The next day, I sneaked out to go meet William. Despite the previous night, it was not very difficult. Once a week, Mother would meet with her friends for tea—well, they called it tea, but, really, it was to gossip and discuss the latest affairs and scandals. She would leave before noon and return later in the day, so I knew she would be out of the house. And Father would be working, though it did not really matter where he was concerned anyway, because he did not really care about what we were all doing. Alice was the only other one I had to worry about and I did not see her as I tiptoed to the front door and shut it quietly behind me.

Once outside in the chilled afternoon air, I breathed a sigh of relief. I found Walter in the stables brushing down a bay gelding.

"Good afternoon, Walter," I said.

He turned and bowed. "Good afternoon, Miss. How may I help you?"

I asked him for a ride to the palace, which he happily obliged. It was midafternoon by the time we arrived at the palace gates.

William sat beneath a willow tree just inside the front gates, his head bowed over a book, dark hair falling into his eyes. My heart sped up as I made my way toward him.

He looked up as I approached and smiled.

I returned the smile and sat down beside him. "What are you reading?"

He held up the cover for me. "Bleak House," he replied.

"I've heard that novel is rather complicated, though I've never read it. Is it good?"

"It's very interesting, though, yes, a bit complex at times. You might like it though."

I smiled and clasped my hands in my lap. "I will have to read it, then."

A quiet settled around us. The air was warmer today than it had been recently, and smelled faintly of cherry blossoms. The world seemed calm and relaxed, the guards laughed and talked as they guarded the palace, a faint breeze rustled my hair as I looked around.

When I turned back to William, I found him watching me, a faint smile playing about his lips. I blushed. "What is it?"

"Oh," his eyes widened and he looked away suddenly. "It's nothing. You just . . . your face."

I blinked several times. "My . . . face?"

His face turned a bright shade of red. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that." He sighed in exasperation and passed a hand over his eyes. "I was suddenly struck by your beauty and found that I could not look away."

My own face began to burn. "Oh, er, thank you. That sounds like something one might read in a Jane Austen novel."

He smiled wryly, still looking slightly embarrassed. "I do enjoy Jane Austen, so that might be where I drew my inspiration from."

He reads Jane Austen, I thought dreamily. Is this man even real?  I smiled as I met William's sapphire eyes. "Her novels are a wonderful picture of romance and if you had to draw inspiration from somewhere I am pleased that it was her."

We lapsed into comfortable silence once more. After a moment, I spoke. "What is it like being a prince?"

He paused, raising his eyes skyward to think. "I suppose it is equal parts rewarding and burdensome. It is rewarding because I know I am doing something meaningful. I am learning how to be a leader, how to guide the country the best way I can. I get to go to parties a balls, dance with beautiful women, like you"—I blushed at this—"and there is a lot of freedom and privilege that comes with being a prince. I do not have to worry about things that a lot of people have to worry about, such as the wintertime and food stores. However, it is also a lot of responsibility being a prince who will one day become king. I am always on guard—always remembering how to conduct myself. It will not just affect me, but also my parents, perhaps the whole country. My relationship with my father is different, I think, because I am a subject first and then a son, the same way he will always be my sovereign before he is my father. Similarly, my relationships in general are different because of my status. To everyone, I am a prince and then a friend. There is a lot of pressure being prince. I enjoy it, really, but it is certainly not without it's trials." Although his smile was still fixed in place, it looked sadder than before.

My heart ached a little for him. "I'm sure it is very complicated," I sympathized.

His eyes widened slightly and he looked away suddenly. "I'm sorry," he said. "I did not mean to . . . tell you all of that. It just sort of came out. You are very easy to talk to."

I shook my head quickly, hair flying around my face. "Please, do not be sorry. I understand. Really. I am sure if it came to your lips so easily, you must have needed someone to tell."

He tilted his head and a small smile curved along his lips. "Thank you for being someone to listen."

We turned to lighter conversation after that. We returned to the subject of books, as we always seemed to. After that, we followed a similar line of questioning as we did at the ball. He asked me about my favorite type of tree, I asked him about his favorite sea animal, and the time just slipped away.

At one point, I looked just past his shoulder and saw a girl with pale blond curls and a light pink dress walk down the palace steps and toward the gate. "Is that Alice?" I asked, leaning forward. She walked with her shoulders back, confident and determined, without looking about her at all. It really looked like her, but, from the side, it was rather hard to tell.

William looked over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow. "It does look like her, doesn't it?"

"How interesting," I mused. I thought it might be her, but I had no idea what Alice might be doing here if she did not intend to meet Prince William. The girl disappeared through the palace gates and out of sight.

I turned back to William, shaking my head to clear my thoughts. "I'm sorry," I said quickly. "What did you ask?"

He returned his gaze to mine. "Oh, I asked what your least favorite vegetable might be?"

"Oh, right, sorry," I said again, abashed. "Bell peppers. I abhor those things."

"Really? All colors? They don't even taste the same."

"No, they don't, but they all taste similarly enough I must admit, the green ones are my least favorite, but I try to stay away from all colors of bell peppers. What is your least favorite vegetable?"

"Beets," he said with a grimace. "No matter how they are prepared or what they are eaten with, they always taste like dirt to me."

I laughed. "I had never given the taste of beets much thought."

"Well, you will just have to take my word for it. They taste like dirt. I mean that literally. If someone fed me a spoonful of dirt and a beat one after the other, I do not think I could tell the difference."

I grinned. "Have you eaten much dirt in your life, William?"

"Enough to know that it tastes exactly like beets."

I could not help but smile at this and I looked away. The sun was beginning to set and a dread settled in my stomach. The idea of going home was not very appealing, but neither was the idea of being late again and risking my mother's wrath. "I must be going," I said. "I cannot afford to be late for supper again. Thank you for meeting with me William. It was a pleasure." I stood up and brushed bits of grass from my skirt.

"The pleasure was mine, My Lady."

I cleared my throat, blushing slightly. "You may call me Erika, since I call you William."

He smiled. "I would love that."

I smiled. "Let's meet again soon, all right?"

"Oh, I forgot to mention something. My family is hosting a ball in two days' time. I am sure your family has already been invited, but I just wanted to invite you myself because I really hope you can make it."

"Right, of course," I said haltingly. I had no idea what event he was talking about. I hadn't heard of one. Still, the thought that he wanted to invite me personally made me feel warm inside. "Thank you. I think you're right, my family will probably be there, but I certainly will, regardless."

His grinned widened. "I look forward to seeing you, then, Erika." He swept my hand up and pressed a kiss against my knuckles.

My heart did a little flip at the way my name sounded on his lips and my hand tingled where he kissed it. "Until then."

#

I arrived home, thankfully, before Mother had returned. Though, as I stepped through the front door, Alice was descending the staircase into the entryway. She stopped when she saw me, eyebrows raised.

"Where were you?" She asked in a slightly accusatory tone.

Panic flared in my stomach as I quickly tried to come up with an excuse. "I went for a stroll around the grounds," I said, not sounding the least bit believable.

She narrowed her eyes at me, looking as though she might pick apart my lie piece-by-piece. Instead, she sighed exaggeratedly. "Well, Mother will have your hide if you get dirt on her silk rugs. Wipe your feet before coming inside."

I stared at her, baffled and very surprised by her reply. "Oh, yes," I said slowly. "Thank you for reminding me . . ."

Alice nodded, but continued to stare at me with unnerving intensity, as though she could see right through me. "And what about last night? Why were you so late?"

The panicked feeling returned as I scrambled around for another lie to appease her. "I got distracted in a bookstore and I completely lost track of time in there. I missed the time that Walter was supposed to pick me up and had to find my own way home. It was a very silly mistake for me to have made."

"Yes, but not entirely unlike you," Alice said. "However, I would appreciate it if you would try to be a bit more punctual in the future. Mother had us wait for you for a rather long time before allowing us to eat and, by then, the food was cold. And, on top of that, Mother was in a wretched mood and took it out on me. Your decisions do not just affect you, Erika."

I winced and lowered my head shamefully. "I'm sorry. I did not realize I had caused such a stir by being late. I will absolutely try harder to be on time next time."

"Please do."

Just then, the door swung open and I had to jump out of the way to avoid being flattened against the wall by it. Mother stepped through, looking regal and elegant as ever in a gown of dark green, her dark hair tied back in a tight bun.

"Good evening, Mother," Alice said, smiling.

Mother pulled off her kid gloves and handed them to Howard, who held the door open for her. "Hello, girls," she said a little coldly.

"How was tea?" Alice asked.

"It was fine," she handed her coat to Howard, as well. Then, she paused and looked suspiciously between Alice and me. "What are you two doing standing in the foyer like this?"

I opened my mouth to make up some sort of excuse, panicking, but Alice did not seem the least bit flustered by the question. "We just crossed paths on our way to our respective places and stopped to chat. Is the entryway off-limits for casual conversation, Mother?" She sounded completely innocent as she said it and I marveled at her ability to lie.

Mother bristled. "No, I suppose it isn't." She brushed past us and strode down the hall..

Alice and I exchanged a glance before following after her.

A servant rang the dinner bell and the three of us filed into the dining room, followed shortly after by Father.

The smell of dinner was enough to make my mouth water as I took my seat at the table. I was quite hungry, having not eaten since this morning. Father took his seat at the head of the table, Mother at the foot, and Alice across from me at Father's right.

I ladled soup into my bowl as Mother and Alice began talking. "Alice," Mother said. "Your gowns arrived today from the tailor's. You should try them on tonight to make sure they are tailored correctly for the upcoming ball."

"I will try them on after dinner," Alice replied.

"The prince will be there," Mother said in a suggestive tone.

Alice picked at her plate. "Of course he will be there, Mother, he lives there."

Mother narrowed her cold eyes at Alice. "Your tone is absolutely unnecessary. I am only trying to do what is best for you and make the best match for you that I can. I will keep bringing the prince up until we have secured your marriage to him and you should be grateful that he is the one we are making arrangements with. I know so many young girls who have been married to old, angry, unattractive men who beat them. You should count yourself very lucky, dear, that we have the connections we do."

I could not quite tell if there was a threat woven into her words, but my stomach knotted at the idea.

Alice's face turned a light shade of pink and her eyes flashed with some emotion I could not quite read. "Yes, of course, thank you, Mother and Father, for finding me a prince to be a potential suitor."

Mother nodded, seeming appeased. "I was more than happy to, darling." She looked down at her plate and took a bite of her chicken.

Though, Alice continued to look at her with ice in her eyes. She picked at her food, but did not seem inclined to eat any.

I turned my gaze from Alice to my Father, who met my eyes and smiled wryly, as though saying, always the same with these two, isn't it? I returned his smile and ate another spoonful of soup.

At the first lull in conversation, I spoke up. "Mother," I began slowly, staring hard at my bowl. I knew I should have met her eyes, but I couldn't make myself. "I would like to—"

"Make eye contact with me when you are speaking to me. You are being very rude right now," Mother said sharply.

I stiffened and lifted eye yes to meet hers. "I would like to begin dance lessons again with Monsieur Dupont, if that would be all right with you."

Mother stared at me for a long moment, her face an expressionless mask. "Dance lessons? Why would you want to do that? You are the most uncoordinated person I have ever met."

I bit my lip and forged onward, despite her comment. "Exactly. I would like to take up dance lessons again so that I could learn to be more coordinated and less clumsy." I gritted my teeth and shoved my pride down deep. "More like Alice."

She pursed her lips, eyes narrowing. "Is this because of him?"

I knew who she was talking about, even without a name. I clasped my hands in my lap under the table. "Of course not, Mother. I just thought it might be nice to improve, that is all. I might even have an easier time finding a husband if I can dance better." I hated playing that last card, but Mother could never resist doing something in the name of marrying us off.

Just as I expected, she nodded. "I will set something up with Monsieur Dupont for you. It might be nice to be proud of both of my daughters for once," she smiled her razor-sharp smile.

I flinched and stared hard at the table, my face burning.

"Mother," Alice chided and looked between the two of us. "She cannot help being a disappointment. You need not tease her so." Alice's smile was just as cruel as Mother's. "At least she is finally trying to change that about herself."

I sucked in my breath, feeling the words like a slap. Like always, I proved their point as I wilted under their harsh words. With a deep breath, I forced myself to meet Alice's eyes. "You've hardly eaten anything," I noted, though my words sounded more uncertain than biting the way I intended. "Did you eat recently?" I intended to imply that maybe she had been out at the palace and didn't want to know, but in a way where I did not implicate myself in the process. I didn't really hit the mark, though. Cruelty was not my strength the way it was Mother's and Alice's.

She tossed her hair, looking coldly amused. "Erika, do you really expect that I can maintain my dress size by gorging myself at dinner? I am still trying to find a husband. We cannot all afford to eat what we want."

I swallowed against the tightness in my throat. No longer having much of an appetite myself, I excused myself from the table and went to my room, leaving in far worse spirits than I had arrived with that afternoon. Just another talent my family had—destroying any shred of happiness I could hope to cling to.

Once in my room, I curled up on the settee before the hearth with my book, The Tragically History of Doctor Faustus, but my eyes hovered over the words without actually reading them.

After some time staring blankly at the page, there was a sharp knock at my door.

"Enter," I called.

Mother opened the door. "I have spoken with Monsieur Dupont. Your dance lessons will begin tomorrow after your tutoring session has ended."

"Thank you, Mother," I said.

"Well, you do not sound very grateful," she snapped.

I gritted my teeth and took a steadying breath to keep my emotions from getting the better of me. "I sincerely appreciate the offer you have put forth to make this happen for me. I will do my best to take these lessons seriously and to try to be a daughter you can be proud of in the future."

She tilted her head. "Very god, dear." With that, she left my room, shutting the door firmly behind her, leaving me seething in her wake.