Olivia picked up one of the little boxes and Ivy saw her look inside. There was a tiny scroll that unravelled to reveal a stunning calligraphy message. ‘These are beautiful,’ Olivia said. Party planning was one of her particular skills, and now Ivy had a good idea where she inherited it from.
‘Don’t tell anyone what’s inside,’ the Countess said. ‘It’s my big surprise of the evening.’
‘We promise,’ Ivy replied. She picked up one red and one black ribbon, but before she could ask how her grandmother wanted it to look, Horatio stepped into the doorway.
‘Her Majesty the Queen and the Crown Prince Alexander,’ he said and stepped aside.
The Queen swept into the room, wearing a beige dress with tiny hook and eye buttons of matching fabric running down one side and a little matching hat. Prince Alex was wearing a white knitted sweater with dark jeans and was carrying a suit bag over his shoulder.
Tessa kept her eyes on the ground and slipped out of the door behind them.
Ivy quickly dropped the ribbon and stood up to curtsy. She was a split second before Olivia.
Finally getting the hang of it, she thought.
The Queen nodded to everyone and air-kissed the Countess.
Prince Alex bowed formally. ‘Countess Lazar,’ he said, ‘would you mind if I got ready for the ball here? There’s little point going all the way back to the palace only to return again this evening.’
The Queen’s brow creased in a slight frown, Ivy noticed, but she didn’t protest.
‘Of course, that’s fine.’ The Countess motioned for Horatio to take the garment bag. ‘Horatio will prepare the third-floor guest suite for you.’
‘Thank you,’ Alex replied and went to sit across from Olivia.
‘I trust I have not missed much.’ The Queen glided over to one of the gold armchairs and sat delicately.
‘Only the revelation to my granddaughters of what is in the boxes,’ the Countess said. ‘Thank you so much for coming to help with our preparations.’
‘Not at all.’ The Queen leaned forward and started to open a lid.
‘Ah, ah.’ The Countess batted at the Queen’s hand. ‘No peeking!’
Ivy was surprised to see the Queen smile. ‘I don’t know how you’re going to exceed last year’s party, dear Caterina,’ she said. ‘But I know it will be the event of the season.’
‘With Olivia and Ivy here,’ Alex said, ‘there’s no question.’
The Queen’s smile vanished.
‘Which is why –’ Alex looked straight at Olivia and Ivy guessed what was going to happen next. ‘I hope Olivia would not mind preventing me from attending alone.’
Olivia froze. The Countess smiled with delight but the Queen sat stiffly, her back rigid and her gaze straight ahead.
Olivia and Ivy shared a glance. Ivy guessed that the same things were running through her sister’s mind: if Olivia said yes, the Queen could be outraged, but if she said no, she could be offending their grandmother’s most important guest. On top of everything, Olivia still hadn’t told Alex that she had a boyfriend.
Ivy wanted to put a stop to everything – tell Alex to stop trying to annoy his mother, and tell the Queen to stop being so anti-human. But there was nothing Ivy could say that wouldn’t get her into enormous trouble.
‘Do you think that is appropriate?’ said the Queen.
‘I certainly can’t predict what you find appropriate, Mother,’ Alex replied.
Mr Vega cut in. ‘If it is what they want, then it is entirely appropriate.’
‘It is what I want, Mother,’ Prince Alex said.
All eyes were on the Queen.
Ivy gulped. Is this going to turn into a separationist argument?
The Countess came to the rescue.
‘Of course, Prince Alex,’ she said. ‘Olivia would be delighted to be presented with you, as your new friend.’
‘Yes,’ Olivia said quickly, and Ivy could see her take a breath. That was just the right thing for the Countess to say. ‘Yes, of course. As your new friend.’
Alex beamed and the Queen nodded.
‘How lovely,’ she said, but there wasn’t any hint of warmth in her eyes.
Ivy saw a look on her father’s face, astonishment that the Countess seemed happy for Olivia and Alex to spend time together. Maybe he was finally starting to see that his parents had changed.
Just then, Tessa came back into the room, carrying a tray with a pot and cups. ‘Tea, Your Majesty?’
The Queen turned her face away, not even bothering to reply. Tessa hesitated there for a moment, unsure what to do.
Alex was still glaring at his mother. ‘I’ll pour my own tea.’ He took the tray from a horrified-looking Tessa and turned his back on her.
How can these people be so rude? Ivy thought. Olivia, too, looked surprised at the behaviour of the Queen and her son. Refusing to let Tessa pour his tea. Just because Tessa works in the house doesn’t make them any better than her.
It was all bubbling up inside Ivy and she couldn’t stop herself. ‘How can you –’ she began to say. But she caught herself in time. Don’t ruin things. She quickly turned to Olivia. ‘How do you get those bows so straight, Olivia?’
Tessa practically fled as Alex poured his tea and the conversation turned to different methods of tying the ribbons.
Ivy wanted to march right out of the room, pack up her suitcase and go back home. She missed Brendan. She wished she could be back at home, in Franklin Grove, where she belonged.
But I’m not going home yet. I am going to do something! Ivy thought. I’ll stop the way they’re treating Tessa.
Olivia’s brain was on the verge of exploding. Ivy had been pacing ever since they’d returned to their bedroom.
‘Why did he have to ask you in front of his mom?’ Ivy was ranting. ‘And they were so rude to Tessa!’ She was stomping and throwing her hands around. ‘What if he really does like you?’ She turned and advanced on Olivia. ‘It is the Valentine’s Day ball, Olivia.’
‘OK, OK!’ Olivia cried. Anything to make her sister stop. ‘It’s all really complicated.’
There was a knock on the door.
‘Girls?’ called Mr Vega.
Olivia shot Ivy a panicked look. ‘Oh gosh, I hope he didn’t hear any of that.’ She was getting closer to her biological father, but she didn’t want him knowing all about her crazy love life.
‘Come in,’ Ivy called back.
Mr Vega poked his head inside the room. ‘I just wanted to check on you. Your grandmother mentioned that you had a disagreement last night?’
Olivia was relieved to see that he didn’t seem to have heard anything. She nodded and motioned for him to come in. ‘Yes, we’re fine.’ She looked over at her sister, who looked a little guilty. ‘It was just a misunderstanding.’
‘No big deal,’ Ivy said, as he sat down on the chair at her dressing table.
‘That’s good to hear,’ Mr Vega replied. ‘These things happen – and will probably happen again – so I’m glad you can talk through it.’
Olivia realised the same thing could apply to him.
‘What about you?’ she asked gently.
Mr Vega blinked.
‘I mean, how is it being back?’ Olivia had felt the terrible tension in the parlour earlier and hoped that maybe the Countess had done enough to prove that she was trying to make up for the past.
‘Some things are like I remember and some things are not,’ he replied. ‘But I am glad you are both getting along with the family.’
That didn’t really answer my question, Olivia thought.
Mr Vega stood up. ‘Well, tonight should be something special. Your grandmother always goes to great lengths for this ball – I loved it at your age. Everyone will be there, including Georgia’s camera crew.’
As he left, Olivia felt her stomach tighten. A camera crew, Mr Vega had said. That means photographic evidence of me walking into a ball with a handsome young man that isn’t Jackson.
> ‘Ivy, what am I going to do about Alex?’ Olivia asked. ‘Is it too late to tell him about my boyfriend? I don’t want to hurt his feelings.’ Olivia took a deep breath. ‘I don’t want to lose Jackson. Whatever that text meant, I’d like to talk it out with him.’
‘I don’t know, sis,’ Ivy replied.
There was another knock at the door.
‘Who is it?’ Ivy asked.
‘It’s me,’ called Tessa. ‘I . . . have a present.’
‘A present?’ Olivia pulled open the door.
‘It’s for you.’ Tessa held out a big flat box wrapped in bright red Valentine’s Day paper.
‘Me?’ Olivia squeaked.
‘It’s just arrived,’ Tessa explained.
Olivia took the box and put it on the dressing table.
Tessa curtsied and said, ‘If you need any help getting ready for the ball, I’m pretty good with hair.’
‘Thanks, Tessa,’ Ivy replied. ‘We can all get ready in here together.’
Tessa blushed. ‘Um, well, I won’t need to get ready, as such.’
Olivia realised what she was saying, but Ivy didn’t. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Servants are on duty at the ball,’ Tessa explained, ‘so we wear uniform.’
Ivy crossed her arms. ‘I am so totally done with all this snobbery.’
‘Tessa, why do you stay if people are rude to you?’ Olivia asked.
‘Oh no, they aren’t rude. I love working for your grandparents, and Horatio is a big teddy bear.’ Tessa sighed. ‘It’s just the Queen. She . . . doesn’t like me much.’
‘She is outright rude to you.’ Ivy had a determined look in her eye. ‘And now I learn you don’t even get to celebrate like everyone else at the ball.’
‘I don’t mind that,’ Tessa said. ‘That’s just how things work.’ But Olivia could see that Ivy was shaking her head.
‘I hope you will come and help us get ready,’ Olivia said. ‘And tell us all about what to expect at the ball.’
Tessa brightened. ‘Of course!’ She curtsied and left.
Olivia turned back to the box. ‘Should I open this?’
Ivy stood by her side, watching as she peeled back the shiny red paper. There wasn’t a card, but the box carried a prestigious department store logo, with ‘Krullers of Transylvania’ written in swirly writing beneath it.
‘You have to,’ Ivy declared.
Olivia drew in a breath and lifted off the lid. Inside was a thick garment bag and a scroll. She unrolled the worn-looking paper to read, ‘There is so much I want to say. I’ll start with this on Valentine’s Day: wear tonight this dress of blue, which shows the way I feel for you.’
The poem wasn’t signed, but she knew exactly who it had to be from. ‘Prince Alex,’ Olivia said, feeling her heart tumble like it was twisting its ankle after a badly executed high kick. She’d wanted a big romantic gesture like this from Jackson, and it being from Alex made everything feel that much worse. How could Jackson have known that she had to wear something special tonight?
‘I don’t want to see it,’ Olivia said.
‘Then I’ll do it,’ Ivy said. ‘We have to know how bad this is.’
She took out the dress, still in its black protective bag on its hanger, and hung it up on one of the wardrobe doors.
‘Drum roll,’ whispered Ivy.
To Olivia, it was a drum roll of doom.
She unzipped the bag and caught a flash of ice-blue silk. Then she pushed away the black plastic and gasped. It was a floor-length slim-line gown with a wide slash neck; simple, with one eyecatching detail: a wide band of ruffled silk at the waist. The hem curved like flower petals and the fabric felt smooth and cool. It was breathtaking.
‘Oh my darkness,’ Ivy breathed, as Olivia reached out to feel the cool, delicate fabric.
‘It’s totally gorgeous,’ Olivia said, amazed at how well Alex had guessed at her taste and style. ‘Whoever bought this has perfect taste.’ She looked at Ivy, feeling her eyes brim with tears. ‘But I can’t wear it. It would be like betraying Jackson.’
Ivy nodded and slipped an arm around her shoulders. ‘I know. This is what I’ve been trying to tell you. Alex needs to understand that you’re taken.’
Olivia felt like such a fool! Why hadn’t she seen this situation coming? ‘This is too much. I’ve got to tell him about Jackson. Now.’
Chapter Eight
As Olivia hurried away to find Prince Alex, Ivy decided that she’d go and see if her grandmother needed any more help with the party arrangements. She also wanted to ask something about Tessa.
She found the Countess in the ballroom – it wasn’t as big as the one at the palace, but it still looked incredible.
Individual black and red candles, not yet lit, hung from the high ceiling with invisible thread to look like they were floating. Tall glass vases filled with deep red rose petals sat on tables covered in rich velvet, and marble statues of Greek gods and goddesses were dotted around the edges of the dance floor. In one corner was a large mahogany dining table.
‘What do you think?’ the Countess asked as she poured more petals into one of the vases.
‘It totally sucks,’ Ivy said, and then realised her grandmother might not know the slang. ‘That means it’s the best.’
The Countess smiled and gave Ivy a quick hug. ‘I’m glad to see that you and your sister made up after yesterday.’
‘You were right, Grandmother,’ Ivy said. ‘We did talk it out and nothing like that will ever happen again.’
The Countess sighed. ‘It’s hard to say that, my dear. You see, when someone you love upsets you, you get even angrier than you would normally, because it hurts that much more.’
The Countess started arranging small name cards with black and red hearts in front of each place setting. ‘Your father would always help me with the decorations for the ball. I miss those days.’ She sighed and Ivy wanted to give her another hug. The Countess kept talking. ‘I miss my son more than anything and wish I could say the right thing to him, so that he would forgive me for turning him away all those years ago.’
The Countess sank down into one of the red velvet chairs. ‘Part of me wishes that he had never left Transylvania. But I am so grateful that he did because it means that now we have you and Olivia.’ The Countess reached out to hold Ivy’s hand. ‘Two wonderful granddaughters that I want to keep close to me forever. Families should stay together.’
Ivy gave her grandmother a hug. ‘I love that I’ve been able to meet you and I know Olivia is, too . . . But our home is in Franklin Grove.’
The Countess nodded. ‘I know.’ She wiped a tear away.
‘We’ll visit again and you can come to see us,’ Ivy offered. ‘I’m sure Dad won’t mind.’
‘Of course, darling,’ the Countess said and went back to arranging the name cards. ‘Your father will come around eventually. At least he came here with you this time. Who knows what might happen in the future!’
There was a silence and Ivy hoped it was true. She wanted her dad to love her grandparents as much as she did.
Then, Ivy remembered why she had come looking for her grandmother.
‘I hope it is OK to ask you this,’ Ivy began, and the Countess looked up.
‘You can ask me anything, Ivy,’ she replied.
‘Why don’t the servants get to enjoy the Valentine’s Day Ball with everyone else?’ Ivy asked, watching her grandmother’s face carefully.
‘They do, sweetheart,’ the Countess replied, looking concerned. ‘What do you mean?’
Ivy was relieved that the Countess wasn’t dismissive. ‘Well, I was talking to Tessa and she said she has to work at the ball. I didn’t think that was fair.’
The Countess frowned. ‘Hmm. Well, it’s true that the staff attend but they are there to serve drinks and keep things moving along.’ She paused. ‘But maybe we should work it out so that each of them gets some time off during the evening to enjoy the festivities, too.’
&
nbsp; ‘So, you wouldn’t mind if Tessa got ready with us?’ Ivy asked.
‘Of course not, my darling,’ her grandmother replied. ‘In fact, I think I shall request that all the staff dress for the occasion, rather than wear their uniforms.’
Ivy decided then and there that she was going to find a way for Tessa to show up tonight on an equal footing with Her High and Mighty Majesty. ‘Thank you, Grandmother,’ she said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. She leaped to her feet, ready to run and tell Olivia the good news.
But what she saw in the doorway froze her like a statue: a blond-haired, blue-eyed, familiar face was holding a big backpack and grinning at her.
‘Jackson Caulfield,’ Ivy breathed.
‘The one and only,’ he said, winking. Then he turned to Ivy’s grandmother. ‘Countess Lazar,’ Jackson said, giving a formal bow. ‘I’m Jackson Caulfield.’ He strode across the room towards the Countess. ‘This room looks incredible.’
‘Why, thank you,’ the Countess said, smiling. ‘You must be the friend that my son was talking about.’
Ivy was confused. ‘What’s going on?’
‘Well,’ Jackson said, ‘I wanted to do something really special for Olivia for Valentine’s Day and when I heard that she wasn’t even going to be in the country, I had to do something drastic. Mr Vega let me in on the details of your trip here and the ball. I couldn’t resist showing up as a surprise. So . . . surprise!’
Ivy gulped. ‘Surprise . . .’ she replied weakly. All Ivy could think about was Olivia walking into the ball on Alex’s arm. This is spiralling totally out of control, she thought, gulping hard. This could not get any worse.
‘Does Olivia like the dress?’ Jackson asked, eyes shining.
Oh no. It’s just got worse. The dress was from Jackson. Alex hadn’t sent it after all . . . which meant that Olivia was about to make a fool of herself!
‘Ivy?’ Jackson asked, his smile faltering. ‘Is everything OK? You look . . . pale.’
‘No, no, everything’s fine,’ she said, rushing to give him a quick welcome hug. ‘Absolutely great. Olivia will be thrilled to see you!’ She was smiling so hard she thought her face would break.
06 Love Bites - My Sister the Vampire Page 9