“And to think, someone in this garden will marry my brother in a couple of months.”
“A couple of months?” My voice was nearly a shrill, though I tried hard to play it cool.
Pilar nodded. “Father wants it to happen while he’s still alive.”
“That makes sense.” My heart pounded harder, as if to state its complaint on the matter.
“Nothing in our lives makes sense, but we go along with it anyway.” She had her eyes trained on the party—the DJ, the costumed dancers on stage, the fire-breathers, the acrobats, the people moving on the dance floor.
I was proud of the way things were going. I had only seen a couple of the potential brides walk in through their designated area, but everything from the entrances to the shows seemed to be moving along.
“Where is your brother?” I asked. “I haven’t seen him all night.”
“Around.” She waved a hand. “Eli hates parties.”
“I find that so funny considering he’s always hosting one.”
“Like I said, nothing in our lives makes sense.” She smiled, looking over at me. “Thanks for helping me out earlier. When it comes time to plan my engagement and wedding, I’m calling you.”
“I’ll be there.” I smiled wide.
She walked away and disappeared into the sea of people in costume. I made my way back to one of the tents to make sure things were still running smoothly in there. I was surprised to find it pretty empty when I stepped inside, though there was a group of people congregating around the ice sculptures. I walked over to the food tables to make sure the trays were still filled. Once the caterers showed me they were, I walked back out of the tent and started making my way toward the other, checking the drinks next. As I walked out of that one, my foot caught on a rock, and I stumbled but kept myself upright. When I took a step again, I realized I’d lost one of my heels. I sighed heavily and closed my eyes to the sky. Of course I did. The cottages were nearby, close enough that I could change my shoes and come right back. I headed in that direction. My phone vibrated in the pocket of my skirt as soon as I stepped out of view from the party. I swore under my breath. It was as if my mother had a tracker on me. I answered the phone quickly.
“I’m changing my shoes and coming right back,” I said upon answering.
“Oh, dear. What happened?” My mother’s concern melted my annoyance away.
“Tripped over a rock. You know, the usual thing that happens when you’re hoping the biggest event of your life goes off without a hitch.”
Mom laughed lightly. “Well, Madame Rose is looking for you. She wants to introduce us to the queen, but I’ll let her know you’ll be back shortly.”
“The queen?” I whisper-shouted. “Why?”
“I suppose she wants to thank us.”
“Oh my God. I don’t want to meet her.”
“She’s the queen, Adeline. Of course you want to meet her.”
“I guess.” I walked faster, hating the hop in my step each time I took one. “I’ll look for you when I get back.”
I slowed down as I reached the cottages. There was a couple going into one of the guest rooms. Not a couple. Prince Elias and a woman. It could have been his brother—they were both similar heights and builds, and wearing the same masks—but I knew it was him. Prince Elias was the man of the hour. His outfit was all gold, with gold stitching on the jacket and an ivory shirt underneath with frilly lace at the neck, that made it look even more lavish. He wasn’t wearing a wig, so his dark hair was slicked back, and he looked more regal than any king I’d ever seen. My heart skipped a beat as he disappeared into the cottage with the woman. It wasn’t his cottage. It wasn’t his brother’s either. It must have been hers.
I picked up the pace again and walked inside of my cottage quickly, taking off my shoes as I went over to the desk, to look at the layout again. It was where the Princess of Austria was staying. I wasn’t sure why that bothered me so much. Why have this party at all if he’d already chosen his bride though? Why make us go through the hassle? I reminded myself that I was being paid a lot of money to plan this event, but that thought only silenced my annoyance for a second. I swiped the desk, letting the papers fall to the floor, and turned to the closet. The shoes I’d been wearing were very Victorian and matched the dress perfectly. Thankfully, I’d had it in mind to take silly pictures while here and packed what I liked to call my Mary Poppins shoes. I’d worn them for a costume party a couple of years ago, but they were sensible and cute, and I took them everywhere. I slipped them on, fixed my hair and makeup, and put the mask over my face again. If I was going to meet the queen, I needed to make sure I looked presentable. I walked back out of my cottage and was locking the door when the door to the cottage I’d seen Elias disappear into opened. The woman, who I assumed was the Princess of Austria, walked out first. She seemed to be fixing her hair and mask, as if she’d just had a quickie with the prince. My hate for her grew.