How to Turn a Frog into a Prince - Bree Wolf Page 0,40

“then you’ll have to dress up. After all, it’s Pierce and Caroline’s engagement celebration.” The girls pouted, their little arms crossing over their chests. “But perhaps we can find other dresses.” She looked from Daphne to Susan. “Pretty ones. Or we could add a few pretty accessories?”

The deep frowns upon the girls’ faces seemed to lessen a little. “What accessories?” Daphne asked, her brown eyes beginning to glow.

Charlaine grinned. “I’m certain we can find something.”

“And I want to bring Mary,” Daphne threw in as an afterthought.

“Mama said Daphne couldn’t bring her,” Susan explained. “She said she was too ugly.”

Again, Daphne’s little arms crossed over her chest. “She’s not ugly! She’s…one of a kind.”

“Mary?” Nathanial asked with a frown.

“Her doll,” Charlaine whispered so the girls couldn’t hear. “Unfortunately, she had some sort of accident, which rendered her rather…hairless.”

“Oh,” was all Nathanial said.

“Very well, here is what we’ll do,” Charlaine said as she leaned forward and gestured to the girls to come closer. “Nathanial and I will smuggle you back upstairs without your mother noticing. Then I will help you get changed, and Nathanial will check my jewelry box for something fitting, all right?”

Grinning from ear to ear, Susan nodded.

Daphne, however, still had a bit of a glower in her eyes. “What about Mary?”

Charlaine thought for moment. “How about a compromise? Mary can attend, but we’ll find her a good hiding spot from where to watch. That way, she’ll no doubt pick up all the gossip and can share it with us later.” She held her hand out to Daphne. “Deal?”

Reluctant to give in this easily, Daphne hesitated. Indeed, if she kept this up, the girl would one day be a negotiator that would bring others to tears. “Deal,” she finally said, “but only if we can have two pieces of cake.”

Chapter Nineteen

A Cake Conspiracy

Nathanial wanted to sink into a hole in the ground. Unfortunately, there was none around.

Instead, he was marching arm in arm with Charlaine around to the servants’ back door with two little girls hiding behind them. Charlaine’s skirts provided better cover compared to his own silhouette. However, together, they managed to reach the house undetected.

Not counting a few odd glances here and there.

“Why are we doing this?” Nathanial whispered to Charlaine as they stepped into the hall. Never in his life had he felt as foolish as he did in this moment.

She cast him a teasing smile. “Because it’s fun.”

“Is it?” Nathanial croaked as the tip of Daphne’s shoe connected rather painfully with his heel.

“Faster,” the girl hissed, her little hand curled into the side of his jacket, allowing him to all but drag her along.

Fortunately, the entry hall lay deserted as all guests had arrived and the betrothed couple had joined them in the back of the house. “The stairs are clear,” Charlaine whispered. “Run! Now!”

With a mad dash, the girls flew up the stairs.

Relief welled up in Nathanial’s heart before Charlaine’s hand closed over his wrist. “Come. Quickly.” Then she, too, rushed up the stairs, leaving him no choice but to follow.

Upstairs, they glanced up and down the corridor, then proceeded down to a door that opened up to a large, light-filled chamber. Dresses lay everywhere, on beds, over the backrests of chairs as well as on the floor. “Don’t tell me you tried all of these on?” Charlaine looked from one girl to the other.

Daphne shook her head. “We said we did, but we didn’t.”

“That’s when Mama got angry,” Susan said with a bit of a shiver.

“I’m certain we’ll find something fitting,” Charlaine told the girls before she once more grasped Nathanial’s arm and pulled him back out into the corridor. “Can you go to my chamber and find two necklaces for them in my jewelry box? My chamber is around the corner, three doors down on the left.”

Nathanial felt his jaw drop. “Me?” he croaked yet again. “I cannot go into your chamber, let alone go through your jewelry. It would cause a scandal if I were found. What would people think? What—?” His thoughts ran wild, and his pulse seemed inclined to catch up.

Charlaine pressed a finger to his lips. “Don’t worry. You’ll do fine,” she told him with a smile. Her eyes were luminous as they looked into his, not even a hint of concern in them. Instead, they sparkled with excitement and adventure. “Don’t think too much. This is supposed to be fun.”

Nathanial shook his head. “Are you certain? I cannot imagine—”

“Did you never play these games with your brother when