“If they know...think they know who did it, why have they rounded up all the Magi in the staff?”
My father sighed and massaged his temples.
“We are living in difficult times. I argued with the chief of police, but he got the mayor involved, and from there, word got out that it was a Mage that had done this. We had to be seen to be doing something.”
“By rounding up innocent people? You are the king. You have final say on everything.”
“The people need to see that things are being done. I did what I had to do. The Magi will be ok. In a couple of days, they will be let off without charge and sent home.”
“Sent home? You mean they won’t be coming back here?”
“No. We are in the process of hiring new staff. Non-magic staff. When we have filled the positions, we’ll be doing the same for the remaining Magi.”
I stood up. “You are firing the Magi?”
“I have to. There would be an uprising if I didn’t. They have caused enough trouble. Don’t worry. I’m sure they’ll get jobs elsewhere.”
“How are they supposed to get jobs elsewhere when our very own king won’t support them?” I screeched.
“Calm down, Charmaine. Why is this so important to you? You’ve never shown any interest in politics before.”
“This isn’t politics, this is people’s lives. Innocent people who will now not be able to put food on their table.”
His level of anger rose to match my own. “And what about the innocents who were killed here on Saturday night? Twenty-three people lost their lives, Charmaine. One of which was a member of royalty. I have spent the last twenty-four hours trying to persuade the Prince of Aurora’s parents not to declare war on us. I had to explain to them why I let Magi into the palace at all when they are so obviously volatile. I had to fire them. I had no choice.”
“But...”
“This discussion is closed. I did what I had to do, and I don’t want to hear any more about it. Now go and see your mother about breakfast.”
Every part of me wanted to argue right back at him, but I knew there was no point. I stood up and stalked out of the door.
One thing my father was right about—the only thing. I needed food. I’d not eaten in over thirty-six hours, and I was beginning to feel lightheaded. I headed for the breakfast room.
My mother and Elise were there eating. I took my usual seat. Within seconds, one of the staff brought me breakfast. The food smelled lovely—poached eggs and salmon, but I felt so miserable, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to eat it.
“Charmaine, it’s lovely to have you with us. How are you feeling today?”
I looked at my mother. She looked worn and tired, but, as usual, she had a smile on her face. I wanted to tell her how angry I was with everything, but she held no sway over my father. Shouting at her would solve nothing. I tucked into my eggs. “I’m fine.”
“Good. I’m glad your long sleep did you some good. I’ve set up your first official date. I know you were supposed to choose five men at the end of the ball, but obviously, that didn’t happen, so I went with the ones you’d picked earlier in the evening. Alexander decided to go home after the explosion and have no more to do with the competition, but the others stayed. I’d like to have fixed you up with the dates in alphabetical order to show no preference, but that lovely Leo never got to dance with you, so I thought it would be nice to let him go first.”
I nearly choked on my eggs. Was she being serious? Elise looked up in surprise too. I guess she, like I, had thought that the men would be allowed to leave and this whole marriage thing would quietly go away on its own.
“This ridiculous charade is still going ahead? After everything that’s happened?”
My mother clucked impatiently. “Of course, it’s still going on, and please don’t call it a charade. We need this now more than ever.”
“People have died, and innocent people are being thrown out of their jobs, and the people need me to go on dates with men I don’t even know?”
“It’s important we keep going as we were. Our people expect strong leadership. Now how would it look if we decided to drop everything just because of a little incident?”
“Little incident? Twenty-three people were killed, and the police are looking for an innocent man.”
I didn’t mean to say it, but my mother didn’t seem to notice. Elise, however, gave me an odd look.
“And that’s exactly why we have to carry on as before. Now I’ve set your date for seven o’clock this evening. Leo has already been notified. I just need to know exactly what you want to do for your date.”
“I don’t want to go on a date.”
My mother ignored me. “I’ll tell him you’ll meet him in the gardens at seven precisely. Xavi will be informed so she can dress you for the occasion. I’d like to have invited the press, but security is high at the moment, so it will be just the two of you. Don’t worry though; guards will be keeping an eye on you from a distance. You’ll be perfectly safe.”
And just like that, the nightmare I’d woken up to got a whole lot worse.
CHAPTER NINE
The First date
Leo was waiting for me by the front door of the palace at exactly seven. Two guards at the door let me through, and I could see others in the distance at the end of the long drive by our large wrought-iron gates. No doubt, there would be even more in the gardens.
Leo had dressed in cream trousers with a smart cream shirt, which showed off his dark skin to perfection. He’d left the top button of his shirt undone, which showed just a hint of chest hair beneath it.
We walked in silence down to the lawn. The gardens were a marvel of engineering, as well as horticulture, with a large pond served by a stepped waterfall and hand-sculpted statues dotted around the abundant greenery. A large lawn, neatly cut into a striped pattern, circled around the house, edged with beautiful flowers and shrubs. At the very back was the tall wall that surrounded the entire property. Although I could see no guards at the moment, I was sure there would be plenty on the other side.
After a few minutes of walking, when it had already gotten past the point of politeness, I spoke.
“Thank you for staying on, Leo. It must have been a difficult decision for you.”
“Not really. Now, don’t get me wrong. The explosion was a horrible, horrible thing, but we should stand with our backs straight and carry on as usual in the face of adversity.” His words reminded me of my mother, but I let him continue. “If I may be so bold, I’ve set up a charity to aid those who were hurt in the blast.”
“That’s a nice gesture. And what about the Magi that have lost their jobs because of this?”
He seemed surprised by my words.
“Some say it is the Magi that are the cause of this. Now I don’t believe it myself, but until the perpetrator is caught, there is nothing I can do to help them.”
“So you don’t believe it was a Mage?”
We rounded the corner of the house. The sun was low in the sky, but still pleasantly warm and the smell of freshly cut grass filled my nose. It would have been perfect if not for the huge hole in the side of the palace, now covered with tarpaulins.
“I run a lot of charities. In my time, I’ve made a lot of money, thanks to some wise business deals, and I like to give back where I can. I’ve worked with a great many magic people in my time, and I’ve not met a single one who would do something like this.”
He gestured to the mass of debris and rubble we were currently walking past.
I didn’t want to argue with him because I happened to agree, but there was a flaw in his logic. “Just because you know nice Magi, doesn’t mean there aren’t some that are capable of doing something like this.”
“That’s very true, but there are good and bad people everywhere, both magic and non-magic. My thoughts though, if it were a Mage that did this, why would he or she use a bomb? The police have reported that a device was found. Why would a Mage go to such leng
ths when they could use a wand to do the same damage. It doesn’t make sense.”
And there it was. The argument I needed to stop this madness.
“Do Magi have enough power to make such a blast?”
“While I believe Magi hold a lot of power, they are not all powerful. A blast this size would be too much for the average Mage, but there are some that could do it. Oh, look. They have set a picnic out for us.”
I looked to where he was pointing. The gardens at the back of the house slanted down so we could see the tops of houses over the wall. On this side of the wall, was a large rug filled with food. To one side, was an ice bucket with a bottle of champagne in it waiting for us. Two long-stemmed glasses stood next to it.
I sat down and let Leo uncork the bottle, before pouring the bubbly into both glasses.
I felt at ease with Leo, but I had no spark with him. He was polite, great-looking and a good catch, and yet, he didn’t possess the wit of Daniel nor the intrigue of Xavier. I liked him though. He was honest and according to his bio, was generous to boot.
“Tell me about your charities, Leo.”
As he told me about the good work he had done, of which there was a lot, something glinted in my eye.
I blinked, trying to make out what it was, but I could only see the sunlight reflecting back from the windows of the houses beyond the palace grounds. Leo picked up on my staring and turned around. Whatever had caught the sun had now stopped.
“What was that?” he asked, turning back to me.
“I don’t know. Something shone in my face. Never mind. It’s gone now.”
Leo kept on talking as I ate. Whatever had shone in my eye had gone, but by the end of the date, it was still on my mind.
“Shall we pack all this up?” asked Leo, indicating the left-over food.
“Hmm?” I was miles away in my thoughts. “Sorry, no. Don’t worry about it. The staff will take it.”
“Do you think they would mind me wrapping up some of the leftovers?” He’d put some of the uneaten food to one side.
I looked down at our half-eaten picnic. I’d barely touched it even though it was delicious. Immediately I felt bad. I’d been the worst date ever, barely saying a word and barely eating. Leo was a great guy. He deserved more.
“If you are still hungry, we can stay a while longer.”
“It’s not that. I just know a lot of homeless people, and I like to take food to them when I can. Unless you want more?”
He would make a wonderful partner, I mused. Not just for me, but for the nation. He was perfect in every way. I could quite clearly imagine him standing beside me as we ruled Silverwood. The people would love him, but could I?
“No, I’m fine. Go ahead and take it. I’ll ask the kitchens to wrap it up for you.”
We walked back up to the palace. Once back, I asked a guard to tell the kitchen to wrap up the picnic leftovers and give them to Leo. He gave me a peck on the cheek and thanked me for my generosity.
I’d barely made it back to my room when Elise came rushing in.
“What was the date like? Do you like him?”
I laughed at her exuberance. It was weird that she was more excited by my date than me, but nice too.
“He’s very nice.”
“Very nice? Is that all?”
I tried to think of something else to say but ‘very nice’ was all I could come up with.
“Yep.”
“Don’t be coy. He’s gorgeous. He told me about all the things he has done for charity. Did he tell you about the time he flew over the jungle, dropping food to people who had been cut off by a flood? Or about the time he nursed a sick orphan back to health before finding him a forever family to live with?”
It turned out that Elise knew more about the guy than I did. Of course, she did. She’d sat next to him at the ball. She would have asked him all the right questions and remembered every detail. The main thing I took from my date with Leo was his thoughts on the bomb. It had been plaguing my mind ever since, and after that, I’d not really taken much in.
“He talked about his charity work a bit.”
“Did you kiss him?”
The thought of kissing him hadn’t crossed my mind. For a start, the opportunity hadn’t really presented itself, and secondly, I didn’t feel that way about him.
“Shouldn’t I wait until I fall in love with one of them before kissing them?”
“But how will you fall in love with them if you don’t kiss them?”
How indeed? Later, when Elise had left, I peered out of the window. I watched Leo walking down the driveway from the staff entrance with two bags. He walked right to the gates where a guard let him through. I had to give it to him. He could have gone through the main gates where a thousand photographers would take his picture to publish in the press. It was refreshing to see someone who would do something so lovely without reward or recognition. I vowed that on my next date with him, I’d put in more effort.
Just as I was about to turn around, I saw the flash of light again. As it was so dark, it must have been a flashlight this time. It was pointing up near my room. Was I being spied upon? It wouldn’t surprise me if a member of the paparazzi had rented the townhouse just to get photos of me. They’d been known to do worse. I hid behind my curtain. When I peeked out again, the light was gone.
CHAPTER TEN
The Interview
“Time to get up. rise and shine!” A bright light, which could only have been the sun pouring in, thanks to the curtains being opened, hit my eyes. I blinked carefully.
“Jenny?”
“Of course, it’s me. Who did you think it was? The press have gotten wind of your date with that rich fella, and they want the scoop. Your mother has told me to drag you out of bed and get you down to the sitting room. Leo is already there, and I must say he looks smart for the photo.”
“Photo?” I mumbled as I dragged myself out of bed, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes as I did.
“Yes, a photo. They want one with you and Leo. There’s no time to go and see Xavi, but she did give me this dress for you to wear and instructed me to tell you to put your hair in a ponytail. I think she called it damage limitation.”
Jenny thrust the dress into my hand. I was glad to see it was understated and plain.
“How are you?” I asked as I pulled the dress over my head. Her arm was still in a sling, but she wasn’t letting that stop her from being her usual bossy self.
“Never better. Now get a move on.”
Suddenly I became aware that Agatha wasn’t here to help me. A feeling of dread descended. “Where’s Agatha?”
“Don’t worry. They wouldn’t let her go without saying goodbye to you. She was told she wasn’t needed this morning that’s all.”
Phew. I was so relieved, I almost didn’t catch Jenny’s eyes go wide.
“What’s this?”
I looked to where she was pointing. My glass slipper lay where I had left it on the floor next to my bed. I’d forgotten to hide it.
“It’s the slipper from the ball,” I replied as nonchalantly as possible.
I knew what she was thinking. The slipper by the bomb blast had been melted beyond recognition. No one had connected it to me. Not before now, at least.
“Where is the other one?” her eyes gazed at the floor, searching for my slipper’s wayward partner. I loved Jenny with all my heart and had done so since I was a small child. In all the years of knowing her, I’d not lied to her once. It was a habit I was about to break in the biggest possible way.
“Thanks for finding it. I’ve been looking for it. The other is in my wardrobe.” I took the glass slipper from her and smiled. I could see her searching my eyes for the truth. Either she believed me or didn’t want to dispute it because she handed the shoe over to me without any more questions. I felt that, in that moment, something had broken between us.
I was surprised to find only one photographer in the sitting room. My mother was there as was Leo. Je
nny had been right. He was looking very smart in a tailored suit. There was also a woman with a microphone, no doubt to interview us, and Louis with his box of tricks.
He sidled over to me and spent a few minutes “freshening me up” for the camera before the interviewer came over and introduced herself.
“Hello, Your Highness,” she had a nasal voice, but a genuine smile. She shook my hand warmly. “I’m Sadie from Silverwood News. We want to run a feature on each of your dates. As you know, we aren’t permitted to actually come on your dates, but her majesty has asked us to mock them up after you’ve had them. I hear you two love birds had a lovely picnic yesterday afternoon?”
“I wouldn’t say we are lo...”
“We did, Sadie,” cut in Leo. “The food was magnificent, the weather glorious and the company ravishing.”
“And was there any ravishing going on?” Sadie appeared visibly more excited as she asked the question.
“A gentleman or a lady never kisses and tells.” Leo laughed. I turned red. Now the whole Kingdom would think we had started some kind of torrid love affair, but we were keeping it to ourselves. “Shall we go outside?” Leo held his hand out towards the door. Sadie ushered her cameraman to follow, and the four of us left the palace. I noticed the cameraman got a good shot of the building work that was now going on to repair the palace wall. It had been quiet yesterday, but now the peace was interrupted by the sounds of hammers and drills and other machinery, not to mention the sheer number of people working there.
In the exact place we’d eaten yesterday, another picnic blanket had been laid out. This time, instead of the massive spread from the day before was a cooler. Inside was a punnet of strawberries and a carton of cream. There were two bowls and two spoons next to the cooler. I filled both bowls and passed one to Leo.
Charm (A Cinderella reverse fairytale) (Reverse Fairytales Book 1) Page 9