Once Upon a Romance 01 - Before the Midnight Bells (29 page)

Max dropped her shoes on the grass. Grabbing her hand he drew her into a corner of the maze and laid his mouth across hers, putting his heart and soul into that kiss. Ella let herself melt against his side. He would tell her. They had the whole maze to stroll, and all night, if that’s what it took. For now she slid her hands into his hair and pulled him deeper into the kiss. Whatever he told her, she believed now, everything would be fine.

A roar came from outside the maze. “Wellesley!”

Max stiffened, and lifted his head. “Damn.”

“
Wellesley!”

Ella looked at him quizzically. Max made himself meet her gaze. Never looking away, he called back to the enraged man pacing along the outer hedge.

“
Your
M
ajesty?”

Max watched Ella’s face as the knowledge fell into place, and her eyes widened with horror, and then narrowed in anger. He kept his focus on the woman in his arms, who was trembling with rage, even as he listened to the king bellow.

“
Get back into the ballroom this instant! I want a word with you!”

Max heard the king stride off, and then the soft shuffling that must have been the entire court following him back inside. He was going to be in such trouble. For the moment, though, he couldn’t think about that.

“
Ella?”

“
Lord Wellesley.”

He winced. “Ella, don’t.”

“
Don’t
what
?
My. Lord.
” She spit the words out.

“
I told you I had a crazy story, you just didn’t realize how crazy it was.”

The words of Dame Merriweather came floating back to her. Listen. She would listen. And
then
she would kill him.

“
Tell me.”

“
I’m not really engaged!” Max blurted out the words. “Vivienne and I wouldn’t
actually
marry each other even if there was a royal decree commanding it. Which, I guess, technically, there is…” Ella glared at him, and he stopped. “Right, stay on topic. Vivienne is trying to go find out what happened to her mother, but the king won’t let her leave the city, much less the kingdom. She came up with this idiotic plan to escape… Ah, this is taking too long!” They were nearing the end of the maze, and he was no where near the end of the story. “It’s a plot by the princess to get out of the kingdom.
Tonight.
B
efore midnight. But that’s all. She’s my best friend so I’m helping her. Nothing more.” Ella’s face remained stony.

“
Ella, I didn’t know I would meet you—I was just doing a favor for a friend. And when I did meet you, I thought… I thought we could be friends. I didn’t know…” He trailed off. Ella was stalking along beside him, saying nothing, and they had reached the strolling lawn. Ahead, at the doors of the ballroom, he could see members of the court, and standing in the doorway, the king and…

“
Vivienne!”

Ella checked her forward motion to glare at him. “I thought she was
escaping.
”

“
She
was
. Something must have gone wrong. If this has all been for nothing…” Forgetting for just a moment the royal displeasure awaiting him Max glared at his life long friend. She glared right back at him. Great. Now he had
two
women glaring at him.

Ella thought furiously. If Max was telling the truth—and as livid as she was, she didn’t actually think he was lying to her—then she was fairly sure that she
knew
what had gone wrong with the escape plan. Someone must have run to find her highness when Max and Ella walked off together. Ella was still angry, but now she felt wretched, too. Max said the princess wanted to find out what happened to her mother, and Ella felt overwhelming sympathy for her. If Ella was partially to blame for ruining Princess Vivienne’s plans then Ella was going to help salvage them.

If she could only figure out how.

She looked up at the crowd awaiting them. Most of the nobles were whispering to each other, and casting glances at her—some scornful, some maliciously gleeful. The king was obviously in a towering fury, and the princess…
she looked
like someone about to give in to pure panic.

Then the bells tolled the half hour.

It
goaded Ella, and—inspired by the looks being given her by the peers of the realm—an idea came to her. She could get Princess Vivienne out of this, but her good name would be gone forever. Ella closed her eyes for a brief second, and bid farewell to her reputation.

Max watched in astonishment as Ella’s demeanor… morphed. Gone was the angry stalk and the glaring eye. Instead Ella moved with a languid grace, and the look on her face, well… She moved along beside him, giving the impression of caressing him without ever actually touching him. Max wasn’t sure how this was going to help, but the display was… impressive.

“
Wellesley!”

“
Your Majesty?”

“
Could you kindly explain to my daughter what you were doing in the hedge maze with this bit of fluff? I’ve had her fetched here for that very purpose.”

Ah. That explained the glare. Vivienne was suppose to be riding out of the stables right now, and had obviously been waylaid by her father’s summons. Which was his fault. Max wished he could take just a minute to go beat his head against a wall. Instead he faced the king.

“
Your Majesty…”

“
Your Majesty.” Ella interrupted with a deep and respectful bow, which she immediately followed by an insultingly shallow head bob towards Vivienne. “Your
H
ighness. I’m sure Lord Wellesley didn’t intend to upset anyone. He was simply feeling overwhelmed by the ball, and asked if I would help him escape.” She cast a pointed glance towards Vivienne, who suddenly froze. Max hoped everyone would attribute it to the supposed insult Ella had just delivered, and not the hope he could see blooming in the princess’s eyes.

“
And who are you,” she finally asked in a choked voice, “to offer him your aid?”

“
Just a friend, your highness. A good friend.” Ella was practically purring, and Max winced at the growing rage he saw in the king’s face.

“
And here I thought you were just a low class trouble maker.” Vivienne’s voice was scornful, and for a moment Ella stiffened. Max saw her eyes flash, and wondered if she had truly taken offense.

“
I’m sure I don’t understand what your highness is talking about.” Max couldn’t believe such polite words could sound so insolent. Ella had clearly missed her calling. “I would never want to cause a rift between yourself and Lord Wellesley. I was merely keeping him company while he sought to distance himself from this mob.”

Ella ran her eyes over the assembled court. She hoped Vivienne was understanding her hints. The princess was going to have to take the next step, and Ella wasn’t sure she could be any more blatant.

“
Of course you were. I only question what type of
company
you could possibly be.” Princess Vivienne’s voice was filled with quiet venom, and as she spoke she stalked slowly towards Ella. “After all,
you
are nothing but a vulgar, predatory, opportunistic
doxy…”

“
Vivienne Bellicia, that is enough.” The king spoke. He was clearly just as angry as his daughter pretended to be, but uncomfortable with this public display. “You may continue this conversation in private.”

“
Yes, yes of course, father, you’re quite right. Lord Wellesley, would you and your,” her voice dripped disdain, “
friend
, come with me? I think we need to chat. Alone.” That last was added as several members of the court moved as though to accompany the princess and her fiancé. All three of them moved off from the crowd, but the king was only a step behind. Vivienne dropped back. “Father, no. I want to talk to this woman in
private.
”

“
My dear, do you think that’s wise?”

Vivienne gestured to her three guards, still trailing her.

“
What are you worried about, Father? I’m well protected. But, to tell you the truth,” she stopped and gazed at Ella with menace, “I think I’ll be taking care of this all by myself.”

Wonderful. Now all the members of the court were going to be imagining Vivienne and Ella rolling in the mud, pulling each other’s hair out. Max sighed and followed them as Vivienne latched on to Ella’s wrist and sped off.

***

Max carefully shut the door to Vivienne’s rooms behind the three of them. As amusing as it had been to watch Vivienne “drag” Ella half the length of the palace, he wished none of this was happening. He turned in time to see Vivienne gently release Ella’s wrist, and both women straighten into more normal attitudes.

“
What, no cat fight?” They both turned to glare at him.

“
I think not.” Vivienne spoke crisply, but it was clear she was very angry with him. Ella said nothing at all, merely turned away and addressed the princess.

“
Your Highness, let’s get you to your horse, you haven
’t got much time
.”

Vivienne stared at her. “I didn’t think you really meant it.”

“
I assure you, I do.”

“
Ella, if I go now…”

“
If you go now,
my
situation will be exactly the same, but
you
will have a better one. If you stay here you and Max will find yourselves hustled off to the altar post haste, and I doubt either of you wants that.”