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Before me, a sea of women gathered, some inside the gate, some outside. If I didn’t know any better, I would assume we were all just dropped off for summer camp. Luggage dotted the grounds. Girls hugged and squealed as they saw each other, a few were even shedding tears. The crowd had to be close to fifty people deep. Fitz told me there would be fifteen women in the competition, but the gathered mob, I mean, group, had me wondering if there was some kind of raffle at play. Golden Ticket, anyone?
A trumpet’s melody brought all conversation to a halt. I turned toward the open gate where the man who resented my American blood waited for us.
“Ladies, if you would say your goodbyes for now.” His tone warmed for the rest of them. “We have a schedule to keep.”
Goodbyes took the place of the cheerful chatter and one by one the women moved away from their families. It hit me that this was a big deal. That sounded stupid even as I thought it, but Fitz was… well, Fitz. I still hadn’t wrapped my mind around the whole prince thing and then, to have a crowd of… I started counting.
Twenty- five? Twenty-five gorgeous women all signed up to want to meet him? Even though I had spent a fair share of my flight looking at the current picture of Fitz that I’d found online, I still couldn’t undo the image of him in my head. Ears too big, body gangly, and reading glasses typically askew while he read about Greek mythology and amphibian biology for fun. Obviously, something had changed, or I guess the idea of becoming a future queen held a great deal more appeal than I had ever considered.
With the goodbyes out of the way, two guards moved in to close the gate as we passed through. It made sense. It was a palace, and they didn’t want just anyone stumbling in off the street. Or through the gate…
I nearly tripped over my luggage as I followed the crowd. The cheerful fella had so sweetly left it for me. He probably worried he might get American cooties all over him. No one else had any bags, but I tried not to let it bother me as I gripped the handles on each of mine and stuck to the back of the crowd to stay out of the way.
As we moved, guards shouted orders, but at the back, the words became muffled and indistinguishable. I figured these were kindergarten rules. Stay with the pack and you’ll be fine. I took the travel time as an opportunity to survey Fitz’s prospects.
At the front, dressed in all black, other than the white fur halo framing her face, a black-haired woman looked down her perfectly sculpted nose at every person around her. Now and then, her full lips would pucker into a scowl when she felt like her competitors came too close. I’d seen her type before, better than everyone else, at least in her mind. She locked eyes with another tall beauty only a couple of feet back in the crowd. Unspoken words passed between them like they could speak telepathically. A shiver ran up my spine as the moment passed. I watched the second woman with her sandy-blonde hair. She shelled out big money to fake a sun-kissed hair color look, because her pale skin tone wasn’t fooling anyone. If I wasn’t mistaken, the two women obviously knew each other and they had already formed an alliance.
Excited chatter burbled up around me as we took a path through the gardens. I’d never claimed to have a green thumb, but I couldn’t believe how many plants were still in bloom in the chilly temperatures.
“Look at that rose!” A voice snagged my attention. One of the shorter girls had broken off and rushed into the bushes. “It’s a Silver Duchess rose. I’ve never seen one bloom this late.” Her voice became more distant as she moved deeper into the greenery.
Another young woman hurried after her. “Dagny, come back. You can’t go running off.” But ironically, the brunette scurried into the garden after the first deserter.
“What’s going on back there?” The guard escorting us wasn’t in the mood for any of these shenanigans. Our entire company halted as he did. He noticed the two in the garden and sighed. Mumbling under his breath, he started in their direction.
Laughter erupted from the two women standing in front of me. The redhead tilted toward her friend to keep her voice low. “Of course, Blair went too. Watch Reginald lose his mind, in three, two, one…”
As if she was psychic, the fella who’d found me jammed in the gate drew in a deep breath until he looked so swollen I thought he might pop. Reginald. The name rang more than one bell. Fitz had mentioned him in nearly every letter. I’d never believed him when he referred to advice given by his personal royal advisor, but amid this fairytale come to life, it made sense. And, of course, Fitz had sent him to track me down when I wasn’t where I was supposed to be.
“Ugh.” A sharp sound of derisive disapproval caught my attention. One of the snooty girls from the front row checked her watch with obvious distaste. I wasn’t the only one who noticed, which was probably her goal to begin with, but the gossiping duo in front of me actually voiced their opinions.
“I’m sorry, Lady Esmerey. Are the commoners taxing you?” The rest of the group burst into reserved laughter, at least until the one with hair like a raven turned to face them.
“I’m only taxed, Gwendolyn, by the immaturity of those wishing to be the future queen.” Her chin jutted out, raising the angle of her head to a higher level. “This is hardly the time to act like children and run fancifully through a garden when his Royal Highness is waiting for us.”
“I don’t know.” Another more jovial voice joined the debate. I traced it back to the most stunning woman I’d ever seen. Her bright-green eyes sparked with mischief. “I think Prince Leonidas would fancy a jaunt in the garden.”
Esmerey looked ready to take her head off, but the guard returned with the two who’d run off and the conversation ended as we resumed our walk. We passed more rose bushes, a giant willow, and sculptures of every kind in near silence, but the two gossipers in front of me couldn’t stay silent any longer.
“You know she’s bitter that there are some without noble blood here.” Gwendolyn kept her volume low, but I had no problem hearing her. “The kingdom would benefit from someone who has seen the bottom and clawed their way up, don’t you think, Fallon?”
“Strange coming from you…” Her companion shot her a dubious look and straightened her glasses. “Seeing how you’re of noble blood.”
“My bloodline has little to do with the fact that nothing in this palace has changed in hundreds of years. The king is so removed from his own reality, the whole place is stuck in the Dark Ages.” Gwendolyn shifted her gaze to the towering palace. “Someone should help them see the truth of the world and I think someone of common blood would do the trick.”
Fallon smirked. “Is that your way of saying you hope he doesn’t pick you?”
“Leo can do as he pleases. He’s the prince.” Her eyebrow jumped once, as if to communicate something deeper beyond her platitude. “But the chances of him choosing me are almost as bad as they are for him picking the American. You know the pressure from the crown is to make a political move in marriage. You and me, we’re not even in the running.”
Was she aware I was the American? And, if so, how did she know? I pulled back to give them a little more space. The steps to the palace stretched up before us, but Fallon had one more question.
“If that’s true, then why did you bother coming?”
Gwendolyn frowned like the notion was stupid. “And miss a chance to see Leo again? I think not.”
Jealousy lit a flame in my heart. Not because they were talking about marrying Fitz, but because she spoke of him with such familiarity. I thought that was my place, his oldest and dearest friend. It was naïve of me to assume that he wouldn’t form connections with other people. Never mind that Gwendolyn, with her barrel-rolled blonde curls that looked fresh from a salon, would definitely fit his type a lot better than I ever had.
I shook it off. Naturally competitive, I would have to watch myself to be sure I didn’t forget why I’d come. Fitz needed my help to collect information, not to get bent out of shape because someone knew him as Leo.
