The orchestra had begun a waltz, the violins swelling into a lilting melody, but there was to be no dancing until the duchess made her appearance.
“Why does everyone keep looking to the door?” Cinderella asked, but she knew the answer as soon as the words left her.
“Everyone is waiting to see whether the lady with the glass slipper will show up tonight. The entire household is betting on it.”
“What do you think?”
“I have fifty silver aurels on it.” Louisa’s eyes glittered behind her mask. “What about you?”
“I... I don’t think so.”
“Come on, some of the girls are over by the buffet. Smart idea to get some nourishment before the dancing starts!”
Cinderella had started to follow Louisa when, out of the corner of her eye, she spied the Grand Duke perched on a private balcony beside a portly elderly man, speaking in hushed tones as his companion observed the assembly with a pair of binoculars.
Could that be the king?she wondered. Given the older man’s uniform, pinned with so many medals it weighed down his shoulders, it had to be.
She touched Louisa’s shoulder. “Why don’t you go first? I want to explore a little.”
“Shall I come with you?”
“No, I won’t be long. I... I just want to catch a glimpse of the king.”
“Don’t take too long.” Louisa shot Cinderella a sly smile. “Our kingdom’s most eligible bachelor will make his appearance with his aunt soon. You won’t want to miss that.”
Louisa spun away and missed the deep flush that colored Cinderella’s cheeks at the mention of the prince.
Composing herself, Cinderella pursued her mission of spying on the Grand Duke and returned to the secret door through which she and Louisa had entered. Located in one of the ballroom’s many anterooms, it looked like an ordinary wall panel, marked only by an ivory knob in the center. Inside was a network of narrow tunnels that Cinderella didn’t dare explore lest she get lost. After retracing her steps, she cracked open the door a hair, just in time to hear the duke say:
“If I may say so, Your Majesty, I saw the young prince with your sister. They were riding into the city yesterday morning, and since then, he hasn’t been himself.”
“What are you trying to say?”
The duke took out his monocle and wiped it clean with a handkerchief. “As I’ve been trying to tell you, your sister’s influence on the prince concerns me. Fortunately, I have invited the Princess of Lourdes to attend—”
“I do not want to hear this, Ferdinand. Just let me have my hour’s worth of peace and quiet.”
“But you must listen, sire.” The duke lowered his voice, and Cinderella couldn’t make out his next words, but the color suddenly drained from King George’s face.
Oh, no.Cinderella swallowed hard. The duke must have discovered what Genevieve had been trying to hide from him—that the king was planning to abdicate.
Her heart hammering in her ears, she dared open the door a fraction wider.
Her suspicion was verified by the king’s next words: “Does Charles know?”
“He will not have heard it from me.”
“Do you think heshouldknow?”
A long, deliberate pause. “No.”
Before she could hear more of their conversation, the king disappeared behind a curtained partition, and from the top of the ballroom staircase, the royal crier announced, “The Duchess Genevieve d’Orlanne, sister of His Royal Majesty, King George-Louis Philippe, honorable and beloved sovereign of Aurelais.”
Brass fanfares trumpeted across the chamber, startling Cinderella, who quickly exited the secret panel to join the rest of the guests in greeting the duchess.
The Duchess of Orlanne had donned a black mask with silver whiskers, and she descended the staircase regally, fluttering a matching fan with feathers so long they nearly brushed against the carpet. At her side was Prince Charles, wearing a white mask that covered the upper half of his face.
As the fanfare faded, the orchestra resumed its incidental music until the prince and the duchess reached the dance floor. Then a slow triple beat emerged from the orchestra’s lush harmonies.
