Royal Treatment Page 3

  “So,” I said to Victor, “tell me something about this country that I don’t know.”

  “Well,” he said nodding to the grey slime in front of me. “Oysters are served at nearly every meal.”

  “Really?” I said. Then I lowered my voice. “I don’t like them.”

  Victor laughed. “Not really, but they are quite common. If you douse them with lemon juice, they aren’t so bad.”

  “Looks like it worked for you,” I said, noticing that he had already eaten his portion.

  He grinned. “Quick, no one is looking. Switch plates.”

  I gave him a grateful smile as we swapped. Nobody seemed to see—apart from my aunt, who was giving me a disapproving look that was easy enough to ignore.

  “Thank you,” I whispered.

  “Maybe you’ll learn to love them,” he said with a smile.

  “Maybe.” I said. “If they’re served deep-fried I might try them next time.”

  After that Victor and I chatted in an easy conversation about Evonia and the various dishes we were being served. I forgot about everyone else at the table and let myself relax.

  12

  After dinner, my aunt whispered to me, “The adults will be withdrawing to the parlor. I trust you can keep your peers entertained in the meantime.”

  This was not exactly welcome news. I had never been one of the popular kids who had lots of people over for parties. And so far tonight, I had only really talked to Victor, which meant I had no idea what to say to the girls.

  Caroline didn’t wait for me to respond, though. Which was starting to seem like a pattern, now that I thought about it.

  Once the adults had left the dining room, Lisle and Jacqueline looked at me expectantly.

  I cleared my throat. “So do you guys want to . . .” I paused. I hadn’t been here long enough to know what there was to do in the manor. “Go see my room?” I finished lamely.

  But the others seemed content with that suggestion, so I led them up to my room. When we got there they immediately plunked down on some chairs as if they hung out here all the time.

  Lisle looked around my room casually. Her eyes finally settled on me and she asked, “So what was it like growing up in America?”

  I was taken aback by the question. “I don’t know. Normal, I guess.”

  Jacqueline scrunched her face at my response. Victor smiled encouragingly and said, “Go on, tell us about it. What do people do in the States? Where do you live?”

  I shrugged. “I live in a small town where nothing much happens.” Victor still looked interested, but the girls didn’t, so I added offhandedly, “Besides, I’m not sure I’m the best judge of what’s typical in the States, since my mom grew up here and never quite adjusted to life in Iowa.”

  “Yes,” Jacqueline said, perking up. “We’ve heard stories about your mother.”

  “What stories?” I said, sitting down on the last available chair.

  “I’m sure they’re just rumors,” Lisle said with a smile. “But I heard that she was absolutely wild. A party girl. And that she dated a rock star!”

  I smiled. “My dad was in a band for a couple of years, but they never got famous. Just a few opening gigs with bands on European tours.”

  “We’ve also heard—” Jacqueline started.

  Lisle cut her off. “Don’t say it.”

  “What?” I asked.

  “Oh, it’s just a rumor,” said Lisle.

  “Tell me,” I said.

  “Well, some people say your father kidnapped your mother,” Jacqueline burst out, looking eager to hear more about it.

  I laughed, then realized she was being at least somewhat serious. “Uh, sorry to disappoint you, but that’s not what happened. My parents are actually really boring. They’ve even had a relatively boring divorce.”

  “They’re divorced!?” Lisle said, clearly shocked.

  “Yeah,” I replied. Although I wasn’t happy about their recent divorce, I had more than one friend with separated parents and it didn’t seem that out of the ordinary.

  “Why?” Lisle asked.

  I shrugged. Their divorce still bugged me and I didn’t really want to talk about it.

  “All right, that’s enough, Lisle,” said Victor, giving his sister a stern look. “Let’s do something.”

  “What should we do?” Lisle asked.

  “Hide and seek?” Victor suggested. His mischievous grin made it perfectly clear that he wasn’t thinking of an innocent kid’s game.

  Desperate for any excuse to get out from under the spotlight, I jumped up. “That’s a great idea,” I said. “Let’s explore this place. I’ve barely had a chance to even look around.”

  “Not even the dungeon?” Victor asked.

  “The what?” I said, startled.

  “The dungeon,” he said matter-of-factly. “All castles like this have one.”

  “How would you know?”

  “Well, my mother is one of your aunt’s best friends, so Lisle and I have spent a lot of time here over the years. We’ve explored this place from top to bottom, haven’t we, Lisle?”

  Lisle shrugged. “You have. I usually stay with Mother and Lady Caroline.”

  “I still can’t believe there’s an actual dungeon,” I said.

  Victor raised his eyebrows. “Let’s go down there and I’ll prove it to you.”

  Was there a flirty look in his eyes, or was I imagining it? Either way, I was curious. “Sure,” I said. “Lead the way.”

  13

  When Victor opened the door to the dungeon, a damp, coppery smell rose up from the darkness.

  “We need a light,” I said.

  Victor pulled out his phone and tapped on a light before starting down the stairs. Formal cocktail attire does not include ideal places to store a cell phone so I didn’t have mine with me. Glancing back at Jaqueline and Lisle, I could see that they were phoneless too. So we quickly followed Victor before his light disappeared around a bend in the staircase.

  “I don’t know about this,” Jacqueline said when we got to the dark passageway at the bottom of the stairs. “There are probably rats down here.”

  “Or worse,” Victor added cheerfully.

  She froze. “I’m going back up,” she said.

  “What about you, sister dear?” Victor asked Lisle with a smirk.

  “I’ll kick any rat that I see,” she replied defiantly.

  I was impressed with Lisle. Maybe she and I would get along.

  Jacqueline gave Lisle a pouty look, clearly upset at being left out, but bolted back up the stairs all the same. The three of us continued down a long hallway. Suddenly Lisle bumped into Victor and he dropped his phone with a loud crack. I jumped at the noise and the sudden darkness.

  “Sorry! I’ve got it,” Lisle said, squatting down to the ground in search of the phone. It only took her a few seconds to locate it and turn the light back on, but when she stood back up with it, Victor was gone.

  “Where did he go?” Lisle asked, looking genuinely concerned.

  “He couldn’t have gone far,” I said.

  “Maybe he’s—” Lisle started to say, but she was interrupted by a long, drawn-out moan.

  “Victor?” I said, following the sound. But there was no answer. I walked down the hallway a little farther—just beyond the reach of the phone’s light.

  “BLAH!” Victor yelled as he jumped into my path.

  We both jumped and then Lisle smacked Victor in the chest.

  “You are horrible,” she said. “Absolutely horrible.”

  Once the shock wore off, I couldn’t help giggling. It was a dumb prank, but it had worked. There was something charming about Victor.

  “But check this out,” Victor said, pointing to the spot where he’d been hiding. In the dim light, it looked like some kind of old-school jail cell. “Can you imagine being imprisoned down here? It would be dark twenty-four hours a day.”

  “Oh, man, I hope my dad didn’t get stuck in a cell like this,
” I murmured, suddenly horrified.

  “What do you mean?” Lisle said.

  “Uh, well, he got arrested at one point. I guess my grandfather wasn’t happy he married my mom,” I said trying to make a joke out of something dark, something I hadn’t totally wrapped my head around yet.

  “I’m sure he wasn’t kept down here,” Victor said, reaching for my hand in the dark. “Or anywhere as old-fashioned as this.”

  “If he was,” I said, “I totally understand why my parents fled the country after I was born.”

  “I’d flee too,” Lisle said. “In fact, let’s get out of here.”

  As she headed back toward the stairs, Victor kept holding my hand but didn’t budge.

  “Grace Valmont,” Victor said, and I didn’t correct him. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  “I am too,” I said.

  “Do you mind if I kiss you?” Victor asked. The light from his phone seemed to make his eyes shine and sparkle even down in the dark passageway.

  “Yes,” I said.

  “Yes, you mind?” he said.

  “No,” I said and then, “Yes.” And then I just kissed him to make my point clear.

  14

  Victor and I climbed back up the stairs hand in hand, but just before we got to the door, he dropped my hand. When I saw the look on Jacqueline’s face, I knew why.

  As we headed back toward my room, I whispered to Lisle, “Are your brother and Jacqueline dating?”

  “They’re always off and on,” she said, rolling her eyes. “They attend different boarding schools—Jacqueline in Paris, Victor in London—so every fall they break up and every holiday they get back together.”

  “Are they together now?”

  Lisle smiled at me. “Why? Are you interested in him?”

  But just then Duncan rounded a corner and I was saved from having to answer.

  “There you are,” he said. “I’ve had trouble tracking you down. Where have you been? Your parents would like to leave soon.”

  “Just playing a game of hide and seek,” Victor replied innocently.

  As we followed Duncan to the parlor, I noticed Jacqueline glaring at me.

  “Jacqueline asked Victor to be her escort to the coming-out ball,” Lisle whispered to me, continuing our conversation as though we hadn’t been interrupted. “But that was before they got into a big fight last week.”

  “The what ball?” I said.

  “The coming-out ball. All of the teenagers of noble families are introduced to society when they turn sixteen. You’ll be there too.”

  “Uh, I’m not sure I’ll be doing that,” I said, stalling. My aunt never said anything about a ball. In fact, she hadn’t gone into any detail about my responsibilities as a future duchess. And a fancy party didn’t really sound appealing to me.

  “Of course you will. It’s the whole reason you’re here, isn’t it?”

  “I guess,” I said, though that wasn’t why I came all the way over here. I came here to try to understand my past, to learn about everything my parents had kept from me.

  “Your aunt has already told everyone you’re going,” Lisle said. “I know she’s been plotting to get you here for the ball for years.”

  This surprised me. I’d thought my aunt had wanted to make up with her sister and get to know me. It bugged me that this whole trip was now about some society ball that I hadn’t even agreed to attend.

  In the parlor, while everyone got ready to leave, Victor took my hand and led me to a corner, out of everyone else’s earshot.

  “Will you go on a proper date with me?” he said.

  “Aren’t you dating Jacqueline?” I asked. “I don’t want to cause any problems between you two.” And I don’t want to start anything with a guy who’s already in a relationship, I added silently.

  “No,” he said. “Jacqueline and I have gone out in the past, but we’re just friends now.”

  I waited for his eyes to meet mine, but he was looking past me toward the main hall.

  “Really?” I wasn’t convinced, especially since it seemed like he was looking at Jacqueline as he said it.

  “Really,” he said, and this time his blue eyes locked on mine.

  “Well, in that case,” I said, still cautious, “I’ll think about it.”

  15

  At lunch the next day, Aunt Caroline raved about how successful the previous night had been. “It seems like you were getting along well with the Gilspeads and the Middlebrooks.”

  I only nodded. I still felt a bit confused about where I fit in with the nobility. My aunt didn’t seem to notice.

  “Although there was that unfortunate incident with the oysters,” she said absentmindedly. “But the entrance and the introductions went quite well, I thought. And it was good practice for you to get ready for the coming-out ball next week.”

  “What is this coming-out ball, anyway? You haven’t really explained it to me.”

  “Oh, it’s a tradition for Evonia’s noble families. It’s only a formality at this point. Just announcing your place in society really. But I couldn’t let you miss it, regardless of what your mother and your foolish father think about making your own choices and being fully aware of—”

  “So you were planning this all along?” I cut her off. My voice was sharp. “You lied to me about wanting to get to know me and make amends with my parents? It was all just a way to manipulate me into coming here so you could show me off to your society friends?”

  “Well, it’s not just for my benefit, Grace.” My aunt gave me a stern look. “I know you haven’t known about your heritage until recently, but you really need to start taking on Valmont family responsibilities.”

  “And what if I don’t want them?” I was starting to understand why my mom had rejected this life.

  The question caught Caroline off guard, but she didn’t get a chance to respond. Duncan entered the room, and I felt a flash of embarrassment, realizing that the entire household could probably hear our argument.

  “What is it, Duncan?” Caroline asked a little snippily.

  “I’ve received a call from the staff at the Middlebrook household,” he said. “They’ve asked if it would be convenient for Victor to take Lady Grace horseback riding on Thursday at eleven.”

  “Why didn’t Victor just call me?” I asked Duncan. He didn’t seem to know what to say.

  My aunt sighed, but she was smiling again. “This is the way that things are done, Grace,” she said. “Victor Middlebrook comes from a very old, very distinguished family. He has excellent breeding.” I wrinkled my nose at the word breeding, but Caroline was already turning back to Duncan. “Say that Grace will be delighted to accept.”

  “Hold on! I don’t know how to ride,” I said. But it was more than that. I was suddenly concerned that this was just another one of my aunt’s manipulations.

  “Not to worry,” said Caroline. “Duncan can arrange for you to have some lessons down at our stables this afternoon.” She stood up. “And now I must be off. I may or may not be back in time for dinner,” she said on her way out the door.

  I was stunned. We hadn’t finished our conversation. She had completely ignored my concerns about this ball, shutting out any room for argument about that or the Valmont family responsibilities, as she called them. And now I would have to take riding lessons.

  I grumbled but went upstairs to change into jeans and a T-shirt anyway.

  As I pulled the shirt over my head, I spotted my phone sitting on the bedside table. I grabbed it, figuring I should send a message to my parents. I didn’t know what to say, but I wanted to tell them at least something about what Aunt Caroline was trying to do.

  Then I hesitated. I knew that my parents would be furious if they thought Caroline was taking advantage of me. And although I was no longer convinced that she really cared about making amends with my parents, I didn’t want to give up on the idea that we could all be a family someday. So instead, slowly and deliberately, I typed out a message lett
ing them know that I would be attending the coming-out ball.

  My dad replied within seconds: THE WHAT?!

  A message from my mom flashed across the screen: Miguel, we will talk about this separately. If that’s what you want to do, Grace, do it. But please don’t let your aunt make you do something you aren’t comfortable with.

  I sighed. I wasn’t sure I was comfortable with attending a fancy ball, but I didn’t want my parents to know that. So I typed a quick yep in reply and put my phone back down.

  “They are ready for you at the stables whenever you want to go,” Duncan announced when I came back downstairs. “Would you like me to drive you?”

  “No thanks, I’ll be fine,” I said. From what I remembered, the stables were only about a mile down the road. I would have happily walked twice that far without a second thought. I only wished I had my skateboard with me.

  Outside, the weather was perfect: not a cloud in the sky and a cool breeze blowing over the rolling green hills.

  As I approached the stable, I heard music playing. To my surprise, I actually recognized the song from one of my dad’s band’s old albums.

  I walked up to the stable and knocked on the wooden doorframe as I entered. Inside, in the stall just to my left, a boy with curly hair the color of wet sand was brushing a horse. Two stalls down, a girl with hair the same color hair waved to me.

  “Good afternoon, Lady Grace,” the girl said with a big smile on her face.

  “Hi,” I said awkwardly, looking around for the source of the music. Then I spotted a battered-looking MP3 player sitting on a bale of hay. “This song,” I said. “How do you know it?”

  “My favorite band,” the boy said as he picked up the MP3 player and turned it off. I was shocked, but all I could manage to say was, “Cool.”

  “I’m Sasha, and this is my sister Petra,” he added.

  “Yeah—nice to meet you. My aunt said you two can teach me how to ride.”

  “That we can,” Sasha replied.