The Emperor's New Clothes by Victoria Alexander Page B

small dinner party.” Ophelia smiled with satisfaction. “I believe they said something about a friendly evening of cards.”
    Jenny groaned. “You’re going to try to take their money, aren’t you?”
    â€œOf course, darling, that’s what we’re here for.” Ophelia selected a brilliant yellow gown and a second in a deep green. “These two should do quite nicely.” She tossed one to her sister. “If you’ll take care of the day dress, I’ll work on the evening gown.”
    â€œI still don’t understand why you get to be the countess and I have to be the maid.” Jenny rose to her feet and flounced into the tiny room that adjoined her sister’s far more spacious quarters, leaving muttered comments strewn behind her like so many feathers from a flustered fowl. “I can act as well as you can. I could play the countess, you know, or better yet a princess. I would be a great princess.”
    â€œThis scene doesn’t call for a princess, dear.” Ophelia struggled to hide her amusement. “Just a countess…and her maid.”
    â€œHah!” Jenny stomped back into the room, her carpetbag in hand. “Only because you say so.”
    â€œJenny.” Ophelia raised a superior brow. “I am, after all, the director of this little farce.”
    Jenny glared. “I just hope you make that perfectly clear when it’s time for someone to play the part of jail inmate.”
    A delighted laugh bubbled through Ophelia. “No one’s going to end up in jail. Besides, we really haven’t done anything wrong.”
    â€œWe haven’t?” the girl said skeptically.
    â€œNo indeed.” Ophelia shook her head for emphasis. “We didn’t come into town claiming to be someone we weren’t. Why, it was that charming gentleman at the train station who assumed I was the countess. If you look at it properly, this entire escapade is his fault.”
    â€œIt is?” Doubt furrowed Jenny’s forehead.
    â€œOh, my, yes.” Ophelia crossed her arms over herchest and pinned her sister with a steady stare. “And even if I do manage to win enough to finance, at the very least, tickets out of town and hopefully far more than that, it’s not as if I were stealing.”
    â€œIt’s not?” The doubt lingered.
    â€œJenny.” Ophelia pulled herself up ramrod straight and stared regally downward, a towering vision of righteous indignation. It was one of her best roles. “I do not plan to cheat.”
    â€œOf course not. I just thought…I mean you have…it isn’t as if…” Jenny shrugged helplessly and sank down on to the bed.
    â€œThat you would even think such a thing.” Ophelia covered her eyes with her hand and shook her head in a convincing display of mortification.
    â€œOh, Ophelia, I’m so sorry.” Jenny leapt from the bed and threw her arms around her sister. “I didn’t mean to upset you, truly I didn’t.”
    â€œApology accepted,” Ophelia said with a lilt to her voice, and Jenny stepped back abruptly.
    â€œYou were acting again, weren’t you?” Sparks flew from the younger girl’s blue eyes, and she pointed an accusing finger at her sister. “I can’t believe you’d do that to me.”
    Ophelia lifted her shoulders in a gesture of dismissal. “Call it rehearsal.”
    â€œI call it rotten.” Jenny glared and grabbed her bag, rummaging through its paltry offerings with an irritated air. “Where in the hell is that damn needle and thread.”
    Ophelia rolled her eyes heavenward. She had to find them a decent, wholesome place to settle down and soon. It was one thing for Ophelia to use such language, but quite another for Jenny to do so. Jenny had a future and a much better life ahead of her. Ophelia would see to that.
    â€œI know it’s in here somewhere.” Jenny shook the bag,