Janelle sighed. If only she could disagree with people the way her father did. She'd inherited too much temper from both of her parents, but she definitely had more spiteful fire in her than Lord Roux. He was content merely to enjoy the disagreements in fun while she seemed fated to despise them with passion. She hadn't seen Dmitri since their argument last night. Nicolas and Nicoline had made paltry excuses for him at breakfast.
“Lord Roux?” A servant appeared around the corner of a fountain and bowed. “You have a visitor.”
“Visitor?”
“The Duke Caron, my lord.”
Janelle's father beamed. “Ah, well, show him in!” He turned to Janelle, rubbing his hands. “I'm eager to show him what I've done with the queen's roses.”
She wrinkled her brow. “But why would he visit now?”
“To see the competition, no doubt!” Lord Roux exclaimed. “Why else? Oh, you don't think he objects to the engagement being called off, do you?”
Janelle shook her head. “No, Adam was in favor of it. Besides, if he did object, wouldn't he have said something before now?”
“Then don't worry,” her father patted her arm. “He must be here to check on my progress, in which case I have more right to worry than you.”
The comment made her smile. “Father, he can do nothing but stand amazed. You have truly worked wonders.”
Duke Caron soon entered the garden, sweeping the long edges of his velvet cape to create the most ceremonious entrance possible. “My dear Lord Roux! You look very well. Ah, and your charming daughter.” The duke stopped talking long enough to give her a stately bow. Unlike his son, his hair was a spotless white and his teeth perfectly straight. His eyes, despite his age, still sparkled greatly with life and challenge.
He straightened and instantly began talking. “I must say, my lady, we were all greatly sorrowed at the break of our arrangement for, like my son, we are so fond of you.”
Janelle cast her father a quick look. “I am sorry it had to be this way, but it was necessary.”
“No matter, we shall forgive the past, I'm certain.” Duke Caron gave another swish of his cape and smiled at her. “I can see how the Crown Prince would be more acceptable than the mere son of a duke.”
Her mouth tightened, but the duke didn't notice and kept on talking.
“But Adam has recovered wonderfully, and we are keeping much occupied. The flora show is just in three short days, you know. Still so much work to be done. But you shall not be entering this year, I should think, my Lord Roux?”
Janelle's father drew himself up. “On the contrary. I am most eager for the competition.”
“And the roses...?” Duke Caron inquired.
“Will be from the queen's own garden.” Lord Roux answered quickly. “Her Majesty has given me the express privilege to do whatsoever I please with these roses, as I have been caring for them the greater part of a fortnight, and I please to enter them into the show.”
The duke tsked under his breath. “But... would that not be against the rules?”
“I cannot see why, my Duke Caron. I have been through the rule book no less than three times and have found no stipulation that I am violating. Would you care to see some of the improvements I've made to the beds? That royal gardener is a pest, but I have at last succeeded in convincing him of some modern methods.”
The two men wandered off, each too eager to boast of his own fauna. Janelle watched them for a moment, and then turned her footsteps back inside. The door key was heavy in her pocket, reminding her of its presence, and she wanted to find the lock to fit it.
Where would Dmitri have a locked door? The answer came too quickly – the West Wing. No one was allowed there. If he did have something to hide, it would be there. Her heart skipped a beat as she directed her steps to the forbidden place.
SIX
“Ah, Prince Dmitri! There you are!”
Dmitri suppressed a wince. He gave an apologetic nod to the minister of the flora show and turned to face the newcomer. “Adam! What are you doing here?”
The duke's son gave a respectful bow, red hair flapping. “My father wished to speak to the Lord Roux, and as any son should, I accompanied him. I did not think I could pass up such a wonderful opportunity to see you.”
“And I am glad you took that opportunity,” Dmitri said, though he wished quite the opposite.
“If you are not busy,” Adam looked behind the prince to the flora show minister, “I would like to speak to you for just a minute.”
“Of course,” Dmitri nodded again to the minister who backed away gracefully. The plans for the show could wait for a minute. Once he was out of earshot, Dmitri looked back to Adam. “Is something wrong?”
“Oh, no! No! I only meant to inquire after Janelle, but I did not wish to make an issue of it. You know how some people will talk, what with her having been with both of us.”
“She's fine.”
“And you are coming along splendidly in your courtship?”
The prince fought the urge to grind his teeth. “As well as can be expected.”
Adam smiled. “She is a beauty, is she not?”
Dmitri thought back to his happier mental images of Janelle – her smile as she told stories with Nicoline, her ready laugh when she shared a joke with Nicolas, even her understanding eyes as she kindly listened to his mother's crazy comments. She was easily one of the prettiest girls in Rohesia, with her glossy brown hair and pretty features, but there was more there that went further than what was on the outside. Yes, she was a beauty, and a rare one at that.
“My prince?”
“What?” Dmitri hadn't realized Adam was still talking.
“Have you arranged the date for the wedding?”
“Oh,” he looked down at his hands. “Not yet. We... we wanted to wait until after the flora show to make any plans.”
Adam tapped the side of his rather large nose. It really was a pity that he hadn't inherited his father's handsome looks. “Astute, my prince. Very astute. I know I shouldn't say this, but I am rather jealous of your good fortune. Janelle would make any man a wonderful bride, and you just happened to catch her eye.”
Dmitri coughed. “I really didn't...”
But Adam wasn't paying attention. “We were always friends, and now I am saddened to see her moving on, but I know she'll be happy.”
The Crown Prince chose not to respond to that.
Adam talked on for a few more minutes, much to Dmitri's dismay. He was even eager to return to the flora show plans by the time the duke's son showed himself out. The minister could sometimes try his patience, but there was always the promise of escape later on. Dmitri's hand fell to his belt to touch the metal ring that lay there, the tangible part of that promise. He started suddenly, and the minister looked at him curiously.
“Your Highness, is something wrong?”
“Um... no, no. Please continue.”
The minister returned to his notes, but Dmitri wasn't listening. The metal ring on his belt held the key to the secret project. He'd lost it more than once before as the ring was weak, but he always found the key sooner or later laying in some forgotten corner. But now, all his fingers had found was empty air. The key and the ring were both gone. He couldn't imagine where he lost them.
Or worse... who might have found them.
~*~
The West Wing broke from the main castle in a disappointing lack of style. A simple staircase climbed to meet it from a side hall, and it took Janelle the better part of an hour to discover it. Unlike the East Wing, which sported a grand array of guest bedrooms and private parlors, the West Wing was plain and dark. Few windows broke the narrow hall and the furniture set against the walls had definitely seen better days.
There was a single door not far into the wing, and Janelle tried it. The door had no lock and the room beyond proved to be a bedchamber. She spotted a familiar burgundy vest thrown over the back of the desk chair and realized she'd found Dmitri's room. Yet t
here was nothing in the room that contained a lock, not even a closet door. Reluctantly, Janelle stepped out and softly closed the door. There had to be something more. And whatever more there was, she had to find it before Dmitri found her snooping about.
A few quick steps further down the hall brought her to yet another door. This one, however, unlike every other door in the castle, bore a lock just below the handle. Her fingers trembling, she brought the key up to it and slid it in. She gasped – it fit perfectly. The key turned easily, and then the door opened. This must be whatever he's hiding from everyone. After calming her beating heart, Janelle entered cautiously, half scared and half excited at what she might find.
At first glance, she could see nothing of importance. The room was crowded with a motley conglomeration of old things – chair legs, scratched tabletops, twisted candlesticks, battered cushions. It seemed no more than a junk cache for anything that was broken or no longer usable in the castle.
Janelle frowned. This was Dmitri's big secret? It was hardly something to humiliate him about, unless it was to criticize his lack of cleanliness. Her eyes found a large table set in the back. Curious for a closer look, she moved forward, weaving carefully between the piles of trash. Notebooks lay open in stacks, each one scribbled through with pictures and words that she couldn't decipher. Brow furrowed in disappointment, she turned away.
The room narrowed out to an alcove in the back where the angled windows freely allowed the sun's setting rays to shine on a single pedestal covered with a blanket. Janelle's breath came in rapid gasps.
This must be it.
She reached out and forced herself to pull the blanket away slowly. As the covering fell away, a bright glow hit Janelle's eyes so that she winced. As she grew accustomed to the new light, she saw that the blanket had covered a glass dome under which stood a single rose.
At least, it looked like a rose. But instead of the velvety, thorned roses she was used to seeing in the gardens, this one was made of glass and metal. The rosy pink petals were shaped oddly stretching out in an unusual fashion, and the stem was thick and gray, looking partly as if it was a twisted sword or old candlestick. But what interested her the most was the fact that the rose was glowing.
Feeling amazed and not knowing exactly what she did, Janelle pulled the glass dome away. The petals seemed to brighten, and she couldn't think of anything more beautiful than their rosy light. Their coloring suggested the petals held fire, but there was no sign of flame or smoke. Would the rose be warm? She reached out.
“Stop! What are you doing?”
The angry shout jerked Janelle's hand back just before her fingers touched a petal. She whirled and came face to face with Dmitri.
“Get out!” he screamed, forcefully placing himself between her and the rose. Moving faster than she thought possible, he snatched up the glass dome and covered the metal flower once more. “Do you realize what you could have done?”
“I only wanted to touch it!” Janelle was frightened, but she didn't want to show it.
“You could have ruined it! Get out!”
“It's just a rose! Why would you...”
If Dmitri's face wasn't already red from yelling, it was red now. “It's not just a rose. This is my life's work, and you nearly destroyed it.”
“Oh, so one little touch would crumble a lifetime of what? Tinkering?”
He looked at her fiercely. “You would never understand.”
Janelle planted her hands on her hips. “No, I wouldn't. I don't understand you at all. You're mean and selfish. You take no pleasure in life, you're rude to your mother, and you tower over your brother and sister like some loathsome beast.”
“Get out! I won't listen to this!”
Despite herself, she stomped her foot. “You will listen! You're a horrid monster, and you have no heart! If you had been the one stuck in the balloon instead of Nicolas, we would have let you fly away and have been glad of it! We all would have been a lot better off!”
Tears burning in the corners of her eyes, she fled from the room.
His passion instantly died, and Dmitri collapsed into a chair. How could he have been so foolish? Finding Janelle about to touch the rose nearly stopped his heart, but he'd overreacted again. No, a single touch wouldn't have ruined it – not unless she knocked it over. But the rose had been his secret, his and his father's. No one else knew about it.
Until now.
But all she had said was true. He was mean and selfish. He was a beast. And he'd only made things worse by yelling at her. “Lord, what have I done?”
Dmitri rubbed his eyes. The image of Janelle's scared face was burned into his memory. He hated himself for having spoken to her like that, to have scared her, to have treated her so badly. But what could be done now? She was probably running through the castle right now, telling everyone that he was as demented as his mother, protecting a glowing rose with his life and acting like a heartless monster. Soon, the servants would be investigating to validate her accusations, and his secret would be out.
What if he apologized? Would she agree to keep it secret then? Dmitri thumped his fist down on the table, causing two notebooks to fall to the floor. What was the use? She hated him; she'd said as much. The kingdom would be better off if he had flown away in the balloon. Everyone would be happier, and Janelle wouldn't be stuck, engaged to a man she despised.
The most astonishing fact to cross his mind was that he wasn't sure if he himself despised her as much as he used to.
~*~
“A fine dinner,” Lord Roux stated, setting aside his napkin. His eyes darted quickly to his daughter.
Janelle forced herself to speak. “Oh, yes, very fine.”
He nodded in appeasement. “I've always loved that cut of lamb.”
She knew he was trying to draw her into conversation, but she had little heart to comply. Her emotions were all on edge, and it didn't help to see Dmitri seated at his place of honor at the table – right in perfect view from her own seat. Neither one of them had said much other than, “Please pass the potatoes,” and the silence had not gone unnoticed by her father.
Nicholas wrinkled his nose at Lord Roux. “Really? I prefer the beef.”
Janelle's father waved aside the comment. “To each his own, young prince. I can't say that I enjoy the beef.”
“I'm sorry,” Nicholas said, after thinking through several possible responses and coming up blank on something polite to say.
But Lord Roux shook his head. “Don't be. Consider this, Your Highness. If you eat only the beef, and I only the lamb, we shall both have our fill of what we each like best.”
“You mean we don't have to share?” The prospect pleased the twelve-year-old perhaps too much.
Nicoline poked her twin ungraciously. “You should still share.”
“But he doesn't like the beef.”
She frowned. “It doesn't matter.”
Nicholas sat, stumped, for a moment before vanquishing all doubts with a sigh. “Well, I guess you're both right.” He pushed his chair back from the table.
“Where are you going?” Nicoline demanded.
He shrugged. “Nowhere important. I just have something to do.”
“Like what?”
“An idea.”
Nicoline abandoned her chair in a moment. “I'm coming with you.”
“Only if you can keep up!”
Nicholas, of course, beat his twin out the door, but only because he had a head start. Lord Roux cocked a small smile in the youngsters' direction, but once quiet had enveloped the dining room again, he looked back to Dmitri and Janelle. Neither showed any hint that they had witnessed what had just transpired, both intent on the current contents of their own plates.
Before Lord Roux could speak again, Janelle took a final sip of water and stood. “Good night, Father.” She gave him a curt nod and swiftly exited.
The Crown Prince shifted uncomfortably. He knew without looking up that Lord Roux was watching him, and it too
k him a few moments to summon his courage to meet his gaze.
“I don't know what you two argued over,” Janelle's father said, “but this discord isn't worth it. I am not one to meddle, but I trust that, between the two of you, the Lord granted some common sense.”
Dmitri nodded and swallowed dryly. “Excuse me.”
The last thing he saw was Lord Roux's approving nod before he left the dining room behind. His long legs quickly outpaced Janelle's shorter ones, and it wasn't long before he caught up with her.
“Janelle! Wait... please.”
She froze.
“I...” Suddenly wordless, Dmitri thrust a hand into his hair. What do I say? “Um, about earlier...”
Her neck stiffened, and she refused to meet his eyes. “You made your views on earlier very clear.”
“No, it's not – I mean, I didn't...” He could have growled. Why was she making this so difficult? “Janelle...”
“What?”
“What you saw-”
“Matters more to you than your own family,” she finished.
“No, it doesn't! Please, let me explain.”
“I don't care for an explanation.”
Dmitri kept talking anyway. “I shouldn't have gotten so upset. You scared me, and I didn't stop to think. It wasn't fair of me to accuse you the way I did.”
Janelle's hands clenched into fists. “I don't care!” she repeated. “You said what you said. Would you please just leave me alone?” Before he could utter another word, she raced down the hallway.
“Janelle, please!”
But his cry fell on deaf ears. In a rustle of silk, she was gone, and Dmitri was left alone. With a sinking feeling, he closed his eyes. It doesn't matter what I say now. She will never want to speak to me again. She will never want to see me again. The kindest thing he could do for her now would be to keep away.
The Rose and the Balloon: A Beauty and the Beast Story (Once Upon a Twist Tales Book 1) Page 4