An hour later both tower doors opened and Jesse and Nicole stared at each other. Nicole had changed into her favorite dress. It was a sea green with flower sequence things on it and vines that the flowers were attached to. She had her favorite shoes on too. They were her Cinderella shoes, as she called them. "You look beautiful, Nicole," Jesse praised. "Thank you. You don't look too bad yourself," she replied. "Did Chris dress you?" He was wearing a sort of tux, but not nearly as formal as if he had been going to a ball. He was gorgeous!
Jesse laughed, "No, I wouldn't let him, though he put up a good fight about it!"
Nicole chuckled, "Well, we had better get downstairs else they wonder what happened to us."
"Yes I suppose we should. Will you do me the honors of letting me escort you?" he asked as he offered his arm.
"It would be my pleasure," she murmured as she accepted his arm. So they walked down the stairs arm in arm. They came down the stairs and Nicole showed him to the drawing room.
As they entered the room everyone looked up. They all appeared to be startled to see them together let alone on each other's arm. Jesse's sister Sara smiled and snickered, then she whispered to Nicole's brother Alex, "Look at those two, this is crazy, they barely know each other!"
"I don't see what the big deal is! They only came down on each other's arm. It's not a big deal! Besides they are going to marry and they have to at least get a long, other wise it would be a pretty ghastly marriage!" Alex whispered back ferociously.
"Uh, I guess! Maybe your right," Sara complied. She looked back at her brother and his betrothed. Nicole had let go of his arm and come to sit down. She sat down on the sofa and poured some tea for Jesse and herself. She smiled at Sara and their mothers. All the sudden Ana and David ran in. "Nicole, Nicole!" Ana shouted, "He's chasing me! He won't stop!" She sobbed as she ran up to Nicole and crawled into her lap.
"Ana? What it happening?" Nicole asked calmly.
"That boy is chasing me!" she sobbed.
"Who, David?" Nicole replied. Ana nodded, "Uh ah!"
"I just wana play!" David whined to his older brother. "Yes well did you ask Ana if she wanted to be chased?" Jesse asked sternly.
"Well, no, but back home nobody minds it!" he whimpered.
"Yes well we're not at home so you need to be mindful of others, alright?" David nodded mournfully, "Now go apologize to Ana."
David walked up to Ana on Nicole's lap. He looked down at his feet and mumbled, "I'm sorry Ana, I just wanted to play."
Ana looked at him suspiciously, but in the end she excepted his apology, "It's ok I guess, can we play something else?" she slid off Nicole and looked at him hopefully.
He looked up and whooped, then grabbed her and they ran out of the drawing room.
"Well that went well, didn't it?" Nicole said.
"Yes I guess it did. So, your highness," Jesse directed to Queen Annabel, "Annabel, darling." The queen corrected. "Oh yes, um, Annabel, how was your rest?"
"Very well thank you. I trust yours was well also, Jesse?" Annabel asked.
"Yes very well thank you! Do think it would be possible to have a tour of the castle? This place is quite magnificent and I would like to see all it has." Jess asked tentatively.
"Yes of course, I'm sure Nicole would love to give a grand tour. Wouldn't you, darling?"
"Yes Maman, I would love to." Nicole smiled at Jesse. "Would anyone else like to accompany us?"
"Yes, I would like to see the castle as well," replied Sir Christopher.
"I will come too, brother," said Sara to Jesse.
"And I, sister," murmured Alex to Nicole.
"Well alright I suppose we should get started." Nicole stood up and Jesse offered his arm. She took his arm and headed for the main entrance, the Great Hall. Alex offered his arm to Sara. Then all of them, including Sir Christopher, started to exit the door when a young woman ran in. She appeared really upset. "Your Highnesses!" she cried out.
"Carrie! Whatever is the matter! Why aren't you in Talford?" Nicole exclaimed
Just then a man ran in, "Carrie!" he bellowed, "Don't you even think about it!"
"Richard, you just, just stay away from me! You, you manipulative, conniving, scheming bastard!" the girl called Carrie sputtered.
"Richard! What on earth is going on?" Annabel called out. At that moment another young woman ran in.
"Lord Ashford! You just stay away from Carrie! You shouldn't even have followed her after what you did!" the woman shouted at him, "Your highnesses!" the woman squeaked.
"Alice, Carrie, Richard what on earth is going on?" the king demanded on attention.
Carrie burst into tears. Nicole let go of Jesse's arm and ran over to her. "Cousin? Carrie? What is the matter?" Nicole cried.
"He, he was supposed to be my friend!" Carrie sobbed. "You know I went to visit with Alice, which is proper. I have been there a week and then this morning he, and his friends, they all tried to take advantage of me. Alice had gone out of the room," Carrie sniffled, "George and Mark were there too, they all we over to me and they called me names, l-l-like w-w-whore and other names that a-are inappropriate to s-say. T-then Alice and one of the maids walked in while they were p-pulling a-at my clothes a-and Alice screamed and the men looked up. The butler ran in after hearing the scream and I pushed them a-away and ran. T-the carriage had been brought a-around b-because we were supposed to be going out a-and –" Carrie completely broke down.
"That is not true! It is all a lie!" shouted Richard, Lord Ashford of Talford.
"Is it? I think not Lord Ashford. There are three witnesses who saw you and your friends do it." screeched Alice.