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“Are you all right, Maddie?” Alex asks quietly, and I nod, although throwing the Nicolas, puppet master himself, into the already complicated mix, I feel pretty dang far from all right.
“Ah, a drink,” Uncle Nicolas says as a server arrives with a silver tray filled with glasses of champagne. He takes one and hands it to me. “One for you, Maddie.”
“It’s French, so it’s fine,” Alex assures me.
“No need for cordial?” I ask, trying out a smile while my brain is abuzz.
He gives me a reassuring smile. “None.”
I thank my uncle and take a sip, the bubbles tickling my nose. It’s certainly not the terrible stuff we make in Malveaux, and I resolve to help the champagne makers improve their product in whatever way I can if I become Queen.
But…is that even a possibility now? And if it is, how the heck do I feel about it?
The soft background music is replaced by the sound of bagpipes.
“Ah, the ball is about to officially begin,” Nicolas says with approval. “I do so love this part. Did you know, Madeline, that Ledonia has a bagpipe tradition because Queen Jane, a Scottish princess who married into the royal family over 400 years ago, brought the pipes with her?”
I look at him blankly. “No, I…no,” I mutter.
Of course I don’t know that. I barely know my own name right now, thanks to my thoughts twisting and turning like leaves caught in a tornado.
We watch the small figure of the piper, lit up by a single spotlight in the middle distance. He’s dressed in full Scottish regalia as he stands on a grassy knoll. The melody is haunting and reverberates with a rich, deep tone, swirling around us.
Its poignancy tugs at my heartstrings, emotion welling up inside of me.
Tonight is a lot.
Alex reaches for my hand and I flash him a grateful look.
“It’ll all be all right,” he tells me.
Oh, just wait until I tell him what’s going on.
The piper finishes his tune, and the emcee announces the first dance of the evening.
Nicolas offers me his hand. “Shall we? It seems rather appropriate, don’t you think? And besides, it’ll give us a chance to speak.”
I glance at Alex, and he smiles at me.
“I’ll talk to you afterwards,” he says and I nod.
Uncle Nicolas leads me onto the dance floor, and I can feel every eye at the ball trained on us. As the music begins to play, he places one hand on my waist and takes my hand in his, and we begin to move slowly around. I for one am thankful that with such an audience, I’d paid attention in my dance lessons, but my uncle leads me with confidence, so all I have to do is let go and move with him.
“I owe you an apology,” he says.
“Because my life got turned upside down when you left?” I ask, tongue in cheek—with a sting.
“For exactly that. I should have reached out to you about what my leaving could mean for you, and for that I’m truly sorry.”
I can see honesty in his eyes. “Thanks,” I murmur.
He twirls me around and then pulls me back into his arms.
“I imagine you want to know why I’m here.”
“The thought had crossed my mind.” I add hurriedly, “Not that it’s not nice to see you, of course, Uncle Nicolas.”
He smiles, and it reminds me of the way Mom’s face would light up when she smiled. “You make a beautiful princess. I’ve enjoyed watching your transformation over the last few weeks.”
