The Season (Season Series #1)

Chapter 8.1: Service Corridor Collisions

I forced a smile, hoping it looked relieved and not panicked. One week. There was only one event for the ladies in waiting this week and it was the Friday evening ball, a whole four days away. There was no way I would be able to hold up my end of the bargain, not if my only chance of approaching the prince was at a ball surrounded by vipers in petticoats.

"That seems reasonable," I said, still smiling despite my sinking stomach, "Now if you'll excuse me, I just remembered I have a fitting for my new day dresses,"

"Of course," Ella said, her interest waning now that my talk of the prince was over. Rosanna resumed her hairdressing while Emily disappeared into the closet to fetch dinner attire, muttering something about scheming demons as I passed her.

"Will you be back for dinner with us in the suite?" Rosanna called over her shoulder.

"Yes, yes!" I called back, hunger the last thing on my mind as I ran from the room, relieved that they hadn't questioned my lie.

I had no fitting scheduled at this time of day, but they wouldn't know any better. In fact, if they ever really considered it, an appointment while the debutantes were all sharing dinner with the royal family would be the opportune time for a lady in waiting to have her fittings done. But none of them had needed the services of the crown's seamstresses to fabricate an entire wardrobe, so their few adjustments happened in the morning. I thanked my lucky stars that they hadn't clued in on my abundance of "fittings" and hoped I could continue to use them as an excuse.

I slowed my pace as I descended the stairs and made my way towards the more trafficked corridors I'd discovered on the first night. Maids and butlers bustled about, most with half-empty tea trays and pinned up dresses to be hemmed or taken in for the morning. I was definitely one of the few ladies in waiting out and about so close to dinner time.

As I walked, I wracked my brain, trying to think of some way I could speak to the prince before the ball. Short of loitering in the hallway where we'd first met and begging a favour, I had no plan. He didn't seem all that unfriendly and I couldn't help but smile when I thought of the cheeky wink he'd shot me in the forest, but if the only event I was attending was also one of the larger ones, my chances of getting a moment alone with him were negligible. Even more so now that the other debutantes had pegged me for a prince-hunter. My only possible recourse during the ball would be to hope that he asked me for a dance, which would require a load of explanations if he asked me before he asked Ella. If I humiliated her by dancing with the prince before her again, I was sure she'd break her deal and send me home regardless of whether I secured her an invitation to the elite events or not.

I rounded a corner, chewing on my thumbnail and ran smack in to a solid chest. A pair of strong hands caught my shoulders as I reeled backward.

"My apologies!" James exclaimed, the papers he'd been carrying fluttering to the ground in his haste to catch me, "I...Elizabeth?"

"It's quite all right, I shouldn't have been walking so fast," I said, dropping my hands with a blush as soon as I realized they'd been gripping the lapels of his jacket. James cleared his throat, releasing me.

"Not at all, serves me right for reading and walking at the same time," he said, bending down to gather his papers.

"I really shouldn't be running over the man who nearly broke his neck for me today. Please, let me help you clean all this up," I said, bending down in turn. He lifted his head to say something and it smacked my chin, sending me sprawling onto my backside.

"Oh Lord, are you all right?" he exclaimed, rushing to my side. I started laughing, but whether it was at the ridiculous situation or because I was near delirious in desperation not to get sent home I couldn't tell.

"I'm fine," I guffawed, unable to contain myself. Overtaken by my relentless laughter, James started to laugh as well. He offered me a hand to get up but I waved him away, instead starting to gather his papers. He joined me, this time from a safer distance, as our laughter died down.

"Please, allow me," he said, taking the papers and my hand to help me up, "I am so terribly sorry, is your chin all right?"

"A fair trade, I think, for what that gelding put you through today," I said, opening my jaw in a most unladylike fashion to stretch it out. It gave a rather loud pop then returned to normal. James was staring at me as if I'd eaten a mouse.

"Where were you off to in such a hurry?" I asked, blurting out the first thing that came to mind to fill the awkward silence that hung between us as a pair of maids sidestepped us with expertly balanced trays.

"Just some paperwork for the prince before dinner," James said, glancing down at the papers and subtly tilting them away from me, "Are you quite sure you're all right?"

"Yes, truly I'm fine," I said, an idea forming in my head as my gaze remained on the sheaf in his hands, "But I'll beg a favor of you if you'll allow me?"

"Of course, anything to make up for knocking you over," he said, ever the gentleman.

"I need to speak with the prince," I said bluntly. James was looking at me as if the mouse had crawled back out of my mouth this time.

"Elizabeth...you do realize that I cannot simply show you to the prince's rooms?" he said, his eyes suddenly becoming stern. A guffaw escaped my lips before I clapped both hands over my mouth, only then realizing why he was so scandalized.

"I don't plan on ever setting foot in his rooms!" I laughed, "I just need to speak to him sometime before the ball this Friday!"

James visibly relaxed.

"I'm sure I could arrange that for you," he said, "Shall I have him send a summons to your suite?"

"If that's the fastest way, then yes," I breathed, relief flooding me, "Thank you!"

"It will be my pleasure, Elizabeth" he said, as a bell rang to announce dinner, "I'm afraid I really must be going though,"

"Of course," I said, returning a curtsey to his bow as we parted. He moved left to go around me just as I moved right to go around him. We danced back and forth a few times before I grinned and he took my shoulders again to go around me.

"Have a nice evening," he said, obviously amused, as he let go of my shoulders.

"And you," I managed, thoroughly amused by how easily a finishing school dropout had flustered the young Lord Amberly.

I stood frozen in place until he'd rounded the corner at the end of the hallway, taking a few moments to get my bearings. I was of half a mind to follow him so I could figure out where the Royal quarters were in case my snooping ever came in handy, but I was well aware that if he spotted me that my favour would be forgotten. Chewing my nail, I hoped James would come through as I turned on my heel and returned to Ella's suite, my stomach growling for dinner.