“You shouldn’t listen to anything someone like Digby says, especially when they accuse you of being plain. You’re not. In fact, I think you’re really pretty.” Liam glanced down at Annie. “Beldegard was wrong. You don’t look anything like a boy and you’re just as pretty as your sister. Prettier even. I should have taught him a lesson for insulting you like that.”
Ordinarily Annie would have complained that she didn’t like it when people lied, but Liam hadn’t said it as if he were trying to flatter her. He actually sounded mad, the way she would if she’d heard someone state a blatant untruth. It surprised her how pleased that made her feel.
“So,” he said before she could think of a reply, “what errand is so important that we have to do it now?”
“Mother wanted me to tell Digby about my sister, but I’ve been thinking … What if he really isn’t the right prince for Gwennie? What if he goes back to the castle and kisses Gwennie and she still doesn’t wake up? Then I’d have to get rid of Digby and find someone else. I’d have wasted all that time when I could have been finding the right prince.”
Liam nodded. “That’s true. So what do you want to do about it?”
“Go to Gallfield and see if I can still enter that contest! If I win, I’ll ask that prince to go back with us. I’d feel better if we took more than one prince to see Gwennie.”
CHAPTER 8
SHORTLY AFTER LEAVING THE CITY, they met a farmer whose wagon had lost a wheel. With Liam’s help, the farmer got the wheel back on and was happy to give them a ride as far as the crossroads where the sign about the contest still fluttered in the breeze. As the farmer’s wagon rumbled off, Annie hefted her satchel onto her shoulder, then paused a moment and set it on the ground.
“What are you doing?” Liam asked as she rummaged through the satchel.
“I think it’s time I changed my clothes and started looking like a girl again.” Pulling her rumpled gown from the sack, she shook it and sighed when she saw just how wrinkled it was. “It will have to do,” she murmured to herself, then announced over her shoulder, “I’ll be right back,” as she started toward the woods.
Unlike most of her gowns, this one was simple without fancy lacings or anything that Annie couldn’t handle herself, so it took only a few minutes to change her clothes. When she returned to the road, Liam was lying on the grass with his eyes closed. “Wake up,” Annie said, kicking the bottom of his shoe.
Liam opened his eyes partway. “I wasn’t asleep. I was just resting my eyes. You didn’t take nearly as long as I expected. It takes my mother at least an hour to change her gown. Let’s go,” he said, getting to his feet. “We don’t have time to waste.”
Annie took her sack from his outstretched hand and tried to match her steps to his as he set off down the road. Every so often she cast a curious glance his way. He’d let slip little things about himself now and then that were just enough to make her realize how much she didn’t know. His mother took a while to dress, which might mean that his family had money. His father liked weapons and had given him a sword when he was young. That made her think his father was either a knight or a sword smith. The only other thing she knew about him was that he didn’t get along with either his mother or his brother.
Annie liked knowing even that little bit about him. She thought of him as a friend rather than a guard now, and she suspected that he felt the same way. After all, he no longer called her Your Highness, or spoke to her with the same deference that he had used in the castle. She didn’t mind, although her parents and sister would have taken great exception to his familiarity. Circumstances had changed, however, and although she might need a guard, she needed a friend even more.
If only he could be more than that, Annie thought, and was surprised that she had thought it. She gave herself a mental shake. It would be easy to fall in love with someone like Liam. He was sweet and considerate and actually listened when she spoke. Because she could be herself around him, she enjoyed his company more than that of any other man she’d ever known. He was handsome in a uniquely Liam sort of way, and she loved the way his eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled. She could see herself married to someone like him... only it couldn’t be Liam. He was a commoner, and her parents would never give their approval. Her parents’ wishes had always been so important to her that she couldn’t disregard them now, not even when Liam reached for her hand to help her over a ditch where part of the road had washed away and she felt reluctant to let go afterward.
“We must be getting close to Gallfield,” Liam said as they reached the highest point on the narrow bridge they were crossing and saw that the road beyond was in better repair.
“Uh, right,” Annie said, glad that Liam couldn’t know what she’d been thinking.
They were entering Gallfield when they saw the first hint that a celebration was in progress. The town had gone to great trouble to clean the streets, scrubbing down the cobblestones and placing tubs of flowers in front of the homes and shops. The streets were deserted, however, and they didn’t see anyone until a girl came running out of a cottage, carrying a basket.
“Pardon me,” called Liam, “but do you know where the contest is being held?”
The girl, who was only a few years younger than Annie, stopped and waited for them to catch up to her. Smiling and pink-cheeked, the girl was so excited that the words seemed to bubble out of her. “On the castle grounds, which is only fitting, wouldn’t you say? We’re all thrilled to pieces! Prince Andreas is finally going to get married. We’ve been hoping for ages that he’d pick a bride soon, but he’s never been able to find the right one. I’m Maud, by the way. My mum works in the castle kitchen, and she knows all about the prince. Do you know that he’s almost twenty years old? He’s very particular, everyone says so. But six princesses have come to try for his hand. One of them is bound to be the right one. I came home to get my dad and me a bite to eat and I’m on my way back there now, so I’d be happy to show you the way. You can see it now. Oh, look! They’re getting ready for the next contest.”
Annie hurried forward, anxious to see what she was about to get herself into. She could see the castle, rising above the trees. It wasn’t very big as castles went, but it was well built and fairly pretty, with each of its five towers flying colorful pennants. She could hear the crowd now, and as she drew closer she saw people dressed in their best clothes watching from the perimeter of a large clearing.
“Who’s in charge of the contest?” Annie asked the girl.
“That would be Lord Penbroken. That’s him, over there by that table.”
A group of more formally dressed people were standing near a trestle table that had been set up at the end of the clearing. An elderly man was talking to a group of pretty young women, who Annie assumed were the princesses. Although every one was lovely in her own way, none of them were nearly as beautiful as Gwendolyn.
A horse whinnied and Annie turned to see grooms escorting a small herd toward the princesses. As each horse was brought up, a princess left the group and walked into the clearing with the horse and groom. It wasn’t long before Lord Penbroken was by himself. When Annie approached him, the elderly man barely spared her a glance. “Excuse me,” she said, “but can you tell me if it’s too late to enter your contest?”
Lord Penbroken looked irritated when he turned to face her. “This contest is for princesses only. If you happen to have a princess in your entourage,” he said, giving her a condescending smirk, “she may enter.”
Annie brushed back a lock of her hair. She had neither bathed nor washed her hair in days, and she knew she must look terrible, but there was no time now to do anything about it. “I’m glad to hear that,” she told the elderly man. “I’d like to sign up.”
“You’re a princess?” asked Lord Penbroken.
Annie nodded. “I’m Princess Annabelle of the kingdom of Treecrest, come to enter your contest. I can give you a list of all my ancestors if that would help.”
Lord Penbr
oken looked a little dazed. “I don’t see how—”
“Let her enter the contest, Penzi,” said a tall young man who had arrived while they were talking. “The more the merrier, I always say.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” murmured Lord Penbroken.
“You must be Prince Andreas,” said Annie, curtseying as one would to an equal. “I’m Princess Annabelle, but my friends call me Annie.”
The prince smiled, displaying a set of white teeth made perfect by magic. “Then by all means, Annie it will be.”
“Do you need to hear my ancestry?” she said, turning to Lord Penbroken.
The elderly man glanced at the other princesses and shook his head. “No, no, there isn’t time for that now. You may enter, provided you know that there will be dire consequences if you’ve lied to us and you aren’t really a princess. You’ve missed the first part of the contest, but we’ll talk about that later. Right now we’ll have to see about getting you a horse.”
“Excuse me,” said Prince Andreas as he reached for Annie’s hand and raised it to his lips. She noticed that his fingers grew stubbier in the few seconds he touched her. “They’ve brought out my mount. I’ll see you during the contest, Annie.”
As the prince walked out into the clearing and Lord Penbroken turned away to talk to a groom, Annie discovered that Liam had followed her. “He’s quite charming,” she said in a quiet voice. “I think he’d do very well for Gwendolyn.”
“Huh,” said Liam. “Are you sure you’re still thinking about your sister?”
Annie gave him a sharp look. She couldn’t help it if she’d been wondering what it would be like to be entering the contest for herself rather than her sister, just as she couldn’t help feeling guilty that she could think such things when her family needed her so. “What is that supposed to mean?” she asked Liam. “Finding a prince for Gwennie is the whole reason we’re here.”
“I know. I just want you to keep that in mind. You should also keep in mind that no prince appreciates being deceived.”
“So is it true? Are you a real princess?” asked Maud, pushing through the crowd around them. “Because I have a lot of friends who would have loved to do what you just did, only none of them have the nerve. Everyone around here knows them too well, too, but a stranger like you—”
“It’s true,” Liam told her. “She really is a princess.”
“It’s lucky they let you start now,” said Maud. “Seeing that they already had the first contest.”
“Mmm,” Annie murmured. She was watching the princesses pet the horses as if the animals were big dogs. Every one of the girls was lovely, delicate, and carried herself as gracefully as Gwennie. Depending on what the contests were, Annie could either embarrass herself by how terrible she was in comparison, or...
“What was the first contest?” Annie asked.
“Poetry,” said Maud.
Annie grimaced. “I’m glad I missed it then. I hate poetry. The best I can do is a lousy limerick.”
“Princess Sarinda won it. That’s her, over there in the pink gown. The one who just fell off her horse.”
The princess in pink was lying on the ground, having been boosted onto the horse’s back and fallen off the other side. Another princess with red hair and a pale green gown had a grim expression on her face as she dug her legs into the horse’s sides to keep from falling off. Of the six princesses, only two had control of their horses.
“So the next contest is horse back riding?” said Annie. “But none of those horses are saddled. Most princesses ride sidesaddle.”
Maud leaned close enough to whisper into Annie’s ear. “Prince Andreas wants a wife who can keep up with him, no matter what.”
A princess with dark brown ringlets lurched onto her horse’s back and grabbed hold of its mane instead of the reins. “I see,” said Annie, thinking that she might have a chance after all.
“It seems they’ve found a horse for you to ride,” Liam said, gesturing toward the clearing.
Annie was pleased to see that they had brought her a pretty little palomino mare with a dance to her step. She had learned to appreciate horses from her friends in the stables and knew a good horse when she saw one. Leaving Liam with Maud, Annie crossed the grassy meadow. After taking a moment to pat the mare’s neck, Annie let the groom give her a hand up, deftly climbing onto the horse’s back. Taking the reins from his hands, she turned the horse toward where Prince Andreas was waiting. Some of the princesses were already there, facing the prince in a straggly row, but it took a few more minutes and the help of their grooms before the rest of the contestants joined them.
“I’d like you all to meet Princess Annabelle, who will be joining our contest,” the prince said when everyone was ready. “I’m sure you’ll all do your utmost to make her welcome.” The six princesses turned and gave her nasty looks, but the prince didn’t seem to notice. “The rules of this contest are simple,” he continued. “We will race around this field until I decide it’s time to stop. Whoever can keep up with me wins. Any questions? Yes, Princess Daphne?”
“This horse doesn’t like me,” said the princess with the dark brown curls. “Would it be possible to get a different one?”
“I want the one she’s on,” said Sarinda, pointing at Annie. “That horse is better behaved. It isn’t fair that she gets the good one when she just got here.”
“Now, now, ladies, these horses are all well behaved or they wouldn’t be in my stable. If there aren’t any real questions... Good. When Lord Penbroken counts to three, we start.” Raising his hand, the prince gave a signal.
“One, two, three!” shouted Lord Penbroken.
Prince Andreas’s horse took off like a shot, leaving the other horses to snort at the dust cloud he’d left behind. Princess Sarinda kicked her horse, which reared, dumping her on the ground. Daphne patted her horse and asked it to move, but it refused to budge. While two other princesses milled around, trying to get their horses to go where they wanted them to, Annie and a princess in a lavender gown raced down the field after the prince.
Annie loved the sense of freedom riding bareback gave her. She’d often gone out into the fields where the horses were pastured, thrown a rope around a horse’s neck, and raced with the stable boys until it was time for them to return to work, and she to her duties as a princess. Annie had won more often than not, although she hadn’t had the time to do it of late. Now, racing with Prince Andreas, she let herself go in a way she never would have with anyone but her friends. It was fun, it was exhilarating, and she hoped he wouldn’t tire of it soon and declare that it was over.
She was laughing from excitement, her hair whipping in the wind behind her, when the princess in lavender screamed and galloped past straight into the woods instead of following the curve of the field. “Princess Clotilde!” shouted a rider stationed at the edge of the woods. Seeing that the rider was already trying to stop the runaway horse, Annie urged her horse to go faster in an effort to catch up with Andreas. The prince turned his head to look back, grinning when he saw that Annie was gaining ground.
Together, Annie and Prince Andreas raced around the field once, twice, three times. Although Annie could have passed him, she remembered that Maud had said the prince wanted a princess who could keep up with him, which wasn’t at all the same as saying that he wanted one who could beat him. The palomino mare wanted to run faster, but Annie held her back, giving her a silent apology.
After two more circuits around the field, Andreas held up his hand and slowed his horse to a walk. They returned to Lord Penbroken amid the cheers and applause of the watching crowd, but Annie noticed that none of the other princesses had waited for the end of the race and had already returned to the castle. While Lord Penbroken announced that Princess Annabelle of Treecrest was the winner of the contest, Andreas slipped from his horse and crossed to Annie’s, where he offered to help her down.
“Very nicely done,” said the prince, and kissed the back of her hand.
&n
bsp; “Thank you, Your Majesty,” said Annie, curtseying. She couldn’t help adding, “It was fun!” which earned her a guffaw from the prince.
“I’ll see you at the ball tonight.”
Annie looked dismayed. “There’s a ball? But I don’t have a gown to wear.”
“Don’t worry about that,” said Prince Andreas. “Once my mother hears that you won this contest, she’ll make sure you have twenty gowns to choose from!”
CHAPTER 9
ANNIE WAS SHOWN TO A ROOM where she could freshen up. There she found a selection of gowns and a stern-looking lady-in-waiting named Lady Hillary. A long, narrow, hot water–filled wash tub awaited her as well. This alone was a luxury she hadn’t hoped to find, but she was even happier when she discovered a piece of soap that smelled of violets.
Before Annie handed her dirty clothes to Lady Hillary, she made the older woman promise that they would be washed and hung in front of a fire to dry so they’d be ready for her to wear after the ball. The lady-in-waiting bundled up the soiled clothes while Annie slipped into the tub and sighed as the heat drew the ache from her muscles. She took her time washing her hair and body with the violet soap, reveling in the scent of flowers and the feeling of finally being clean again.
Annie was putting on a cream-colored gown embroidered with violets when she thought to ask the lady-in-waiting for something to eat. To her surprise, Lady Hillary shook her head and said, “I wouldn’t advise it. You’ll be dining after the dance. It wouldn’t hurt you to wait until then. I wouldn’t suggest eating right before you engage in vigorous exercise.”
“What kind of dance is it?” Annie asked. “Is it part of the contest?”
“I can’t say,” Lady Hillary replied in a way that Annie took to mean yes.
Annie nodded. “I see. Then I want to look my very best. Do you think you could find me some violets for my hair?”
For the first time since they met, the woman smiled. “I’m sure I can find something,” she said, and hurried out of the room.