Luce on the nose. That's you.
Hmph, Luce said, sliding her head back to rest against the soapy wall of the tub. Sounds like a big night for her. But what am I supposed to do while they're all at the ball?
See, remember when I told you--
The knob on the door of the great bathroom was turning. Bill eyed it, groaning. To be continued.
As the door swung open, he held his pointy nose and disappeared under the water. Luce writhed and kicked him to the other side of the tub. He resurfaced, glared at her, and started floating on his back through the suds.
Bill might have been invisible to the pretty girl with corn-colored curls who was standing in the doorway in a long cranberry-colored gown--but Luce wasn't. At the sight of someone in the tub, the girl reared back.
Oh, Princess Lys! Forgive me! she said in French. I was told this chamber was empty. I--I'd run a bath for Princess Elizabeth--she pointed to the tub where Luce was soaking--and was just about to send her up along with her ladies.
Well-- Luce racked her brain, desperate to come off as more regal than she felt. You may not s- send her up. Nor her ladies. This is my chamber, where I intended to bathe in peace.
I beg your pardon, the girl said, bowing, a thousand times.
It's all right, Luce said quickly when she saw the girl's honest despair. There must just have been a misunderstanding.
The girl curtseyed and began to close the door. Bill peeked his horned head up above the surface of the water and whispered, Clothes! Luce used her bare foot to push him down.
Wait! Luce called after the girl, who slowly pushed the door open again. I need your help. Dressing for the ball.
What about your ladies-in-waiting, Princess Lys? There's Agatha or Eloise--
No, no. The girls and I had a spat, Luce hurried on, trying not to talk too much for fear of giving herself away completely. They picked out the most, um, horrid gown for me to wear. So I sent them away. This is an important ball, you know.
Yes, Princess.
Could you find something for me? Luce asked the girl, gesturing with her head at the armoire.
Me? H-help you dress?
You're the only one here, aren't you? Luce said, hoping that something in that armoire would fit her--and look halfway decent for a ball. What's your name?
Anne-Marie, Princess.
Great, Luce said, trying to channel Lucinda from Helston by simply acting self-important. And she threw in a bit of Shelby's know-it-all attitude for good measure. Hop to it, Anne-Marie. I won't be late because of your sluggishness. Be a dear and fetch me a gown.
Ten minutes later, Luce stood before an expansive three-way mirror, admiring the stitching on the bust of the first gown Anne-Marie had tugged from the armoire. The gown was made of tiered black taffeta, tightly gathered at the waist, then swirling into a gloriously wide bell shape near the ground. Luce's hair had been swept up into a twist, then tucked under a dark, heavy wig of elaborate curls. Her face shimmered with a dusting of powder and rouge. She was wearing so many undergarments that it felt as though someone had draped a fifty-pound weight over her body. How did girls move in these things? Let alone dance?
As Anne-Marie drew the corset tighter around her torso, Luce gaped at her reflection. The wig made her look five years older. And she was sure she'd never had this much cleavage before. In any of her lives.
For the briefest moment, she allowed herself to forget her nerves about meeting her past princess self, and whether she'd find Daniel again before she made a huge mess out of their love--and simply felt what every other girl going to that ball that night must have felt: Breathing was overrated in a dress as amazing as this.
You're ready, Princess, Anne-Marie whispered reverently. I will leave you, if you'll allow me.
As soon as Anne-Marie shut the door behind her, Bill propelled himself out of the water, sending a cold spray of soapsuds across the room. He sailed over the armoire and came to rest on a small turquoise silk footstool. He pointed at Luce's gown, at her wig, then at her gown again. Ooh la la. Hot stuff.
You haven't even seen my shoes. She lifted the hem of her skirt to show off a pair of pointy-toed emerald-green heels inlaid with jade flowers. They matched the emerald-green lace that trimmed the