The Lady and the Prince

Prince Nick didn’t need to tell Winkershime anything in the morning; the valet already knew what had happened as well as dozens of rumors.

“The latest news, Your Highness, is that Lady Alice has recanted, claiming too much wine caused her to say things that were untrue just to hurt you. She also claims that she is not a sorceress, and someone else made her hands glow to make it seem as if she is.”

“What about the stolen jewelry? She can’t deny that.”

“No, but she said it was just for fun. She had planned to give it all back. She does deny Lady Elizabeth’s statement that she saw one necklace fly through the air to Lady Alice.”

Nick thought for a few minutes while he ate breakfast. He knew that she was a sorceress. He had felt her take in power, but he had no proof and couldn’t testify against her without revealing his own magical abilities. He now suspected that Lady Alice had herself made her portrait glow. The Earl of Ulle might have had nothing to do with it other than wanting his niece to become a princess. There was no way to be sure at this point.

“Lady Alice was at the hunt when Albert died, and she is a good rider. She could have been in a position to attack his horse,” Nick offered.

“Indeed, Your Highness, but where is the proof? She may also have broken your window somehow, but there is no evidence. And unless the men who attacked Lady Elizabeth are found and implicate her, there is no evidence of Lady Alice’s involvement there either.”

“So what happens now? She wouldn’t get more than a slap on the wrist for the jewelry, but surely the king isn’t going to let her go?”

“I believe the king has sent out messengers in the attempt to locate a witch finder. Lady Alice will be held until her magical abilities are proved or disproved—if it doesn’t become too political to do so, of course. I understand her father and uncle have both been sent for, Your Highness.”

Nick finished eating and sat back. “The Duke of Montexter and the Earl of Ulle together could exert a significant amount of influence.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” Winkershime said as he cleared the prince’s dishes. “The crown prince is furious. He is convinced she is guilty on all counts and would prefer to execute her and present a fait accompli to her family, but the king won’t hear of it.”

“Will this mess affect the Progress?”

“No, Your Highness. We will still be leaving the day after tomorrow. In preparation, your Commerce clerks would like long sessions with you today and tomorrow. Reports will follow you about on your Progress for your approval, but as you get farther from the capitol, your approval will be after the fact. There will have to be a corrected report done if you require changes.”

“Do you need me to do anything for the Progress, or do you have it in hand?”

“I will take care of most of the packing, Your Highness. You need only concern yourself with whatever personal items you wish to take. I have left a small valise in your room for those items. Also, if you have any preference for members of the party, such as the coachmen, page, footmen, guard captain, et cetera, you should let me know as soon as you can.”

Nick started to shake his head but then said, “How about Hal for my page? I bet he’s never been out of Londinum, and it would be a real treat for him.”

“I will put in a word with the page master, Your Highness. Your Commerce clerks will meet with you as soon as you are dressed, and sometime today I would like to discuss your Progress route and what you might achieve along the way.”

Nick sighed. Even on his Progress, he was going to be burdened with chores. Well, he would do his princely duties, whatever they might be, while wandering around the countryside.

His Commerce meeting was long, and he knew tomorrow’s would be worse. Commerce was becoming less interesting as day-to-day repetition crept in. But afterward he didn’t return to his suite. Nick went to see Lady Alice.

The guards directed him to a tower. Lady Alice was being kept on the top floor; one of the rare female jailers sat outside her room. She unlocked the door for Prince Nick and relocked it behind him. He told her to wait out of earshot but within calling distance, and he heard her footsteps retreat down the stairs.

The room itself wasn’t uncomfortable. It held a cot with pillows and blankets, a table with four chairs, and a well-equipped writing desk and chair. There was a small fireplace with a fire laid but not lit and three lamps to provide light in the windowless room. It wasn’t the luxury that Lady Alice was used to, but Nick knew it could have been far worse.

Lady Alice had iron bands on her wrists and ankles, and one ankle band was connected by a chain to a ring embedded in the floor. She had changed from her ball gown into a simple warm robe without petticoats that reached nearly to the floor, and slippers. But there was evidence of her petticoats from the previous night—torn strips had been wound around her wrists and ankles to prevent direct contact with the iron bands. Nick understood the necessity for it, but her reaction to iron wasn’t proof of magic. She was a delicate lady, and of course, rough iron would irritate her skin.

She had been sitting at her desk, writing, but stopped and stood and faced him when the prince entered.

“Lady Alice, I trust you are feeling better this morning.”

She didn’t waste any time on the niceties. “You lied to me and betrayed me.”

“Betrayal indicates a previous loyalty, and there has never been any between us. Besides, you tried to kill me.”

Lady Alice’s eyes slid to the door and back. “Of course not, that was all a misunderstanding. But there must have been a true sorcerer nearby to make it look like I was doing magic, so I forgive you striking me since you were misled, but you need to find him or her.”

“There’s no one listening, you can drop the act.” Lady Alice just shrugged. Nick continued, “I want to know who killed Albert and hurt Richard, that’s all that is important right now. Last night, you spoke of a ‘he’ who gave you orders. Who is he?”

“I’m a duke’s daughter, no one gives me orders.”

“Except the duke. Is it your father?”

“No! And I don’t know what you’re talking about. I had too much to drink last night, I said silly things.” Alice moved closer to him with her head lowered, looking up at him through her eyelashes. “But I remember saying that I wanted to marry you, and that’s true. You’re a very handsome man, Nick, and the union of our families would be politically powerful. That’s what I meant last night about being powerful, do you see?”

She moved to stand before him. “What you said about Elizabeth, about being sorry she was chosen, I know most of it was a lie, but there was a little bit of truth there, wasn’t there? Or you wouldn’t have thought to say it.”

Nick shook his head, but not very convincingly. He did regret Elizabeth being so tall, and she was turning out to be strong and independent, not what he had expected at all. A petite woman who looked up to him in all ways was what he had wanted before he had been engaged to anyone.

Alice unbuttoned the top of her robe and slipped it off of her shoulders, baring her breasts. “This is what you want, isn’t it, Nick? Someone beautiful like me, someone who will dote on you and obey your every whim, that’s what you truly want. Do you want to touch me? It’s all right, I don’t mind.”

That had been exactly what he wanted six months ago. He stared at her body, naked to the waist, and then stepped back and raised his eyes to her face.

“Put your clothes back on, Lady Alice. I’m not a boy anymore, and that’s not what I want. I want a woman, an intelligent strong person to stand by my side, not someone to lick my feet,” he said in disgust.

He waited while she blushed and then pulled up her robe and buttoned it. “You nasty boy, you wanted me to do that, didn’t you?” she said angrily.

“What I want is for you to tell me who told you to kill Richard because I seriously doubt Albert was your target. If you tell me the truth, I will try to intercede for you with the king. Perhaps you can spend your life in this tower instead of being beheaded for murder or being burned as a witch.”

“Oh, Richard, Richard, Richard! Is that all you can say? I don’t know what you’re talking about, and you can leave now. I have to use the chamber pot. Unless you want to stay and watch?” she asked maliciously.

Nick turned and called out to the jailer, who came back up the stairs and unlocked the door. He went back to his suite to figure out what personal items to take with him.

Elizabeth slept late and was disinclined to get out of bed when she did wake. She had acquired a few aches from dancing so much, but she didn’t really care. She had had a wonderful night with Nick, and not just the dancing. Working together to find the thief had been exciting and exhilarating, and she had been particularly pleased to be the one to succeed.

She wouldn’t have any classes today or tomorrow since she would be going on Progress soon and needed to get ready. She and Sylvie would have to be sure she had everything she required in the way of wardrobe and accessories. It was too bad she couldn’t just wear what she pleased, but aristocratic women were judged more by their clothes than their brains or personalities, especially since she wouldn’t be staying anywhere long enough to establish much of a relationship with her hosts.

It wouldn’t be too many days before she saw her family again too. She was eager to see how much Jamie and Charlie had grown and to see the changes in the house and grounds. And she and Gramp could have a nice talk, adult to adult.

When she did get up, she ate and dressed quickly so she and Sylvie could get started. They began with a discussion of all the activities she might be expected to participate in: teas, luncheons, balls, parties of every description, riding, boating, strolling through gardens, as well as unexpected things that they would have to cobble together acceptable outfits for on a moment’s notice, plus matching accessories. Elizabeth worried about having enough space to carry everything, but Sylvie reassured her.

“Don’t worry, my lady. There will be a wagon just for your trunks if need be. It’s always a regular parade with a big carriage and supply wagons and a troop of mounted guards. You just pack up what you want to take and leave figuring out how to carry it all to those responsible for that. Of course I’ll need a trunk or two too since as your maid I’ll have to impress all the servants.”

Elizabeth hadn’t even considered that her maid would have to make a good impression, but Sylvie was quite confident in the splendor of her own wardrobe with matching shoes, ribbons, shawls, aprons, hats, and everything conceivable.

They laid out outfits and made lists of missing pieces as they mixed and matched Elizabeth’s clothes for different times of day and different activities. Then Elizabeth sent Sylvie with coins to Londinum to pick up a few things while she had the palace seamstresses come in and take her orders for various articles of clothing. She was determined to not be found wanting in any respect. She didn’t really need much more than she had though, just a few basics that would go with several outfits.

After she had done everything she could think of to have her clothes ready, she went down the hall to see Anne. One of Anne’s maids let her in, and she found the princess embroidering.

“I didn’t think you enjoyed sewing,” Elizabeth said.

“Oh, I don’t, really, but I’m very much hoping to be betrothed soon, and you know the tradition of the women embroidering their husband’s shirts. Between you and me though, sometimes the princesses cheat a little and have someone else do it for them.”

Elizabeth laughed. “That’s good to know. I may need to cheat a bit myself, but I’m hoping to get some stitching done on the Progress.”

“Don’t count on doing anything in the coach besides bouncing down the road.”

Elizabeth sat down near Anne and asked, “What do you think about carrying weapons while on Progress?”

“You should definitely take them. You’ll have guards, of course, but carry your dagger under your skirt. The sword I gave you would be awkward in the coach. Your full-sized sword should always be handy, so keep it close by with your personal items. It won’t do you any good if you can’t reach it. You can always pretend Nicky has two swords with him if there’s anyone around who might not approve.”

“Do you think we really could run into danger?”

“Unlikely. You’ll have at least thirty guards with you so bandits will steer clear. But you never know when some disaffected peasant will run out of a field with a pitchfork or some crazy thing, so just be ready. Besides, Connidian would be proud of you if you thwarted some sort of attack, wouldn’t he?”

“I’m sure he would, so I’ll be sure to defend myself just to make him happy.”

“What do you think of this design down the front of a shirt?”

“It looks fine to me, but I’m really the wrong person to ask about that sort of thing.”

Anne put down her sewing. “Elizabeth, do you really care for my brother?”

“Well, he has sort of grown on me. I must confess I do like him, and I’m looking forward to getting to know him better.”

“He…he’s not perfect, you know. He has his faults. If you found out he was…unusual in some way, would it change how you feel about him?”

“I don’t know. I suppose it would depend on what it was. Is there something I should know, Anne?”

Anne shook her head. “He’s just a little different from the rest of us. I guess it’s his Incelian heritage. But he’s really a nice young man, and he does try his best. I hope your Progress goes well, Elizabeth. It’s not just a trip around the country to meet the peerage, it’s your best opportunity to get to know all about him—and I mean everything. Don’t let him dodge or put you off.”

“My word, you sound like he has some deep dark secret I need to ferret out.”

Anne laughed, but was it a little forced? “I doubt my fifteen-year-old brother has very many secrets every other fifteen-year-old doesn’t have. But really, Elizabeth, he’s always kept to himself more than the rest of us ever did except maybe Arthur. Seize your chance while you have him alone.”

“I will, I assure you. But I suppose that means I’ll have to share all of my secrets too, not that I really have any.”

“Well then, make up a few entertaining ones. Oh, before I forget, I just wanted to remind you to see Giselle tomorrow. She and Richard will have moved to their country home by the time you return from your Progress, so it will be your only chance to see her for quite a while.”

Elizabeth nodded. “I’ll remember. I’m going to miss our chats too while I’m touring the countryside. I suppose if I need some ‘girl talk,’ I can always count on Sylvie.”

“The rest of us will be here when you get back, and you can tell me all about it. I suspect I’ll be going on my Progress next summer with someone.”

“I’m sure it will be with someone nice. I need to check on the seamstresses. They’re doing up a few things for me.” Elizabeth went back to her preparations.

Nick settled down after lunch with Winkershime to go over the Progress route and what he would be doing. Winkershime would be going along, but Nick liked to be able to plan ahead.

“It’s just a large circle of sorts, Your Highness. You’ll go east to Sothalia and then north up the coast to Landsford, Aggradon, and Denland. Then you’ll swing northwest to Ulle, down the west coast to Montexter, inland to Haas, south to Completon, through the pass to Glenriver, and then finally south and east back here.”

“What about touring the Warwick lands?”

“I doubt there will be time, and you and your betrothed will likely be tired of traveling by the time we’re back, Your Highness.”

“Possibly. What exactly am I supposed to do en route?”

“Use your training. Take your spy equipment along and find out all you can about your hosts at each stop.”

“You want me to spy on Anglia’s earls and dukes? What if I’m caught? I don’t have any actual experience at sneaking around and breaking into locked rooms.”

“Exactly. You need to see some real action, and the worst that will happen if you’re caught will be some embarrassment. Of course there would be a complaint about your behavior sent to the king, but he will know the true reason for your actions, and you won’t get any significant punishment for it. Although I expect he would be disappointed in you.”

“So basically, don’t get caught.”

“That is always the best course, Your Highness.”

“And pack my lock picks and dark gray cloak. I assume I’ll be doing this at night?”

“Yes, unless an opportunity presents itself during the day. We will be staying with the High Lords several days, just overnight or one-day stays with those of lesser rank. Except Baron Stratton, of course, you’re scheduled for four days there.”

“What about the spy reports? Will we be kept informed somehow?”

“There will be enclosures in the Commerce packets, and we will have pigeons with us so we can send word back to the palace if you find out anything important.”

Nick was a little disturbed by that comment. “What could I find out rummaging through lords’ desks that would be important? How much they spend on wine or how many of their ewes produced lambs last year?”

“You’ve seen the reports on how much accurate information Franck has been getting about Anglian Council decisions for the past year. It may be coming from a servant or a messenger or possibly from higher up, we don’t really know yet. And there is the small chance that you will find something about the attack on Prince Richard and poor Lord Albert, although it’s unlikely anyone kept records about that. There could possibly be a record of payment to two men to find and kill Lady Elizabeth. Or who knows, you may find something else entirely that we do not even suspect.”

“So it’s not just a training exercise.”

“No, it’s not. Our people rarely have the chance to move about freely in the homes of the High Lords. You are a unique spy, Your Highness, and this is a unique opportunity.”

“If I find something serious, and I get caught…”

“The culprit cannot take action against you in public in his own home without revealing himself anyway. But if it happens, you will need to be very careful after that. You will have a powerful enemy.”

“Oh, good, my life was getting boring again. I guess I’m never going to have to worry about that, am I Winkershime?”

Winkershime almost smiled. “Prince Nicholas, you are a royal prince. I doubt ‘boring’ will ever be an appropriate description for you or your life.”

Nick ran his hand through his hair, messing it badly. “I guess I’d better spend the rest of the day with the lock picks. I can open pretty much anything with them, but I think I would like to be faster with them—a lot faster.” At least with the silver handles, they don’t hurt much anymore as long as I keep my fingers off of the bare steel.

“That would be wise, Your Highness. And along with the picks and your cloak, I would recommend packing a few books in your personal items as well. A nice little book could come in handy along the way.”

Nick gave Winkershime a sharp look, but his valet’s face told him nothing. Winkershime had seen his magic book that evening he got drunk, but he’d never mentioned it before. Nick had assumed he had just handled it without looking at it too closely. Ah, but that was before Nick knew old Winky was a spy himself, so of course he had looked at it. What else did the valet/spy tutor know or guess?

However much he suspected, the valet had no proof of anything, and Nick was pretty sure of that. Although he thought that if he flat-out admitted to being a witch, Winkershime probably wouldn’t turn him in. No, he’d find a way to drill Nick in the use of magic and have him apply it somehow to spying or Commerce, or find him another job of some kind to use it.

Nick wondered if there was a way to apply magic to spying. He would have to look through the little magic book with that in mind and see if there was anything in there that might be useful. Nick sighed a bit at his own thought. Winkershime had him trained all right. Now he was coming up with ways to create more work for himself all on his own.

While Elizabeth and Sylvie spent the rest of the day fussing over Elizabeth’s wardrobe, Nick practiced with his lock picks and spent some time closed in his bedroom looking through his magic book. It did mention a way of making the magician hard to see, but the means was a derivative of the energy shield spell that he didn’t know how to do. Distance viewing was mentioned, but no details were given. So much for using magic to help him spy.

Nick escorted Elizabeth to dinner, but afterward they both went back to their own suites to continue their preparations for their Progress.

The following day was actually less hectic for Elizabeth. Sylvie had acquired all the necessary items from Londinum, and the seamstresses had finished everything requested as well. Her sitting room was crowded with trunks, mostly packed, with just her clothes for the farewell dinner that evening and her outfit for beginning the Progress tomorrow laid out.

After breakfast, she went down the hall to see Anne, but her maid informed Elizabeth that Anne was visiting Giselle. Elizabeth was welcomed by Giselle’s maid, and she found Eugenie and Queen Isabella there too.

She curtsied to Isabella, but then took a chair with the rest around the dining table. There was a carte game of some type being played that she didn’t know, so she just watched and joined in the conversation.

Isabella said, “Really, Giselle, we would love to have you stay. The best physicians are here in Londinum for Richard.”

Giselle replied, “Yes, there are many fine physicians, but Richard wants time alone to try to regain his physical abilities, and the physicians themselves say there is little or nothing they can do. He does not like me even seeing him the way he is. After he is settled, I plan to visit my family in Franck. By the time I return, perhaps Richard will be stronger or more accepting.”

Eugenie said, “I’m sure you miss them. You haven’t returned since you married. Do you and Louis get along well?”

“Reasonably, he was always protective of me when we were young. Of course, I have not seen him in some years. He may have changed.”

Elizabeth said, “If he has, his feelings toward you must surely be much the same since you were raised together.”

“I hope so. I am troubled by the news of all the military actions going on at home though. That does not sound much like Louis. He was always a serious boy, planning carefully his games so he would have an advantage and win.”

Eugenie played a carte and said to no one in particular, “I don’t see how a war between Anglia and Franck could be won by either side in the long run. With the water between us, how could either country hope to win and hold land? Surely the difficulties of transport would eventually cause the loser to regain what they had lost in time.”

“Indeed,” Anne said. “Just think of the terrible loss of life, the great expense of the whole thing for no real gain.”

Elizabeth realized that the ladies were priming Giselle with a message of sorts for Louis. She added, “If you’ve ever seen the sad state of widows and orphans or some poor boy maimed for life left to beg on the streets for his bread, you would realize what a waste all wars are.”

Isabella protested, “But surely some wars are necessary. If there had never been any wars, how would all of our nations have come to be? Someone had to be the strongest and war on those unwilling to accept his rule, or our nations would not have been united.”

Giselle only said, “You are all right in some way. I am very glad to be a woman and not have to make those decisions. The men are stronger and wiser than us. They will decide what is important enough to fight for.”

Eugenie snorted, and Anne rolled her eyes. Isabella seemed to agree though, nodding a little as she chose a carte to play. Elizabeth just sighed a bit. While she didn’t agree with Giselle’s assessment of men being better decision-makers, the reality was that they were the decision-makers regardless of their level of ability. She only hoped Louis was still careful and would not begin a war with Anglia or anyone else either.

The ladies lunched together over more pleasant conversation. Elizabeth said good-bye to Giselle, and they hugged each other. Giselle cried a little, and Elizabeth found herself teary-eyed as well. Then she went back to her own suite to write a letter to Gramp, telling him she was about to begin her Progress and that she would send word ahead when they neared the Stratton lands.

Nick spent the morning in another long Commerce meeting and then went for a ride on Falcon to the cave. Falcon would be going along on the Progress, as well as a riding horse for Elizabeth, but they would likely not have much opportunity for trail riding. That was his excuse, in any case, for going off for a few hours by himself.

In the cave, he found he could create a buffer of sorts for his matter shield by creating another shield behind it, but a thicker, weaker shield that would compress under pressure. He could hold it away from himself too to some extent, but creating and holding a double shield used up most of his concentration. And it wasn’t so strong that he would escape injury from a rock slide or a fully armored mounted knight riding into him.

He tried holding the double shield and throwing fire through it. It worked, but the fire was weak and didn’t go very far. With his shields up, he was back to being able to trip someone and maybe give them a mild burn. Well, he would just start again, practicing and trying to expand his abilities. He didn’t know how he was going to be able to practice on Progress though. He could do shielding whenever he was alone, but he needed to be really alone and far away from everyone else to practice his offensive capabilities. Well, maybe he could figure out the energy shield or something.

He returned to the palace and had a late lunch and practiced with his picks for a while. Then he was summoned to a meeting with the king.

Edward and Arthur were there as well. Edward stared at Nick’s hair, and Nick realized he had run his hand through a few times in the cave, so it was undoubtedly sticking up. He smoothed it down as best he could with his hand and smiled at his slightly exasperated older brother.

Edward began the meeting. “Prince Nicholas, we are here to discuss your Progress. Ralph has informed you that you are to find out whatever you can about your hosts?”

Ralph? Oh, yes, Winkershime. “Yes he has.”

Arthur said, “We also want reports about military readiness at each location, state of training, armaments, and numbers that we can expect if we call the full army, that sort of thing. You can send reports with your Commerce messengers.”

Nick nodded. Those Commerce packets were getting thicker and thicker.

The king spoke for the first time. “There are other more delicate matters that can be handled best by someone on the scene. We know there are Franckish spies in Anglia. There is nothing new about that. But from the quality of information flowing to Franck, there may be a highly placed Anglian traitor as well, or it may be a trusted member of the household of such a person. Keep your eyes open.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Nick replied, but he wondered what he might see that would identify someone as a traitor. The High Lords and their families all spoke Franckish, and having a Franckish friend or relative wasn’t at all unusual.

“You are familiar with the other current problem,” King William continued. “I have sent out searchers for a witch-finder, but one hasn’t been located yet. If you can find one, either take them with you to Ulle and Montexter or send them back here if you’ve already passed those places. Magic tends to run in families, and Lady Alice is immediately descended from Victor, Duke of Montexter, and Regina, the sister of the Earl of Ulle. I want you to closely examine all of her relations if you possibly can. Stay a few extra days at those places if you must, but look for signs of magic use. We understand you are not an expert in this, but do the best you can.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Nick wasn’t at all eager to come face-to-face with a witch-finder, but he was curious how they determined if someone had magical abilities. Well, if he was lucky, he wouldn’t be able to locate one either. He certainly didn’t intend to look very hard.

Edward asked, “Do you have any questions for us?”

Nick thought a moment and then shook his head. “No, Your Highness. I understand what you want of me. The military preparedness reports shouldn’t be too difficult, and as for the rest, I can only do my best.”

“Good lad,” the king said. “Dress up nicely for dinner, it’s to be a little going away party, you know.”

Nick did know, and since the meeting was done, he went back to his suite to change. He escorted Elizabeth, who was also dressed up.

The food was even more lavish than usual and decorated. The platter of pheasant had their long tail feathers sprouting out of it in a circle, the boar had been roasted with its head intact, and the dessert was doused with brandy over each serving and then set alight.

Elizabeth and Nick were given small gifts. When Elizabeth opened hers, she found a little jewelry box full of necklaces, bracelets, and earrings in a dazzling array of colors. Well, her jewelry collection had been rather skimpy, but it wasn’t anymore.

Nick’s box was even smaller, but inside was a signet ring with the royal crest. He wasn’t supposed to get one until he turned sixteen, and he was a little overwhelmed. When he put it on, he represented the king, the royal family, and Anglia, for good or ill. His family was trusting him with their honor and making him an official representative of Anglia. He could barely get out a “Thank you.”

The dinner ran late. Afterward, Nick walked Elizabeth back to her suite. They paused at her door.

“Tomorrow we’re off,” Elizabeth said.

“It’s going to be an adventure,” Nick replied while thinking, And a whole lot of work, but what’s new?

“I think you get taller every day.”

Nick just shrugged. “It doesn’t matter as long as I’m tall enough to do this.” He tilted his head and kissed her, and she kissed him back. She slid her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder.

She said, “We’re going to be together for months, no classes, no meetings, just you and me.”

He held her for a few seconds, but then released her and stepped back. There was no reason to spoil her dream just yet with the fact that he was going to still have meetings and chores to do.

“We’ll be starting very early in the morning, so get a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day for us,” was all he said.

“All right, my dear prince, I will see you bright and early.” They kissed one more time, and each went to their own suite to sleep, dream, and awake to their grand adventure.