Chapter 7
Elizabeth's heart raced wildly as she followed the Prince and Princess into the dining room. At least they were friendly; not that they had been unpleasant before, just rather aloof. Nicholas pulled a chair out for his wife and Laurent did the same for her, then once the ladies were seated the two Princes took their own seats. Elizabeth was amazed at how gentlemanly Laurent and his father were. Todd had always been polite, always opened the car door for her when they were going somewhere, but Laurent and his father were something else entirely. She looked around the dining room drinking in all the details. The walls were painted a pale blue colour with white skirting boards and ceiling. The floors were polished floorboards with an expensive Persian rug protecting the wood from the legs of the antique oak table and matching chairs. In the corners of the room, potted plants flourished, contrasting beautifully with the blue walls and adding a feeling of freshness and life. On the wall opposite the door a marble fireplace played host to a roaring fire and a vase of blood red roses sat on the mantelpiece. To the right of the fireplace was another door, which Elizabeth assumed led to the kitchen; an assumption proved correct by the entrance through it of a group of servants carrying the entrees. They placed the steaming bowls of bouillabaisse in front of the four at the table then another servant appeared carrying two bottles of wine. The servant uncorked one of the bottles and poured a small amount into a glass. Nicholas took the glass, swirled it around for a moment, smelt it then took a sip.
"That will do, thankyou Jean," Nicholas said in French placing the glass on the table in from of him. The servant, Jean, placed the uncorked bottle in the cooler beside the table and exited quietly through the kitchen door. Nicholas poured a glass of wine for his wife then passed the bottle to Laurent.
"Would you like some Elizabeth?" Laurent asked indicating her glass. Elizabeth hesitated.
"I'm not really allowed to. I'm underage," she said.
"Not here," Catherine said smiling, "The legal age here in France is 14." Elizabeth still hesitated.
"Just try a little," Laurent implored, "If you don't like it we can get you something else." Elizabeth relented and passed her glass to Laurent to fill. He filled the glass a fifth of the way then passed it back to Elizabeth.
"Tell me if you like it," he said as she took the glass from him. Elizabeth took a sip and tasted it, letting the wine roll over her tastebuds. It was actually quite nice; it didn't taste alcoholic like many of the wines she'd tried before, simply a nice flavour.
"I like it," she said, passing the glass back to Laurent so that he could fill the rest of it. He passed the full glass back to her and Nicholas said,
"Well let's start before the food gets cold."
"So Elizabeth," Catherine said as the dishes from the entrée were cleared away, "Tell us about yourself. We don't know much about you since it was your sister who applied for the au pair position." Elizabeth sipped her wine thoughtfully for a moment.
"Well you already know I'm at high school in America. I'm only 16 so I have another two years before I finish. I'm sort of more involved in the academic side of school, I write for the school newspaper, I get good grades in all of my subjects. I'm friends with most of the people in my grade although I've only got a few really close friends." She stopped as the main course was served.
"So what sort of things do you like?" Nicholas asked as soon as the servants had left.
"I love reading, and writing. Jessica thinks I'm boring but I'm comfortable with the way I am. And I love learning new things; one reason I agreed to come with Jessica was because I wanted to perfect my French and I thought it would be nice to experience another culture."
"Well it sounds like you'll love the experiences that will be coming your way in the future," Catherine said, "Believe me, there's a lot to learn." Elizabeth pulled a face as she chewed a mouthful of food.
"I expected that. Although I was nervous enough thinking about going to the ball."
"Well don't worry," Nicholas said putting down his fork, "Laurent told me you weren't planning on getting married until after you finish school."
"That's right. Laurent didn't want me getting distracted while I finish my studies."
"That's a very wise decision," Catherine said, "You can never place too much importance on your studies. Something I've been trying very hard to impress on my children."
"Well they are only little," Laurent interjected, "They have plenty of time yet."
"As do you Elizabeth," Nicholas said seriously, "I don't want you to feel pressured about this. When you feel ready to take on the responsibility then tell us."
A/N - well how'veI done so far? I'm hoping to take extension english next year which is pretty much lessons for creative writing for the whole year (YAY). please review... I don't like letting people I know read my writing so this is the only feedback I get. Ta darlings!