“Come on, try it on. And I have a special pair of shoes you can wear. What size are you?”
“Eight and a half.” No one had size eight and a half.
“I knew it. I knew it,” Princess Daffy said. “Come on, let’s get you in this gown.”
In the dressing room, Gemma slipped from her jeans and T-shirt and returned in bra and undies, feeling a bit unprepared for this.
The princess stood on a chair and directed Gemma to slip under the gown’s hem and massive the skirt—arms up mind you—then she would help fit bodice.
“Brace yourself,” Princess Daffy said. “This gown weighs a ton.”
On first try the layered, textured bodice landed on Gemma’s face. That inspired a good laugh. Then Daffy adjusted her aim and at last, the straps rested on Gemma’s shoulders. Daffy stepped off the chair, maneuvering easily despite her round belly, and fastened the long row of buttons.
“Oh, Gemma.” The princess flared the enormous skirt with the short train, adjusting the layers of silk, organza, and feathers. “The feathers seem to come alive, as if they belong to you. Do you feel like you can fly?”
Gemma moved to the mirror. “Goodness.” It was too much. All too much. A week in a palace, being friends with a prince, soaking in the light from the Heart of God, and now wearing this amazing,amazinggown that was intended for a princess.
“Are you all right?” Daffy’s form appeared in the mirror beside Gemma.
“Yes…no.” Gemma reached for the nearest chair, stumbling under the gown’s weight. She’d have to get used to it. “I’m a bit overwhelmed. I don’t deserve your kindness and I should be honest about who I really am and what I’ve done but—”
A door chime interrupted her almost-confession.
“Hold that thought.” Princess Daffy hurried off and Gemma decided to not holdthatthought but to toss it far, far away.Just be in the moment. Why did she have to drag her past with her everywhere like some sick badge of honor?
What was the experience in the Heart of God for if it didn’t move her forward?
Princess Daffy returned. “My stylist will do your hair and makeup tomorrow night.”
“Why are you being this kind to me when you don’t even know me?”
“We like you, Gemma. We see how John’s changed since he met you. Holland’s death really shook him.”
“I don’t really feel worthy, to be honest.”
“When I fell in love with Gus, I knew I wasn’t good enough for him,” Daffy said. “Plus, the queen would never let me in the Family. I knew the great secret. Scottie.”
Gemma let herself relax, finally letting go enough to enjoy the moment.
“My mum was Her Majesty’s secretary before she went to work at the Royal Trust. I used to run around the palace with the princes and during a hide-n-seek game, I hid in the queen’s closet. I overheard her on the phone with Scottie’s father. I was young and didn’t understand the nuances but I knew I’d just heard a great secret. I told my mother, though, who told me to write it down in a book and forget it. Fast forward twenty years and the blame thing fell into the hands of my friend and TV presenter Leslie Ann. And here we are.”
“Princess Daffy, I’m not looking to marry John or anything. We’re friends. That’s all.”
“If the look in his eye as well as yours is just friends, what must Gus and I look like to everyone? What’s wrong with being in love with him? If he’s the right one, things will work out. I was engaged to someone else when I realized I loved Gus. Of course, I refused to believe it until I met this very odd woman. Very mysterious. Adelaide.”
“Adelaide?” Gemma shifted in her chair, adjusting the heavy skirt away from her legs. “Piquant face and Brillo pad hair?”
The princess gripped Gemma’s arm. “Have you seen her?”
“I have. She came into The Wedding Shop where I work,” Gemma said. “She claimed to be an angel, but I was pretty sure she was sent by a friend as a joke. He likes to punk people.”
“Did he send her to punk me too?”
“Well no. But he could’ve heard your story?”
“I’ve never told my story about Adelaide but Princess Corina from Brighton Kingdom. She was the first to meet her. Then she visited me and now you. Gemma, she’s no ordinary angel. She prepares future princesses.”
The chill of recognition spread through her. “That’s what she told me but I thought she was making it up.”
