going to take him on the tour of the gardens, actually,” I said quickly.
“They’re so beautiful in the moonlight, and we need to stretch our legs after
the flight earlier today.”
My father smiled agreeably, but my mother looked outraged.
It wasn’t enough to stop me, though. I took Jack by the arm and started out of
the dining room.
Then my mother said, “The other young people might want to
join you. Victoria, Edward, Lisette, why don’t you join them on their walk.”
I almost whimpered at losing our near escape, but there was
no way to object without creating a scene that would humiliate my parents.
So our quiet walk in peace turned out to be an awkward walk
with me and Lisette trying to make conversation, Jack putting in a comment here
or there when it was appropriate, and Victoria and Edward not saying anything
at all.
It was the typical kind of social farce I’d been part of all
my life, but it felt worse than normal. I think because of Jack. He made me
notice how artificial it was and how much I didn’t want to be a part of it.
I fervently wished I was back in Minneapolis, in my
apartment or Jack’s apartment, hanging out and eating pizza. Maybe it wasn’t
what a princess should want, but I lusted after it like a fantasy.
We kept the walk short, since it wasn’t particularly fun for
anyone, and finally the guests started to leave. We waved them off, as was
expected of us, and I ran to catch up with Victoria before she started to leave
for her room.
“Is something wrong?” I called after her.
She turned around at my voice. “Why would something be
wrong?” Her voice was cool, clipped, all wrong.
She was the prettiest of the three of us sisters, with fair
hair that fell in perfect curls, dark blue eyes, and lovely classic features.
She was normally outgoing and social, with a great sense of humor, so her
behavior tonight wasn’t like her at all.
“I don’t know,” I said slowly. “But something is definitely
wrong. Are you…are you mad at me?”
“Why would I be mad?”
I made a frustrated sound in my throat. “I don’t know.
That’s why I’m asking. I thought things were…were fine between us. Did I do
something?”
She just looked at me, and I could tell she was hurt more
than angry.
“Victoria, tell me what I did. You know why I had to leave.”
“Yes, I knew. You did it for yourself, without thought for
what it would do to anyone else.”
“What are you talking about?” I was almost in tears, so
upset was I by her obvious reproach and my inability to figure out the reason.
“When you refused to marry Edward, what did you think Mother
would do? She wasn’t going to let that fortune get away.”
I gasped, raising my hand to cover my mouth. “She wants you to marry him now?”
“Of course she does. What did you think would happen?”
“But I didn’t think…Victoria, just tell her no. Tell her no
like I did.”
“Some of us care about our families and don’t want to throw
them away like so much rubbish.”
The words were like blows, knocking the wind out of me,
making me sway on my feet. “You know that’s not true.”
“I don’t know how I’m supposed to know that.” She turned her
back on me then and walked away, with as much grace and dignity as she always
had.
I stood and stared after her, barely able to breathe.
Maybe I had been selfish. Maybe I had only been thinking
about myself. It all had made sense to me—doing what felt right to me, for
me—but evidently my sister had to bear the brunt of my decisions.
I felt an arm go around me, and I buried my face in Jack’s
chest.
“It’s all right,” he murmured against my hair.
“No, it’s not. She thinks…she said…” I managed to mumble out
a mostly coherent explanation of what Victoria had just said to me.
“Well, it’s not true,” Jack said, when I’d finished. “You
weren’t being selfish. She can make decisions for herself just like you can.
It’s just wrong for her to
“They’re so beautiful in the moonlight, and we need to stretch our legs after
the flight earlier today.”
My father smiled agreeably, but my mother looked outraged.
It wasn’t enough to stop me, though. I took Jack by the arm and started out of
the dining room.
Then my mother said, “The other young people might want to
join you. Victoria, Edward, Lisette, why don’t you join them on their walk.”
I almost whimpered at losing our near escape, but there was
no way to object without creating a scene that would humiliate my parents.
So our quiet walk in peace turned out to be an awkward walk
with me and Lisette trying to make conversation, Jack putting in a comment here
or there when it was appropriate, and Victoria and Edward not saying anything
at all.
It was the typical kind of social farce I’d been part of all
my life, but it felt worse than normal. I think because of Jack. He made me
notice how artificial it was and how much I didn’t want to be a part of it.
I fervently wished I was back in Minneapolis, in my
apartment or Jack’s apartment, hanging out and eating pizza. Maybe it wasn’t
what a princess should want, but I lusted after it like a fantasy.
We kept the walk short, since it wasn’t particularly fun for
anyone, and finally the guests started to leave. We waved them off, as was
expected of us, and I ran to catch up with Victoria before she started to leave
for her room.
“Is something wrong?” I called after her.
She turned around at my voice. “Why would something be
wrong?” Her voice was cool, clipped, all wrong.
She was the prettiest of the three of us sisters, with fair
hair that fell in perfect curls, dark blue eyes, and lovely classic features.
She was normally outgoing and social, with a great sense of humor, so her
behavior tonight wasn’t like her at all.
“I don’t know,” I said slowly. “But something is definitely
wrong. Are you…are you mad at me?”
“Why would I be mad?”
I made a frustrated sound in my throat. “I don’t know.
That’s why I’m asking. I thought things were…were fine between us. Did I do
something?”
She just looked at me, and I could tell she was hurt more
than angry.
“Victoria, tell me what I did. You know why I had to leave.”
“Yes, I knew. You did it for yourself, without thought for
what it would do to anyone else.”
“What are you talking about?” I was almost in tears, so
upset was I by her obvious reproach and my inability to figure out the reason.
“When you refused to marry Edward, what did you think Mother
would do? She wasn’t going to let that fortune get away.”
I gasped, raising my hand to cover my mouth. “She wants you to marry him now?”
“Of course she does. What did you think would happen?”
“But I didn’t think…Victoria, just tell her no. Tell her no
like I did.”
“Some of us care about our families and don’t want to throw
them away like so much rubbish.”
The words were like blows, knocking the wind out of me,
making me sway on my feet. “You know that’s not true.”
“I don’t know how I’m supposed to know that.” She turned her
back on me then and walked away, with as much grace and dignity as she always
had.
I stood and stared after her, barely able to breathe.
Maybe I had been selfish. Maybe I had only been thinking
about myself. It all had made sense to me—doing what felt right to me, for
me—but evidently my sister had to bear the brunt of my decisions.
I felt an arm go around me, and I buried my face in Jack’s
chest.
“It’s all right,” he murmured against my hair.
“No, it’s not. She thinks…she said…” I managed to mumble out
a mostly coherent explanation of what Victoria had just said to me.
“Well, it’s not true,” Jack said, when I’d finished. “You
weren’t being selfish. She can make decisions for herself just like you can.
It’s just wrong for her to
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