by Leslie North
The prince raised an eyebrow, as he looked at what appeared to be another sister. Mrs LeBlanc felt as if she was going to have a heart attack. While Macee was usually messy, this was much worse. Her normally unkempt hair had been pulled back in a ponytail as stray strands curled around her face. The bottom of her t-shirt was ripped and underneath the paint, her pants were covered in dirt and grass stains. Since she had only managed to remove one boot, Mrs LeBlanc noticed her big toe poking out from her torn sock.
“MACEE!” Mrs LeBlanc growled. She cleared her throat when she realised how unladylike her tone sounded. “Darling, what happened to you?”
Francesca blinked a few times in disbelief as she stared at the mess that was her sister. It was the Crown Prince for goodness sake.
“I am so sorry,” Macee said, as she looked at the prince. “I thought that you would be gone by now.” She smiled as she picked up her bag and boot and awkwardly dismissed herself as she limped out of the room. The whole time, Prince Louis hid his smile. Never in his life had he met a woman like her. He studied her from head to toe in all her mess. Every woman around him was always so nicely dressed and poised; he found her utterly refreshing. He couldn’t help but wonder what she looked like under all that paint.
“Your highness, I am so sorry about that,” Mrs LeBlanc quickly apologised.
“Please, do not apologise. She is allowed to be free in her own home.” Prince Louis bowed his head slightly and left the house.
Mrs LeBlanc marched up to Macee's room and flung the door open. What on earth was she thinking coming in looking like that when the prince was at their house. She had promised to be out of the house for the entire day, she should have stayed out.
“Mother, I apologise. The prince was supposed to be gone already. I did not do it on purpose,” Macee said.
“What were you doing to get this dirty?”
“Paintball.”
“What on earth is that?”
“Mother, you are overreacting. The prince didn’t come to see me, so let it be.”
Macee threw herself on the bed. “At least take a shower before you lay on your bed,” Mrs LeBlanc said and pushed Macee off the bed. She groaned in complaint as she headed to the bathroom. Her mother was always overreacting about things.
Francesca let herself into the bathroom whilst Macee was in the shower. She was excited about meeting the prince and wanted to tell her little sister about it. Macee popped her head out of the shower. “Was there chemistry at least?” she asked.
“Who cares about that? I get to live in the palace,” Francesca replied.
“Frannie, you are so materialistic.”
“When I am queen, you will have to stop calling me that! It sounds so ugly.”
“Frannie, fanny,” Macee sang and started laughing. Francesca opened the tap water. Macee screamed when the water went hotter.
“Serves you right!” Francesca shouted and left the bathroom.
* * * *
Toward the end of the week, the Colonel and Mrs LeBlanc were summoned to the palace. They were surprised to be called so soon. Mrs LeBlanc felt positive that their earlier meeting with the prince had gone well and he was probably calling them to agree to the marriage to Francesca.
Prince Louis sat in the courtyard with his mother and aunt when the LeBlancs arrived. They greeted the royal family with bows. Prince Louis gestured for them to sit down as the maid brought out a tray of deliciously-baked pastries and drinks. They immediately started discussing Francesca, as it was a matter of urgency that deserved full attention.
“Did you like her, son?” the queen asked Prince Louis.
“She is a well-mannered and poised young lady,” the prince replied.
“Thank you, your highness,” Mrs LeBlanc said. Her husband smiled and bowed his head. He was always proud of his girls. They had turned out well, even Macee. He was not as hard on her as his wife.
“So, we will be going ahead with the wedding plans?” Bridgette, Prince Louis’ aunt asked. She was not keen on it. She liked Liane and wanted her to marry her nephew. This sudden change was unsettling for her. She did not trust Mrs LeBlanc, never had.
“Not quite,” Prince Louis said.
“Why not?” Bridgette asked.
“Well, we will need to meet with her before anything,” the queen said.
“Of course, but he must like his bride.”
“Is there something displeasing about her?” Mrs LeBlanc asked. She was ready to fight tooth and nail for her daughter. This marriage was going to happen.
“Nothing is wrong with her,” Prince Louis replied.
“Then what is the matter?” Bridgette asked.
“I would like to marry your other daughter,” the prince looked at Mrs LeBlanc as he spoke. She was confused.
“Liane?” she asked.
“No, the other one.. with the paint.”
“Good gracious me, Macee?”
“Yes, her.”
The LeBlancs looked at each other. That was something they had not seen coming. The prince wanting to marry Macee? Mrs LeBlanc closed her eyes. She was not sure she had heard right. “Pardon me, but why? Francesca is much more suitable,” she said.
“I have taken more interest in the other one, more than Francesca.”
For goodness sake, he did not even know her name, Mrs LeBlanc thought to herself. This was a disaster. Macee would embarrass the family.
“Your highness, she has not been trained for this and we do not have sufficient time to do so before the wedding,” Colonel LeBlanc added.
“Is Macee your youngest?” the queen asked.
“We’ve never met her,” Bridgette added. She looked at her nephew. “You met her at their house?”
“Sort of. She came in as I was leaving.” The prince laughed. “The girl was soaked in paint.”
“And that is whom you wish to marry?”
“Yes.” The prince had not stopped thinking about her since he saw her. She may have been scruffy and covered in paint but underneath all that was a lively woman. He could tell by the way her eyes sparkled. He knew that she would be more fun than Francesca would be.
“We will have to meet her first,” the queen said.
“As you wish, your majesty,” Colonel LeBlanc said. His wife was still in shock. She thought that maybe it was some sort of joke but the prince was very serious. He wanted to marry Macee. It did not make sense to her, as he had barely spent a minute with her.
“We’ll meet her and get to know her before making a decision about marrying her,” Bridgette said.
“You may meet her,” Prince Louis replied, “But I intend to marry her.”
Chapter 4
Colonel LeBlanc and his wife returned home deciding to break the news to the girls over dinner. Francesca was excited to hear about their meeting with the royal family. Mrs LeBlanc watched Macee eat.
“Slow down, young lady, no one is chasing you,” Mrs LeBlanc said to her daughter.
“Why are you watching me eat?” Macee asked with food in her mouth. Her mother closed her eyes. She was definitely going to embarrass the family.
“Never mind her eating habits, how did it go at the palace?” Francesca asked. Her parents looked at each other before anyone said anything.
“Prince Louis...” Mrs LeBlanc drifted off and looked at her husband. She could not even say the words.
“Would like to marry Macee,” Colonel LeBlanc finished for her. Both Francesca and Macee dropped their forks on their plates.
“What?” Macee said. “This must be some kind of sick joke.”
“How did this happen?” Francesca asked. The two stared at their parents waiting for an answer. They were not sure that they had heard correctly.
“For the life of me I cannot understand it either but the prince was clear,” Mrs LeBlanc said.
“Macee is as good as Francesca. It does not matter who the prince wants,” the Colonel added, but his wife and Francesca looked at him as if he was insane.
“But he hasn’t met me.” Macee was struggling to understand when the prince had seen her to even like her.
“The other day when he was here.”
“When she was that unkempt?” Francesca was in disbelief. Her mother looked at her with the same facial expression.
“Well, tell him to take it back, I will not marry him.” Macee dismissed herself from the table. That was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard and her mother said plenty.
Macee stormed into her room. She had to call Liane and let her know what was happening. She was in too much shock and had to share it with her older sister. Macee flipped open her laptop and called her sister on Skype. As soon as Liane answered, Macee dived right into the conversation and told her what had happened.
“Annie, it's not funny,” Macee complained when her sister surprised her by laughing.
“I am sorry, sweetheart, but it is kind of funny. You are the one who never wanted to have anything to do with the royal family or go out with us to those public events. Now you are the one who is going to be the future queen-” before Liane finished speaking, Macee cut her off.
“I will not be the queen.” Liane laughed. “This is not right; I do not want to marry him or anyone for that matter! I am not ready. This must be some kind of sick joke.”
“Macee, it's not hard to believe that he found you attractive.”
“Annie, those were not the words he used.”
“No, but he still chose you, it's not surprising.”
Macee raised an eyebrow. “Are you kidding me? We could not be more different than a fish and a bear.”
Liane burst out laughing. “What kind of a contrast is that?”
Macee smiled. “Well it makes sense. A fish and a bear are not even of the same species.”
The two of them talked and laughed for a while. They both felt bad for Francesca, as she was the one who really wanted that kind of lifestyle. Liane simply wanted someone she was in love with while Macee was not even thinking about marriage. Macee asked Liane if she had told Jean Pierre about the baby, but she shook her head. She had not told him yet and the last time she spoke to her mother, she had questioned her about the identity of the baby's father.
Macee agreed with Liane that it was best to keep that a secret for as long as they could or at least until the Crown Prince was married. Maybe then, the royal family would be a little more forgiving if the prince was happy.
* * *
It had been a few days since the prince had announced that he wanted to marry Macee instead of Francesca. Macee avoided speaking about it, as she felt that she had said all she needed to about the matter. Francesca was sour about it but she tried to handle it with grace. She chose not to speak about the matter as she was convinced that it was never going to happen.
Macee freaked out when she returned home to find her mother invading her room. There were shopping bags on the floor and her clothes were being tossed out of the closet and onto the floor. “Mother, what is the meaning of this?” Macee demanded, as soon as she walked into her bedroom.
“You do not possess any decent clothes,” her mother replied as she continued to throw her clothes out of the closet. Macee's jaw dropped. The nightmare had begun.
“Stop it! These are my clothes!” Macee cried out in fury.
“You need to change how you dress. You start your classes tonight,” her mother spoke calmly as if she was not doing anything wrong. This annoyed Macee further.
“No mother, I already refused the proposal. I will not take any classes or change my clothes.”
Her mother threw everything she was holding on the floor and turned around to face Macee. “Do you think I want this either?” This time she changed her tone. She was annoyed with Macee and the prince for choosing her.
“I know you do not but for different reasons. I am a disgrace to you and the family,” Macee said flatly.
“Macee, I never said that.”
“But you do, mother, every time you speak to me. So since I am such a disappointment, please return to the palace and ask the crown prince to reconsider.”
“I am your mother, young lady, and you speak to me in a more respectful manner!” her mother demanded.
Colonel LeBlanc ran into Macee's room. So many times, he had to play referee between Macee and her mother. “What is going on in here?” he asked.
“Mum is throwing my clothes out,” Macee quickly told on her.
“With good reason,” she defended herself.
“I do not want to marry Louis. Dad, please make this go away.”
“It's Prince Louis.”
“Whomever!”
“Ladies, control your anger. Macee, I will try to speak with him but darling, this is his will and I cannot change it,” her father told her.
“It is not fair.” Macee crossed her arms over her chest. Being born in that family had caused her many problems from day one. It meant she could not live the life she had wanted for herself.
“I concur, speak to him and ask him to reconsider Francesca,” Mrs LeBlanc said.
“Because she is the better child,” Macee stated petulantly.
“That is not true, you are both good,” her father told her.
“Tell that to mum.”
“I never said anything of the sort,” Mrs LeBlanc defended as she stormed out of the room flustered and annoyed. Macee sat on her bed while her father stood there helpless unsure what to do. It was heartbreaking to see them fight constantly. So many times, he asked his wife to be nicer to Macee but it just went in one ear and out the other.
He kissed Macee on the forehead and told her to relax. “Everything happens for a reason,” he said to her. That did not exactly comfort her. She knew that if the prince wanted to marry her, she had no choice but to oblige and the idea killed her inside. She had so many things she wanted to do with her life and getting married to the crown prince was not one of them. Nevertheless, she was going to fight it to the end. She was not going to give up that easily.
Chapter 5
Macee was angry the whole ride over to the palace. Her father had tried to speak to the prince but he had not changed his mind about the marriage. The queen informed the Colonel that he was to bring both daughters to the palace and let the prince see them both once more. She also wanted to meet the girl her son had chosen.
Macee grumbled as she put on a dress; one of the things she detested. Slipping on a pair of low-heeled shoes, she wobbled as she tied her hair in a high ponytail. Looking in the mirror, she declared her appearance good enough as she stomped to the front door. Francesca on the other hand wore a beautifully custom-made tight fitting cream dress. She spent hours doing her hair and wore pearls. She hoped that she could use this chance to impress the royal family. Her sister did not want it, so it was not wrong for her to try to win their hearts.
“Be on your best behaviour,” Mrs LeBlanc said to Macee as they walked into the palace.
“This is really messed up,” Macee complained.
The maid showed them to the room where the entire royal family was. The king and queen had come to help choose their future daughter-in-law. The crown prince, his sister, Princess Katherine and the queen’s sister, Bridgette were all in attendance.
“The LeBlancs have arrived,” the maid announced as they walked into the room. Macee's eyes flew open. She had not been expecting such a large panel. Colonel LeBlanc bowed as Mrs LeBlanc and Francesca gave deep curtsies. Macee attempted to curtsy, but it resembled something between a curtsy and a bow. She had not learned how to do it properly and everyone noticed. Bridgette whispered it to the queen as she nodded, she had seen it too.
The LeBlancs joined the royal family at the table as they indulged in tea and pastries. Macee could feel eyes burning into her skin as she ate. They were watching how she handled herself making her feel extremely uncomfortable; she did not even want to eat anymore. She knew she was not always graceful when she ate or did much of anything else. Macee had to
hold back a smirk as she thought, sabotage! This was the best way to show subtly that she was not appropriate for the prince.