She moved with the grace of a deer and the pride of a lioness. He couldn't help watching as she entered the ballroom; in fact, the entire congregation couldn't help it.
Derrick was pulled toward her as though she was a magnet. Bowing deeply, he greeted her. "Princess."
"Your highness." Her voice was deep and sultry, and her dark eyes glittered. Her hair was down in long, loose waves that fell perfectly about her shoulders, and her blue silk ball gown fit her body like a glove.
"May I have this dance?"
She nodded once, and they twirled through the ballroom. Then, toward the end of the song, as was customary, she gave her name. "I am Lady Alicia Mariana Rivera of Putnam Valley."
"And I Prince Derrick James Harrington of Westchester. Nice to meet you, m'lady."
"The same to you." And she was off in a blur of skirts.
He watched her go.
"I can't do this anymore," she gasped. "I can't." She threw off her dress and searched the room for clean clothes. Not finding any, she rang for her maid. "Kristen! Kristen!"
"Yes, Princess?" A girl with dark blonde hair, aqua eyes, and fair skin appeared in her doorway. "How may I help you?"
"I need some of your clothes. Now."
"What for, Princess? Downstairs, the tailor has just finished sewing you your new gown for the ball. He is telling me you may change into it in five minutes."
"No matter, Kristen. Please bring me some of your clothing. I need skirts, stockings, shirt, apron, and shoes. And cap. Stat."
"Yes, Princess." She departed and returned with the items. "Would you like me to help you change?"
"No, thank you, Kristen. After this, I shall be leaving. Tell no one. No one."
Kristen gulped. "Why are you leaving?"
"I can't handle this anymore," was all she said as she threw on her new outfit. "Tell me, Kristen, do I look like a maid?"
"Yes, Princess."
"I am no longer Princess Massie Elizabeth Block. I am now a maid. A common, ordinary maid, seeking work far, far from here, in the residence of King James Harrington IIII."
After trekking five miles through dense forest, Massie was starting to regret her desicion to leave the castle. She was about to find a road and flag down a passing carriage when she saw through the trees the shining lights of the Harrington Palace. She sprinted the last two-hundred feet, only slowing down when she reached the long, swirling driveway that led up to the drawbridge.
"Okay, Mass," she told herself. "Once you step foot on this path, you are no longer Princess Massie Elizabeth Block. You are Molly Black, a plain old maid. Now count to 100 and picture yourself as a servant."
Although the image was hard to face, she took a huge breath and focused on the future instead of the past. Why she was leaving, what had pushed her over the edge, was no longer important. She was now Molly Black, maid. That was all that mattered.
Claire was serving dinner to the palace guards when Massie tottered up. Her brown hair was hacked unevenly, and her famous amber eyes no longer gleamed.
"What do you want?" asked a big, burly man with a long brown beard. "We have no need for any more castle servants."
All Claire saw was a girl her age, which was like finding a needle in a haystack. And she could work with her. "Please may I talk to her?" she begged of the guard.
"Sure, Claire. But you know we are overloaded as it is."
She nodded and stepped toward the girl. "I'm Claire Lyons, Prince Derrick's personal servant."
"Mas- Molly Black."
"Nice to meet you, Molly." She smiled. "Are you looking for palace work?"
"Yes, I am."
"Where do you hail from?"
She came so close to telling the truth. "Ithaca County. I have worked as a maid since I was two years old and I'm sure I can be of some help in the palace. A castle this big must need as many servants as it can get."
Claire sighed. "Sadly, that's not true. We're actually filled to the brim."
A tear dripped from Massie's eye.
Claire frowned. "I'm really sorry, Molly. I know you've come a long way."
"Can I tell you a secret?" she whispered.
"Sure," Claire agreed, leaning in.
The putrid scent of unwashed hair filled Massie's nostrils and almost made her gag, but she sucked in a breath and murmured, "I'm not here for the work. Really, I'm in love with the prince."
"Is the princess here?" Prince Joshua inquired, peering left and right. Massie was normally waiting for him in the entrance hall, but he didn't see her.
"She might be in her room," a guard informed him. "I can call for her." He rapped a bell with his knuckles and shouted, "Princess! Massie!"
No reply.
"Hmm," he muttered. "I will ask Kristen to check on her."
Kristen swallowed as she listened to the request. Then, blinking nervously, she made her way up the stone steps to Massie's wing of the palace. "That's odd," she reported, lying through her teeth. "She's not there."
"She never would miss an appointment with me," Joshua informed her. "She must be somewhere. Could we ask the queen?"
"She's very busy right now, what with-"
"I order you to ask the queen," Joshua thundered.
The guard balked and rang her.
Queen Kendra descended the stone steps ceremoniously, the sweet scent of her floral perfume floating around her. "Joshua." She inclined her head. "How may I help you?"
"Your daughter doesn't seem to be here."
She blanched and placed a hand over her heart. "You cannot find my Massie? It must be because... Oh my goodness. She's gone. She left us." She turned and ran, tripping on her heels.
Joshua crinkled his eyebrows. "What is going on?" He directed the question at Kristen.
"I wish I knew, Prince," she answered, once more lying. Kristen would be loyal to her princess to the end.
Finally, Derrick managed to escape from the main room and catch his breath in a back corridor. As he stood alone, his thoughts began drifting toward the Latina beauty who he had danced his first dance with. Although he had had his eyes on the princess Massie of Ithaca County ever since she had blossomed into a lady, he thought Lady Alicia might be more welcome to his advances. She clearly didn't have a beau.
"I thought I might find you here."
He whirled around. Speak of the devil. "Lady Alicia. This hall is off-limits to guests."
She licked her lips. "Soon, I will not be a guest."
He inched toward her. "What are you saying?"
She fluttered her eyelids. "These parties do get boring after a while. Perhaps I can cure that."
He turned to look straight at her. "What are you saying?"
She wrapped her arms around her neck and breathed into his ear. "Do you or do you not need a wife?"
He disentangled himself from her grip and took three frenzied steps away from her, plastering his back against the stone wall. "I do need a wife," he said cautiously. "But..."
"But what? Every man in the land wants me. And I want you. You should be honored, Prince." And she pressed her lips onto his.
Derrick had never kissed a girl before. As a prince, he could not have contact with any woman whatsoever until he was officially courting her. And he knew he wasn't courting Lady Alicia.
But her lips were soft and plump and pink, and she had a light dusting of freckles over her cheeks, and the way her eyes stared hungrily into his, as though she had a need only he could satisfy, made him feel strong and powerful.
And he found himself kissing back.
"I can help you," Claire whispered. "Do you really love the prince?"
No. "Yes, I do," Massie fibbed. "I love him with all my heart." There was no way she was going to fall for Prince Derrick. She would never fall for anyone again, not after what had occured with Prince Joshua. There was no way.
"That's so romantic," breathed Claire, blushing lightly. "I can try to convince Maria to let you work with me, but I don't know." She grinned tiredly.
"Thank you." Massie linked her arm through Claire's as the latter led them over the drawbridge.
"I told you we don't need any more servants, Claire," the burly guard snapped.
"I'm just bringing her to talk to Miz Maria," she insisted. "If Miz Maria says no, Molly will be out in a second, I promise."
"If you say so." The guard eyed the pair suspiciously as they entered the castle.
After a long discussion, quite a bit of pleading on Claire's part, and proof on Massie's part that she knew how to work, Massie became Prince Derrick's full-time assistant.
"Is he easy to fall in love with?" Massie asked over the servant's supper that night.
"Maybe," Claire whispered back, blushing once more. "The hard part is getting him to love you."