Juliette hungrily reached for her fork, then caught herself, realizing that Princess Sofia still had her hands in her lap. As she pulled her hand back in embarrassment, the princess picked up her fork. Juliette relaxed and then, too, began eating.
She looked up when she heard laughing. “Oh, you try so hard, don’t you?” It was Olivia, staring right at her.
“I’m sorry?” Juliette asked.
Olivia reached for her wine glass and spoke in a condescending tone, “It must be overwhelming, learning so many new things. When to eat, what to say, how to greet your superiors.” She took a sip of wine, never taking her eyes off of Juliette.
Marie spoke up, “Anyway, as I was saying, the viscount told the most wonderful story-”
“Yes, yes, Marie, we get it,” Olivia interrupted. “The viscount is a charming and unique man. But we’re here to learn about Juliette.” She fixed her gaze on Juliette. “Since you seem uncertain on the details of when you first met, tell me, my dear, when did you realize you were in love?”
Juliette narrowed her eyes. “That’s a bit personal, don’t you think?”
“Oh, surely, we’re all friends here. You can tell us.”
Marie interrupted, pleading, “Olivia, if she doesn’t want to talk about, just leave it alone.”
“All right, if that one’s too hard, let’s try another one,” Olivia continued. “What do you like most about him?”
“I’m not sure I like your tone, Lady Amsel,” Juliette said. “What are you implying?”
“Implying?” Olivia returned. “I’m not implying anything. As Princess Sofia said, we’re simply relaxing and having a nice meal together.”
“I’d like to know, too, if you don’t mind,” Marie interjected.
Juliette turned to her right to face the cute young blond. “What I like best about the prince?” Juliette asked.
Marie nodded.
Juliette considered for a moment, then said, “His passion for his work. You can really tell he cares.”
“Oh, yes, yes, I can see that,” Marie agreed enthusiastically.
“Passion for his work?!” the redhead, Roslynne, burst out laughing. “Oh, that’s rich.” She drained her wine glass, then motioned towards Alicia for another round.
“That does seem rather pedestrian, doesn’t it?” Olivia agreed.
“I don’t think it’s pedestrian-” Juliette protested.
“My dear, it’s the type of answer a stranger might give, not a lover.”
“’Passion for his work,’” Roslynne smirked as she took another snort of wine.
“Roslynne!” Marie admonished. “Slow down. You’re drinking too much.”
Roslynne tilted her head back and waved at Marie.
“Tell me, Juliette,” Olivia continued, “what are your views on the monarchy?”
“My views on the monarchy?” Juliette parroted back. “Like… what?”
“Yes, surely you must have some opinions on the aristocracy.”
Juliette drew a blank. Gazing at Olivia, words like “lazy, spoiled, worthless, fake” popped into her head, but nothing that she could say out loud.
“I’m not sure I’ve formed an opinion yet,” Juliette said.
“Oh, no? Surely you see the importance of the royal class?” Olivia pressed on. “Of elites being a symbol for the people to aspire to.”
“I’m not really big on symbols,” Juliette replied. “I’m much more partial to action than words.”
“But, my dear, our words shape the actions of the citizens,” Olivia said. “Surely you see how important a motivational speech can be?”
“Not as important as a vaccine or a warm meal.” Juliette locked eyes with her.
“I wouldn’t expect a flower girl to understand,” Olivia replied.
Roslynne sputtered in laughter.
Juliette went red-faced with rage. “How dare-!”
OUCH!
Juliette stopped abruptly when she felt a sharp pain in her left shin.
Somebody kicked me!
She looked to her left; Princess Sofia sat calm and still, her placid expression betraying no hint that she had just kicked Juliette’s shin underneath the table.
Oh, she’s good!
Olivia wasn’t done. “Well, all I know is, if it were my husband, there’s no way I’d have him playing with some dirty orphans in Africa.”
Before Juliette could respond, Princess Sofia intervened, “Yes, well, Olivia, sometimes doctors have to perform duties other than plastic surgery.”
Oh. My. God. She didn’t!
“What is that supposed to mean?!” Olivia stood up and slapped the table.
The princess gave no response; she simply raised her wine glass to her lips in a delicate, fluid motion and took a sip. As she smoothly set the glass down, Juliette noticed that there wasn’t so much as a ripple in the liquid.
Oh, she is REALLY good!
“Olivia, I’m sure she didn’t-” Marie offered.
“I’m not going to sit here and be insulted,” Olivia angrily cut her off. “Come on you two. We’re leaving!”
Marie, looking uncomfortable, rose and apologized to Princess Sofia. Roslynne looked supremely annoyed at her half-filled glass of wine.
“Your highness!” Olivia bowed.
“Olivia,” the princess made a slight head nod in Olivia’s direction letting her know she was excused.
Olivia stomped out of the room, her two minions in her wake.
Suddenly, two of the children, little Roberto and Mia, ran up to the princess looking worried. “Were you fighting, princess?”
Princess Sofia’s expression immediately lightened. “Fighting? Oh no, dear, we were just playing.”
The children brightened; Roberto grabbed the princess’s hand and tugged eagerly. “Come look at my new robot. He’s so cool!”
The princess responded, “I’ll be there in a minute, sweetie. I just need to fix my shoe.”
Juliette leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and exhaled deeply. The danger appeared to be gone, for now. Her thoughts were interrupted by a whisper: “Go.”
She opened her eyes; there was no one there — except the princess, bent over and running a finger through her shoe. “Get out while you have the chance,” Princess Sofia continued whispering while pretending to stare at her shoe. “Take the back stairwell so you aren’t seen. Don’t make any excuses, just walk out of the room. I’ll meet you in the Solicitor General’s office in two hours.”
The princess’s head popped up above the table and she smiled at the children. “Be right there!” She never even glanced in Juliette’s direction.
Juliette felt her heart absolutely melt with admiration.
The state dinner dragged on for another hour. The mood was growing more raucous as the men filled themselves with champagne, wine, and top-shelf liquor. Laughter and merriment filled the ballroom.
What a complete waste of time.
Guillermo shifted uncomfortably in his chair, feeling slightly ridiculous wearing his ornate crown.
I wonder how Juliette is doing. I hope this isn’t too stressful for her.
He smiled, despite himself, as he thought of Juliette; her joyful laugh when holding that fat white bunny for the children to pet, her fiery eyes when she was mad.
I wish I was with her instead of stuck in here.
Finally, when the tedium of it all became unbearable, Guillermo stood and began to say his good-byes, stopping by each group of men to chat amiably, shake hands, and bid them good night.
Eventually, he reached a group of three men surrounding Baron Amsel, chatting and laughing uproariously. Guillermo shook each man’s hand in turn, wishing them well, thanking them for attending. The baron took Guillermo’s hand and, squeezing just a bit too tightly, pulled Guillermo close and whispered into his ear with a somber tone, “I know you think I’m probably an old fool but please do contemplate my offer. Think of the children in North Africa! Don’t do anything foolish! There�
�s no need to enter into a hastily arranged marriage with a woman below your status. Especially when there are so many eligible young ladies within your echelon — why, my own daughter Olivia, for example. At any rate, please consider letting me assume the throne. I solemnly swear that I will comport myself with the dignity befitting the office.”
Guillermo forced a smile onto his face, “Thank you, baron. I promise, I will consider it.”
“Good show,” the baron said, happily slapping Guillermo on the back. “Good show, sir!”
“Good night,” Guillermo nodded, smiled, and moved on to the next group of men.
What a complete jackass.
Chapter 11
Juliette flipped on the light switch and walked into the Solicitor General’s office, closing the door behind her. The room had a musty scent today, a satisfying, old book smell mixed with pipe tobacco. She took a seat on the couch in front of the fireplace and waited.
Just a few minutes later, there was a polite knock, then the door opened, and Princess Sofia, wearing jeans and a University of Colorado sweatshirt, stepped into the room holding a pint of ice cream with two spoons. “Juliette, are you in here?”
“Over here,” Juliette answered.
Sofia smiled. “I thought it might be nice to get to know each other a little better — since we’re about to become sisters.” She looked over the room. “I’ve always found it funny that the Solicitor General has the best office in the entire castle. It just goes to show you the power that he has.”
“Now that you mention it, the King’s Study is rather bland.”
“It looks like something out of a corporate office building.” They both giggled.
Sofia closed the soundproof door and fixed her big blue eyes on Juliette. In a singsong, playful voice, she said, “I know your secret.”
“E-Excuse me?” Juliette said.
Sofia laughed. “Oh, that reaction is perfect. Just perfect.” She set the ice cream down on the coffee table and stuck out her hand. “Hi. I’m Sofia.”
“Juliette.” They shook hands.
Sofia plopped down on the Persian rug, grabbed the ice cream and a spoon, and crossed her legs. “I’m sorry I teased you. I just couldn’t resist. Memo told me your secret. Well, I had kind of figured it out, honestly. There’s no way he would have fallen in love without telling me.”
“Memo?”
“Memo — my brother Guillermo. It’s my nickname for him.”
“I see. And just what did he tell you?” Juliette ventured cautiously.
“That the engagement’s a hoax,” Sofia said around a mouthful of ice cream. “That it’s a business arrangement. That you’ve only just met. Although, that was pretty obvious from your performance earlier.”
“Anything else?” Juliette pressed.
“Like what?” Sofia gazed up at her with innocent blue eyes.
Good. It sounds like he left out the part about the necklace.
“Never mind. Oh, yes, by the way, you really saved me back there,” Juliette said. “I can’t thank you enough. I’m a fan.”
“Hmmm?” Sofia held the spoon at an angle.
“You handled that Lady Olivia Whatever with such ease.”
“Oh, her,” Sofia resumed eating. “I’ve been dealing with Olivias my entire life. You get used to it.”
“Well, I thought you handled it beautifully.”
“Thank you,” Sofia bowed her head slightly, “but it never should have happened in the first place. I could kill Memo for throwing you into the fire like that.”
Juliette took the other spoon and sat on the Persian rug across from Sofia. “Oh, how so?”
“You’ve got to get your story down pat, Juliette. The way you were hesitating and looking panicked, everyone is going to know you’re lying.”
“Do you think Olivia knows?”
Sofia shook her head. “She suspects something but she doesn’t know. Not yet, anyway.” She stuck her spoon in the ice cream. “OK, let’s get the basics down. First, no one is going to believe that you met in North Africa. I’ve been there visiting Memo. It’s nothing but bugs, sand, trees, and huts made of mud. From now on, say that you met when he was doing his residency four years ago at the Morrando la Vella Hospital. You met, began dating, and fell in love.”
“Actually, that might work,” Juliette nodded. “I was at that hospital about 4 years ago for a twisted ankle. It’s plausible.”
“So the handsome doctor worked on your ankle and you fell in love.”
“I like it.”
“Yes, well, we’re going to have to get both you and Memo in a room together and work on your stories. If not, Olivia — or one of the hundred women just like her — is going to rip your hoax apart.” She sighed in frustration. “Oh, that Memo can be so blind sometimes! He thinks that just because men don’t ask these types of questions, they’re not important. He should have done more preparation.”
Each of them took a spoonful of ice cream.
“You know, I probably shouldn’t say this but, well, Memo used to date Olivia.”
“What?! I can’t picture them together at all.”
“It was a long time ago, back when I was still in elementary school. She looked a lot different back then…”
“Well, what happened?”
“Oh, they broke up. They were both young and in college. Memo just got bored. It didn’t last long. But Olivia has never really given up, I don’t think. She’s… ambitious, that one. She wants things.”
“That’s… actually quite a good way of putting it,” Juliette grinned.
Sofia got a playful look on her face. “You know, Memo dated quite a bit when he was young.”
“Really?”
Sofia nodded. “Like, a lot. He was quite a heartbreaker. Then it all changed. When he got into med school, he became the lovable robot we know and love.”
“Sofia!” Juliette giggled. “So, med school changed him?”
Sofia glanced at Juliette, then looked away. “A woman,” she frowned. “She broke his heart.”
“Sounds serious.”
“I only know bits and pieces so I can’t tell you much. You know, he’s 11 years older than me so I was, like… 12 at the time? Anyway, he dropped out of med school after they broke up and traveled the world for a year. When he came back, my Memo was all grown up.”
“He loved her that much?”
Sofia stuck her spoon in the ice cream and leaned back on both hands. She gazed at the ceiling in thought. “Honestly? I don’t think so. I think it was just the accumulation over time, one after the other.”
“I’m not following you.”
Sofia contemplated for a moment, then said, “Just a string of, like, really bad girlfriends. Oh, this is difficult to explain. Okay, look: You want your boyfriend to be successful and rich and handsome and all that, right?”
Juliette nodded, “Of course.”
“Yeah, me, too. I think every woman is like that. But imagine if you’re the prince. Some women look at you and all they see is the money. Or the royal title. Or the prestige. They don’t see a man, they see, like, a gateway to a lifestyle. So she agrees with everything he says, laughs at every joke he makes, thinks every idea he has is a stroke of genius — you know what I mean?”
“Actually, yes, I think I do.”
“So… I don’t know what I’m trying to say here, exactly, but some days I feel like I’m the only girl who’s ever truly loved Memo.”
“Wow,” Juliette realized. “That sounds so…lonely.”
Sofia swallowed her ice cream and nodded. “Yeah, I think it is.” She gestured with her spoon, making a wide circle. “All this? Memo hates it now.”
“He hates it?” Juliette said, shocked. “But he seems so at home here.”
“’It poisons relationships,’ he told me right before he left for Africa.”
Juliette suddenly felt very sad. She wanted to see Guillermo’s smiling face.
“Anyway, that’s how I knew i
t was all too good to be true. There’s no way that Memo suddenly fell in love.” Sofia placed the spoon on the table and stretched her hands over her head.
“Are you still tired?” Juliette asked.
“Nah, I’ll be all right. Hey, do you want to see some pictures of Memo as a boy?”
Juliette lit up. “You bet!”
Sofia pulled a thick book with a white cover off of the bookshelf. “You’re going to love these.”
They sat next to each other on the floor, flipping through the pages. Guillermo in his 3rd grade school uniform, Guillermo playing soccer in 6th grade, Guillermo posing for his 9th grade class photo, Guillermo shaking hands with his high school principal. Juliette loved them, pointing and giggling at the photos.
They chatted for an hour about this and that, sharing the pint of ice cream like old friends, laughing and gossiping about their favorite actors and actresses.
Juliette pointed at Sofia’s sweatshirt. “Is that where you go to college?”
Sofia looked down. “Yeah. Boulder, Colorado. It’s beautiful out there. I actually chose it because it reminds me of San Morrando so much. The mountains are wonderful.
“Do you know that no one in America knows I’m a princess? It’s true. When I pledged a sorority, I told two of the seniors that I was royalty. I don’t think either of them believed me, but they still let me in!”
Juliette laughed. “I went to college in southern France — Université Paul-Valery. Majored in literature.”
“Nice,” Sofia said. “Mine was history.”
“Was?”
Sofia nodded and sighed. “Yeah, ‘was.’ If I’m going to become queen next year, there’s no way I can stay in college.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“It’s okay. I had a good cry about it last night and got it out of my system. These things happen. I’ve always known it was a possibility…” she trailed off, gazing at the ceiling.
So that’s what last night’s temper tantrum was about! She didn’t want to quit school.
“Juliette, can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“What do you think of San Morrando?”
“I love it,” Juliette said. “It’s beautiful. A beach on one end, mountains on the other, swimming and skiing all within a few kilometers of each other. It’s my home.”
Princess Thief: Stealing Your Heart Page 10
