People were starting to arrive for the ball. Treville and D'artagnon were standing at the door greeting guests.
"Are you sure your daughter isn't going to try to sneak in?" Treville whispered to his friend.
"She's probably already in." D'artagnon thought "Positive."
"Come on." Treville said while waving over a couple other musketeers "Let's go further into the castle."
D'artagnon chuckled "Of course, Treville."
The girls were making their way through the passageways then they reached a doorway that would let them out near the ballroom.
"Ready?" Corinne asked.
"Ready." The other three answered.
"Let's do it!"
Miette crawled underneath Corinne's skirt, then Corinne turned a candelabra that was on the wall to open the secret doorway.
They stepped out into the hall and continued their way towards the ballroom.
They turned a corner and saw Treville and D'artagnon standing there.
Corinne cringed and turned around, her friends followed, hoping they hadn't been spotted.
"Ladies!" Treville said, causing them all to stop in their tracks.
"Oh no." Corinne thought, glancing over at her friends "Please no."
"The ballroom is this way." Treville said.
Corinne glanced at her father, then at her friends. Keeping her eyes on her feet, she walked between them, curtsying slightly as she passed.
The other girls did the same, not looking either man in the face.
D'artagnon smiled slightly as the girls passed, then he looked up at the captain who just smiled and shook his head.
"Girls. Always curious of the castle." Then Treville looked around "Any sign of your daughter?"
D'artagnon swallowed a laughed "None."
When the girls reached the ballroom, they sighed with relief.
"That was close." Renee whispered.
"I'm surprised we were able to get past my dad." Corinne said "If that had been Conrad, it would have been impossible to get past him."
Just then, a loud voice caught their attention "Countess De' Winter!"
Aramina gasped "They're announcing everyone's names!"
"Just don't give your real one." Renee said.
Corinne smirked "Okay." Then she went gliding over to the announcer and whispered in his ear.
The announcer's eyebrows rose "That is your name?"
"Do you always question people with names that are different?" Corinne asked.
The man shrugged, then turned into the room "Lady Bar Be' Que!"
Corinne did a slight curtsy, plastering a smile on her face, and descended the stairs a few steps, then waited for her friends.
Viveca went next. Then Renee, then Aramina. And with each name, the announcer's eyebrows rose.
"Duchess Ivana Partee! Abby Birthday! Countess Hedda Lettuce!"
When the four girls were standing on the stairs, they continued down together.
"Just try to blend in." Corinne said when they reached the floor. The others nodded and they split up and begin to wonder around the ballroom.
Corinne watched as Viveca went to show off her dress to a couple of girls who were bragging about having the most beautiful gowns at the ball.
Corinne shook her head and chuckled. Viveca sure knew how to make an impression. She was looking around the room, trying to spot anyone suspicious, when a tray of food slid right beneath her nose.
She looked down at the tray, suddenly realizing how hungry she was. She hadn't eaten since before Conrad disappeared.
She snatched a grape off the tray and popped it into her mouth.
Helene looked up at her "Eyes and ears open?"
Corinne froze, then nodded. Helene moved on, so Corinne swallowed her grape, then glanced around.
"His Royal Highness!" The announcer shouted "Prince Louis!"
Corinne cringed "Great. What's the point of a masquerade when everyone knows who you are?"
Louis walked down to the bottom of the stairs, just going through the routine he'd performed many times.
The two girls that had been bragging about their dresses earlier stopped and gasped.
"There he is!"
Aramina sighed dreamily "He is most handsome."
Renee rolled her eyes "We're here to protect the prince Aramina. Not date him!"
"The prince's sword dance!" the announcer held a sword that matched the prince's costume high in the air, then handed it to the prince.
Louis stuck the sword in his belt, the started looking for a partner. Like usual, most of the girls were giggling and vying for his attention. But one girl caught his attention. She had long blond hair and was wearing a bright pink dress. But what really caught his attention was the fact that the closer he got to her, she turned away from him.
"Perfect." He thought "Maybe she'll act halfway normal." He held his hand out to her "May I have the honor?"
Corinne spun around and looked at him. she glanced back at her friends, then at his hand, and looked around quickly "Uh…" if she said no, the whole crowd would stare at her like she was nuts! But if she said yes, she'd be smack dab in the middle of the ballroom, but, she'd be right beside him in case of trouble "Sure." She finally said, taking his hand and curtsied.
He smiled and led her out to the floor.
"Okay. Curtsy." Corinne thought, trying to remember everything she had learned in one night! "And in and out. And in and out. And walk in a circle." She thought, her mind completely caught up in doing the steps right. Then Louis spoke.
"You look so familiar, do I know you?"
Corinne looked up at him "Uh… No! Your highness." She said quickly. "Oh boy. If he recognizes me, I'm sunk!"
"Are you certain?" Louis stared at her face until she looked down at her feet "Perhaps we met at another ball. In Vienna!"
Corinne chuckled nervously "This is my first ball."
"I see." Louis said, still trying to think of where he had seen her "Perhaps we met in the country."
Corinne's eyebrows rose "Definitely not."
Okay. So he hadn't met her at another ball. He hadn't met her in the country. Maybe he'd recognize her name "Tell me. What's your name?"
Her eyes widened, then she blushed "Uh…" Okay. What was she going to tell him now? Corinne? Definitely not. Lady Bar Be' Que? Well, what else could she say? "Lady… Bar Be'… Que."
Louis' eyebrows rose "Lady Barbeque?"
"Yeah." She flashed him a smile. Here it comes.
But he simply nodded "Charming. How did you hear about this ball?"
"I… got… an… um…" Corinne was racking her brain "Invitation!"
Louis chuckled "I'm glad you did."
Just when she thought her cheeks couldn't get any pinker, Louis said something.
"So, where are you from?" Louis asked a moment later.
"Uh… Italy." She said quickly. She'd never have to make up such a story in her life! Not even when she was a four years old and was caught underneath the house with her father's sword and bridle. She'd claimed that Conrad had told her that if you buried a sword and bridle under the house it would grow a saddle. Her parents hadn't believed her. But Conrad, who stuck up for her no matter what, had piped up and said "No. I said plant them under an oak tree!" She sighed at the thought of her brother. Her brother that was still missing.
"Are you okay?" Louis asked, noticing that her spirits had lowered.
"Just thinking about my brother." She answered quietly.
"Brother?"
Corinne gasped "Uh… yes. I miss him." she forced a smile.
Louis nodded "He couldn't come?"
"No. I had to leave him in Germany."
"Germany?"
"I mean… Hungary!"
"Hungary?"
"Tuscany?" She finally said weakly.
Louis chuckled "Don't you mean, Italy?"
Corinne's face turned a bright red "Of course."
Louis just laughed "Don't worry. Sometimes I can't remember if I'm in Paris. Especially when I'm with…" his voice trailed off and his face got a slight tint darker.
Corinne smiled "With…?"
Louis sighed "A girl I know. Or knew, before my cousin had her banned from the palace. Her name's Corinne."
Corinne bit her lip, but she had to ask "You… uh… like her?"
Louis quiet for a few seconds, then he changed the subject "So, you say the Bar Be' Que Family comes from Italy?"
Corinne sighed. Here we go again "Yes. As do our cousins, the… Pepperonis!" she cringed. After her country flop, there was no way he was going to buy that one.
But when she looked at him, he smiled "Fascinating."
She laughed slightly. He'd bought it! He'd actually bought it! She smiled at him, then remembered why she was dancing with him. She looked around at the other dancers. One man with a blue mask caught her attention. Even behind the mask he looked evil, malice and… highly familiar. She looked down to where his sword was and saw a silver tip peeking out from overtop of the decorative blue sheath.
"There's one of them." She thought "I wonder where the others are. At least we know that they're here now. And the musketeers probably aren't."
She looked caught Aramina's eye and discretely nodded towards the sword. Aramina then passed the message to Viveca and Renee who were dancing nearby.
Renee and Viveca abruptly left their dance partners, and moved to a different part of the ballroom.
Corinne glanced around quickly, looking for an escape route. Then she spotted the refreshment tables "Shall we get some punch?" she asked, plastering a amile.
Louis laughed "But the dance isn't over yet."
Corinne sent a pleading look to Aramina, who caught the message and spun over to start dancing with the man with real sword.
Corinne breathed a slight sigh of relief, but she knew this was far from over. She watched as Aramina stepped on the man's toes. The man bowed then briskly walked away. He then waved to a man that had a mask that only covered one eye. Then that wan waved to the announcer who shouted something out the window.
"You're awfully distracted." Louis commented.
"Huh?" Corinne looked at the prince, then smiled "Just thinking."
Just then, there was a large BANG! And an explosion of colors above them as a fireworks show started.
Louis was immediately captivated, as was everyone else in the ballroom. It wasn't long before Corinne found herself watching in awe as the fireworks continually exploded, their colors lighting up the night as they flew across the sky.
It wasn't until she heard the unmistakable sound of a sword being pulled from its sheath, did she pull her eyes from the fireworks. She gasped when she spotted the man with the blue mask, holding a sword, ready to ram it into the back of the unsuspecting prince, right in the middle of the ballroom!