Je T'aime.

III. Merriment in Minuet

Liesl and I stepped into the grand ballroom of the palace, its crystal and gold chandeliers glistening in the afternoon sunlight. A servant excused himself as he walked past us holding chairs that would line the ballroom. Another maid was on her hands and knees, scrubbing the floor. Liesl twirled on the patterned wooden floor. "I'm so excited!" she exclaimed. "I haven't been dancing in forever!"

"When was the last time? Easter?" I inquired.

"Longer than that," sighed Liesl. "I'm eager to get out there and dance with the most handsome princes in the Empire." She twirled again, embracing herself to make up for the lack of a partner.

I rolled my eyes. "You'd dance with a handsome peasant if you could."

"As long as he's handsome, I don't care."

Another set of footsteps echoed around the ballroom. "Good afternoon, ladies," I turned to see Isabella. "Is this the ballroom? It's beautiful."

"It is indeed," I replied. "I wanted to thank you for the note you left me. It was very sweet of you."

Isabella smiled warmly. "I'm glad you got it! I asked Prince Albert to find a way to get it into your apartments. He seemed happy to oblige."

"Albert would probably put spiders in my bed if you asked him to. And that wouldn't be the first time he's done that, either." I commented.

Liesl jumped in, "I could hear your scream all the way down the hallway. I thought something was wrong until Albert ran past me giggling."

Isabella chuckled. "Speaking of hallways," she began. "This place has too many of them. I told Joseph I was going to explore a little bit... but I'm afraid I'm lost."

"Do you want me to take you back? We can make a little tour of it," I jumped in without even thinking.

"That would be very kind of you," Isabella said, taking my arm. "We'll see you tonight, Elisabeth, correct?"

Liesl nodded before we left the ballroom. As soon as she was out of earshot, I said to Isabella, "Oh, she's going to kill me."

"Why's that?" Isabella inquired.

"She hates being left out. Liesl, Marianna and I have been a little troupe for as long as I can remember."

Isabella grinned. "That's sweet. I wish I could bond with my little siblings, but they're much too young. They're nine now. I was a closer sibling with my mother's macaw, Malo. He used to swear like a sailor."

"A swearing parrot? How I wish I could see that!"

"He's quite the spectacle, I'll tell you that. He was a gift from my grandfather, the King of France. He felt guilty because my parents' marriage wasn't the happiest. But I'm glad your parents are happy together."

I sighed, not wanting to bring down Isabella's spirits. "Not exactly. My father has had several affairs, and they've been becoming more intense the older my mother gets."

"Is any royalty ever truly, completely happy? I doubt it. It's like William Shakespeare once said, uneasy lies the head that wears a crown," Isabella said before going quiet for a few moments. We walked silently down the hallway together, but somehow it wasn't awkward. We were silently exchanging anxieties and experiences, and being comforted by each other. There were so many stories left unsaid between us, but yet we both understood.

As we were walking, Isabella seemed to take interest in a painting hanging on the wall. She paused and let go of my arm to examine it. "Is this your mother?" she asked, pointing to the subject of the painting, a young woman in a white gown holding an infant before a throng of spectators, their swords in the air.

"It is," I replied. "That's her being crowned the Queen of Hungary."

"Your mother's the Queen of Hungary? I didn't know that."

"She is. And that baby she's holding," I continued, "Is Joseph. He was only a few months old at that time."

Isabella smiled. "He was a very cute baby," she commented.

"Was he?" I inquired. "He doesn't think so. He hates this painting for some reason."

Isabella said with a hum, "We must have different tastes in art, then."

I took Isabella through the hallways, pointing out things and telling stories as we walked and laughed together. The entire time, Isabella kept her arm linked with mine. She was a fantastic storyteller, and of a great wit. When we reached Joseph's chamber, I knocked on the door in the pattern my siblings and I had created as children. Five knocks, to distinguish I was a family member, then three, to say that it was me, the third surviving child. "One moment, Mimi!" I heard Joseph grumble from behind the door. The door opened, revealing Joseph, jacket over his shoulder and waistcoat undone. "What could you possibly want- oh, Isabella! I was wondering where you wandered off to."

"I got a bit lost," Isabella said as she let go of my arm. "Christina was ever-so kind to guide me back."

"I'll see you at the ball tonight, won't I?" I asked.

Isabella smiled warmly. "Of course I will. Would you be so kind to spare a dance for us?"

"I would like nothing more," I replied before the door closed. As soon as I heard the door lock click I took a heavy sigh. How had I been so lucky as to meet a woman like Princess Isabella of Parma?

That night, dozens of servants stood on ladders, reaching over to light hundreds of candles. The orchestra was warming up, drawing their bows across the strings in a jumbled mess of notes. Liesl and I poked our heads around the corner, just like we had done when we were very little girls. "Oh, it's grand!" announced Liesl.

"Shh!" I hissed, pressing a finger to my lips. "Here comes the courtiers, don't let them hear you!"

I pulled Liesl out of the way and back into the drawing room, where we were waiting for the ball to begin. "Girls, no snooping," commented my mother. "You'll teach Antonia bad habits. Find your place in line."