on her underthings, and then just let Sylvie take over. The hairdo Sylvie had done for her on her first day at the palace was nothing to the elaborate style she created for the ball. Elizabeth had a darker blue gown that matched her eyes and was the epitome of fashion. She wore the Incelian necklace Nick had given her with it, making very sure the clasp was properly fastened. She never wanted to have that terrible feeling again that she had when she thought she had lost it.

Nick was impressively turned out too. Men’s fashions were plainer, but his suit was perfectly tailored, and he had a blue and gold scarf that matched her gown. In addition, he was wearing all his awards and honors, so he had all sorts of ribbons, bits of precious metal, and gems strewn about his person, including a red sash that he wore diagonally across his chest. He was also wearing his coronet; no one was going to mistake him for anything but a prince.

They waited upstairs and listened to the guests arrive, welcomed by Baron Stratton with Lords Jamie and Charlie. The boys were allowed to stay up an extra hour so they could have some of the food and watch a little of the dancing before they would be sent off to their rooms, supposedly to sleep, but more likely to listen to the music.

When everyone had arrived, Charlie ran up the stairs and told them and then hurried back down so he could watch their entrance too. Elizabeth put her gloved hand on Nick’s arm, and they descended slowly. The few people lingering still in the hall moved into the ballroom as they approached.

When they appeared in the doorway, the eight-piece orchestra played “Hail to Anglia,” and everyone bowed and curtsied to them. Nick swept them into the room, personally greeting Christine and Will, Agatha and John, and of course, Baron Stratton. Elizabeth caught more than one envious look at her friends and just smiled in satisfaction.

When they had finished showing their favoritism, Nick nodded at the orchestra, which by prearrangement struck up the tune for one of the new Telesian dances. Everyone else backed away from the center of the floor, and Nick and Elizabeth glided gracefully through the steps, undoubtedly scandalizing half the crowd with the amount of touching the dance entailed.

Afterward everyone applauded while Nick escorted Elizabeth over to the wine. The orchestra began to play an old dance tune everyone knew the steps to, and the dance floor became crowded with whirling figures.

Elizabeth and Nick had glasses of a light fruity wine, and Winkershime appeared dressed like one of the waiters with plates of delicacies for them. Elizabeth was pleased that her plate had all her favorites and Nick’s had his favorites.

Nick leaned close to her and said, “I don’t really think anyone is likely to poison us, but from a few of the looks you’re getting, it pays to be careful.”

Elizabeth savored a small bite of food and said, “Oh, I haven’t seen anything murderous, although Miriam Radley looks like she swallowed a frog.” She looked at Nick’s feet.

“What, did I put my shoes on backward?”

“No, I was just checking. You’re wearing regular shoes, and our eyes are the same height.”

Nick grinned and stood very straight, looking into her eyes. “You’re right. I’m as tall as you are, at least while you’re wearing dancing slippers. Of course, you have all that hair piled up. I don’t think I’m ever going to outgrow that.”

“You never know.”

Nick danced with Christine and Agatha occasionally, and Elizabeth danced with Gramp, Will, and John. Jamie and Charlie mostly just ate and watched the odd rituals of the adults and actually went to their rooms when Gramp told them to. Winkershime kept an eye on their food and drink and made sure no one else had access to it.

Some of the other men asked Elizabeth to dance, and she did dance with a few of them with Nick’s permission. Nick was astonished when some of the women were so bold as to come up to him and introduce themselves and ask him to dance. He gave them cold, stiff refusals, making it very clear he found their behavior offensive. After the fourth time, no one else tried it.

Elizabeth asked quietly, “Isn’t that just a little bit mean of you?”

“No, they need to behave properly. If I’m nice to them, that sort of thing will only continue, and I’ll be pestered all night by unwanted partners.”

“But I feel a little guilty when I go off to dance and leave you here all alone.”

“Oh. Well then, I won’t be alone, so enjoy yourself.”

The next time Elizabeth danced with someone else, she looked back. Nick had four gentlemen and two ladies crowded around him, hanging on his every word. She chuckled, and when the dance was over and her partner returned her to Nick, he just excused himself from the group and joined her.

“Better?” the prince asked with a slightly superior smirk.

Elizabeth answered him seriously, “Yes, but let’s go around and mingle together. You are the only member of the royal family some of these people will see in their entire lifetimes, so we should give them a little story to tell their grandchildren.”

“You’re too nice, but if you want to give people the pleasure of my company, lead on.”

They wandered around, stopping to speak to people for the next hour. To most they were reserved but friendly. When they encountered any of the women who had snubbed Elizabeth, she pretended she just couldn’t remember them at all, and the two of them moved on with Nick not saying a word, just giving them a cold remote smile. Elizabeth found the looks of dismay and regret on their faces very satisfying.

She and Nick danced the last few dances together. People started to drift out around midnight, paying their respects to Gramp, who moved near the ballroom entrance to make it easy. By one in the morning, the last of the guests left, and the orchestra packed up.

Gramp came over to them and asked, “Do you want to help me put Jamie and Charlie to bed?”

“I thought they went to bed hours ago,” Nick said.

Gramp and Elizabeth shared a smile, and the three went upstairs to find both boys had their doors cracked open. They were each rolled up in a blanket on the floor with their head near the opening, fast asleep. Gramp picked up Jamie, and the prince got Charlie, and they tucked them into their beds.

Then the baron said goodnight and went off to his own room, leaving Nick and Elizabeth alone in the silent dim hallway.

Nick took her in his arms. Elizabeth said, “Tonight was wonderful. I had such a good time, and you were perfect, nice to my friends and nasty to…well, I suppose they’re not enemies, but those young ladies certainly never were my friends.”

“I was glad to snub them for you. Anyone you want me to look down my royal nose at, just point them out.”

“You are the most accommodating prince I’ve ever been engaged to.”

“And you…you are just beautiful, and you outshone every woman there tonight by far. If I wasn’t already engaged to you, I would have to ask you to marry me.”

Elizabeth gave him a lingering kiss and said softly, “If you did, I imagine I would say yes.”

Nick kissed her back, hard. When they stopped for air, he said, “I need to turn sixteen soon. This waiting is killing me.”

“I hope the time goes quickly too. Hold on, Nick. The day will come, nothing can stop it.”

“I wonder if magic can speed up time.”

“I doubt it, and don’t you dare try something like that. It could backfire badly. Just behave. Every young man has had to wait for his bride since the beginning of time, and you can too.”

“I know, I’ll be good…well, almost.” He kissed her again, and once again.