AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Cassie
The moment I wake it all comes crashing back to knock me senseless. The unfamiliar room focusses into view and reminds me where I am. Thinking about what happened last night gives me an immediate headache because I feel as if I’m in a fairy story in danger from the wicked wizard. Thinking of Victor and the change in him makes me shiver. Is Maxim telling the truth, or is he just playing a very dangerous game?
Something tells me I’m safe with him but for how long? His kisses burned and his breath was hot telling me the fire he breathes may scar me for life. He wants me and intends on having me and so, as it seems, does his brother.
That disturbs me even more because Victor is like a brother to me and I have never thought of him in that way. Just the way he looked at me made me shrivel inside and it’s obvious he’s not going to stand back and watch me marry his brother.
“Cassie, oh my god are you ok?”
The door bangs open and my three friends rush into the room and jump on the bed.
“We waited up but you never came back. What happened?” Lauren looks fearful and Eloise whispers, “Was it him, the king, did he…”
“No.” I smile and shake my head. “I had an audience with the queen and he escorted me back.”
“No. I’m not buying it.” Natalia shakes her head and rolls her eyes. “Nice try but you need to spill the gossip because from the look in your eye, something big happened last night and you owe us every sordid detail.”
Looking at their expectant faces I know they’re not fooled and I grin because despite everything, I loved the time I spent with Maxim.
“Well…”
“What?” They all speak at once and lean closer and I say with a giggle, “We may have kissed for a very long time.”
“Wow!” Lauren looks amazed. “I can’t imagine that man kissing anyone. He’s quite scary really and has that whole Heathcliff or Mr Darcy vibe going on. I bet it was good though.”
“It was.”
Eloise sighs. “I bet it was so romantic.”
“Maybe a little.” I decide to leave out the part where Victor asked me to surrender my virginity to him to escape this madness, which surprises me a little because it appears that all I want to think about is how I felt when I was in his brother’s arms.
Before my friends can interrogate me further, the door opens again and what appears to be a team of people swarm into the room and a strict looking woman says, “Madame, you must be made ready for your breakfast engagement.”
“What?”
We all stare at her as if she’s speaking a different language and she shakes her head. “We are here to dress you, take care of your needs and make sure you are on time.”
“Dress me, what do you mean? I can dress myself for god’s sake.”
My friends are wide-eyed as they look between us and the woman says in a firm tone, “You will be a queen and treated accordingly. This is your life now, and we’ll be punished if you don’t allow us to carry out our duties.”
Looking at the worried faces of several young women who are holding various garment bags and cases of what I assume is make-up, I feel bad and nod miserably. “Ok, but just for now. I may want to get myself ready in future.”
The woman looks so disapproving it makes me giggle which sets off my friends and as I follow the dressing party to the anteroom as they call it, I feel as if I’ve fallen back in time via the time machine to hell.
* * *
One hourlater and my mood has not improved. My face is flushed with embarrassment as they proceeded to strip me, wash me and fuss over me like a barbie doll. My hair was washed, dried and brushed until it hurt. Then fastened in some crazy up-do and weird royal looking make-up painted all over my face. They even fixed a diamond tiara firmly in my hair and made me dress in some kind of silk floor-length gown that went out of fashion in the twenties. I’ve been sprayed with perfume, had my nails painted and am now dripping with jewels and I stand looking at my reflection in the mirror in disbelief.
I’m an actual stereotype. The virgin princess looking like a porcelain doll. The clothes they dressed me in are of the utmost quality. The shoes that caress my feet are made from the finest silk and leather and the wild look in my eye is obviously frowned upon as the strict woman shakes her head and says abruptly, “You’ll do but you should learn to disguise your emotions.”
“Excuse me.” I can’t believe she’s being so cold, and she shrugs. “Emotion has no part in the royal family. They disguise them well and you must learn to do the same if you are to survive this family.”
“What do you mean?”
I’m a little surprised she says it at all because surely she’s speaking out of turn and she sighs. “I have lived and worked here my whole life. Starting in the kitchen and working my way up to lady’s maid. For the past twenty-five years I have attended the queen and watched how she conducts herself. Like you, she was very unresponsive when she arrived and yet, as time went by, I watched her settle into the role and become a great woman. I don’t mean to speak out of turn, your highness but if I can help with any advice, it’s that. Emotions reveal your thoughts and if I’ve learned anything over the years, it’s that emotion has no place in this palace.”
She looks down and for some reason I feel a lot more respect for the formidable lady because it’s obvious her advice is coming from a well-meaning place.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.” I lighten my voice and inject some warmth into it and she looks up in surprise and says, “Mrs. Travers, your highness.”
“Well, Mrs. Travers, thank you.”
I smile warmly. “I appreciate your advice and the makeover. Unexpected but appreciated none the less.”
She smiles, and it completely transforms her features, which soften and take years off her. She is now looking a little happier and I wonder if the tight edge she wears so well was out of worry and wonder if she knows anything of the tension that runs like a current of fear through the entire palace it seems. Everyone appears as if they’re waiting for something bad to happen and yet all I can think of is my wedding. I suppose that is pretty bad because I should be on a plane right now on my way to a brilliant new career as a doctor and it suddenly hits me.
I’m trapped.
I may as well be locked in that dungeon and deprived of everything because I’m an unwilling participant in a carefully contrived attack carried out with military precision. The strangest thing of all is that I’m going along with it and so maybe she is right. Emotion needs to have no say in the matter and I must keep mine well-hidden because if I stand any chance of escaping this place with my future intact, I must be one step ahead of the lot of them.
