Princess Thief: Stealing Your Heart (10 page)

“Duke
Antuan Chevalier,” the Sergeant-at-Arms’ booming voice echoed across the foyer.

Armand
entered the room carrying a white uniform coat with gold buttons and a bow tie
draped over his shoulder.  Guillermo stood still as Armand flipped up the
collar of the prince
’s
white dress shirt and began to expertly tie the bow tie.

“How’s
Juliette?” Guillermo asked.

“She
looks lovely, sir.”

“Yes,
but is she prepared?”

“She
is quite intelligent, sir.  And she has received high praise from her
instructors.”

“Yes,
but nothing quite prepares you for one of these things.”  Armand finished with
the tie and adjusted Guillermo’s collar.  “I wish I could be there with her.  I
should never have agreed to separate rooms.”

“Well,
it was a request from Baron Amsel himself, sir.”

“The
baron,” Guillermo frowned.  “I’ve met with him — or one of his lackeys — every
day since my return, always with the same questions.  What are they up to, do
you think?”

“I
haven’t a clue, sir.  Shall I investigate?”

Guillermo
considered it briefly, then said,
“No, never mind.  He’s such a buffoon,
I’m sure he’ll tell me himself eventually.”

“Very
good, sir.”

“Say,
Armand…”

“Yes,
sir?”

“I’ve
been wondering something.  Close the door for a minute, will you?”

Armand
closed and locked the door, making the room completely soundproof.

“How
did you find out about Juliette?  I mean, how was it that you had an entire
dossier prepared on her when I returned from North Africa?”

“I
was asked to conduct a discreet investigation by your brother, King Arturo the
Second, sir.”

“My
brother?”

“Yes,
sir, shortly before he died.  I believe he had received several burglary
complaints from members of the aristocracy.  He asked me to conduct an investigation.”

“Why
you?  No offense intended but why not the chief of police or the royal guards?”

“He
said it was a matter of trust, sir.”  Armand paused, then ventured, “If I may
be so bold, sir, your brother had become quite obsessed in the weeks before his
death.”

“About
what?”

“Finances,
sir.  He never confided in me about specifics.  But I noticed him looking at
the royal ledgers many times in the weeks before his death which, as you know,
was quite unlike him.”

“But
I’ve been over those ledgers myself just this past week.  And I’ve met with the
bankers overseeing our investments.  There’s nothing wrong with them.  In fact,
if anything, our investments grew during Arturo’s reign.”

Armand
spread his hands. 
“And
yet, here we are, sir.”

Guillermo
had an awful thought. 
“Tell
me, Armand, in your expert opinion — speaking as an ex-military officer — was
the king’s death at all suspicious?  Could he have been murdered?”

“Oh,
most certainly not, sir.  No, the accident was seen by several witnesses: a
tourist from Japan, a local farmer and his son, as well as two of the other
hunters in his party.  No, I’m certain that any concerns King Arturo might have
had about finances were unrelated to his tragic death.”

“That’s
a relief,” Guillermo exhaled.  “So whatever it was, he wasn’t killed over it. 
Did he ask you to do any other investigations?”

“No,
sir.  And from what I can tell, all of the aristocratic jewelry robberies
during the past 3 years can be traced back to Miss Juliette.”

“Hmm,”
he mused, “so it was all about Juliette.”  Guillermo chuckled to himself.  “My
fiancée…”

“Yes,
sir?”

“To
think that she could cause so much trouble that even my lazy-ass brother would
be prodded into action.  She’s really something, isn’t she?”

“Yes,
sir,” Armand smiled.

“All
right.  Go ahead and crack the door, Armand.  I want to arrive just after the
baron.  Let’s see what this banquet is really about.”

Juliette
waited alone in the formal dining room, resisting the urge to pace.  She could
hear the Sergeant-at-Arms
’
voice reverberating down the hall announcing guest after guest — but, so far,
no one had walked into the dining room with her.  And, frankly, who could blame
the wives for skipping this one, when they’d just be shuttled off to some
antechamber to await their husbands?

Just
as she was beginning to think that she might get off the hook and not be forced
to play hostess after all, her maid, Alicia, entered the room and announced,
“Duchess Antonia
Pilar de Somavía y Livid and her two children, Roberto and Andrés.”

Duchess
Somav
ía
curtsied and said, “So nice to meet you.”

“Nice
to meet you, too-”  Juliette was in mid-curtsy when the two boys ran past her
and grabbed a toy train off of the bookshelf in the back of the room.

Duchess
Somav
ía
giggled.  “You’ll have to excuse them.  We’ve been in the car for 2 hours.”

“Oh? 
Where did you-”

“Boys,”
she called.  “Now put that down.”  She walked past Juliette, following her two
children to the bookshelf.

Alicia
entered the room again. 
“Duchess
Natalia Irene Bordiú-Rossi and her daughters, Mia and Bárbara.”

Duchess
Bordi
ú-Rossi
curtsied.  “How do you do, miss?”  The two cute little girls curtsied, too.

“Oh,
they’re adorable!” Juliette said.  “How old are they?”

 
“Mia is 6 and
Bárbara is 4.”

“Four
and a half!” Bárbara corrected her Mommy.

Juliette
smiled. 
“Oh,
my!  Aren’t you a grown up-”

“Oh?”
Duchess Bordiú-Rossi looked past Juliette.  “Is that you, Antonia?”

“Natalia!”
Duchess Somavía called from the back of the room.  “Oh, it’s good to see you. 
We have so much to talk about.”

“Come
along girls.  Go say hello to the boys.”

Duchess
Bordi
ú-Rossi
and her two girls left Juliette standing alone at the entrance, feeling like
she had just been stood up by her prom date.

Oh,
boy, this is going to be a long night!

“The
most honorable Baron Silvio Michel Amsel, esteemed member of Parliament, and
the senior Senator from the Province of Canillo la Vella,” the Sergeant-at-Arms
announced majestically.

“Well,
he’s here,” Guillermo said, straightening the sleeves on his coat.  “How do I
look?”

“Like
royalty, sir,” Armand smiled.

“I
feel like a schoolboy going to meet the principal.  Wish me luck.”  Guillermo
paused at the King’s Study door and looked back.  “Armand…”

The
royal butler read Guillermo
’s mind.  “We’ve done all we can, sir.  Princess
Sofia will be with her.  We just have to trust Miss Juliette.”

“I
suppose you’re right.”  Guillermo smirked, “Besides, it’s only my first state
dinner as a host.  What could possibly go wrong?”

“
Lady Olivia
Adana Amsel,
”
Alicia announced to the formal dining room.

“Pleased
to meet you,” the young woman with tightly-wound brown curls spoke as she
curtsied in front of Juliette.

“Pleased
to meet you, Lady Amsel,” Juliette returned the curtsy.  Something about this
woman’s outfit seemed a bit “off” but Juliette couldn’t quite put her finger on
what.  And why, when she had to know that she was going to be secluded in a
room with other women, was she showing so much cleavage?

“Please,
call me Olivia.  I assume you are Juliette?”  Her manner seemed a bit haughty.

“Yes,
I am.”

“I
am so looking forward to getting to know you better, Juliette.  Really, I feel
we’re going to be the best of friends-”

“
Countess Marie
Isabella de Fuensalda
ña
y Prevot and Lady Cordelia Roslynne O’Duinn Gothieu,” Alicia interrupted from
the doorway.

“Marie! 
Roslynne!  It’s about time you arrived,” Olivia said.

“Sorry,
Olivia,” Marie apologized.  “The viscount’s car-”

“Oh,
no one cares, Marie,” Olivia waved her gloved hand as if shooing away a fly. 
“I’d like you to meet my friend Juliette.”

Both
girls curtsied and said, in unison,
“Pleased to meet you.”

Juliette
responded in kind.

“Yes,
yes, enough of that,” Olivia said.  She hooked her arm through Juliette’s and
squeezed it to her breast.  “Now, Juliette, tell me, how are you finding palace
life?”

“Oh,
yes, Juliette,” Marie interjected, “what’s it like?”

The
intense stares from these three young women were a bit overwhelming. 
Reflexively, her training on dealing with the media came back to her and she
said,
“I
love Palais d’Or.  Everyone has been so good to me.”

“How
did you and Prince Guillermo meet?”

Juliette
blanched. 
“How
did we meet?”

That
’s not on the
“answer” list!  That’s on the “to be avoided” list!

“Well,
you see-” she stammered.

Just
then Alicia appeared at the door. 
“Princess Sofia Genoveva de Valdivia y
Beaumont.”

Time
seemed to stand still as Princess Sofia glided into the room.  She was wearing
a stunning red formal gown, matching high heels, an elegant gold necklace, and
a tasteful diamond and silver tiara.  Juliette was in awe, feeling like she was
standing in the presence of true royalty.  No matter how hard she tried, she
couldn
’t
picture the image of this young woman bawling her eyes out in Guillermo’s arms
last night.

“Ladies,”
the princess bowed, displaying her trademark wan, regal smile.

“Princess
Sofia, it is an honor,” all of the adults in the room said-

-except
Juliette, who said-

“It’s
an honor to meet you.”

“Oh?!”
Olivia piped up.  “You two haven’t met before?  My, how interesting!”

Shit! 
I wasn
’t
thinking!

“Oh,
Olivia, forgive the girl.  She’s just nervous,” Princess Sofia admonished. 
“You remember your first royal banquet, don’t you?”

“Yes,
well,” Olivia eyed Juliette suspiciously, then continued, “You’ve arrived at
just the right time, Sofia.  Juliette was just about to tell us the story of
how she and Guillermo met.  Weren’t you, Juliette?”  Olivia smiled sweetly.

“Uhm,
well, I-”

“Oh,
Olivia, I’m sure Juliette has answered that question 100 times for the
reporters,” Princess Sofia interrupted.  “Let her rest for just one night.”

“But
it must be so interesting,” Olivia gushed.  “I mean, flower shop girl one
minute, engaged to the prince the next.  It’s almost
too good to be
true
,
don
’t
you think?”

What
’s with that
emphasis on “too good to be true?”

Once
again, the princess rescued Juliette, saying,
“All in good time, Olivia.  All
in good time.  Let’s just relax and have a nice meal together.  Shall we take
our seats?”

As
Olivia and her two friends reluctantly made their way to the dining room table,
Juliette felt a hand on her arm.  She turned and, to her surprise, found
Princess Sofia looking up at her with her big blue eyes, mouthing the words,
“I’m sorry.” 

Juliette
was so stunned that she didn
’t know how to respond.  Then, in an instant, the
wan, regal smile was back as the princess moved to take her seat at the head of
the table.

Sorry? 
Sorry for what?  What
’s going on, here?!

“And
so, I propose a toast,” the elder statesman, dressed in a gray formal
ceremonial uniform, raised his champagne glass.  The 50 or so other men in
attendance at the royal banquet also raised their glasses.  “To Prince
Guillermo and his lovely bride-to-be.  May your marriage be a fruitful and
happy one!”

“Hear,
hear!”

“To
Prince Guillermo!”

The
cheers rang up from the crowd.

The
Prince, hiding his intense boredom, forced a smile and drank another sip of
champagne.

Dear
God, is every man here going to give a toast?  Let
’s just get on
with it already.

As
if on cue, a portly man with tightly-groomed gray hair and mustache stood. 
“Esteemed
colleagues, I wonder if I might be allowed to speak?”  Like most of the other
men in the room, he was also wearing a gray ceremonial uniform — but his was
decorated with ribbons, medals, and gold tassels on each shoulder pad.

Baron
Amsel.  Finally, the real kingpin speaks.

“Gentlemen,
it is a privilege to address such a highly cultured assemblage of great men. 
I, too, like all of you, am honored to raise a glass in the presence of the
prince and praise him for his ambassadorship to North Africa.  You do us an
honor, good sir, by representing San Morrando so vociferously.”

“Here,
here!”

“To
the prince!”

Vociferously? 
You
’ve
got to be kidding me.

“But,
reluctantly, I must broach a somewhat grave and serious topic.  With all that
is happening in the world today, with the situation in Africa being what it is,
with the stresses and strains of the economic turmoil swirling all around us,
to be thrust into the political spotlight after almost no training at all, the
burden of rule must be quite tremendous.”

“Indeed.”

“Quite
so.”

“And
so, I, Baron Amsel, humbly offer my services; to my prince, and, to my
country.  Should the strain of rule become too heavy of a cross to bear, let
the record show that I, Baron Amsel, would reluctantly carry that weighty burden
with the honor and dignity befitting the throne.”

So. 
There it is.  The bastard wants my crown.

Polite
applause filled the room. 

“Well
said.” 

“Good
show.”

All
right.  Time to nip this in the bud.

Guillermo
rose; a hush fell over the room. 
“Thank you all for attending tonight. 
And thank you for the support you have shown my brother and my father before
him.  I want to thank Baron Amsel for his kind offer.  I want to assure
everyone in this room that I will give the Baron’s offer the serious consideration
it deserves.  However, I want to also assure you that I am fit, able, and ready
to meet this challenge head on, and I hope I can count on the support and
guidance from everyone in this room.”

“To
the prince!”

“Long
live the prince!”

“Long
live the prince!”

Thunderous
applause echoed throughout the ballroom.  Guillermo smiled and waved.  Out of
the corner of his eye, Guillermo noticed that the baron was frowning.

Juliette
took her seat next to Princess Sofia and across from Olivia.  The perky Marie
sat to Juliette
’s
right; Olivia’s other friend, the redheaded
Roslynne, sat directly across from
Marie.

No
sooner had they sat down than Princess Sofia asked,
“So, how are
things with the viscount, Marie?”

Marie
instantly lit up,
“Oh,
Sofia, you missed the most wonderful party yesterday!”

“Oh
really?  Give me all of the details.  Don’t leave anything out!” Sofia
encouraged.

“Well,
so, when we first pulled up to the marina — that’s Olivia,
Roslynne, and I
— we see this enormous boat in the distance.  Oh, it was just gorgeous, Sofia! 
And I said,
‘That
can’t be the viscount’s ship.’  But before you know it, the viscount’s butler…”

As
Marie prattled on about some lavish party on a luxury yacht, Juliette silently
surveyed her surroundings.  The two mothers sat at the other end of the table
enthralled in their gossip, occasionally calling out a warning to their
children, not even acknowledging the young women who were only a couple of
empty seats away.  The 4 children sat at the modern black table near the
fireplace, their innocent chatter echoing pleasantly around the room.  The
candelabra was lit tonight, the flames dancing, casting silver reflections
across the finely polished table.

Eventually,
Alicia returned with two assistants and began laying out the first course: a
small salad splashed with oil and vinegar.  Juliette
’s lessons on
table etiquette came back to her.

Salad
is the outside fork and remember: don
’t start eating until the princess
starts eating!

Juliette
sat patiently as Marie rambled on about her date.  Princess Sofia picked up her
salad fork and, as if it were rehearsed, so did everyone else at the table. 
The salad was surprisingly sweet and tasty; Juliette made sure to eat in
measured bites and when the princess laid her fork down, so did she.

So
far, so good!  No major blunders!

Alicia
and her assistants gracefully swooped in to remove the salad plates and quickly
replaced them with the main course: Boeuf Bourguignon with mashed potatoes,
Escargots Persillade en Brioche, and a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon.  The
porcelain dinner plates were a simple peach color with a fine line of gold
around the edges.  Gravy had been carefully drizzled in a criss-cross pattern. 
The meal looked like a delicious work of art.

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.”