much.’ The Queenglided over to one of the gold armchairs and sat delicately.
‘Only the revelation to my granddaughters of what is in the boxes,’ the Countess said. ‘Thank you so much for coming to help with our preparations.’
‘Not at all.’ The Queen leaned forward and started to open a lid.
‘Ah, ah.’ The Countess batted at the Queen’s hand. ‘No peeking!’
Ivy was surprised to see the Queen smile. ‘I don’t know how you’re going to exceed last year’s party, dear Caterina,’ she said. ‘But I know it will be the event of the season.’
‘With Olivia and Ivy here,’ Alex said, ‘there’s no question.’
The Queen’s smile vanished.
‘Which is why –’ Alex looked straight at Olivia and Ivy guessed what was going to happen next.‘I hope Olivia would not mind preventing me from attending alone.’
Olivia froze. The Countess smiled with delight but the Queen sat stiffly, her back rigid and her gaze straight ahead.
Olivia and Ivy shared a glance. Ivy guessed that the same things were running through her sister’s mind: if Olivia said yes, the Queen could be outraged, but if she said no, she could be offending their grandmother’s most important guest. On top of everything, Olivia still hadn’t told Alex that she had a boyfriend.
Ivy wanted to put a stop to everything – tell Alex to stop trying to annoy his mother, and tell the Queen to stop being so anti-human. But there was nothing Ivy could say that wouldn’t get her into enormous trouble.
‘Do you think that is appropriate?’ said the Queen.
‘I certainly can’t predict what
you
find appropriate, Mother,’ Alex replied.
Mr Vega cut in. ‘If it is what they want, then it is entirely appropriate.’
‘It is what I want, Mother,’ Prince Alex said.
All eyes were on the Queen.
Ivy gulped.
Is this going to turn into a separationist argument?
The Countess came to the rescue.
‘Of course, Prince Alex,’ she said. ‘Olivia would be delighted to be presented with you, as your new friend.’
‘Yes,’ Olivia said quickly, and Ivy could see her take a breath. That was just the right thing for the Countess to say. ‘Yes, of course. As your new friend.’
Alex beamed and the Queen nodded.
‘How lovely,’ she said, but there wasn’t any hint of warmth in her eyes.
Ivy saw a look on her father’s face, astonishment that the Countess seemed happy for Olivia and Alex to spend time together. Maybe he was finally starting to see that his parents had changed.
Just then, Tessa came back into the room, carrying a tray with a pot and cups. ‘Tea, Your Majesty?’
The Queen turned her face away, not even bothering to reply. Tessa hesitated there for a moment, unsure what to do.
Alex was still glaring at his mother. ‘I’ll pour my own tea.’ He took the tray from a horrified-looking Tessa and turned his back on her.
How can these people be so rude?
Ivy thought. Olivia, too, looked surprised at the behaviour of the Queen and her son.
Refusing to let Tessa pour his tea. Just because Tessa works in the house doesn’t make them any better than her.
It was all bubbling up inside Ivy and she couldn’t stop herself. ‘How can you –’ she began to say. But she caught herself in time.
Don’t ruin things.
She quickly turned to Olivia. ‘How do you get those bows so straight, Olivia?’
Tessa practically fled as Alex poured his tea and the conversation turned to different methods of tying the ribbons.
Ivy wanted to march right out of the room, pack up her suitcase and go back home. She missed Brendan. She wished she could be back at home, in Franklin Grove, where she belonged.
But I’m not going home yet. I am going to do something!
Ivy thought.
I’ll stop the way they’re treating Tessa.
Olivia’s brain was on the verge of exploding. Ivy had been pacing ever since they’d returned to their bedroom.
‘Why did he have to ask you in front of hismom?’ Ivy was ranting. ‘And they were so rude to
‘Only the revelation to my granddaughters of what is in the boxes,’ the Countess said. ‘Thank you so much for coming to help with our preparations.’
‘Not at all.’ The Queen leaned forward and started to open a lid.
‘Ah, ah.’ The Countess batted at the Queen’s hand. ‘No peeking!’
Ivy was surprised to see the Queen smile. ‘I don’t know how you’re going to exceed last year’s party, dear Caterina,’ she said. ‘But I know it will be the event of the season.’
‘With Olivia and Ivy here,’ Alex said, ‘there’s no question.’
The Queen’s smile vanished.
‘Which is why –’ Alex looked straight at Olivia and Ivy guessed what was going to happen next.‘I hope Olivia would not mind preventing me from attending alone.’
Olivia froze. The Countess smiled with delight but the Queen sat stiffly, her back rigid and her gaze straight ahead.
Olivia and Ivy shared a glance. Ivy guessed that the same things were running through her sister’s mind: if Olivia said yes, the Queen could be outraged, but if she said no, she could be offending their grandmother’s most important guest. On top of everything, Olivia still hadn’t told Alex that she had a boyfriend.
Ivy wanted to put a stop to everything – tell Alex to stop trying to annoy his mother, and tell the Queen to stop being so anti-human. But there was nothing Ivy could say that wouldn’t get her into enormous trouble.
‘Do you think that is appropriate?’ said the Queen.
‘I certainly can’t predict what
you
find appropriate, Mother,’ Alex replied.
Mr Vega cut in. ‘If it is what they want, then it is entirely appropriate.’
‘It is what I want, Mother,’ Prince Alex said.
All eyes were on the Queen.
Ivy gulped.
Is this going to turn into a separationist argument?
The Countess came to the rescue.
‘Of course, Prince Alex,’ she said. ‘Olivia would be delighted to be presented with you, as your new friend.’
‘Yes,’ Olivia said quickly, and Ivy could see her take a breath. That was just the right thing for the Countess to say. ‘Yes, of course. As your new friend.’
Alex beamed and the Queen nodded.
‘How lovely,’ she said, but there wasn’t any hint of warmth in her eyes.
Ivy saw a look on her father’s face, astonishment that the Countess seemed happy for Olivia and Alex to spend time together. Maybe he was finally starting to see that his parents had changed.
Just then, Tessa came back into the room, carrying a tray with a pot and cups. ‘Tea, Your Majesty?’
The Queen turned her face away, not even bothering to reply. Tessa hesitated there for a moment, unsure what to do.
Alex was still glaring at his mother. ‘I’ll pour my own tea.’ He took the tray from a horrified-looking Tessa and turned his back on her.
How can these people be so rude?
Ivy thought. Olivia, too, looked surprised at the behaviour of the Queen and her son.
Refusing to let Tessa pour his tea. Just because Tessa works in the house doesn’t make them any better than her.
It was all bubbling up inside Ivy and she couldn’t stop herself. ‘How can you –’ she began to say. But she caught herself in time.
Don’t ruin things.
She quickly turned to Olivia. ‘How do you get those bows so straight, Olivia?’
Tessa practically fled as Alex poured his tea and the conversation turned to different methods of tying the ribbons.
Ivy wanted to march right out of the room, pack up her suitcase and go back home. She missed Brendan. She wished she could be back at home, in Franklin Grove, where she belonged.
But I’m not going home yet. I am going to do something!
Ivy thought.
I’ll stop the way they’re treating Tessa.
Olivia’s brain was on the verge of exploding. Ivy had been pacing ever since they’d returned to their bedroom.
‘Why did he have to ask you in front of hismom?’ Ivy was ranting. ‘And they were so rude to
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