Once Upon a Romance 01 - Before the Midnight Bells by Jessica Woodard Page A

fine. I was hiding in one of the far rooms — with the food , if you must know.”
    “ All night? That must have been a dull time.”
    “ Honestly, I would prefer standing alone all night. Listening to all those bereaved mothers’ lamentations that I am off the market, while slyly hinting that it isn’t too late to change my mind, is enough to make me want to crawl under a table. Set your mind at ease , however ; I had a companion for the evening, someone equally disinclined to brave the crowds.”
    “ A companion?”
    “ A most charming girl by the name of Ella.”
    “ Max!” Vivienne was alarmed. “You can’t be seen spending evenings with another woman, we’re supposed to be engaged!”
    “ So I can’t even talk to other women?”
    “ Don’t be an idiot, Max; there’s a world of difference between chatting with the ball goers and lingering an entire evening with one girl. If my father finds out, he’ll be suspicious, and I need him to—”
    “ Relax Vivienne, we weren’t seen. If we were, you would have heard about it by now. And it was harmless; we just talked, mostly about the food and some of the dancers’ costumes. I simply enjoyed having someone to chat with who didn’t recognize me or ask me any details about our upcoming wedding.”
    Vivienne gave him a wary look , but let it go. “All right Max, feel free to keep hiding at the balls, if you must. Just pleas e , be more circumspect. Now, I have news about our plans.”
    “ Your plans, Vivi. I’m only going along with this because I fear your mighty wrath.”
    “ Fine then, my plans, oh timid one. I’ve spoken with my guards…”
    “ Not all of them, I hope?” Max was alarmed.
    “ Of course not. Rutgers is definitely loyal to King and country, not to Princess and crazy Ducal Heir, and there are several whose loyalties are unclear . I spoke to Martin, Verit, and Wallace, though.”
    “ Did they agree?”
    “ To a man. They will request the first shift on the night of the final ball. That should go well enough, since my other guardsmen will all want to attend.” Vivienne had known that would be the case. She had concocted this whole crazy scheme just to manipulate her father into throwing a ball—the one time her guard was light and schedule requests were almost always honored. “I’ll be away before the shift change at midnight, and they’ll join me once they’ve gone off duty. None of them own their own horses, though, and they don’t want to steal from the royal stables, so we’re going to have to buy them mounts and hide them outside the walls. When I say we, I of course mean you . You are the one who wants me to take them along.”
    “ Vivienne, we’ve been over this. You are a bright, intelligent woman. Your skill with your bow is remarkable, and you have absorbed as much of woodcraft as you possibly could from your library. But you have never spent the night outside the palace walls before, and you are going to need an escort. Without your guards this would be suicide. You would never make it to Toldas.”
    Vivienne stuck her tongue out at him, but didn’t argue. She knew her trip would be difficult enough even with the three guards along for assistance. “I still wish you would come with me.”
    “ If we’re both absent from the final ball, someone will come looking for us. My attendance is your best chance to escape cleanly. Besides, I have responsibilities here. I am the heir to my father’s duchy, you know.”
    “ Aren’t you the least bit curious, though, Max? My mother was only supposed to be going home for a state occasion, but she never returned . My father tried for ages to find out what happened to her, and then one day, he ended the search and refused to speak of it ever again. It’s like a forbidden subject. I haven’t heard anyone other than you even mention her name since I was six. Don’t you want to know what happened?”
    “ Of course I do, Vivienne, but she wasn’t my mother. No one wants