Let Them Have Cake by Kathy Pratt Page B

that all eyes were upon her.
                  “Please go on, Anne-Marie,” Queen Marie Antoinette instructed.
                  “Then, one day, a handsome Prince rides into the kingdom upon a magnificent chestnut stallion. He approaches the castle and tells one of the stepsisters that he is looking for the beautiful Princess that is fabled to live there. The stepsister giggles and says that she is the Princess. The handsome Prince tells her she can’t possibly be the one. He is looking for the Princess with the high forehead, the alabaster skin, and the beautiful mouth with the lower lip that sticks out appealingly.”
                  “Oh! The handsome Prince is looking for me! What happens next,” the Queen asked.
                  “Fortunately, one of the workmen that had been watching over Juliet overheard the conversation and approaches the Prince when the stepsister goes inside the castle to tell her mother. The workman leads the Prince to where Juliet sleeps. He wakes her with a kiss, sweeps her up in his arms, and lifts her onto his horse. Together they ride off to his kingdom and live happily ever after.”
                  Queen Marie Antoinette let out little yelps of glee and clapped her hands together delightedly.
                  “Anne-Marie. You’ve done it again. It is perfect and makes me very happy. Come, Monique, let us go to my room and search for the perfect Princess dress for me to wear in my role. Genevieve, you assign the others to their parts. Make certain that you assign one of the stepsisters to wear the ‘pelican’ on her teeth, just like the dentist used to put on mine to make them straighter.”
     
                   
                 
                 
                 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Twelve
                  “I don’t want to be one of the stepsisters, Anne-Marie.” Monique whined. “Is there not some other part? Why do you have so few women in the play? I don’t want to be the wicked stepmother, either.”
                  “Well, someone has to play the sisters and the mother. Genevieve doesn’t want to, either. You know that the Queen must be the beautiful Princess and there isn’t a story if there aren’t stepsisters. Please?” Anna begged.
                  “I suppose you are right. We’ll play the stepsisters. But, we don’t have to be ugly, do we? Can’t we be pretty but not as pretty as the Princess?” Genevieve asked.
                  “Of course. You could never be ugly, anyway.”
                  “Who is going to be the mother?” Monique looked at Genevieve and they both began to giggle. “I know. It should be Monsieur Roleau.”
                  “Why do you say that?” asked Anna.
                  “Oh, don’t tell me you haven’t noticed how like a woman he is at times.”
                  “Do you mean because he is so gentle and artistic? Shh... Here he comes.”
                  Jacques stepped reluctantly into the kitchen where the women were gathered. He hung his head and blushed bright red.
                  “Madame Toussaint. I mean, Anne-Marie. Are you ready to go for a horseback ride? I have the horses outside.”
                  “Oh. Monsieur Roleau. I had forgotten,” Anna replied.
                  He looked stricken, bowed and turned to leave.
                  “Wait. Yes, I can go for a little ride. Monique, Genevieve, will you continue gathering the things that we need for the play? Please talk with the men that work the grounds and see if you can convince them to help us. Also, if you see Geoffroi, please ask him if he will be the Prince.”
                  “He doesn’t like to participate in our plays. He will say no,”