I Am Royal: The Search for a Prince

Panic

The music did end eventually, and when it did, Willow was a little out of breath. She curtsied, and Khalid bowed. It took a moment for her to notice the sound of clapping. She backed away from her dancing partner and looked around. They were the only ones on the floor. Everyone else had cleared out a sizeable circle for them to dance in, and had been watching. The person leading the applause was none other than the Queen herself, who caught Willow's eye and smiled smugly. She was proud of herself.

Willow remembered her manners at the last second, and curtsied to the crowd. Then she gestured for everyone to come back onto the floor, and the musicians began playing again. Couples trickled back out.

"I'd better let someone else enjoy your excellent company," Willow told Khalid. She knew better than to keep the same dancing partner for three songs, especially since they were not formally a couple.

Khalid looked genuinely disappointed, but he nodded. Willow moved back to her seat on the couch, hoping a server hadn't taken away the biscuit she'd left on the side table.

Her head was full of happy thoughts, and she was sure she was smiling like a love-struck idiot.

No, she was not in love. Just... in like.

Very like. Lots of like.

Get a grip, Willow! she scolded herself, and shook her head. This was going too fast. So, what, he was a good dancer. That was no enough, and she knew it. She had to be careful about this.

She had almost made it back to her seat, and was pleased to find her biscuit still tucked onto her tea saucer beside the cup, when someone rushed up to her. She hardly had time to recognize the Duchess Katie before the older woman whispered in her ear,

"Where is your brother?"

"Henry?" Willow asked in surprise.

"Yes, of course. Where is he?"

"I don't know..." Willow looked around. She could not see him in the crowd. "Why-"

But then the Duchess had vanished back into the crowd. Willow was confused. She brushed it off. Prince William probably needed his diplomatic brother for something, and had sent Katie to find him. She took her seat, and picked up her tea. She was chomping happily into her biscuit, still daydreaming, when someone appeared behind her and leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"Princess Willow-"

She jumped, and tea spilled on her light pink dress.

"Oh, drat, Steve, look! The Queen will have a heart attack if she sees this stain-"

"Did His Highness go off somewhere?"

Willow turned to look at Henry's bodyguard in confusion. "Not that I know of..."

"He didn't say anything to you?"

"We haven't spoken since he escorted me to dinner."

Steve's face revealed nothing. He straightened, and disappeared back into the crowd.

Willow turned back to the problem of the small tea stain on her very expensive dress. She decided to sit with her tea cup in her lap over the spot until she could flag down a maid or a lady-in-waiting. She wondered where Henry had darted off to now. Maybe he was making Chelsea jealous by slipping away with some young heiress. Shame on him, she thought. He was making his bodyguards worried.

"Willow, what on earth have you done to your dress?"

Willow looked sheepishly up at a tall young man in front of her, very stylishly dressed and handsome.