Undercover Princess

by Connie Glynn

  ‘Umm, excuse me –’ Lottie began, but was cut off as Ellie’s mother gently ran a lock of her curly blonde hair through her fingers, making Lottie jump in surprise.

  ‘Alexander, she could be one of ours – it’s uncanny.’ She leaned into Lottie very closely, but it didn’t feel like she was really looking at her. It made her feel as though she were a racehorse being inspected for purchase.

  ‘Did you enjoy your night in the palace? We would love to have you again.’

  It took Lottie a moment to realize the queen was talking to her.

  ‘Yes, I –’

  ‘You cannot seriously be considering the idea that this –’ the king’s mother cut her off and gestured furiously to Lottie without looking at her directly – ‘common girl could possibly take the role of a Portman?’

  Portman! Lottie remembered the term from Ellie and Jamie’s earlier argument. Whatever could she mean?

  ‘Your daughter is merely looking for yet another excuse to avoid her responsibilities and this time she’s dragged an ordinary girl along with her.’

  ‘Ordinary?’ Ellie’s mother laughed. ‘In this instance I think we can all agree that her inconsequential background is most beneficial.’

  She began circling Lottie slowly as if she were her prey. ‘I, for one, think she’s perfect. Too perfect, a blessing even?’

  ‘See, I told you; she’s totally right.’ Ellie had regained the power of speech.

  Jamie was clenching his jaw.

  ‘I must agree,’ the king said. ‘It is a strangely fortunate situation we find ourselves in with this Miss Pumpkin.’

  Lottie found she was struggling to understand. ‘Excuse me, I –’

  She was cut off by the glass-eyed man.

  ‘She certainly meets the criteria, but the questions is, Your Majesty –’ he bent down so he was closer to the king’s ear, the words coming out with a hiss – ‘will the princess truly uphold her end of the bargain? As has been said before, she tends to disappoint.’ He gave Ellie a sharp look as he finished speaking, a nasty grin creeping on to his lips. Ellie was noticeably gritting her teeth.

  ‘That is, indeed, the question,’ the king agreed.

  ‘Could I please …’ Lottie tried to raise her hand this time.

  The old woman cackled. ‘Bah! If that’s the only question, then the answer is a blindingly obvious no. I suggest you pull her from the school, and send her to St Agnes’s Correctional Facility for Young Ladies where they will whip her into a woman worthy of the Maravish crown.’

  ‘If someone could just …’

  ‘I think it’s a splendid idea, and shows that our Eleanor is making active decisions in her role as princess, which we should be eagerly encouraging.’ Ellie’s mother beamed at her husband and he nodded in response.

  ‘If you can call the choice to be passive an active decision.’ The glass-eyed man chuckled softly.

  The king and his mother openly laughed at this and Lottie found herself suddenly very angry.

  ‘WOULD SOMEBODY EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT IS GOING ON?’

  The hall went quiet again, the wolf pack turning to stare at her as if they had forgotten she was even there.

  ‘Please,’ she added quickly.

  The silence that filled the room was almost deafening. Jamie broke his mask for just a moment and looked at Lottie in astonishment before quickly regaining composure.

  ‘Lottie …’ Ellie’s face softened. She clenched her fists and turned back to the king with a hard look on her face. ‘Dad!’ she said resolutely. ‘I don’t care what the decision is. I’ll accept whatever course of action you choose, but you need to make it now. I can’t keep my friend in the dark any more.’ She extended her hand to Lottie’s and gave it a little squeeze. Lottie felt a pleasant sense of static between them.

  Jamie let out a relieved sigh, the tension he had felt building during the discussion dissipating.

  The king eyed his daughter with fresh consideration, struck with the loyalty and severity in her stare. His dark eyes squinted as he contemplated a side of her he’d never seen before. His gaze moved to the young girls’ hands that were still clasped in solidarity.

  ‘Very well.’ He turned to his wife, and she beamed at him with a knowing smile. ‘Based on the absurdly convenient suitability of the proposed Portman and what I, as the king, have deemed a clear sign of positive influence –’ he paused for dramatic effect – ‘I sanction this request for Princess Eleanor Prudence Wolfson to enact Act Six with Charlotte Edith Pumpkin. Let it be written.’

  Grandmother Wolfson let out a furious cry, but the king held up his hand and she reluctantly simmered down.

  ‘I fear this is a grave mistake,’ she said darkly.

  The king ignored this statement. ‘And, to put us all at ease, Jamie will continue his placement at Rosewood Hall. The school will be informed of the special arrangement.’

  Jamie tensed and the glass-eyed man seemed to be stifling a snigger.

  ‘You are all excused.’

  Ellie let out an excited little squeal and grabbed Lottie’s arm, leading her through the ornate doors with so much giddy energy she was almost skipping. Lottie followed, only dimly aware of her body moving, and still not entirely sure what had just been decided. Behind them, Jamie gave the king a look that went unnoticed by the two girls, but he quickly recovered his stone-faced mask and went back to his position of unwavering loyalty.

  ‘Did you see that?’ the king whispered to his wife when the door was firmly shut.

  ‘Yes!’ she replied excitedly. ‘Eleanor’s made a friend!’

  21

  ‘Portman: one who is hired to officially act in the place of a member of royalty in order to protect their true identity. All public appearances and official duties are to be carried out with the utmost respect and blah, blah, blah, blah, so on and so forth …’

  Lottie blinked in bewilderment as Ellie read aloud the passage from a dusty old book they’d been given by the glass-eyed man, who Ellie had informed her was the king’s advisor, Simien Smirnov.

  ‘So this is my job now?’ Lottie said, pointing to herself, her eyes bulging.

  ‘Well, if you want it to be. You were basically doing it already,’ she said good-humouredly. ‘Now you’d just … be getting paid to do it.’

  ‘OK, but … wait, paid?’

  ‘Yes, you’ll get a monthly payment, as well as travel, food and clothing expenses.’

  Lottie almost choked; did they realize this was a dream come true? This hardly seemed like a job at all, getting all the benefits of being a princess and being paid for it.

  ‘And this way, in the future when you inevitably have to tell everyone that you’re, in fact, not the princess of Maradova, you’ll be able to say with complete truthfulness that it’s because you were an official Portman. Sorted!’ She gave Lottie a thumbs-up, which she responded to by blinking again.

  The three teenagers had convened in Ellie’s bedroom, which, although large, was surprisingly bare. Lacking Ellie’s motley charm, it could be anyone’s room. It was evidently not a place Ellie considered home. Ellie and Lottie sat on the vast four-poster bed while Jamie stood by the door with one foot propped up against the wood frame, resting his head back in silent thought. He’d informed her that as soon as they started back at school he would begin training her to be a perfect Portman. Something she was a little apprehensive about.

  ‘How long have you been planning this?’ Lottie asked, afraid to hear the truth.

  Ellie looked sheepish. ‘Pretty much as soon I confronted you in our first week.’

  Lottie baulked at this. ‘You didn’t ask me. You didn’t …’ She had to pause to stop herself from getting flustered; she was just so overwhelmed. ‘You should have told me what I was here for. You can trust me.’

  ‘You don’t understand, Lottie. I couldn’t! It would be breaking too many rules,’ Ellie pleaded.

  ‘But you always break the rules!’

  ‘Lottie, stop!’ This
came from Jamie, but his words weren’t angry or cold; they were calm. ‘She really couldn’t tell you, Lottie. Portmans are a royal secret; barely anyone knows they exist and half the people who do know think they’re just a fairy tale, and we need to keep it that way to protect those who need them, do you understand?’

  Lottie nodded. It did make sense, but it felt like they didn’t have faith in her.

  ‘I understand that, but you have to understand that I have Ellie’s best interests at heart as much as you do.’ She turned to her friend, a fiery feeling in her belly. ‘If you trust me enough to be your Portman, then you should trust me enough to tell me about them.’

  Ellie chewed her lip for a moment, while Jamie straightened up and walked over to Lottie.

  ‘You’re right,’ he said.

  ‘I am?’ she asked in confusion. Had she just imagined that? Had Jamie just agreed with her?

  ‘Yes. We should have told you. But Ellie truly had no choice in the matter,’ he said matter-of-factly.

  ‘I’m really sorry, Lottie.’ Ellie pushed her hair out of her eyes as she spoke and Lottie knew she meant it.

  ‘I forgive you, Ellie, and I really am happy to do this for you; it feels right. But we have to promise no more secrets going forward.’ She held her little finger out like she used to as a kid, and Ellie laughed as she wrapped her own finger round it.

  ‘I promise.’

  As Lottie sat on the aeroplane the next morning, preparing for take-off, Jamie came and took the seat beside her. He was so quiet that she didn’t even realize he was there until he said her name.

  She turned abruptly and nearly banged her head into his, but this time he dodged it easily. His face was inscrutable as usual. She was starting to trust him more, but he still made her nervous.

  ‘I really do agree with you,’ he said. ‘It was wrong of them not to tell you. In fact, you should not have been brought here at all. You should not have been told about Portmans, and you absolutely should not have been asked to take on the role of one.’

  Lottie was lost for words. She should’ve known Jamie felt this way, that he didn’t think her capable or worthy to take on the role of an official Portman. She’d spent the majority of her life having people doubt her capabilities, yet hearing his words still hurt her deeply.

  ‘I …’ Her voice cracked and she took a breath to calm herself. She wanted them to believe in her, to see that she was capable of this role, even if she wasn’t sure if she believed it herself yet. ‘I’m going to impress you, Jamie.’

  He looked at her with a slightly sad expression that she couldn’t quite understand, sighed, and took a little beaten-up book out of his jacket pocket. It was leather-bound with a silver floral pattern that reflected the light. He placed it on her lap and she flinched as his hand grazed her knee.

  ‘I’m sure you will,’ he said, his smirk returning. Then he stood up and left for his own seat without another word.

  Lottie looked down at the book and carefully opened the first page to a beautiful cursive script:

  I, Oscar Oddwood, Portman to the late Henric Wolfson, have collected the tales and advice of Portmans from around the world so that our collective wisdom may be passed down and augmented. May this book assist any of those that take on the ambiguous role of the Faithful Fake.

  Lottie gently flipped through it and saw an abundance of illustrated pages and different handwritings and languages. She felt as if there were magic radiating from the book, as if the item were sacred. She gently tucked the book away in her bag, feeling too tired to appreciate it properly now. She leaned her head against the window to watch the take-off.

  The fluffy clouds parted below the plane, creating a peephole into the icy landscape of Maradova beneath them. She looked over at Ellie who was asleep, her face covered by a book entitled Well-behaved Women Seldom Make History. Jamie had his copy of A Midsummer Night’s Dream out and was earnestly taking notes. They seemed entirely unaffected by the attentive staff and luxury of a private jet. There was something effortless and exciting about the two of them: they were so sure of belonging, so confidently radiating their purpose into the world.

  Lottie felt as though she was being allowed an insight into a realm in which she didn’t truly belong. Rosewood Hall, royal Portmans, the Wolfsons – they were all so magnificent, and after her alluring night in the palace she felt a deep desire to be part of it all. The clouds quickly re-formed under the plane and Lottie lost her view of the land below, suddenly feeling very far from the ground and determined to find her place in the world.

  Part Two

  * * *

  HOW TO BE A PRINCESS

  22

  Lottie tossed and turned in her bed, but no matter what position she tried, she could not fall asleep. The covers were too hot and the air was too cold and no amount of counting sheep helped. This was the tenth sleepless night since her return from Maradova, and Lottie was starting to think she’d never dream again.

  She looked over to see Ellie’s resting face across the room and reluctantly sat up to start getting ready for the day. No matter what, she absolutely could not let Jamie or Ellie know she was having trouble sleeping or they’d think she wasn’t cut out for her role as Portman. The strawberry-shaped alarm clock on her bedside table went off, signalling that it was time for her Saturday-morning class with Jamie, something she was calling her princess lessons. Ellie stretched in her bed and made a huge yawning sound, lethargically sitting up and swinging her legs over the side of the mattress.

  ‘Ellie, you really don’t have to come. You can go back to sleep if you want,’ Lottie said softly, worrying that speaking too loud might disturb the early-morning air.

  Ellie yawned once more, her eyes not fully focusing. ‘Nope!’ She rubbed her cheeks in an attempt to force herself awake. ‘If you have to get up early for these princess lessons, then I will suffer with you. It’s only fair.’

  Lottie couldn’t help feeling happy at Ellie’s words.

  They met Jamie in one of the Ivy study rooms overlooking the Rose Wood. The sun had not risen yet and it was difficult for Lottie to keep her eyes open in the warm room filled with dusty books. Jamie was pacing back and forth, asking her to translate ancient Maravish words while Ellie plugged away at homework. Since returning from Maradova, Lottie’s days had become a strict timetable of school, homework, tutoring and princess lessons. She was used to working overtime from when she’d studied to get into Rosewood, but with the addition of insomnia she was starting to feel rundown.

  ‘Sets?’

  ‘Prince.’

  ‘Sessa?’

  ‘Princess.’

  ‘Good.’

  Jamie ticked something off in his little notebook that he kept for their lessons. His face remained unreadable and she had no idea if he was happy with her progress.

  ‘Honestly, I don’t see the point in her learning the ancient Maravish dialect. It hasn’t been used in nearly a hundred years.’

  Jamie scowled at Ellie, who’d been doing nothing but making digs at his lesson plan since they’d started.

  ‘That’s a good point, Ellie. Lottie, recite the history of the Maravish language.’

  Lottie groaned internally. It seemed like every time Ellie made a comment, she had to recite something. She squeezed her eyes shut for a second, willing away some of her tiredness.

  ‘Maravish: of Latin origin; a dialect grown from mixing English and Russian. After the treaty of Serego, when Maradova gained independence from the British Empire, the people of Maradova kept English as their main language. The ancient Maravish dialect is now only used to –’

  ‘OK. Good.’ Jamie cut her off. ‘See how quickly Lottie’s picked this all up, Ellie? You should be taking notes.’

  Lottie resented that the only real feedback she got from Jamie was in the form of a verbal jab at Ellie.

  Ellie stuck her tongue out at him before turning back to her textbook.

  Two Ivy girls on their way to tennis practice walk
ed past the door and giggled to themselves as they saw Jamie before blushing and scampering off. Jamie was fitting in at Rosewood in his own way. The king had decided it was acceptable to make Jamie’s role as a bodyguard public knowledge – although everyone thought he was Lottie’s bodyguard, not Ellie’s. This had unsurprisingly resulted in establishing him as a heart-throb among the girls of Rosewood. Lottie wanted to gag at how predictable it was, forgetting that she herself had been swooning over the concept of a Partizan just last month. She wasn’t sure exactly what the school faculty had been told about her being a princess, but it didn’t seem to have changed much.

  Lottie took the opportunity to yawn while neither of them were looking, wondering how long she’d be able to keep them in the dark about her sleepless nights. She was pulled out of her thoughts when Jamie put a piece of paper down on her desk.

  ‘I want you to name each of these members of the Maravish royal family.’ Lottie peered at the faces on the paper. She recognized Ellie’s parents and the previous rulers, Ellie’s grandmother and King Henric, but there was something not quite right about it. Someone was missing.

  ‘In Oscar’s diary he said the last king, Henric, had two sons. Doesn’t that mean King Alexander should have a brother, Ellie’s uncle?’

  Both Ellie and Jamie stared at her as if she’d just cursed, their faces serious as they exchanged a look.

  ‘Claude,’ Ellie said slowly, looking away. ‘He was meant to be king, but … he refused his royal duties …’

  ‘He was banished from the kingdom,’ Jamie said bluntly. ‘The Maravish royal family are meticulous when it comes to rules. It’s important you understand that.’

  Lottie felt as if a piece of a puzzle had just slotted into place. This is what Ellie faced if she didn’t want to rule. Banishment. Total denial of her existence. A shiver ran up her spine.

  ‘How scary …’ Lottie whispered under her breath.

  ‘Quite, and speaking of scary things …’ Jamie smiled as he retrieved a letter from his backpack.