Once Upon a Romance 01 - Before the Midnight Bells (28 page)

It was obvious, now that she saw him, why Max hadn’t requested she make him another costume. He was dressed as a knight, and the armor he wore shone in the candlelight. It must have been a family heirloom, she reflected; no one could have even a partial suit of armor made to order in a week. Someone had polished it until it sparkled, and he wore a deep green surcoat with an elaborate crest of arms embroidered on it. He was beautiful, she thought. One wasn’t supposed to say that about men, of course, but he was. It wasn’t the armor. It was just… Max. He could dress as a knight or a beggar, still he was Max.

Lord Rhince and Marcus Havilard were standing with a group of the demimonde, and they all fell silent, watching Christopher Wellesley greet the beautiful nobody on the stairs. Her face was alight with love, and Wellesley moved towards her like a moth towards a flame. As the princess’s betrothed offered his arm to the lovely girl, their eyes filled with the joy of malicious gossip.

“
Oh dear,” drawled Rhince, “it looks as though Wellesley is being a naughty boy once again.”

“
Frankly
I
don’t see the appeal
,
”
s
niffed a delicate beauty in the garb of a swan princess. “She’s not so special.”

“
I don’t know about that.” Marcus Havilard was watching with jealous eyes. “I wouldn’t hesitate to tumble the chit given half the chance. But who
is
she?”

Lord Durns was just passing by with his mistress, a gorgeous woman with flame colored hair. She caught the last question, and followed their eyes to the young woman.

“
Oh, that’s Eleanor Emberton. She’s a brilliant seamstress. Who is that she’s walking w…” Madam Fire Hair trailed off. She moved in court circles. She recognized the Duke of Yarrow’s heir. Suddenly her mind made the connection between Ella’s glow and the rumors around Christopher Wellesley’s behavior at the last ball. “Oh no.”

The group of gossipers was no longer paying attention. They were following Wellesley and his working girl with their eyes, until the crowd obscured them from sight.

“
Well, well, well, a
seamstress.
” Lord Rhince cast a significant glance at Marcus. “That seems like information that the king might wish to have.” Havilard gave a nasty smile and slithered off through the crowd, in the direction of the royal apartments. Meanwhile Lord Rhince and the Swan Princess circled through the assemblage, spreading their poison.

Max and Ella were aware of none of it. They were looking at each other, although neither had spoken. As they neared the whirling dancers, Max finally broke the silence.

“
You look beautiful.” His voice was husky, and Ella felt a small shiver run down her spine.

“
I would compliment you, as well, but that would puff up your ego.”

“
True enough, and we can’t have that. I’ll do it for you. I look fantastic.” Max smiled wickedly, and the shiver turned into a full body tingle. “We’ll look fabulous on the dance floor together.”

“
Max…” Ella’s voice held some of the conflict she’d felt over the past days, “I don’t think I can manage a dance in these shoes.”

Max looked at Ella. When he had seen her on the stairs, and realized he hadn’t lost his chance after all, he’d rather lost his head. He’d rushed over, and taken her off, and pretended as though everything was fine. The hesitation in her voice brought him crashing back to reality, though. They had to talk. He had to tell her… everything. But he couldn’t do it here, standing in the middle of the entire population of the kingdom. He thought for a moment.

“
How about a walk in the garden, then?” Ella looked doubtful. “Come on, you can take your shoes off. We’ll talk.” Talk. Such an inadequate word for something Max was dreading so much, but Ella’s face cleared and she nodded. She laced her arm through his and allowed him to steer her out the patio doors, across the strolling lawn and into the intricate hedge maze.

***

Vivienne heard footsteps running down the hall, and then her maid burst into the room and slammed the door behind her.

“
Hurry, your Highness!”

“
What?” She was dressed in her riding habit, and had been about to sneak down to the stables. What was the rush?

“
Take that off!” Her maid flew to her side, and began unfastening buttons as fast as possible. “A page is on his way to summon you to the ballroom.”

“
WHAT?
”

“
That bubble-headed
lout
has the entire ball in an uproar.” Lottie had been Vivienne’s maid since childhood, and was one of the few people the princess trusted implicitly. She had been in on the plan from the beginning, although she very much disapproved of including Max in the plotting. She thought him, well, bubble-headed. “He’s off with the seamstress again, and someone told your father.” While she spoke Lottie’s fingers flew, hurrying Vivienne out of her habit and into a dressing gown. “Quick, sit down, let me fix your hair. The king has sent several pages to find you, and any minute now
one
of them is going to actually use his brain and think to check your rooms.”

“
Then why am I not running right now?” Vivienne spoke with alarm, and tried to stand up, but Lottie pushed her firmly back down and kept working on her hair.

“
If you go now they’ll realize you’re gone and be after you right away. You need a head start. You’re just going to have to deal with this and then slip out later.
”

“
I don’t have
time
, Lottie, this guard shift only lasts until midnight. I have to leave
now.
”

“
You can’t. You’d never make it.”

“
I’m
not
going to make it.”

“
You’ve got a little less than an hour. Better set your mind to fooling your father quickly, instead of worrying about what you can’t change.
There, you’re done.”

Vivienne was wearing a sumptuous dressing gown that had been commissioned for her trousseau, and Lottie had twined her dark hair into artfully disheveled locks.

“
And what, pray tell, am I supposed to be?”

“
You’re the Sleeping Princess. Everyone will think it’s inspired. Tell them you had to work up your courage to appear so scantily clad.”

The princess gave her maid an exasperated look, but had no chance to speak. A loud knock came at the door.

“
Lottie! Lottie!” The page’s voice was frantic. “Is she in there, Lottie? Please tell me she’s in there. The king says the next one of us that comes back without finding her is going to be flayed alive. I don’t think he means it but he sure is angry…” As Lottie yanked the door open the boy cut off.

“
For shame, Timothy. Is that how you summon a member of the royal family? And what a nonsensical question, of course she’s here! Can you not see her guards to either side of your foolish face?” The boy looked up at the imposing men standing watch outside the princess’s door, and then hung his head in shame. Lottie went on in a kinder voice. “Run on and tell his Majesty that you’ve found his daughter, and she’s on her way. She was just having a problem with her costume.”

Vivienne watched the boy run off and then looked at her wily maid. “Get everything ready, Lottie.
One way or another, I’m leaving tonight
.”
Lottie just nodded, and Vivienne was grateful. She gave one last look in her mirror and pinched some color into her bloodless cheeks. T
hen she strode off down the hall to answer her father’s summons
, followed by the three guardsmen exchanging worried glances
.

***

The hedge maze had been cultivated from boxwood shrubs, and overgrown with purple bougainvillea, turning the pathways into small, perfumed bowers. At each corner was placed a lantern, giving enough light to navigate, but leaving much of the hedge maze in shadows. With only one turn
they were out of sight of the thronging crowds, and Ella slipped her shoes off, stepping into the cold, damp grass. As her head dropped a full three inches lower, Max laughed.

“
No wonder you couldn’t dance in those things, they’re practically as tall as you are.”

“
Pretty, though,” Ella held them up for inspection, “but you’re right, it’s amazing I managed to walk in the front door. Be a gentleman and carry them for me.” As a bemused Max let her shove the slippers into his hands, she turned and began pacing through the maze, hands clasped tightly in front of her. Max moved to walk beside her. Having safely occupied his hands, and taken care of her own, she felt they might have a chance to actually speak, for once. Now that the moment had come, however, she felt awkward and unsure. What would he say? After a moment he broke the silence.

“
When your family arrived without you I thought you weren’t coming.”

“
I wasn’t going to. I didn’t have a costume.”

“
Where did this come from, then?” Max indicated her gown with an admiring look.

“
In theory it was my mother’s, but I almost believe my Godmother magicked it up out of thin air.”

“
Then I am grateful to her.” Max stopped, unsure of how to go on, but Ella didn’t say anything. The mention of her Godmother had reminded her of the Dame’s advice. She wasn’t going to talk. She was going to listen. It seemed to take forever, but he finally spoke.

“
Ella, do you want anything more out of life?” When she looked at him quizzically he rushed on. “I know you love your shop, and your work is really… It’s brilliant. And if all you want to do with your life is make beautiful clothes than you probably have a bright future ahead. But I was wondering… I mean, I was
hoping
… “ He stopped and sighed, then started again.

“
I have this crazy story to tell you. All week long I’ve been trying to figure out the right words, the right way to tell you… And now we’re standing here and I still don’t know what to say, or how to start. I swear that I will find the words—I will. But I just need to know, before I bumble my way into a story I don’t know how to tell… Is your shop all you have room for in your life? Or do you think, perhaps, you might find room for me, as well?”

Ella wished she hadn’t occupied his hands, because then she could have rushed into his arms. Maybe it was for the best, though, that they use words, just this once.

“
Max, look at me.” Ella unclasped her hands and gestured towards herself. “I’m standing here in my mother’s wedding dress, and I find that all I can think about is whether, someday, I will be able to wear one of these as I stand next to you. I love my shop, and I love my work, but I find, I think, that I love you more.” She lightly brushed his face with one gloved hand. “Tell me what is going on, please.”