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To Mom and Dad

Chapter 1

Windsor Castle, Christmas 1860

The city of Windsor was covered in a blanket of white snow, making it look like a Christmas card.Lady Alexandrina Gailey—known to her friends as Drina—had been traveling with her parents forover six hours on a train. She stepped into the horse-drawn royal carriage for the last part of theirjourney, beyond ready to finally arrive at Windsor Castle for this year’s Christmas visit.

“You are almost as pretty as I was, Liebling,” her mother said in her thick German accent as shesat down beside Drina. They had the same flaxen hair, light blue eyes, and heart-shaped faces. Theresemblance was striking, even if her mother was more than three times her age.

“Yes, Mama,” she agreed for the tenth time that day.“But you are too tall and too skinny.”“I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do about my height,” she reminded her mother.“And your nose is too pointy.”Drina could only roll her eyes.Her father, the Marquis of Rothfield, climbed into the carriage and sat down across from them. He

rubbed his own long pointy nose and then patted down the back of his hair, which always stood up.“I’m afraid that I’m to blame for the nose and the unfortunate height.”

“I don’t mind them, Papa,” she lied dutifully.“And you are still not engaged to be married,” her mother complained.Drina took her mother’s hand. “I’m only seventeen, Mama. I still have plenty of time to find a

good match. You didn’t even meet Papa until you were forty-two.”“I married a king when I was sixteen years old and had provided him a son by the time I was your

age.”“Your first husband was twice your age, and his previous wife was your father’s sister,” Drina

pointed out. “Which makes him your uncle. I feel sick just thinking about it.”“Among royalty, it isn’t uncommon for such intermarriages between families.”“Then I’m glad that because Papa is my father, I’m not considered royalty,” Drina said, unable to

repress a shiver.“You may not be royal, Drina,” her mother said in her stateliest manner. “But I am the Princess

Royal of Hoburg and I reigned as Queen Regent of Tannheim for thirteen years until your half-brotherwas crowned king. And you are related to all the great royal families in Europe, including the Queenof England, and as such, suitors from all over the world should be knocking down our door.”

“It would be terribly inconvenient if anyone knocked down our door in this weather, dearest,” herfather said, pointing at the icy rain that had begun to fall. “Not to mention cold.”

Drina laughed behind her gloved hand.“Anthony, I didn’t mean it … you say, literal?”

“Literally,” Drina corrected. “Oh, look, Mama. I see Windsor Castle.”But her mother wasn’t to be distracted.“You won’t inherit your father’s English title or his estate,” she said, fiddling with the ruby

pendant on the end of her long silver chain. Hoburg was famous for its jewels, and her mother nevermissed an opportunity to flaunt her jewelry. “This I do not like. We must talk to Cousin Victoria aboutchanging it.”

“I hope she will, Mama,” Drina said, “but you know it is the law. My grandfather Rothfieldentailed the estate so that it could only be inherited by a male son and then a male grandson.”

“Tales. Such English foolishness,” she said with a tsk.At last they arrived at Windsor Castle—a great stone monstrosity from another age, recently

updated by Queen Victoria to house her enormous family of nine children. Drina could almostimagine a knight in full armor riding out on his horse as their carriage passed through the guard tower.Inside there was a large courtyard of frozen grass. It was almost as if the castle was its own city;there were so many towers, windows, and parapets. The carriage stopped in front of the door that ledto the private apartments, where they were met by servants carrying black umbrellas.

Drina ducked under an umbrella and the servant walked her inside the castle. It was like steppinginto another world. The outside was wet and dreary, yet the inside was like a fairy palace. Thechandeliers had been replaced with Christmas trees hanging from the ceilings. Pine boughs covered incones and berries adorned every mantle. Mistletoe and holly decorated the tops of the windows.

She breathed in deeply—it smelled of Christmas, spicy wassail, and everything that was good andjolly.

“You’ve finally arrived,” Lord George Worthington said, bounding toward her. He flashed asmile of his perfectly straight white teeth. His dark hair, so different from her flaxen yellow, wasnearly black and completely messy. But on him, messy was extremely attractive.

Critically looking, she noticed that his brown eyes were widely spaced and his eyebrows werethick. His nose was rather too large for his face and he was short for a young man of eighteen. Butwhen he smiled, one simply forgot those obvious faults. Or at least Drina did. She’d fancied Georgesince the first time she’d met him when they were ten years old.

“I heard that you were arriving today,” he said, holding out his hands. Drina placed her glovedones inside of his and sighed in contentment when he gave them a squeeze. “Drina, I need youdesperately.”

Am I dreaming?“Excuse me?” she managed to squeak, her heart behaving rather irregularly. Her knees trembling

like jelly—probably from all of the hours traveling on the train and then the carriage.“My father asked me to look after Prince Friedrich of Hoburg during his stay at Windsor Castle.

The prince arrived this morning and I can’t understand more than a couple of German words that hesays.”

Drina pulled back her hands, missing the warmth of his touch immediately. “Friedrich is my firstcousin once-removed and he speaks English excellently.”

“He’s only speaking German,” George replied with a shrug. “I don’t know why he won’t speakEnglish. I’ve spoken slowly and loudly and he pretends not to understand—”

“Because speaking louder always helps with language barriers,” she quipped.He shrugged again, flashing her another grin. “Will you come with me, Drina, and speak to him?”She would go with him anywhere he asked her to—that was the problem. She cared for him too

much and he only thought of her as a friend.“I suppose so,” she said, wrinkling her nose in annoyance. She handed her bonnet and shawl to

Miss Russon, her lady’s maid, who was standing outside her room. “Please unpack my trunk and seethat the crimson dress is prepared for tonight.”

“Very good, my lady,” Miss Russon said, bobbing a curtsy.Drina pointed her hand forward. “Lead on.”George did, taking Drina’s hand and placing it on the crook of his arm. Drina tsked. She didn’t

want to stand this close to him. She was determined not to fancy herself in love with him anymore. Orto notice his intoxicatingly musky smell as they walked down the long corridor.

“It’s been an age since I saw you last,” he said, patting her hand on his arm.Drina shook her head nonchalantly. He was only being friendly and she wasn’t going to read too

much into this.Not again.Not this time.“Not since the London season, I suppose.”“More than seven months,” George said, looking at her intently.“I missed you at the Ascot races in June,” she admitted. “Alice was occupied most of the time

with the two princes from Hesse.”“I wish I could’ve been there,” he agreed with another devastating smile. “My brother had two

horses racing in it, but a bridge washed out on the Westerham estate and I was overseeing therebuilding of it.”

“When I arrived back to Rothfield House in the summer, you … you weren’t at WesterhamPalace.”

“Oh,” George waved his hand, “once the bridge was done, my father insisted that I either join thearmy or take the exams for Cambridge. When I refused to do either of those, he made me go to Londonand work as a junior secretary in the Foreign Office.”

“Do you not want to work in the Foreign Office?”“Not at all,” he admitted. “I’d much prefer to train as an engineer.”“You want to drive trains?” she asked in surprise.George laughed and shook his head. “No, no. A civil engineer. I’d like nothing better than to build

tunnels and design bridges—like the one I built at Westerham.”“Then why don’t you?” Drina asked, unable to keep the bitterness out of her voice. “You’re a

man. You can do anything you’d like to.”“If only that were true,” he said, shaking his head mournfully. “My father controls my purse strings

and he believes an engineer is too lowly a station for the son of a duke.”“Even a second son?”“Especially a second son,” George said with a sigh. “He said if I mentioned it again, he’d pack

me off to Austria to be a secretary to the British ambassador there. Lord Augustus Loftus is an old

friend of my father’s.”“I’m sorry for you, then,” she said, her voice still sharper than usual.George stopped walking and turned to look at her. “You seem changed … different. Have I

offended you somehow? If so, I beg your pardon.”“Even though you have no idea what the offense might be?” she asked, unable to keep her lips

from forming the slightest of smiles.“Isn’t that worse?” he said. “To not even realize how I’ve offended you?”You keep making me fall in love with you and you aren’t in love with me, Drina thought. She

didn’t say that, of course.“I’m not at all offended,” she said instead. “I’m just a trifle out of sorts from being trapped in a

small space with my parents for several hours. If the train ride had lasted even an hour longer, Iwould have run mad.”

They continued walking until they reached a corridor that led to another wing of rooms. Heknocked on the third door and a young man opened it. Her cousin, Friedrich, didn’t look at all like sheremembered him—though it had been nearly eight years since she’d last seen him. He was tall, almosta giant. She would’ve guessed his height to be over six feet. His hair was dark blond, nearly lightbrown, not at all the flaxen yellow that proved dominant in her mother’s family. His eyes were smalland green, and his lips thick. He gave her a big smile and bowed with one arm behind his back.

“Fräulein Alexandrina, you are even more beautiful than I remembered,” he said in perfectlycadenced German with a strong Hoburg accent.

Drina hadn’t realized until this moment how much she’d missed Hoburg, her home for the first tenyears of her life. The memories were so vivid that she could almost feel the breeze on her face andthe leaves in her hair. She remembered countless adventures following Friedrich as they ran throughthe thick forest escaping from a fiery dragon, an evil drude, or eine böse Hexe, who was about to casta dark spell on them.

She blinked back the tears that wanted to rush to her eyes. This wasn’t the time to get sentimental.“You look quite different, too,” she replied in German.“I’m honored that you would remember me.”Drina blinked in confusion. It had only been eight years; how could she have forgotten her cousin?

Friedrich had been her dearest friend and fellow dragon slayer. They had conquered enemy knights,saved castles with only wooden swords, and then eaten a great many Black Forest cakes together. Shecould almost taste the bitter cherries with the sweet chocolate on her tongue.

George touched her arm and she tried to ignore the jolt of excitement that she felt. He leanedcloser and whispered in her ear, “What is the dashed fellow saying? Why won’t he speak to me inEnglish?”

He didn’t release his hold on her arm, and Drina attempted to concentrate with his hand touchingher. She nodded to George and then said in German, “Lord Worthington would like to ask how youare enjoying your stay here in England.”

The tall prince grinned again with his thick lips. He replied in German, “I like it here very much,ja? They treat servants like kings. I think I might not return to Hoburg with His Serene Highness, ja?”

She felt as if she’d been stabbed in the stomach by one of Friedrich’s wooden swords. Drina’s

civil smile faded and she turned to George to say in a whisper, “That isn’t my cousin, PrinceFriedrich.”

George made a sort of exasperated grunting noise. “Then who the devil is he?”“Should I ask?”“Yes,” he said impatiently.Drina replaced her civil smile. “This man, Lord Worthington, would like to know your name.”The giant man touched his chest with his hand and said in a loud voice, “Herr Dietrich Bauer.”Bauer. She did recognize that name. Her nanny in Hoburg was a Bauer, and this tall fellow was

probably her younger brother who had worked in the castle. “Herr Bauer, how long have you beenPrince Friedrich’s valet?”

He gave her another face splitting grin and said in the same overly loud, slow voice as he spokein German, “Three years, Fräulein Alexandrina and Herr Vorthington.”

George leaned in again, his lips brushed her ear. She felt strangely weak. “What is the mansaying? I can’t understand him even if he speaks louder and slower.”

“He’s been Prince Friedrich’s valet for the last three years,” she explained with a laugh. “You puta valet in the Crown Prince’s rooms.”

George swore under his breath and raked his hands through his already messy hair until it stoodon end. “Ask him where the Crown Prince is.”

Drina smiled at the valet, and asked in German, “Where might I find His Royal Highness? Iunderstand he didn’t accompany you to Windsor Castle?”

Herr Bauer shook his head. “Prince Friedrich is very fond of English beer. Me, I like a goodGerman beer.”

“And?” she prompted with a hand gesture.“He got out of the carriage in town and said he would meet me at the castle later today, ja,” Herr

Bauer said.This sounded exactly like her cousin—he was never one to follow royal protocol. Drina

translated for George. “Prince Friedrich’s in the village getting drunk and will come to the castlelater today.”

George released his breath. “Well as long as the fellow is here before the state dinner, everythingshould be fine.”

“Auf Wiedersehen, Herr Bauer,” Drina said, and acknowledged him with a bow of her head.Herr Bauer gave her another sweeping bow. “Auf Wiedersehen, Fräulein Alexandrina.”Drina gently removed George’s hand from her arm—inwardly sighing at the loss of contact—and

began to walk back the way she came.“Where are you going?” George asked.“To my rooms.”“But who is going to explain to this fellow that he’s not in the servant’s quarters?!”“I daresay a future foreign diplomat, like yourself, can figure that out,” Drina said primly, and

resolutely didn’t respond to the sad look on his face.She forced herself to keep walking until she reached her room. When she opened the door to her

very pink room, she expected to see her lady’s maid laying out her crimson dress, not a princess.

Princess Alice Maud Mary, the third child of Queen Victoria and her consort Prince Albert, wascarefully placing Drina’s crimson dress on the bed.

“Alice!” she cried, and ran to hug her friend.Princess Alice was nearly a head shorter, so Drina hugged her friend’s shoulders and Alice

hugged her waist. Drina released her friend and stepped back. Alice’s hair was brown and her blueeyes were the most prominent feature in her face—they were arresting in their earnestness. Her sharpfeatures, paired with her air of intelligence, never ceased to attract attention. And her quiet dignityand poise were the envy of many a young lady.

“Did you get lost on the way to the room that you’ve stayed in over a dozen times?” Alice asked.Drina shrugged her shoulders. “Not exactly.”Alice folded her arms across her large chest and sighed. “Not again.”“What?”The princess only said one word, but she said it with contempt: “George.”Drina felt the heat rising to her face as she stammered, “H-h-he needed my help.”“With what?” Alice asked. Her large, slightly protruding Hanoverian eyes didn’t miss anything.“His father put him in charge of my cousin, Prince Friedrich, and he couldn’t understand what he

was saying.”“I thought your cousin spoke English very well.”“He does,” she said, starting to giggle. “George was playing errand boy for his valet.”If royal princesses could snort, Alice certainly did, before laughing so hard that she cried. Drina

laughed, too, and dabbed at her own tears with a handkerchief. It was several moments before theyboth could control their giggles.

Alice finally stopped laughing, holding a stitch in her side. “Then where is Prince Friedrich?”Drina’s smile faded. Prince Friedrich had been invited to Windsor Castle as a possible suitor to

Princess Alice, along with Prince Louis of Hesse. Drina contemplated making an excuse for hererrant cousin, but she didn’t wish to deceive her dearest friend.

“He’s not here,” she said at last. “His valet said he went to the village to drink English beer.”“Not a very promising start,” Alice huffed in annoyance. “I don’t want a drunkard for a husband.”“What about Prince Louis?” Drina asked with a fake smile. “This is his second visit, isn’t it? I

remember he came with his brother to see the Ascot races in June, and I thought him excessivelyhandsome then.”

“He is very handsome,” Alice admitted with a sigh. “But I don’t feel like I know him at all. I feeltrue companionship is an impossibility for us—our interests are so different. I don’t think our thoughtswill ever meet.”

“Oh,” Drina said, not knowing what else to say. Few people in the world were as clever as Alice;she was a polymath and gifted with languages. “Our thoughts don’t always align and yet we’re thebest of friends. Do you remember the first time we met? You’d escaped from your governess and weplayed hide-and-seek in the chapel.”

She laughed at the memory and Alice even managed a small smile.“That particular bit of mischief was your idea,” Alice pointed out.Drina giggled again. “And then you told your mother that we’d only gone into the chapel to sit

among the common people so that you could understand their point of view.”Reluctantly, Alice laughed, too. “I spared us both a strict punishment with that mistruth.”“It was a bald-faced lie and you know it!” Drina said, and gave her friend a playful shove on the

arm. “Maybe you should play hide-and-seek with Prince Louis.”Her friend blushed rosily. “You know that none of the royal children are allowed to be alone.”“Your father’s rule, or Baron Stockmar’s?”“Baron Stockmar thinks Prince Louis shows a decided partiality for me,” Alice said in a flat

voice. “Or at least in my family and fortune.”“Perhaps you just need to get to know him better,” Drina said hopefully.“Perhaps.” Alice turned away from her as she added, “My parents want me to pick a royal prince

by Christmas.”“But that is only a week away!”“I know,” Alice said, still not looking at her. “But I’ve received royal suitors the entire year. And

my sister was engaged at fourteen and married at seventeen. I suppose I should be happy that I onlyhave to be engaged by seventeen.”

Drina wanted to say something comforting, but she didn’t know what. Instead she put her hands onher friend’s shoulders and gave her a backward embrace, hoping that her friend could feel her loveand support through it. They stood there silently for a time before Alice turned and pointed to thecrimson dress laid out on the bed. “My mother would never let me wear such a revealing dress,” shesaid in a teasing voice.

“My mother selected it,” Drina said with a wink. “I’m supposed to catch a husband in it.”“Oh dear, I don’t think there’s enough material here for two people,” Alice said, and they both

laughed.

Chapter 2

George let out a string of curses and shook his head. He couldn’t believe that Drina—friendly,always-helpful Drina—had just left him in a lurch. He stopped watching her retreating figure,although it was quite pleasant to watch, and focused on the great lug in front of him. He tried toremember all the years of German lessons that he’d sat through with his tutor.

“Herr Bauer—” he began.“Ja?” The giant smiled and nodded encouragingly.“That’s nicht, not your room, uh, Zimmer,” George said, pointing to the bedchamber behind him

and shaking his head.Herr Bauer pointed to the room. “Sehr schön, danke.”George sighed in exasperation and decided to let the Crown Prince tell his valet that he was

residing in the wrong room. He gave a small nod to Herr Bauer and left for his own room, which wasonly two doors down.

There he sat on a wingback chair and took off his boots. What a day it has been. He, the son of aduke, had spent the entire afternoon waiting on a German servant. He dropped his head into his hands.

He hated the Foreign Office.He hated foreign princes.And he hated his father.At least no one will know about my mistake. No one except Drina. And he wasn’t worried that

she would tell anyone; Drina wasn’t like that. She had been his closest friend since childhood—theirestates bordered each other.

But something was clearly wrong with her. She’d been cold with him. Merely civil, as if theyweren’t friends. He racked his brain again to think of how he might have offended her, but he couldn’tcome up with anything. He’d danced with her at every party during the London season, often solicitingher hand for a second dance. And he’d always taken the time to talk to her whenever they met in thepark.

George shook his head. He understood females even less than he understood the German language.

Two hours later, George left his room dressed in a black suit, his wild hair slicked back. He walkedinto the reception room and saw his father, the Duke of Doverly. Unconsciously, his hands moved tohis cravat in an attempt to straighten it.

George lifted his chin in acknowledgement and turned to speak to his elder brother, Edward, LordDinsmore. Because Edward was the heir, he held their father’s secondary title, the Earl of Dinsmore.Edward was tall and angular like their father, whereas George was short and stocky, taking after hismother’s side of the family. Edward was also loud and obnoxious and never ceased to tease hisyounger brother. It spoke volumes that George would rather converse with him than their father.

“By George,” Edward said, and laughed jovially at his own pathetic wit.George smiled politely. This particular joke, if it had ever been funny, was no longer. “How are

you, Edward?”“Well enough, little brother,” he said with another guffaw. “You’d know yourself if you’d ever

bothered to visit Emily and me at our estate in Sussex.”“I’ve been very occupied at the Foreign Office.”“Following in Father’s footsteps, eh?” Edward said. “I should’ve thought your feet too small.

Your head certainly is—it barely reaches his shoulder.”Edward gave yet another hearty bout of laughter and slapped his thighs. George winced at the loud

sound. He hated any reference to his unfortunate lack of height.“No one would ever say your feet or your head were small,” George said caustically, “literally or

figuratively.”“You’re a clever one, George. I’ll give you that.”“Whether he’s clever or not remains to be seen,” the Duke of Doverly said in his whisper-like

voice. He was a tall, spare man, with graying hair and sharp gray eyes. The only facial feature thatthey all shared was a rather large nose.

George bowed to his father. “Sir.”“Don’t ‘sir’ me, sir.”“Well, you did sire me, sir,” George said. “Would you prefer I referred to you as ‘Your Grace,’

like a servant? Or am I to call you ‘Duke’ like Rothfield does?”“I want none of your wit, George,” he said, and tapped his cane loudly on the marble tiles.

“Where is that dashed foreign prince you’re supposed to be entertaining?”“Prince Friedrich—”“Give the boy a dukedom, you’ve remembered the prince’s name,” his father rasped.“I expect to see him at dinner, sir,” George said. “You can hardly expect for me to watch him like

a wet nurse.”“Expect? Expect?” his father growled. “I expect you do what you’re told. And I explicitly told

you to keep an eye on the Crown Prince of Hoburg. The last thing our government needs right now is aroyal scandal.”

“Yes, sir.”“Then what are you doing here standing like a block?” his father snarled, tapping his cane again.

“If you don’t want to find yourself on a boat to Austria, you’d better go and find him.”“Yes, sir,” George said between clenched teeth, seething with anger. “Or should I say, ja?” His

father was treating him like a half-wit in front of his older brother. He gave his father and Edward asharp bow, and then walked around the reception room searching for a face that looked foreign.

Instead he found one that was all too familiar. He stopped in his tracks and gazed on her.Drina looked like a princess. Her golden hair was braided in circles around her head, a few loose

curls framing her face. Her eyes were large and blue, the shade of the afternoon sky. Her lips werepainted a Christmas red, and her crimson dress framed her lovely figure. The rubies on her neck andears had to be worth as much as a small English estate.

George caught her eye and smiled. Her immediate reaction was to give him a small smile in

return, but then she abruptly turned away from him and began talking with the lady at her side.What is wrong with Drina?Not that he had time to think about it. He had to find that dratted prince. He made two more turns

of the room, looking for Prince Friedrich. Both times Drina steadily avoided eye contact with him.George sighed in frustration. He left the main reception room and went down to the corridor

where the prince’s rooms were (or rather at the moment, his valet’s). He knocked sharply on the door.The valet opened it a few moments later. He blinked at George and said in a slurred voice, “HerrVorthington.”

Clearly the valet had been drinking. He gave George a silly smile that highlighted his red face.“Where is the prince? Wo ist der Prinz?”The valet shrugged his large shoulders and shook his head, his cheeks as red as apples.“Hier, is the Prinz here?” George asked, pointing to the ground.The valet shook his head again and laughed.George pushed past the valet to see the empty room: The Crown Prince of Hoburg wasn’t in the

castle.“Blast.”

By the time George arrived back at the party, everyone was seated for dinner and already on thesecond course. The dining table was very long, able to seat over fifty people. The center wasdecorated with boughs of holly and ivy. The plates were golden, as was the silverware, and thegoblets were made of delicate glass with gold on the rim.

He was seated by his sister-in-law, Emily, and of all the bad luck, his mother, the Duchess ofDoverly. She was a lady-in-waiting to Queen Victoria and held the title the Mistress of the Robes.His mother was in charge of the queen’s jewelry and clothing. George often thought that his motherspent more time with Queen Victoria than she did with her own family. As a small boy, he only sawhis mother every few months and never for very long.

Her brown eyes looked at him in typical disapproval. “George, where have you been?”“On an errand.” He looked down the table to see his father scowling at him. He pretended not to

see him, but he couldn’t miss the empty seat between Drina and her mother, Princess Rothfield. Theseat reserved for the missing prince.

His mother shook her head. Her brown hair was now streaked with gray and the lines around hereyes and mouth were more pronounced. She looked older than when he’d last seen her … wheneverthat was.

“Please try to be punctual for the rest of your visit. You owe it to your Queen.”“Yes, Mother,” George said. He tried to catch Drina’s attention, but she didn’t look in his

direction at all. Not once during the next ten courses. She smiled and laughed with the honorable LordFrancis Weatherby. George had never liked Weatherby, or the large gap between the man’s frontteeth.

“Why so glum?” Emily asked.George turned his attention from Drina to his sister-in-law, who was only a few years his senior.

She was plump and pretty with curly red hair and a dazzling smile. She was unfailingly kind and muchtoo good for his brother.

“Father has me looking after one of the foreign princes,” George said, scraping his fork against thegolden plate. “And every day is a misery working in the Foreign Office with him.”

“Why don’t you tell your father that you’re not interested in foreign affairs?”George raised one eyebrow. “Are you at all acquainted with your father-in-law? When has telling

him anything ever made the slightest bit of difference?”Emily stabbed her duck with a fork and cut it with her sharp golden knife. “Never, but you’ve

turned eighteen. You’re a man now. You should take charge of your own destiny, George.”“That’s difficult when he controls the money.”“Edward said you had a wealthy godfather.”“Yes,” George admitted. “Unfortunately, he’s still very much alive.”“Bad luck,” Emily said with a mischievous smirk.Yes, it was. He was dependent upon his father, which meant he had to do his job well: He had to

find that dashed prince without anyone being the wiser.After dinner, the party left the dining room for dancing in the Grand Hall. Christmas trees hung

from the ceiling, most covered with bonbons and wax-colored lights. A couple of the trees evenappeared to be covered in snow. Which is impossible, George thought, because it was devilishly hotin the room.

He looked around for Drina, but she was already dancing with Lord Weatherby. He waitedimpatiently by the side of the room, watching them during the entire dance. Weatherby’s eyeswandered much too freely on Drina’s surprisingly seductive red dress, and his hand was rather lowon her waist.

George longed to hit the man with his glove and call him out for a duel, but unfortunately duelshad gone terribly out of fashion. So instead he simply glared at the man until the dance was over.Weatherby must have noticed, for he escorted Drina to the opposite side of the room. And by the timeGeorge got there, Drina was off dancing with another man. George didn’t recognize her partner. Hehad a foreign look to him. What George did know was that he didn’t like him.

Not.One.Bit.George followed Drina so closely that when the man released her hand at the end of the dance, he

was there to take it.“Shall we?” George asked as he took Drina’s hand and led her back to the dance floor.The orchestra began to play a German waltz. He placed his other hand on her waist and was all

too aware of her proximity—and in that shocking dress. He tried to keep his eyes up, though he failedmore than once. Drina, however, seemed to be unaware of his eyes, she so steadily avoided them. Shewas a much better dancer than he, and consequently, she was leading.

“You’re doing it again,” he complained.“What?” she asked, finally looking him in the eye.“Leading,” he said. “I’m supposed to lead.”

“Well, you’re not very good at it,” she retorted.“No, I’m not,” George admitted, with a sheepish smile. “And I’m afraid that I need your help

again.”Drina lifted her chin and narrowly led them away from crashing into another couple. “It appears

that you do.”George liked that they were the same height so he could look directly into her blue eyes. “Your

cousin isn’t back yet.”“Oh dear,” she said, biting her lower lip. “I hope he isn’t drunk or in any sort of trouble with the

locals.”Not as much as George hoped—prayed, even. His father would put the blame at George’s feet if

something happened to the prince. He always did.George clenched his teeth. He had to find that stupid prince before he caused a scandal, and

George knew exactly whom to ask for help—the only person he trusted implicitly.“That is why you have to come with me to find him.”“But I can’t,” Drina said, sounding upset. And when she was upset, he could hear a faint accent in

her voice.“Why not?”“Propriety and all that.”“Hang propriety.”“You would need a lot of rope,” she said.He laughed and then leaned forward, her curls tickling his chin pleasantly as he whispered in her

ear, “Please?”“Why me?”“Because you’re the only person I know who has ever met the man.”“What about my mama?” Drina asked with a small quiver of her lower lip. George knew that

meant she was trying hard not to smile.“She’d attract too much attention with that tiara,” he replied dryly. Not that it wasn’t true. Princess

Rothfield was wearing a tiara that made Queen Victoria’s crown look like a common trinket.“My father speaks German flawlessly and he should be able to recognize my cousin.”“Couldn’t be sure he wouldn’t tell my father,” he pointed out. “They’re old cronies.”“I don’t think he would.”“Better not chance it,” he said, taking lead of the dance. He waltzed them to the edge of the room.

Reluctantly, he released his hold on her waist and offered his arm. She placed her small hand lightlyon his forearm.

“Meet me at the Edward IV Tower in an hour,” George whispered, then led her back to hermother. Lord Weatherby stood there waiting, ogling Drina as they approached.

Weatherby asked Drina for the next dance. Before she could answer, her mother blurted, “Mydaughter would be pleased to dance with you.”

George saw Drina roll her eyes before taking Weatherby’s offered hand— his eyes never leftDrina’s chest. George longed to punch the man. But then he saw his father walking toward him, nodoubt ready with another lecture. Desperate, George turned to the first lady he saw and asked her to

dance. It was Lord Weatherby’s little sister, Lady Clara.The young woman giggled. “I should be delighted to, Lord Worthington.”He took her hand and led her to the dance floor, making his escape from his father. Lady Clara

was a good dancer, but her giggle annoyed him, and she laughed the entire dance. If that weren’t badenough, he kept seeing Lord Weatherby attempt to press himself closer to Drina. Time after time sheoutmaneuvered him with a sidestep, a dip, or a turn.

At last, the music ended and George tried to lead Lady Clara to where Drina and Weatherby werestanding. But by the time he had managed to practically drag her to that side of the room, Drina wasalready twirling away with Lord Cushing, and Lady Clara showed no sign of releasing her talon-likegrip on his arm.

He gulped, miserable.

Chapter 3

George checked his pocket watch for the fifth time. Drina was nine minutes late. Glancing around, hewondered if she’d gone to the wrong tower, but then he heard the light sound of her footsteps.

“What took you so long?”She shook her head. “I could hardly leave in the middle of a dance without drawing attention to

myself.”“Who were you dancing with?” he demanded, in a tone not unlike his father’s.“Why does that matter?”It doesn’t.Shouldn’t.But he’d still like to know.George breathed in deeply to calm down, but his nose filled with the scent of Drina’s honeysuckle

perfume. It caught him by surprise and he coughed.“Let’s go, then.”“I can hardly go into town dressed like this,” she said, gesturing to her gown.George didn’t need any reminder of her shocking dress. He was already all too well aware of it.“No,” he agreed. “Best not to dress like a lady at all, come to think of it.”“What am I supposed to dress like, a gentleman?”“Excellent notion.”“I was only joking,” Drina protested. “I don’t have any men’s clothing.”“You can borrow some of mine,” he said, leading the way back to his room. There was no gas

lamp lit in the room when they walked in, but the fire blazing in the hearth provided enough light.Drina stood in the doorway, her enormous skirt filling the entire opening.

“Come in, I won’t bite you,” he said.“I’m not afraid of your bite,” she said, blushing fiercely—which suggested quite the opposite.

“I’m not afraid at all.”George felt his own color rising. “I promise you that I’ll turn around.”She took a step into the room and closed the door behind her as George rummaged through his

drawers. He didn’t usually take his own clothes from the wardrobe—that was a job for his orneryvalet, Mr. Humphrey. But it seemed inadvisable to call for help at this particular moment.

George took off his jacket and waistcoat, untucked his shirt and began to unbutton it. He glancedup to see Drina watching him across the room with wide eyes. He fought down the urge to flex hismuscles for her.

He took off his shirt and put another on, one that was less fine. His trousers were too fancy, but hewasn’t about to take those off in front of her. George haphazardly tied his cravat and put on a dark,plain jacket.

“Your turn,” he said.

Drina stood frozen. George rummaged through his wardrobe again, pulling out a pair of trousers, ashirt, and a coat. He laid them on the bed and walked to the window, leaving his back to her. Heheard her light tread on the carpet as she walked to the bed.

“I can’t take off my dress.”He turned to face her. “I promise you I won’t look—”“The buttons are in the back,” she choked out, her face as crimson as her dress.“Oh.” George gulped. “I suppose I can help you with the buttons.”She turned around as he walked toward her. He could smell her sweet honeysuckle perfume again.

His heart beat faster and his hands felt as hot as if they were holding a burning poker. Swallowing, hebegan to undo the small buttons on the back of her dress, but his sweaty fingers felt clumsy andoverlarge for so intimate a task. And there had to be at least a hundred little red buttons!

He finally exhaled as he undid the last one. “There,” he said, trying not to stare at her sharpshoulder bones above her corset.

“And the necklace,” she said.He tentatively touched the back of her beautiful neck, almost a caress, and fumbled with the clasp.

It took much longer than it should have to undo it. The top of his hands brushed against her flaxen hair—it was so soft, like the finest silk. He longed to touch it again. She made an impatient sound and herecalled himself, holding out her necklace.

Drina took out her ruby earrings and handed them to him. “You’d better put them both in yourpocket,” she said. “We can’t leave them out. Mama would have my head if they were stolen.”

George obediently pocketed them both and stared at her.“Now turn around,” she said impatiently.He spun around faster than a wooden top. He heard her silk dress slide to the ground and he

steadfastly resisted the urge to peek. And then he heard the most intriguing noise—metal scraping. Butagain, he resisted the urge to look.

Not long after, she said, “You can turn back around.”Drina looked smaller in his clothes. The trousers were too large at the waist and the coat looked

enormous on her narrow shoulders, but still it was unable to hide her chest. She’d laced up a pair ofhis boots that were obviously too large, almost clownish. When she saw him watching, she shruggedher shoulders, and George’s attention was brought to the odd metal circles on the floor beside her.

“What is that contraption?”“A crinoline cage,” she explained. “It ties around the waist and gives your skirts shape. It saves a

lady from wearing stacks of petticoats.”George marveled at the size of the large metal hoops, stepping closer to the contraption. He

picked up the smallest ring and the crinoline expanded like a bird cage. “It’s enormous,” he said.“You could fit a small village under it.”

“I’ll take your word for that,” she said. She picked up her crimson dress and laid it carefullyacross his bed, then placed her long gloves on top of it.

She picked up his best hat and squashed it over her curls. “Shall we go?”“After we wash your face.”“My face?”

“Your mouth,” George said, pointedly not looking at her plump red lips. He held out hishandkerchief. When she was done wiping her lips, she handed it back to him. He stuffed it in hispocket and put on one of his other tall top hats.

“Are we ready now?” she asked.George nodded and fervently prayed that his valet wouldn’t come into the room before they got

back. There was no way he could properly explain about the dress, let alone that enormous metalcontraption on the floor.

Chapter 4

Drina felt strangely light and free wearing trousers. She wanted to run down the castle halls. And thecoat was nice, too. It smelled musky and manly—like George. She lifted her shoulders and marveledat how warm it was. Most of her evening gowns exposed the top of her shoulders to the cold. Shepulled the two sides of the coat together.

“That’s a good idea to cover your chest like that,” George said. “There’s rather too much of youupfront to be taken for a boy.”

“Well-spotted, George,” Drina replied sarcastically. “After nearly eight years, you’ve finallyrealized that I’m a girl.”

He raised his hands in mock surrender. “I apologize, Drina. Cry friends with me.”“Very well, friends,” she said. Out of habit, she put her hand on his arm. George flinched and

stepped back.“You can’t hold my arm dressed like that.”She felt her face go fiery again. “I forgot.”“It’s no matter,” he said, not looking her in the eyes.Drina exhaled and began to walk.“You can’t walk like that either,” he said from behind her.She snorted in frustration and placed her hands on her hips. “Like what?”“You know,” he said, walking with an exaggerated sway of his hips. “You sashay.”“I do not.”“Do too,” George replied. “It’s rather nice to watch, especially in trousers, but it’ll give us

away.”Drina wanted to growl in frustration. Here she was risking everything for George and he was

being critical of her. “How am I supposed to walk?”“Don’t swing your arms so much,” he said, and walked by her in a ridiculously stiff fashion.She copied his rigid, straight-armed stance and walked by him. “Better?”“Worse,” he said with a laugh.She couldn’t help but smile back at him—tightening their intangible connection. But then George

broke it by glancing away and awkwardly stuffing his hands into his coat pockets.He only thinks of me as a friend.Frustrated with her own romantic silliness, she shoved her hands into her own pockets and

managed to constrain her facial features to a more serious expression.“That works,” he conceded. “Keep your hands in your coat pockets.”Drina rolled her eyes in response and George grinned at her. She wished his smile didn’t make

her feel all warm inside like drinking a hot cup of wassail.She tipped her head down and continued walking. A footman opened the enormous wooden door

to the courtyard and George called for a carriage. When it came rolling toward them, he opened the

door and climbed in without looking back at her. She paused a moment … before realizing that mendidn’t help other men into carriages. She pulled her hands out of her pockets and climbed up inside. Itwas so easy to get into a carriage without skirts or a crinoline cage!

She sat down on the seat across from George and folded her arms across her chest. “Where arewe going to look first?” she asked.

“I’ve told the driver to take us to the Gate’s Head public house,” he replied. “It’s the nicest tavernin the town of Windsor.”

“Are you well acquainted with the taverns in Windsor?” Drina asked with an edge to her voice.George raised his hands in surrender. “Not at all. Merely stopped for a bowl of punch on the way

to the castle.”The carriage halted in front of a brightly lit building. The facade looked Tudor, with white stucco

and dark brown timbers placed in triangular patterns. Drina followed George through the front door.The ceiling of the entire building was low, the main room decorated with a few green pine

boughs. Drina pulled her coat closed and tipped her head down. She wished she could cover her nosewith the coat, for the room smelled of pipe smoke and unwashed men. And from what she could seefrom underneath the brim of her hat, the room was quite full of unwashed men.

There were also a few unwashed women, dressed in vulgarly bright colors and low-cut dresses.She’d heard of ladies of ill repute, but she’d never actually seen one. One of the ladies looked to beeven younger than Drina, sitting with men nearly twice her age. Drina’s stomach roiled. When Drinacaught her eye, the young girl gave her a wink. She blushed and pressed closer to George.

He asked the man at the tap if he’d served a foreigner today. The man stroked his bushy mustache.“Can’t say that I ’ave.”

George then plunked down a coin and asked for two pints. The tapster took out two grimy mugsand filled them with ale, placing one in front of George and the other by her. Drina took her hand outof her pocket to pick up the glass, willing herself not to see the smudge marks on the outside. Sheraised it to her lips and sipped gingerly.

“Don’t like our ale?” the tapster asked, sounding affronted as he leaned over the counter to glareat her.

She felt several eyes on her, so she cleared her throat before forcing herself to take a large gulp.“V-v-very good,” she sputtered. “V-v-very strong.”

“That’ll put the hair on your chin, lad.”Drina took another swig of the disgusting drink and coughed. “I think it’ll put hair everywhere.”The tapster barked a laugh that made his crooked nose wobble, and another patron clapped her on

the shoulder. She managed to finish half her glass before they walked out of the tavern.It was so cold outside, even wearing men’s clothing didn’t keep the chill away. They walked only

a few feet to the next public house. In the dim light from the lantern hung in front, Drina read the sign:The Green Dragon.

“Try not to draw so much attention to yourself this time,” George said, opening the door.“Then don’t order me ale,” she said, feeling a little green and as fiery as a dragon.The inside of the public house was just as dim as the exterior. She scanned the room, but none of

the ruffians looked like her cousin. George sauntered through the room, glancing at every man there

before setting down a coin and asking the barman for two beers.Drina took a large gulp—apparently beer and ale weren’t sipped. It burned down her throat and

she blinked in shock, but managed not to cough. She pretended to take a few more swigs, but left theglass more than half full.

George asked the barman if he’d served a German fellow today. The barman simply shook hishead. He was completely bald on top, but made up for his lack of hair everywhere else. They alsoordered drinks at the Dark Nun and the Widow’s Teeth, but there was no sign of Friedrich.

Drina wearily trudged behind George, her head feeling strangely light. She kicked the snow withher overly large boots.

“Surely there can’t be any more taverns in this small of a town,” she protested. “I can’t stareanother beer in the face.”

He turned back to her. “We’ve visited every tavern in town. I thought we could check the local innnext. It’s the first stop in town, so perhaps your cousin never left there.”

It seemed like a reasonable idea. Drina clasped her arms even tighter around her waist andcrookedly trudged through the snow after him.

The hostelry was called the White Hart and looked as if it had a higher class of clientele than thetaverns. It was a large redbrick building, and she could see lighted candles in every room. Georgeopened the door, which had a large holly wreath on it, and Drina was hit by a wave of warmth. Shenearly dove into the building.

George walked straight up to the proprietor, a ferret-faced man wearing an emerald waistcoat anda golden chain. He asked for a bowl of punch and a private room. Drina was relieved to exit the largecommon room, following the man down a hall to a private parlor with faded yellow floral wallpaper.The room had a small table with several chairs and a large fire in the hearth.

George took off his hat and coat and gave them to the proprietor to hang on the coat rack. The manfumbled with George’s coat, dropping it, but quickly picked it back up off the floor.

“Sorry, sir,” he said. He hung it up and then put his arm on Drina’s coat sleeve, but she shruggedhim off.

“I’ll keep my coat on,” she said in a gruff voice. “Don’t want it on the floor.”George clapped his hands to draw the man’s attention from her. “Have you seen any foreigners

about?”“Besides the Queen’s husband?” the proprietor asked. He grinned at his own wit, showing gray

teeth.“Aside from Prince Albert,” George said. “I’m looking for … for a friend. A blond fellow with a

German accent.”He shook his head. “Haven’t seen him. But most of my customers keep to themselves and I don’t

meddle in their private business.”Drina’s stomach dropped, either from disappointment or too much beer.“Are you sure?” George pressed, gesturing. “You haven’t seen a blond, tall man today? It is

imperative that we find him.”“As I said before, I have not.”George cursed her cousin quite colorfully. Drina tried to turn her giggle at his language into a

manly snort—but failed miserably. She covered her mouth with her hands, but the laughter bubbledinside of her.

The man bowed and left the room.“What a waste of a night,” she said, sitting down in the chair closest to the hearth. “We missed a

royal party, too.”“I’m sorry about that.”Another servant knocked on the door and brought in a bowl of hot punch. George squeezed the

lemons and poured Drina a tall glass.“Careful how much you drink,” he warned.Drina sipped the hot beverage and instantly felt better. “I can hold my wine,” she retorted.“I meant all of the beer you’ve already drunk tonight,” George said as he poured himself a glass.

“And you don’t weigh more than a feather.”She bit her lower lip before taking another small sip of the bittersweet brew. “I thought Friedrich

and I were two of a feather—he was my dearest friend when we were children. But I guess he doesn’tcare about seeing me again at all.”

“Or insulting the blasted Queen of England,” George added bitterly.Drina laughed, although it was not funny. “Dear Cousin Victoria is not the most forgiving person.”“Neither is my father.”She drained the rest of her glass, the bitterness of the alcohol matching her own feelings.“Slow down on the punch,” he said, setting his glass on the table with a clink.“Why should I? The room is already spinning—hic.” She covered her mouth, but couldn’t contain

her hiccups or giggles.“Don’t tell me you’re already three sheets to the wind,” George said dryly.“N-not in the wind,” Drina said, but her head felt lighter than ever. She was so deliciously warm

and a little bit tired.“You’re completely foxed!”“I’m not a f-f-fox. I’m a f-f-fiery green dragon.” She burped and giggled again.The door to the room suddenly opened; the proprietor had returned along with two thickset men.

The shorter one had a long, full beard that would have put Father Christmas’s to shame. The otherman wore a dark, tattered coat and a fur cap, his face hidden by a dark beard. He reminded her ofBelsnickel—the German Christmas visitor who brought candies and nuts to the good children, butcarried a switch to beat the naughty ones.

Oh dear, we have been naughty.“What is the meaning of this intrusion?” George demanded in a very duke-like voice.“Constable,” the proprietor said to Father Christmas, “look in his coat. You’ll find a necklace

worth a king’s ransom. I’ve caught you a pair of robbers.”The beefy, white-bearded constable reached into the pocket of George’s coat where it hung on the

rack and pulled out Drina’s ruby necklace. He whistled.“Probably stole it from one of the swells visiting the Queen for Christmas,” he said. “Smythe, you

take that one. I’ll take the little one.”“I can explain—” George began.

But the dark-bearded Belsnickel didn’t give him a chance. He grabbed George by the arm andyanked him out of the chair, hauling him out of the room as if he were merely a sack of wheat. Georgeflailed his arms, trying to break free, but to no avail.

Drina stood up, her legs shaky. The constable held George’s coat in one hand and took Drina bythe arm with his other. He held her so tightly that she could feel bruises forming as he led her out ofthe hostelry and down the back of the building to another street. Drina knew she ought to try and runaway for help, but she felt so light-headed that it took all of her concentration to even walk in the too-large boots.

The trip to the jail wasn’t more than five minutes, but still Drina felt frozen through by the timethey arrived. The building was cramped and dirty, consisting of an office with a small fire and twocold prison cells. George was pushed into the first one. There was dirty straw on the floor and achamber pot in the corner. The second cell looked equally unpromising. The whole building smelledas if it hadn’t been cleaned since the previous Christmas.

The constable released his hold on Drina’s arm and she stumbled a few steps.“Take his hat and check his coat for more stolen valuables,” the constable told his partner.Before she could stop him, the dark-bearded Belsnickel pulled off her hat, and her long yellow

hair tumbled down.“Blimey, it’s a woman,” he cried.Drina took a step back from him. “The necklace wasn’t stolen. It’s mine.”“And who might you be, the Queen of England?” the constable asked, sarcasm dripping from each

word.She stood up straighter and hiccupped. “Queen Victoria—hic—is actually my second cousin,

once removed. I am Lady—hic—Alexandrina Gailey, daughter of the Marquis of Rothfield andPrincess Wilhelmina of Hoburg.”

“Blimey,” the Belsnickel said in wonder, bowing to Drina. She gave her most regal nod in returnbut ruined the effect with a burp.

The constable folded his arms across his barrel of a chest, looking her up and down. Drinaglanced over at George, who scrambled to his feet.

“Unhand her,” he said. “I am Lord George Worthington, the second son of the Duke of Doverly.”The constable raised his eyebrows and looked from George to Drina.She nodded her head.Which was a terrible idea—the entire room spun.“We are looking for my cousin,” Drina managed.“And who might he be?”“Prince F-Friedrich of Hoburg,” she said in a slurred voice, but thankfully without any hiccups or

burps.“What a load of twaddle!” the white-bearded constable said. “Do you take me for a gullible fool?

Never heard of a country called Hoburg. Toss her in the other cell.”“It’s a German principality,” she explained.The dark-bearded man seemed hesitant to touch her.“Smythe, do as I say at once,” the constable demanded.

“Sir … Constable, sir. I think we might have been a tad over hasty,” he said. “I read in thenewspaper that the Crown Prince of Hoburg would be staying with the Queen for Christmas, as wellas the Duke of Doverly. He’s the head of the Foreign Office, sir.”

“No doubt these villains read the newspaper, too,” the constable growled, seeminglyunconvinced. “Smythe, if you don’t put her in that cell, I’ll put you in one for contempt.”

The younger constable muttered an apology as he gently took Drina’s arm, leading her to the doorof the cell and closing it behind her.

She couldn’t stay here. What would her parents think when they found her room empty in themorning? What would George’s parents think when they found her clothes in his room? What scandaland uproar there would be if this escapade became known! Drina would be ruined and CousinVictoria would refuse to break the entail on her family’s estate. She would lose her home, fortune,and reputation … all for trying to help George.

Scheisse!She had to find a way out of this jail without anyone, especially the Queen, knowing about it.Whom could she ask for help? Who wouldn’t tell? Her mother? No, she couldn’t see her mother in

such a place as this or being able to keep her mouth shut about it after. Her father? He was alwayssympathetic, but not particularly helpful in most practical situations. She couldn’t picture herscholarly father in this dirty jail with these rough men.

“Wait,” Drina said. She stuck her hand through the iron bars, grabbing the collar of BelsnickelSmythe’s coat. He turned and she let go. “George’s brother will come and v-vouch for us.”

“And who might his brother be?” the older constable asked with a sneer. “The King of Sweden?”“No—hic, the Earl of Dim—I mean Lord Dinsmore,” she said breathlessly. “He’s staying at

Windsor Castle as a special guest of the Queen.”George groaned audibly, and Mr. Smythe shifted back and forth on his feet.“She’s making a fool of you,” his partner said flatly.“P-please,” she begged.Smythe rubbed his dark beard. “’Twouldn’t hurt to check her story out, sir. I’ll just nip up to the

castle and see if there’s an earl by the name of Dinsmore there and if he’s ever heard of LadyAlexandrina Gailey.”

“It’s past midnight.”“They’ll be up at the castle,” Smythe replied. “Toffs stay up until the early morning hours.”“Thank you!” Drina said, grabbing the iron bars. “Oh thank you!”Smythe nodded to her and then opened the door to leave. Drina shuddered as the sharp winter

wind blew into the room. She backed farther into the cell, but the smell of urine and unwashed bodiesbecame even worse the closer she stepped toward the straw. She sidled toward George’s cell and hestuck his hands through the bars.

“I can’t tell you how sorry I am,” he whispered, taking her hands.Her hands finally felt warm inside his and she felt heat blooming in her belly. “It’s not entirely

your fault,” she admitted with a hiccup. “I should’ve left my jewels in your room.”“I never thought I’d be arrested as a bridle cull.”“A what?”

“A common thief.”“Don’t disparage our profession, George,” Drina said, in an attempt to lighten the mood. “We

weren’t condemned as common thieves, but as jewel robbers. Something quite superior, I believe.”“Yes, of course, much superior,” he said wryly. “I believe we would be hung, instead of

transported.”Drina pulled one hand from George’s hold and touched her neck. She could feel her pulse in her

throat.“It won’t come to that,” George assured her, and caressed her cheek with his free hand. For a

moment, she thought he was going to kiss her between the grimy iron bars. But she saw that his eyeshad wandered from her face to the door.

She sighed and bit her lip. When would she finally accept that George wasn’t interested in herromantically?

“I’m sure you’re right,” she said, pulling her other hand away from his. “Besides, this isn’t ourusual crack lay.”

George laughed and raked his fingers through his hair. “I don’t even want to know where youlearned the thieves’ cant for housebreaking, Drina. But I think you’re very bricky. The brickiest girlI’ve ever met.”

It was nice that he thought she was brave, but she would much rather that he thought her beautiful.Drina rubbed both her arms with her hands. She felt so cold, but it at least helped clear her mind.

There wasn’t any humor to find in their situation. She didn’t doubt that they would get out of jail—tomorrow probably, once she and George were missed at Windsor Castle. But if she wasn’t found inher bed tomorrow morning, her reputation would be lost and Queen Victoria would not remove theentail on her father’s estate.

The royal family’s rigid morality could not tolerate even a hint of impropriety.Drina would lose her home. Where she loved every blasted brick and individual blade of grass,

and most importantly, each person who lived on the estate. Who would ensure that old Mrs. Crick inRobin Cottage had enough bread when her rheumatism flared up? Or check on Mr. Portier, theirretired butler, who was mostly deaf but still spoke enough for three people? And who would laughwith the Bradshaw sisters, all seven of them, who worked as maids in Rothfield House? The sistersdid more than dust and scrub; they seemed to bring joy to every room they entered.

What would happen to everyone she loved when the estate defaulted to the government? Would itbe sold? Or kept under the careless watch of a steward who valued its profitability more than itspeople?

She turned around and sat with her back against the cell wall. George must have sat down, too,with his back to the bars—she could feel his warmth.

It was a small comfort in an otherwise dreadful situation.

Chapter 5

As they sat back to back, George could feel Drina’s quick, shuddering breaths, as if she were trying tohold in a sob or a hysterical laugh. He felt terrible; he’d gotten her into trouble again. And since theywere no longer children, the consequences would be much greater … disastrous, even.

George couldn’t do anything to help her at the moment—except distract her.“Remember the time we got locked out on the roof of your house?” he said.“I told you not to shut the door.”“You also told me that there was a female ghost on the roof that we could only see at midday.”“Not a ghost, a Weiße Frauen,” she said with a laugh. “And she was supposed to be brushing her

hair in the sunshine, but I think our howls scared her away.”“How long do you think we were out there? One hour? Two?”“It was not even half an hour before my father found us,” Drina scoffed. “He heard our yells for

help.”“I think half of the county must’ve heard our calls for help,” he said. “Then your father took us

back to his library and gave us toffees. He asked us all about our adventure and he listened to eachword you said as if it was as important as a pronouncement from the Queen … I was so jealous.”

“Papa is a good listener.”“And when your mother found out, she scolded us in English and German and then kissed our

cheeks and ruffled our hair … My mother was rarely home and even when she was, she never tookthe time to talk to me or hug me. I was so envious of you.”

“Your father was home.”“Father never talked to me. He only yelled,” George said. “And he still won’t listen to me. He

only threatens to send me to Austria if I don’t improve at the Foreign Office, and you know how badmy German is.”

“It is truly dreadful,” she agreed. “Why don’t you talk to your mother about becoming an engineer?Maybe she could help you—she has her own income and more political connections then even yourfather.”

“I barely even know her,” he said, letting his face fall into his hands. “She’s spent more time withthe Queen than she has with me.”

Drina’s breath caught, followed by a sob. “If Queen Victoria finds out about my part in thisescapade, any chance of her breaking the entail on my father’s estate will be gone. I will bepractically penniless when my father dies, and Mama will try to pressure me into a marriage withsome rich wretch like Lord Weatherby.”

Unbelievably, George felt his lips twitching upward into a smile; relieved to know that she didn’treturn Weatherby’s obvious admiration. He lifted his head to look at her, but all he saw was her back,huddled in his overlarge coat. His slight smile faded as quickly as it had appeared. “Oh, Drina, I’mso, so sorry. This is all my fault.”

She turned to face him. “My cousin Friedrich should get a small share of the blame.”“He wouldn’t have dragged you into this,” George said, taking her hand again through the bars and

rubbing it between his hands to warm it. Her hand, like all of her, was beautifully shaped and so soft.He couldn’t help wishing that he was the eldest son or a prince—with a fortune and an estate. Thesort of fellow whom she’d one day marry. The sort of man she deserved to marry; not a dependentyounger son with few prospects. “I should’ve known better, but there’s no one I can trust as much asyou. No one whom I’d rather be in a pickle with.”

Drina pulled her hand back. “Well, we’re certainly in a pretty pickle. Too bad the jail doorisn’t … a jar.”

He smiled at her wit, instantly missing the warmth of her touch.The door to the jail opened, and a rush of cold entered the already frigid room. George scrambled

to his feet. He turned to offer his assistance to Drina, but she was already up, her delicate facepeering through the bars.

The first person to walk through the door was none other than his elder brother, Edward, smilinglike he’d found the silver sixpence in the Christmas pudding. He took off his tall, dark hat and gavethe constable a sharp nod of recognition. Smythe followed behind him and closed the door.

“I am the Earl of Dinsmore. What do I need to do to set these two at liberty?” he asked in anauthoritative voice that George almost didn’t recognize. Edward took a card from his coat and handedit to the constable.

The constable took the card and read it carefully.“May I see the jewels in question?” Edward asked, but it sounded more like a demand.Smythe took George’s coat off the table and pulled out the ruby necklace and the matching

earrings, holding them out with his large, hairy hand. Edward accepted the jewels, pulled his quizzingglass out of his waistcoat pocket, and looked at them through its lens.

“Undoubtedly, these belong to the Princess Rothfield,” he said in the same aggrandized tone.“My mother!” Drina chimed in and then hiccupped. She covered her mouth with her hands.“Please release Lady Alexandrina Gailey, and my little brother, Lord George Worthington,”

Edward said, and added in a soft, dangerous tone, “I should hate to have to report youroverzealousness to your superiors.”

The constable stood still as a stock. The only sign that he’d heard what was said was that his eyeskept blinking.

“I’ll do it, sir,” Smythe said. He took the keys off a nail on the wall and unlocked first Drina’scell and then George’s.

Drina rushed out of her cell. “Thank you so much, Edward,” she said, embracing him.George involuntarily made a noise of disgust. Not that their hug was improper, or overly long. He

wasn’t sure why it annoyed him so much. He walked more sedately out of his cell, with what was leftof his dignity. There wasn’t much.

Edward held up his quizzing glass at George. “No embrace of gratitude for your big brother?”George didn’t reply. His much taller brother loved to needle him about his lack of height. He

picked up his coat and put it on. Edward handed the jewels to Drina without a word. She slipped theearrings into her ears and clasped the necklace around her throat. Mr. Smythe gave Drina her hat and

she put it back on. She looked rather ridiculous wearing jewels and a top hat. Still, Edward offeredDrina his arm and they walked out of the jail with their heads held high. George followed behindthem with his head low.

The carriage was waiting outside the jail. Edward opened the door for Drina and assisted herinside; George sighed for not doing so himself as he climbed in after them.

As the carriage began to move, Edward yawned. “Am I assisting in an elopement?” he asked in abored voice. “I’ve always wanted to, you know.”

“Of course not!” George said hotly.“Oh no!” Drina cried at the same time. “I’m much too young to be getting married.”“Then, Drina, may I be so vulgar as to inquire why you are dressed in men’s clothing and out with

my little brother, without a chaperone in the middle of the night?” Edward asked.“No,” she said flatly, before George could speak. “That’s why we asked for you, Edward. We

don’t want anyone to ask awkward questions. Isn’t that right, George?”“Yes,” was all he could manage.“Ah,” Edward said, twiddling his quizzing glass. “So I did not leave the castle in the middle of

the night to bail you two out of jail?”“Perhaps you had a headache?” Drina suggested.“You went into town for a drink,” George said. “There has to be some cause why he called for

this carriage.”“That’s reasonable,” she agreed, nodding.“Very well, then,” Edward said, pocketing his quizzing glass. “But I’m going to tell Emily the

truth. She’s dashed clever and wouldn’t believe anything else.”George groaned. Of course Edward would tell his wife.The carriage came to a stop, and Edward got out first. “Don’t dawdle getting back to your own

rooms,” he said suggestively. He touched the brim of his hat and left without another word.George and Drina stood up at the same time. They bumped together and lost their balance; he fell

back on the carriage seat with Drina lying across his lap. She scooted off his legs immediately andthey both said, “Sorry,” at the same time. Her hat was off again and he could see her beautiful longhair. It looked silver in the moonlight.

“After you,” he said in an attempt at chivalry.Drina twirled up her hair and shoved the hat onto her head. She lopsidedly stepped out of the

carriage and then stuffed her hands in her coat pockets as she walked toward the castle door. Georgefollowed and rushed to open the door for her.

“There you go,” he said, letting her walk through first.She thanked him and George closed the door quietly behind them. But he saw two footmen.Dash it all.He reached into his coat pocket, relieved that his purse was still there. He took out two crowns

and placed one in each of the footmen’s palms. Well-paid servants were silent servants. Georgeturned to see that Drina had left down the corridor toward her own room. He jogged to catch up withher.

“You can’t go back to your room,” he whispered, touching her arm.

“Where else would I go?”“My room.”Drina’s eyes opened wide with shock.!“You can’t leave your things in my room. What will the servants say in the morning?” he

whispered.“That you look dashing in crimson,” she said, giggling. “Or that you had a ladybird in company.”

Her eyes opened wide again in innocent surprise and she placed her hand over her mouth.“I’m not that sort of fellow,” he said indignantly.Drina removed her hand and said seriously, “But perhaps my cousin Friedrich is.”George felt himself blushing again. The possibility that Prince Friedrich was with a lady of the

night had also crossed his mind. But he wasn’t about to take Drina to a brothel to find out. He took herby the arm and pulled her toward his room.

“Where did you even learn that term?”“My mother,” Drina explained. “She is shockingly frank. Doesn’t at all agree with keeping young

women ignorant of the facts of life. She says that ignorance and innocence are not at all the samething.”

“Happy to hear it,” he lied. “But it’s not at all the thing for a proper young lady to talk about.”“But it’s fine for a proper young man to purchase their services?” she pressed, walking toward

him until his back was against the wall.“I already told you,” George protested. “I don’t associate with women of that ilk.”“But you associate with men who d-do, like Lord Weatherby,” Drina said, leaning slightly to one

side. She really couldn’t hold her beer. “Don’t you think that it’s ridiculous to hold women to adifferent moral standard then men?”

He’d never really given the matter much thought, but he couldn’t help but see the justice of herwords. He knew several men from the best families who openly kept mistresses. Such men, likeWeatherby, were still considered to be great catches on the matrimonial market. But a young womanwas supposed to be innocent and virginal; even the smallest rumor could damage her fair name.

He blushed at the duplicity of society, embarrassed at his own part in unwittingly supporting it.“It is dashed unfair,” he agreed at last. “Men and women should be held to the same standards.”“Then you agree with me that women deserve the same rights and privileges of the opposite sex?”

she asked. “The right to inherit property and titles? To their own financial freedom under the law?”George gulped. He’d never given women’s rights much thought, but he wanted Drina to have

everything that she wanted. She deserved all the rights that he so often took for granted being a man.“Yes,” he said.Drina stepped crookedly to the side and looked up at him in a mixture of disbelief and joy. “You

really mean it—hic?”“Of course I do—”But George’s sentence was cut off, because she suddenly threw her arms around his neck and

attempted to kiss his cheek—though it was closer to his ear. Instinctively he wrapped his arms aroundher waist and pulled her closer. Drina’s body molded against his perfectly without all thoseridiculous female clothes and crinoline cages.

“I always knew you were—hic—wonderful, George,” she said.She really is foxed, he thought as he stepped back from her.“That’s nice, Drina,” he said slowly. “Let’s get your things and take you to your room.”She giggled. “I would be quite compromised if anyone found me in yours. They would think I was

a ladybird—tweet tweet tweet!”“Shush!”He scanned the corridor. Not a soul was in sight. He took Drina by the arm—she couldn’t walk

straight without him—and led her to his door. It creaked loudly when he opened.Drina sat on the floor to untie the boots and put on her crimson dancing slippers. Then she went to

the bed and picked up her dress and gloves, draping them over her arm. All that remained was theenormous metal-framed skirt on the floor.

“Will you marry—hic—carry my crinoline, George?” she asked, giggling again.He didn’t bother to respond, but went and picked the crinoline up. It wasn’t very heavy, less than

ten pounds. But the metal underskirt was large, round, and awkward. It kept falling open every timehe picked it up. Drina easily walked back through the door, but it took George two attempts to get theinfernal contraption through the opening.

“How do you get through doors when you wear this thing?” he asked indignantly.“Carefully,” Drina said with a lopsided smile. “And sometimes you have to go sideways.”“Ridiculous contraption,” George muttered.“I couldn’t agree more,” she said with another giggle. “Beastly thing.”He carried it in front of him sideways, but it was awkward. He tried to hold it with one hand, but

then it would expand on one side or the other. It ballooned open again and George cursed.Drina laughed so loudly he felt obliged to shush her again. They wouldn’t be out of trouble until

she was in her own room and he in his.When they reached Drina’s room, she opened the door and easily walked inside. There were no

candles lit, but there was a fire dancing in the fireplace, casting a dim light over the room. She setdown her dress and gloves on the bed, while George tried three different times to bring the largecrinoline through the narrow doorway. He tried walking with it in front of him. He tried pushing itthrough sideways. He tried flipping it upside down and walking through with it like a large bouquet ofiron flowers.

“It doesn’t fit!”Instead of assisting him, Drina collapsed on her bed in a fit of ill-timed giggles. George huffed in

annoyance. He turned the crinoline cage to a 90-degree angle and gave it one more hard push.The metal skirt slid through the doorway and he fell forward on his face as it collapsed beneath

him. Drina let out a loud shout of hysterical laughter. George stood up to see her curled up on herside, tears running down her cheeks as she continued to laugh so hard that no noise was coming out ofher mouth. With a reluctant grin, he bowed formally and left the room, closing the door behind him.

He wondered how much she’d remember in the morning. He wasn’t sure if he wanted her toremember the embrace or not. But one thing he did know for certain: He wouldn’t be forgetting it anytime soon.

Chapter 6

Drina’s head was going to explode.At least it felt like it was. She rolled over in bed and tried to go back to sleep. Her stomach

rumbled unhappily and her right arm felt tender and bruised. She carefully opened her eyes, but thiswasn’t her room at home. The bedcurtains and bed coverlet were a gaudy shade of pink, the samedreadful color as the wallpaper. The walls were covered with gilded frames, filled with paintedstrangers staring at her while she slept. It was all rather disconcerting.

Her bedroom door swung open and even in the dim glow from the embers in the fireplace, sheknew it was her mother. No one else walked quite the same way, as if she owned the world.

Her mother unceremoniously opened the curtains, letting bright, harsh light spill into the perfectlypink room.

“It’s after noon, Drina,” she said as she tied back the curtains. “You should’ve awoken hoursbefore this.”

“It can’t be morning already,” Drina grumbled and sat up in bed, blinking from the brightness ofthe light and even brighter shade of pink. Her headache felt infinitely worse. She leaned forward,trying not to be sick. She looked down—she was still wearing George’s shirt and trousers. Drinapulled the coverlet up to her chin, praying her mother wouldn’t notice her clothing.

“How much wine did you drink last night, Liebling?” her mother demanded.“Only a few glasses,” she said innocently. It technically wasn’t a lie: two glasses of wine at

dinner … and then four half-pint beers, and one glass of punch with George—George!She grabbed her head. The memories of last night were pretty hazy. Images flashed in her mind of

visiting several pubs (ale tasted like bitter apple juice). Drinking with George (the punch had acitrusy flavor). Being arrested (that’s why her arm hurt). The nasty-smelling jail (she wanted to plugher nose just thinking about it). Dear Edward vouching for them (oh dear, she hoped he’d bediscreet). And throwing her arms around George (it was lovely in his arms).

Her mother pulled the cord for a servant and tsked in annoyance as she picked up Drina’s crimsondress off of the floor. Then her mother dropped the dress and picked up something else—George’sjacket. Drina closed her eyes. This day was already a disaster.

“Whose coat is this, Alexandrina?” she demanded sharply.Drina reluctantly opened her eyes and said in a small voice, “George’s.”Her mother held up the coat. “And how did it get into your room?”She blinked and decided the truth was the easiest. “I was wearing it. I was rather cold last night.”The door to her bedroom opened again and Miss Russon, her pretty, redheaded lady’s maid with a

perfectly sized button nose, bobbed a curtsy.“Russon, bring my daughter some strong tea and run her a hot bath,” Drina’s mother said

authoritatively.

“Yes, Your Highness,” the maid said, bobbing again.Drina didn’t blame her lady’s maid for her formality; her mother still made Drina feel awed in her

presence. Miss Russon closed the door with a loud thud. Drina’s ears rang and it felt as if her brainswere shaking inside of her head. She longed to hold her head, but didn’t dare release her coverlet.

“Where are my jewels?”Drina grasped her neck with one hand and sighed with relief to feel the necklace there. She held

the coverlet with her other hand as she touched her ears, finding earrings in both of them.Her mother was holding out her hands expectantly, but Drina couldn’t unclasp the necklace and

hold up the covers at the same time. So she lay back down and quickly took both the necklace and theearrings off. Sitting up gingerly, she handed the jewels to her mother, careful to conceal her clothing.

“These should have been in the safe last night, Liebling,” her mother chided. “You can’t be sothoughtless in future, ja? You will need these jewels to find yourself a good husband.”

Properly chagrined, Drina lowered her aching head. “Yes, Mama.”Her mother sat on the edge of the bed and gently stroked the hair on Drina’s pounding head. Drina

wished she wouldn’t.“You know, ja, that all I want is the very best for you, Liebling?”Drina nodded slowly.Her mother smiled. “We are in luck, my darling. I have spoken to Cousin Victoria and she will

give you a royal audience.”“What!” Drina cried, nearly dropping her coverlet in surprise.“Yes, Cousin Victoria, has agreed to listen to our request about you inheriting your father’s title

and estate,” her mother explained. “It is a great honor and even greater opportunity that I know youwill take advantage of.”

Drina nodded her head eagerly, almost forgetting the pain inside of it.Her mother stood up abruptly. “And no more Lord Worthington.” She pronounced it

“Vorthington.”“But … Why, Mama?”“He is a second son.”“At least he is a son and will inherit something eventually,” Drina said bitterly. “Whereas I’m a

daughter and will inherit nothing.”“That isn’t true, Alexandrina,” her mother said imperiously. “Your father and I have made

countless sacrifices to ensure that you would be properly dowered, with or without the Rothfieldestate. And my jewels are worth more than this entire drafty castle.”

“I appreciate all that you have done, Mama.”“Do you, Drina? Do you really?”“Of course, I do!”“I not think you do,” her mother said. Drina knew she must be angry—her mother’s English was

only bad when she got worked up. “If you do, you vould stop vasting your time vith Lord Vorthingtonand spend more of your time engaging the attentions of a more vorthy man.”

Drina released a sigh of frustration. “And who is worthier, Mama?” she demanded. “TheHonorable Lord Weatherby?”

“He has a fine house in Derbyshire and thirty thousand pounds a year.”“He also has wandering hands and at least one mistress already,” Drina said hotly. “I’d rather die

a spinster than be saddled with him for life.”“Very vell,” she said. “How about Lord Carlisle?”“He is twice my age and has bad teeth.”“He is a gentle soul, and all the English have bad teeth,” her mother stated as if this were a well-

known fact.George didn’t. She couldn’t help but think of his roguish grin.Her mother must have guessed at least part of what she was thinking. “Lord Vorthington is short.”It was injustice to call George short. He was of average height, but he looked short because he

was so broad in the shoulders.“He’s the same height as myself!”“He doesn’t return your affections, Alexandrina,” her mother said stiffly. “Stop throwing yourself

at a man who doesn’t vant you and spend your time securing a marriage vith a man who will give youhis title and an estate.”

“What about his heart?”“Hearts have little to do with marriages, Liebling,” her mother said. She looked older, wearier.

“You would do better to find a kind man who will give you a place in this world.”Drina gripped the coverlet tighter around her neck. “Not every man is cruel like your first

husband.”“No … but many are, and you will be entirely in your husband’s power.”“If I inherit Papa’s title and estate, I won’t have to marry anyone,” she said. “Kind or not. With or

without teeth. I will be the powerful one.”Her mother tsked. “Marriage is the way of our world.”Drina shook her pounding head. “How can you say that? You eloped with Papa against the wishes

of three countries and caused an international scandal. And you only reconciled with Queen Victoriabecause you named me Alexandrina Victoria after her.”

“Marrying your father was not without consequences,” she said. “I lost my title of queen and myhome. Your father was only an ambassador to Hoburg then; he hadn’t inherited the Rothfield title yet.I had to learn how to live on much smaller means and lesser consequence. It was a humbling time,Liebling.”

Drina bristled. She’d always thought her parent’s love match was a perfect one. She’d neverthought of what her mother had given up. “Do you miss Tannheim?”

“Do I miss the power and respect I once held as Queen Regent?” she replied. “Ja, my Liebling.Power is a very addictive thing and once possessed, difficult to relinquish. Even to your own blood.You will find that Cousin Victoria doesn’t wish to share her power with anyone. Not with herhusband. And not even with her own son and heir.”

Poor Bertie.The Prince of Wales had always been kind to Drina, but she knew his parents viewed him as a

disappointment. Cousin Victoria often told her mother that Bertie wasn’t self-controlled enough. AndDrina had heard Prince Albert berate him many times for not being as clever as his sisters Vicky and

Alice.“Choose your future wisely, Liebling, for you will have to live with the consequences. Not I,” her

mother said, standing up.There was a knock at the door and Miss Russon brought in a small tea tray.“I will see you at luncheon, Drina,” her mother said. “And I expect you to look presentable and to

act charming. Don’t disappoint me.”“Yes, Mama.”Her mother swept out of the room. Miss Russon bobbed another quick curtsy, spilling a little tea

onto the silver tray. She mumbled an apology.Drina waved her hand. “It is nothing.”Miss Russon placed the tea tray on the table across the room. “Lady Alexandrina, your bath is

ready in the dressing room. Do you require any assistance?”Drina thanked her but declined; she didn’t want Miss Russon to see George’s clothes. She wasn’t

sure if she had enough money with her to bribe the woman to not say anything.Once Miss Russon closed the door to her room, Drina threw off the coverlet and stepped out of

bed. Stumbling to the table, she poured herself some tea, draining the first cup quickly. Her mouth feltdry and tasted awful. She poured herself a second cup from the teapot before shedding the trousersand George’s linen shirt. Untying her corset took a little more time. She was like a cat chasing its tail,trying to catch the string. Eventually, she pulled the correct one and the entire garment slid off herbody. Exhaling in relief, she wriggled out of her shift and drawers.

She shivered and made a dash for the door to the dressing room. As promised, a hot bath wasawaiting her there. She hopped into the copper tub and sank beneath the steaming water. The pain inher head began to ease. She looked at her arm—purplish-green bruises were forming on her forearm,a circle for every finger of the snowy-bearded constable. She slid farther underneath the water untilonly her nose was above it.

Perhaps her mother was right. She needed to focus on her meeting with the Queen and not give anymore of her time or her heart to George. He could find Friedrich without her help. Her carefreecousin was probably off on some jollification with no thought to his duty. She didn’t mind Friedrich’slack of royal decorum, but it hurt that he’d forgotten her.

Drina puffed, blowing a stray curl from her face. It was time for her to move on from bothFriedrich and George. To move forward with her own life.

If she looked for George in the Crimson Drawing Room that afternoon, it was only to ascertainwhether he was in the room so that she could avoid him.

He wasn’t there.The room was aptly named. The carpet, walls, and curtains and all the furniture was crimson.

Gold trim framed and accentuated the red walls and furnishings. Even the ceiling had liberal amountsof gilded designs and an enormous golden chandelier. It was truly a regal room.

She looked around for someone to speak to. Neither her mother nor father was present. ButPrincess Alice was talking to Prince Louis, standing next to a painting of a soldier … also dressed in

a crimson uniform. Drina walked toward them, carefully avoiding Lord Weatherby and his sister,Lady Clara, who were speaking to their particular friend, Lady Hyacinth Fotheringham.

“There you are, Drina,” Alice said, taking her hand. “I missed you during the dancing last night.”“I retired to bed early,” she lied.Prince Louis of Hesse turned and smiled at Drina, greeting her in German. Prince Louis was truly

one of the handsomest men she’d ever seen. His brown hair swept back from a broad forehead andcurled by his ears. His eyes were dark and he had a clipped mustache that made him look dashinglyforeign. He was a little taller than Drina, but nearly a head taller than Alice. His eyes constantlydarted back to Alice; it was clear that he admired her.

Drina returned his greeting in German. “I hope you kept Alice entertained in my absence lastnight.”

He laughed and said in German, “It is she who keeps me entertained with her wit and vivacity.”Alice colored a little and said in English, “Where is your cousin? I was hoping to meet him last

night.”It was Drina’s turn to blush. “George seems to have lost my cousin.”“Rather a large object to lose. Where did he see him last?”Drina shook her head. Both Prince Louis and Princess Alice looked at her questioningly. Prince

Louis, because he didn’t understand their exchange, and Alice, because she was too clever by half.“George has never actually seen him,” she admitted in an undertone in English. “He never arrived

at Windsor Castle.”“You don’t think something awful has happened to him, do you?” Alice asked.“That thought had crossed my mind,” Drina admitted. “But there has been no sign of any trouble in

town. Nor a letter of ransom.”Drina had assumed her cousin was sleeping off his excesses somewhere in town, with or without

female company. But by the light of morning, all the worst possible scenarios seemed likelier by theminute. What if Friedrich was grievously injured? What if he was dead? What if someone hadkidnapped the Crown Prince of Hoburg? His presence at Windsor was no secret—his state visit toQueen Victoria had been announced in all the major newspapers. Her mother had read each of them toher, tsking and complaining that the English never got anything right about the German principality ofHoburg.

“You’ve gone white as a sheet,” Alice said, touching her hand again. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean toalarm you. I’m sure it is just as the valet said. Your cousin perhaps enjoyed a little too much Englishbeer and was unable to make it to the castle last night. I’m confident that you will see him tonight atdinner.”

“I’m sure you’re right,” Drina said politely. Although she wasn’t sure at all. She pulled her handfrom her friend’s. “I’ll go find my mother and see if she has seen Friedrich. He was always a favoriteof hers.”

“Oh, look who just walked in,” Alice said with a knowing smirk.Drina glanced over her shoulder to see George and Edward entering the Crimson Drawing Room.“Farewell, Alice. Auf Wiedersehen, Prinz Louis,” she said, and walked quickly to the door.

George stopped and smiled at her. He might have even spoken something, but Drina didn’t hear it.

She was too busy walking past him.

Chapter 7

Drina walked around George as if he were an armchair inconveniently placed in the center of theroom, with not so much as a how do you do.

“Why did she snub me?” George asked aloud, not speaking to any person in particular.“That’s easy enough,” his brother said as he elbowed George in the chest “You’ve made a fool of

her.”“I didn’t mean to get us thrown in jail,” he protested in a low voice. “If she hadn’t insisted on

bringing that bloody necklace with us, we wouldn’t have been arrested.”“I don’t think that’s it,” Edward said. He took out his quizzing glass and twirled it around his

finger. “Drina has always had a keen sense of humor and a taste for adventure. No, George, I believeshe’s mad at you because you made a fool of her during the London season.”

“I did not.”“Did so,” he countered obstinately. “You monopolized her at every social event, danced with her

at every party, and you never popped the question. Nearly every gentlemen’s club in London wasoffering odds on whether or not you would propose. I lost twenty-five guineas myself at White’s.”

“You thought I was in love with Drina?” George asked.Edward shook his head. “I didn’t know about you, but my wife said Drina has fancied you for

years. And Emily, as you know, is rarely wrong about affairs of the heart.”“Emily believes Drina is in love with me?!”“Do you know, it’s the first time she’s ever been wrong on a match?” Edward remarked in a

bored tone. “Certainly it was the first time I’ve ever lost money betting on Emily’s romantic opinion.I’ve made nearly five-hundred guineas betting on matches. The Watey chit and Mr. Harris. The—”

“Thank you, Edward,” he said hastily, eager for the conversation to end. “I appreciate yourinsight, but I must get back to finding that dashed Hoburg prince. Father will have an apoplexy if helearns I’ve lost him.”

George made a hasty retreat from the Crimson Drawing Room through the Lantern Lobby. It was acircular room with stunning flying buttresses, pointed arch windows, and a second-floor gallery. TheLantern Lobby looked and felt medieval, probably because of the suits of armor on display. Georgewas profoundly glad no one expected him to wear a metal suit and gallivant around on a horse whilepoking enemies with a long wooden stick.

“There you are, George,” came his father’s low, raspy voice from the second-floor gallery.George looked up to see him leaning over the railing. “I need a word.”

That phrase from his father always made George feel rather queasy, like he’d swallowed a chunkof spoiled meat.

“Yes, Father?”“Not here, boy!” he scolded. “Anyone could hear us.”“Very well, sir,” George said resignedly. “Should I come up or would you like to come down?”

“I’ll be down directly.”And he was—his father, for all of his sixty years of age, was amazingly spry. He took George by

the shoulder and led him from the Lantern Lobby into St. George’s Hall. George had attendedbanquets in the hall, but for now, the long narrow room was quite empty. Nothing but crimson carpeton the floors and portraits of dead monarchs on the walls. They were alone, but it still wasn’t whatGeorge would call private. His father steered him in front of a painting of William IV, QueenVictoria’s uncle. It was a flattering portrait of the dead king wearing a large green velvet cloak andlooking quite regal.

“Do you know who this is, son?”“King William IV, sir.”“I had the privilege of serving under him,” his father said. He pointed to the portrait adjacent to it,

that of another brother from the House of Hanover. “And who is that?”“George IV, better known as the Prince Regent,” he said obediently. Although he pointedly failed

to mention that this particular George was best known for his flock of mistresses and wearing aCumberland Corset to contain his corpulence. The stories his mother told about the Prince Regentweren’t flattering.

“I served under him and I named you after him,” his father said at last. “A man should be loyal tohis king.”

“Right, sir.”“And him?”George recognized the white-wigged man wearing an alarming amount of yellow-and-black fur to

be the Mad King George, but he prudently called him “George III.”“I also briefly served under him,” his father said in his raspy voice. “And now I serve her.”His father didn’t need to say Queen Victoria’s name. Nor point to her life-sized portrait in which

she was dripping with jewels.“I could have you name the portrait of every monarch in this hall,” his father said.George sincerely hoped he wouldn’t.“But the point is, George,” he said, clapping his large hand on George’s shoulder, “our family has

always served the monarchy. I, in the Foreign Office, and your mother, in the Queen’s household.”“Yes, sir.”“We have given our youth, our health, our very lives in this sacred duty,” his father continued.

“And I hope to see you devote your life to this same noble cause.”George remained silent as a dozen inappropriate responses, mostly curses, flittered through his

mind. But they all amounted to the same answer.No.Simply, no.He had no interest in monarchs and even less in foreign monarchs. He found no joy in the political

chess game of saying one thing but meaning another. And he still resented the years of his childhoodthat he barely saw either his mother or his father, knowing that they considered their second son lessimportant than their own political goals.

“I noticed that the Crown Prince of Hoburg wasn’t at dinner last night,” his father said abruptly.

George gulped. “His Royal Highness requested his meal be sent to his room.”His father scoffed, but surprised George by giving him a small smile. “The vagaries of royal

princes. You’ll get used to them. Well, I don’t blame you for not dragging the Crown Prince down todinner last night. I’ll make his excuses to Her Royal Highness. But see that it doesn’t happen tonight.I’m entrusting you with something important, George. Our country’s relationship with Hoburgdepends heavily on this visit. You must ensure all goes well.”

He knew he should tell his father the truth, but instead George replied as he always did to hisfather: “Yes, sir.”

The Duke of Doverly gave him a hearty clap on the back and strode off, probably to find anothervictim on whom to inflict a lecture.

George needed to find Drina, and fast. He desperately needed her help if he was to ever locate themissing prince.

He’d seen her leave the Crimson Drawing Room but he hadn’t seen her in the Lantern Lobby, norSt. George’s Hall. Opening the door to the China Corridor, he peered in but she wasn’t there. Then hewent to the Waterloo Chamber—which he immediately left to avoid Emily, who looked at him withraised eyebrows. George didn’t want to know what Edward had told her about last night.

The next room he checked was the Grand Vestibule, but Drina wasn’t there, either. He looked inthe Queen’s Guard Chamber and opened the door to the Queen’s Presence Chamber. Drina wasstanding all alone in the middle of the carpeted room, her back to him.

He walked quickly to her and gently touched her arm. She startled and stepped back.“There you are, Drina,” he said. “Been looking for you everywhere.” He pointed his finger at her.

“You’ve been avoiding me.”“You need to leave,” she said quickly.“We need to talk—”“I have an audience with the Queen,” she said anxiously. “Right here, right now,”“Here,” he said, pointing at the floor. “Right now?”“Yes!”“Blimey,” he said, feeling stupid. He turned around to leave, but paused when he heard the sound

of footsteps approaching from the opposite room.“You’ll never make it to the door in time. Quick, hide!” she hissed.George’s eyes scanned the room. There were a few tables and chairs, but nothing that would

cover him properly. He looked back at Drina … and her enormous skirt.Lifting up her crinoline cage, he dove underneath her skirt, grabbing her knees for support as he

crouched beneath the metal cage. Drina squeaked with indignation, but suddenly froze as the echoingsound of three sets of footsteps approached.

Drina bent her knees in a small curtsy. George felt a metal strip press sharply against his cheek—it hurt like the devil.

“Your Royal Highness,” he heard Drina say.“Alexandrina,” Queen Victoria replied in her stately voice. “We are glad you could join our

family for Christmas.”Speak, George willed his friend. But Drina just stood there shaking.

“Cousin Drina was hoping to ask for your assistance, Mama,” another voice said. George waspretty sure it was Princess Alice. “As you know, she is the only child of the Marquis of Rothfield,and she was hoping that you could give a royal dispensation that would allow her to inherit herfather’s title and estate.”

George pressed his ear against the side of her skirt, but he heard nothing. Silence filled the room,and he felt Drina’s knees shake harder. He wondered if she would still be standing at all if he weren’tholding on to her.

The Queen finally spoke. “Do not let your feelings—even very natural and usual ones—ofmomentary irritation and discomfort be seen by others, Alexandrina. And don’t let every little feelingbe read in your face and seen in your manner.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Drina managed to squeak.“Being married gives one a position like nothing else can,” Queen Victoria said. “If you want a

title, I suggest you marry one.”George didn’t know if Drina was blushing, but he certainly felt hot.“We poor female creatures are born for man’s pleasure and amusement, and destined to go

through endless sufferings and trials,” continued Queen Victoria in a high, sugary-sweet voice.George tried not to focus on Drina’s nicely curved shins or her even lovelier thighs. He closed his

eyes and tried to count in German. He got as far as the number twelve.“My mother certainly endured much suffering from her first husband,” Drina blurted.George winced for her.More uncomfortable silence.Drina’s legs jiggled like a Christmas pudding.He heard Queen Victoria clear her throat. “I am every day more convinced that we women, if we

are to be good women—feminine and amiable and domestic—are not fitted to reign.”“Surely you don’t think you are unfit to be Queen?” Drina asked in a tone of disbelief.George heard Princess Alice cough delicately and add, in a placating tone, “Your subjects love

you, Mama.”“The important thing is not what they think of me,” Queen Victoria stated. She paused before

adding, “but what I think of them.”He heard a tsk. He recognized that tsk. It could only be Drina’s mother, the Princess Rothfield.

She hadn’t said a word thus far, which was quite unlike her. She’d given George a piece of her mindmore times than he could count.

“Very true, Mama,” Princess Alice said quickly, in a higher voice than usual.“Then you don’t believe a woman can do anything a man can do?” Drina asked.George cringed waiting for the Queen’s reply. He didn’t have to wait long.“That’s what I call twaddle!” the Queen barked. “Were women to ‘unsex’ themselves by claiming

equality with men, they would become the most hateful, heathen, and disgusting of beings and wouldsurely perish without male protection.”

“My daughter didn’t mean any offense, Cousin Victoria,” Princess Rothfield said in her clippedGerman accent. “She is overwrought to discover that she won’t inherit her father’s estate because sheis a woman, and you English have a law you call primogeniture … or was it a tail, entail?”

“The Rothfield marquisate and estate is entailed, Mama,” Princess Alice explained. “But thereare no other heirs. So Drina is the natural choice to inherit both the estate and the title.”

More silence.The only sound he could hear was the knocking of Drina’s knees. This interview was a complete

disaster.“I know of no precedent in British history for a female to inherit her father’s title in the peerage,”

Queen Victoria said at last. “And the Queen of England is supposed to uphold the laws, not breakthem.”

“Surely you could make an exception this one time, Mama?” Princess Alice asked. “Drina isfamily, after all.”

“Bring me a cup of tea and The Times,” the Queen ordered, as if she hadn’t heard her daughter.George heard her heavy tread retreating the same way she had come.

Lighter treads followed, but George didn’t dare move a muscle until he heard the sound of thedoor closing firmly. He counted to twelve in German again before he crawled out and looked up atDrina sheepishly. She covered her mouth with both of her gloved hands.

Saints preserve him, she was going to cry.But she didn’t.Drina laughed.She laughed so hard that tears streamed down her cheeks.George pulled his handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know

you were meeting with the Queen. I wouldn’t have hurt your chances for anything.”Drina accepted his handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes. “If I don’t laugh, I’m afraid I’ll sob. I

can’t imagine a more disastrous interview.”He nodded sympathetically and stretched his arms, stiff from crouching beneath her skirts for so

long.“It’s not just that,” she whispered, leaning forward conspiratorially. “The Queen’s always

frightened me. Once she yelled at Alice and me for playing in the mud and ruining our dresses. Vickytold on us and I thought Cousin Victoria was going to lock us in the Tower of London as punishment.”

“Sounds like Princess Vicky,” George said, nodding. “She always was a sanctimonious tattle.”“I’d hoped that Cousin Victoria would be sympathetic to my plight,” Drina said, dabbing at her

eyes with the handkerchief again. “That I’ll be disinherited simply because I am a woman. It seemsunfair that she isn’t disinherited from a kingdom because of her sex, and yet I’m barred from a muchsmaller marquisate for the same reason.”

“I’ve never thought of entails that way before,” he admitted. “We have queens, why can’t we havemarchionesses?”

“And what’s even worse,” she continued, “the Queen doesn’t seem to support women’s rights atall. I can’t believe she said that women would perish without a man’s protection!”

“You wouldn’t perish,” George said. “You would figure out a way to take care of yourself.”“Thank you,” Drina said quietly, handing his handkerchief back. “We’d better go before my

mother returns.”He nodded vigorously. They walked silently to the other end of the room, and he opened the door

that led to the Queen’s Guard Chamber.“I’m sorry if you’re angry about last night,” George ventured.She briefly glanced at him before turning her head away. “I’m not angry about last night.”“Then why are you acting so strangely?”Drina tsked—sounding uncannily like the Princess Rothfield—and instead of answering his

simple question, asked, “Why were you looking for me?”George shifted on his feet. “My father demands that Prince Friedrich be at dinner tonight.”She looked him in the eye and whistled.“I know,” he agreed. “I suppose I should start practicing my German and have Mr. Humphrey

pack for our imminent departure to Austria.”Drina shook her head slightly. “You can’t just leave. You have to find Friedrich. I asked both my

mother and father if they had seen him and they haven’t. I’m worried something ill might have befallenhim.”

“I want to find him,” he said exasperatedly, raking his fingers through his hair. “My very existencedepends upon it and I can’t do it without you. Please help me.”

“Very well,” she replied, “but this time I’m not wearing your trousers.”“And I refuse to wear your crinolines.”

Chapter 8

Drina tried to swallow her anger as she tied on her bonnet. How could Queen Victoria, her secondcousin and godmother, be so hypocritical? The Queen enjoyed all the rights and freedoms of a man,but refused to even consider the same privileges for other women.

She sighed in exasperation—both with the Queen and with herself.She’d stood mutely when she should have spoken, and spoken when it would have been more

prudent to remain silent. The only redeeming part of the interview was Alice petitioning on herbehalf.

Drina pulled on her fur coat and saw George watching her from the door with his usual cheerygrin.

George.Drina had been so upset during the interview, that she’d nearly forgotten that George was

cowering underneath her crinolines. She had been determined to distance herself from him, but thenhe’d been underneath her skirt—one couldn’t get much closer than that. And now she was coming tohis aid. Again. No, she was coming to her cousin Friedrich’s aid. At least that’s what she told herselfas she buttoned up her pelisse.

“Shall we go?” he said brightly. “I’ve called for a carriage. I thought we’d go through the shops intown. You know, pretend that we’re Christmas shopping and ask around and whatnot.”

“It so happens I do have some last-minute purchases to make,” Drina said as she took his arm.“We can kill two birds with one stone.”

The carriage ride into town didn’t take more than a few minutes, but still Drina noticed that Georgewas unusually silent. He fiddled with a toggle on his coat and didn’t quite look her in the eyes. Itwasn’t like him to be shy.

Was he thinking about their near-kiss in the hallway?“I may have drunk a little too much punch last night,” she said, and then lied, “I don’t really

remember what happened after Edward rescued us from the jail.”“Nothing happened,” he said, rather too quickly.Drina intertwined her fingers. “I shouldn’t wish for things to become awkward between us.”George nodded and said quickly, “Same as ever. Best of friends … practically family.”Drina bristled. She was tired of being “practically family.” And for once, she wanted him to feel

as awkward and uncomfortable as she did.She cleared her throat. “You know, I have this hazy notion that I might have wrapped my arms

around your neck.”“There may have been slight contact between us, but really it was nothing,” he assured her with a

small wave of his hand.

“My embrace was nothing?” she asked, raising her eyebrows. Alice could raise only oneeyebrow, but Drina never could quite manage it.

“No, I mean … it was a delightful embrace, positively first rate,” George babbled, blushing.“Thank you. Thank you … very … much?”

Drina tried not to laugh, but she couldn’t help herself. She laughed loudly and even snorted once.“Are you teasing me?” he asked, grinning at her.“A little,” she admitted. “But I’m glad to hear that my embraces are first-rate. I’d be mortified if

they were second-, or even worse, third-rate.”“Have no concerns on that head,” he assured her. “Whoever you fancy will be a very lucky

fellow.”Drina attempted to follow Cousin Victoria’s advice to not show her annoyance on her face.

George had all but said that he didn’t fancy her. It wasn’t that she didn’t already know it. It was thatawful thing called hope that Pandora hadn’t successfully squashed when she let out all the other vicesinto the world. Drina needed to extinguish that blasted hope and move forward.

They were friends, he’d said. Practically family.Just not the sort of family she wanted them to be.The carriage stopped on the main street, and George hopped out the door and assisted her down

the steps. The cobblestone streets were covered in a light dusting of snow. A few shops down, agroup of Christmas carolers were singing.

George began to sing along with them. “Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la.”

“’Tis the season to be balmy, fa-la-la, Drina muttered in response. She didn’t have a lovelysinging voice. No matter how hard she tried, she was always off-key.

“I don’t think balmy rhymes with holly,” he pointed out, very helpfully.“You’re still crazy, whether it rhymes or not,” she said, then pointed to the carolers. “Are you

going to be their fourth tenor or come with me inside this shop?”“Tempting,” George said, tapping the rim of his hat to the beat of the music. “But I’m actually a

baritone, so I’d better stay with you.”He opened the door to the shop for her and Drina entered, passing the window display full of

wind-up toys, board games, and dolls. The shop was crowded with ladies in their large-hooped skirtspurchasing miniature zoos, rocking horses, sleds, and doll houses. Drina wandered to the back of theshop, where Christmas cards were on display. She saw the usual Christmas cards with FatherNicholas and the sort of Christmas trees that Prince Albert had made so popular in England. At thebottom of the display she found two perfectly dreadful cards. She picked them both up to show toGeorge.

“Should I get Friedrich the Christmas card with the dead robin, or the one with the bear eating theman?” Drina asked brightly, holding them both up for his perusal.

He took the Christmas card of the robin lying on its back with its legs curled up. “May yours be ajoyful Christmas,” he read. “I can’t imagine anything less joyous than a dead bird.”

“That’s what makes it funny,” she explained. “Friedrich and I try to send each other the creepiestChristmas card we can find every year. Last year he sent me one of a frog being stabbed and robbed

by another frog.”“Why?” George asked, shaking his head.“I already told you,” Drina said, holding the second Christmas card closer to his face. “Because

it’s humorous.”“A Happy Christmas—A Hearty Welcome,” he read. “It looks more like the man is going to be a

hearty meal for the bear. Charming winter scene, though.”“Precisely,” she agreed with a laugh. “Now which card is more likely to give you nightmares?”George stroked his hairless chin. “It’s really hard to choose only one.”“Should I give him both?”“Yes, do that,” he said. “Have you asked the shopkeeper if he’s seen a foreign gentleman?”“Not yet,” she said. “I find people are more willing to talk once you’ve paid them.”Drina eased her way to the cash register, careful not to brush any of the other ladies’ skirts, a

difficult prospect. She handed the two cards to the shopkeeper along with a few pennies. He wrappedthe cards in brown paper.

“Have you by chance seen any foreign gentlemen today?” she asked. “Or heard mention of aforeigner in town?”

“Did he have dark hair, miss?”“No, my hair color.”“Then no,” he said, handing over her parcel. “Happy Christmas to you, all the same.”“And to you.”“Where to next?” George asked as he opened the door for her.“You pick,” she said. “The candy shop or the bookstore?”“Bookstore,” he said. He hummed the tune of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman” until they reached

the bookshop. A bell rang when he opened the door. The bookstore wasn’t as busy as the toy shop;there were only two other customers there besides them. George wandered to the section of books onengineering.

Drina saw a stack of books by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, the Poet Laureate, on display in the frontwindow of the store. She picked one up from the top of the pile. It would be a perfect present for herfather.

She tucked the book underneath her arm, then walked straight up to the aged clerk and askedwhere the medical section was. He pointed to the back-left corner. Drina took a step before askingover her shoulder, “Any chance you’ve seen a tall, blond German about town?”

The old man shook his white head. Drina thanked him and continued on. She browsed throughseveral heavy volumes about anatomy, medicines, phrenology, and physiology, when a slim volumecaught her eye. She picked it up and read the spine: Notes on Nursing: What It Is and What It Is Not,by Florence Nightingale. She opened the title page and saw that is was published only the yearbefore. It was a fitting gift for Alice, who was fascinated by both Florence Nightingale and her workduring the Crimean War, and by nursing in general. If one of Alice’s eight siblings were at all ailing,she was always the first to bind up their wounds or show them love and compassion.

Drina placed the book on top of Tennyson’s and turned to take them both to the clerk. A tallgentleman with a long black beard and a wart underneath his left eye stepped in front of her and

recited:

“A Lady with a lamp shall standIn the great history of the land,A noble type of good,Heroic womanhood.”

“Excuse me?” Drina said. She wasn’t used to strangers speaking to her, let alone spouting poetryat her.

“‘Scutari Santa Filomena’ by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, a poem about FlorenceNightingale,” he said, tapping the book in her hand. “It is refreshing to see a fashionable young ladytake an interest in modern nursing.”

“Thank you,” she muttered, trying to move past him.He held out a gloved hand but didn’t touch her. “Wait, miss,” he said, not unkindly. “I did see a

fair young man yesterday who bore a marked resemblance to you.”Unconsciously, she touched her nose with her free hand. “Except for the nose.”“Except for the nose,” he agreed. “Your brother?”“Cousin.”She felt someone near her elbow. George had come to glower at the strange gentleman. “Is he

bothering you?” he muttered.“No,” Drina answered, then turned to the bearded stranger. “Can you tell us where you saw my

cousin?”“At the train station,” the man replied. “He was with the Prince of Wales. I believe they were on

the London train.”“Bertie,” George muttered his name like a curse, shaking his head derisively. They didn’t get on

well.“Are you sure?” Drina pressed.“The Prince of Wales garners quite a bit of attention,” the man said. “It was impossible to mistake

him. And as I already said, his companion bore a marked resemblance to you.”“Thank you, sir,” she said. “Happy Christmas.”“You should seek out that poem,” the stranger said enigmatically, then walked to the other side of

the store.“London,” George said, looking stunned. As if the knowledge of the princes’ departure resulted in

him only being able to speak one-word sentences.“So much for our search, then,” Drina said, relaxing her tense shoulders. She felt relieved that

Friedrich was fine, but disappointed that he didn’t care enough to see her. “If the pair of RoyalPrinces have gone to London, there isn’t much we can do.”

“Nothing,” he agreed, hanging his head despondently. “Nichts.”Drina slipped her free hand onto George’s arm. “You can’t be blamed for the behavior of either

prince.”“Tell that to my father,” he said dourly. “This is a diplomatic disaster. The sort of royal scandal

he was hoping to avoid.”“How so?”“Prince Friedrich is supposed to be a suitor to Princess Alice, as you no doubt already know,”

George said. “He’s not supposed to be enjoying the dubious nightlife of the seedier side of Londonwith her brother.”

“Is that what they’re doing in London, do you think?”“There’s not much seedy to be found in Windsor,” he retorted.“I don’t know about that,” Drina said. “We visited several taverns and managed to land in jail last

night.”“I thought the jail was more smelly than seedy.”She wrinkled her nose in reply.They walked to the cash register, where Drina handed the books to the clerk and paid three

crowns for them both. The clerk wrapped them in brown paper and tied them with twine beforereturning the parcel to her. George held the door open for her and they stood on the street for amoment, watching the falling snow.

“The candy shop next?” Drina said. “We have presents as well as princes to find beforeChristmas day.”

“Would you mind going to the shop alone?” George asked as he tightened his red scarf around hisneck. “I think I will head to the train station and see if I can get any more details from thestationmaster.”

“Sound idea,” she said. “Perhaps they purchased a return ticket? You can learn if they mean tocome back anytime soon.”

“Perhaps,” he said, but his tone didn’t sound hopeful.He insisted on walking her to the door of the candy shop and seeing her safely inside before

returning to the carriage. Drina smiled: One couldn’t remain depressed when surrounded bychocolates and candy.

Her eyes were drawn to the brightly wrapped Cosaques, better known as Christmas crackers. Shepicked up crackers for all the royal children; it was a small but suitable gift for the six youngerprinces and princesses. Heaven knows, they had every other toy already. Then Drina asked theattendant for a pound of fudge as a gift for her mother. Her mother would complain that it didn’t tasteas good as fudge in Hoburg, but as far as Drina was concerned, fudge was fudge.

Chapter 9

The carriage pulled up to the recently built redbrick train station. George hopped out of the carriage;the snow was coming down thicker now.

At least it’s better than yesterday’s icy rain, he thought as he pulled his coat tighter around hisneck and entered the building. The ceiling was a maze of steel beams. George passed severalshivering travelers on his way to the stationmaster’s office, which was marked by a gold plaque onthe door. George knocked five times.

A man with red whiskers and a handlebar mustache answered the door, his navy-blue cap askew.“What do you want?” he said irritably. But upon seeing George’s fine clothing, he added morecivilly, “Sir?”

“Stationmaster,” George said, “I was wondering if you were here when the Prince of Wales wasin the station yesterday.”

“Aye, I was,” he said, stuffing his sausage-like fingers into his waistcoat pockets.“Excellent,” George said. “Did you happen to see another gentleman with him? A foreigner with

fair hair and blue eyes?”“What if I did?”George sighed in exasperation. “I am Lord Worthington and I’m with the Foreign Office. The

gentleman in question is the Crown Prince of Hoburg, and it is imperative to international relationsthat I locate the prince. So, may I ask you once again, did you see a blond foreigner?”

“So happens I did,” the stationmaster replied.“What train did he get on, and did he purchase a return ticket?”The stationmaster shook his head. “The foreign gent didn’t get on the train; he got off the train

from London with the Prince of Wales. There was rather a to-do, several folks waving at the prince.It clogged up the platform something fierce.”

“Then what?”“The Prince of Wales and the foreign feller picked up their portmanteaus and took a chair into

town,” the stationmaster said, puffing out his chest. “They left the foreign man’s servant, a great giantof a fellow, with a couple of heavy trunks. One of the porters helped him get them to the royalcarriage. The fellow didn’t speak a lick of English, so the porter told the driver to take him to thecastle. Loads of foreigners visit Windsor Castle.”

“Do you know where the Prince of Wales went to in town?”“I don’t,” the stationmaster said, and pointed his thick thumb at his chest. “I’m a stationmaster.

Not the Prince of Wales’s keeper, nor his foreign friend’s.”George took out a coin and handed it to the sausage-fingered man. “Thank you for your help, sir.”George stepped out of the station into the cold and snowy afternoon. He sighed again and pulled

his hat down to cover his face more. He was about to get back into his carriage, but he went first tothe three hansom cabs for hire that stood waiting for customers at the station—asking the first one if

he took two young gentlemen into town the previous day. The driver shook his head and puffed hispipe. The next driver didn’t remember seeing the Prince of Wales or any other foreigner. Georgewalked up to the third driver. He couldn’t see his face; the man’s coat collar was pulled up so highand his hat worn low over his eyes.

“Would you recognize the Prince of Wales, sir?”“Yes,” the driver said with a grunt.“Did you by chance drive him from the station yesterday?”“Aye, I did,” he said. “What is it to you?”George dug into his pocket and pulled out a couple of crowns. He held them out to the driver. The

driver grabbed the coins out of his hand.“Drove them to the White Hart,” the driver said as he shoved his hands back into his coat pockets.

“They talked of drinking a beer before going to the castle.”“Thanks,” George muttered, then went back to his own carriage and instructed his driver to return

to the candy shop.When he arrived, Drina stood at the clerk’s counter with a stack of brightly colored candies and

several wrapped parcels. She waved at him and beckoned him to her.“You’re much better than a footman,” she said, handing him her purchases. George held out both

hands and she stacked sweets all the way to his chin. “That’s everything,” she said. She turned backto the shop clerk and added, “Thank you for all your help. Happy Christmas!”

The bald clerk beamed at her and rushed to open the front door. Drina gave him another glitteringsmile, and George was just grateful that someone held the door for him while his hands were so full.They walked to the carriage, where the footman came and relieved him of all the small packages.George was then able to assist Drina into the carriage and climb in behind her.

“Are we hot on the trail of the lost prince?” she asked with a saucy smile.“More lukewarm than hot,” he said. “The stationmaster said the princes didn’t get on the London

train, they got off of it. A cab driver corroborates his story and says he took the princes to the WhiteHart.”

Drina giggled and then clarified, “The White Hart?”“I knew that sniveling fool of a proprietor was keeping something to himself,” George admitted

with a reluctant grin. “I’ll return you to Windsor Castle and then I will go and make more inquiries atthe White Hart.”

“Without me?” she protested. “That hardly seems fair.”“I went to the train station without you.”“But they don’t serve punch there,” Drina said. “And I’m quite dying to talk to the ferret-faced

proprietor again, dressed in all of my finery.”George dropped his head into his hands.She knocked on the glass window. The carriage halted in the middle of the street. She opened the

door and said, “Please take us to the White Hart.”“Very good, my lady.”He shook his head. “You can come with me, but I won’t let you near any punch ever again.”“Unkind, George,” she said with a smirk. “Besides, you’ve already assured me that I give first-

rate embraces when I drink punch. I would think you’d order me a second bowl.”“The only drink you’ll be sipping is hot cider,” he said sternly, then groaned as the carriage

stopped in front of the hostelry. The less pleasant memories of the previous night were fresh on hismind.

The proprietor opened the door to the White Hart and bowed them in. If the man recognized themas the bedraggled pair from the night before, he made no sign of it.

“A private parlor, sir and madam?” he asked in an oily voice.“My lord and lady,” Drina corrected him and winked at George. “And yes, we should like a

private parlor. Perhaps the one with the yellow flowers and some hot punch.”They followed the proprietor to the same yellow private parlor from the night before. There was

no sign of last night’s trouble. She allowed the proprietor to take her fur coat and to push her chair in.The proprietor offered to take George’s coat but he held out a hand.

“Not again,” George said, but did pass the man his top hat.The weaselly proprietor hung the hat on the metal coatrack and bowed his way out of the room.“You’re not having any punch.”“Don’t be such a spoilsport, George,” Drina said with a distinct look of mischief. “’Tis the

season to be jolly, after all.”He shook his head. “We have enough problems without you getting drunk again.”“Don’t worry,” she said. “I have no intention of doing more than sipping some of the hot punch to

keep the cold out.”The proprietor knocked, and a servant brought in a steaming bowl of punch on a tray with three

lemons and set it on the table. He also placed beside it two glasses and a ladle.“Will my lord and lady be requiring anything else?” he asked.Drina said “Yes” as George said “No.”“Did you serve the Prince of Wales yesterday, sir?” she asked.The proprietor bowed in assent.“Excellent,” she said. “Was there a blond gentleman with him? One who resembles me?”“There was a young man with the prince. He didn’t remove his hat, my lady, but his features seem

similar to yours except for the nose.”Drina clapped her hands together. “We’re finally getting somewhere, George,” she said. “When

were they here? And when did they leave?”The proprietor scratched his oily head. “They got here just as it was getting dark. Around four

o’clock, I’d say, and they left about an hour later.”Both princes would have been long gone by the time George and Drina had arrived around

midnight.“And do you know where they went afterward?” George asked.The proprietor shook his head. “I don’t, my lord.”“Did anyone speak to either gentlemen?” Drina pressed.The man scratched his head again and was silent for a few moments. “I believe Mrs. Strachey

bumped into one of the gentlemen and apologized after. I don’t recall anyone else talking to either ofthem. The fair-haired gentleman didn’t talk to anyone but the Prince of Wales.”

“And where might we find Mrs. Strachey?” George inquired, relieved not to find another deadend at the White Hart. “Does she live around here? Is she a regular customer?”

“She’s in the taproom now, my lord,” the proprietor replied. “Should I go and fetch her?”“Yes, do,” Drina said, before George could.The man gave them a low bow before leaving and the servant closed the door behind them.

George squeezed the lemons into the punch and ladled Drina a glass not even a third full. She raisedher eyebrows as she took it from him, then brought the glass to her red lips and took a sip.

“It’s as lovely as I remembered,” she said, setting the glass down. “Well, we’ve finally madesome progress, George. Prince Friedrich left the station and came here to drink English beer, whichfits in perfectly with what Herr Bauer told us. Do you recall seeing Bertie at the state dinner lastnight?”

George shook his head. He wasn’t overly fond of the Prince of Wales and would certainly nothave gone out of his way to speak to him or even to look for him. Bertie, as his family called him, hadalways annoyed George because he could charm his way out of anything. When they were little,Bertie had let him take all the blame when a ball they were playing with broke a window at BalmoralCastle. And a rare beating George had received for it, too.

“I didn’t, either,” Drina said, shaking her head. “But I wasn’t looking for him, so he might havebeen there. There were over fifty people at dinner, after all.”

George downed his entire glass of punch in one gulp and set it down hard on the table.She raised her eyebrows again. “Perhaps I’m not the one we should worry about getting drunk.”Before he could retort, the proprietor knocked again and entered the room followed by a woman.

Mrs. Strachey looked to be less than thirty, but not much less. Her black locks were fake and her facewas highly painted. Her red dress was low-cut, showing nearly all of her ample bosom. She smiledvulgarly at George and winked. George dropped his gaze to the table.

“Mr. Ostler said you toffs wanted to see me,” she said in a thick local accent.“Thank you for coming, Mrs. Strachey,” Drina said with a civil smile. “Mr. Ostler said that you

spoke to the Prince of Wales last night. Do you have any notion where he might have gone after he leftthe White Hart?”

Mrs. Strachey leaned forward, and George thought that her breasts were going to fall out of herdress. He lifted his hand to cover the view. He didn’t want Drina to think he wanted to see them.

“Why, the Prince of Wales did mention that he was going to the frogs or something like that,” shesaid, touching her mouth. “But then he kissed me right here on the old sauce box and I forgot the rest.”

“The frogs?” Drina clarified.“Definitely mentioned something about frogs,” Mrs. Strachey said with a high-pitched giggle.“One last thing if you please, Mrs. Strachey,” Drina said.“Anything, my lady.”“Thank you. There was a blond gentleman with Bertie in the taproom,” Drina said. “Did that

gentleman leave with the Prince of Wales or not?”“With, definitely with him,” Mrs. Strachey said, winking again. “That one was a terrible flirt!”George was about to give the woman a coin for her trouble, but Drina beat him to it. She placed

two shillings in the woman’s hand and thanked her kindly for assisting them. The proprietor opened

the door for Mrs. Strachey and they both left. George poured himself another glass of punch.“She was a waste of time,” Drina said, taking a sip. “Unless you know of any tavern, inn, or town

around here with Frog in the title.”He sighed and shook his head. “Can’t say that I do.”She drained the last drop from her glass and set it down on the table. “I can always ask Alice if

she’s seen or heard from Bertie when we get back to the castle.”“That’s as good a plan as any,” George said. He left a few coins on the table as he stood up, then

took his hat off of the coatrack and placed it on his head. He pulled out Drina’s chair and helped herput on her coat. One beautiful arm and then the other. The same arms that had been around his necklast night. He was trying so hard to forget the embrace, but couldn’t stop remembering it every time helooked at Drina.

She stepped closer to him, her large skirt brushing his pant legs. “Are you all right?”“Right as rain,” George said, taking a deep breath and offering his arm.

Chapter 10

Drina sent most of the packages back to her room, but she made George hold the six Christmascrackers as they wandered through the different royal apartments trying to find Alice. She opened thedoor to the nursery and was delighted to see not only Alice, but all of her younger siblings. Beatrice,the youngest, was blond, roly-poly, and barely three years old. She ran to Drina, who picked her upand twirled her around.

“Baby!” Drina said, balancing the girl on her hip. “Have you missed me?”Beatrice put a chubby little hand on each of Drina’s cheeks and kissed her nose. The wet little

kiss tickled and Drina laughed.“I’ve brought you a present,” she said. She took a red-wrapped Christmas cracker from George

and handed it to the little girl. Beatrice grasped it eagerly and wiggled to get down. Once Drina sether down, she ran over to her sister Helena and demanded she open it at once. Helena nodded; a softglow lightened her countenance. It was no wonder that her family nicknamed her “Lenchen,” meaning“shining.”

Standing next to Helena was Carl Ruland, who was a part of the Royal Household and tutoredBertie in German. Drina walked toward the pair. Helena, at fourteen years old, still retained achildlike roundness and an unfortunate second chin, but she already had a massive Hanoverian bosomlike her mother and both of her older sisters.

“Mr. Ruland,” Drina said, offering her hand.He took it lightly in his own and bowed over it, formally. “Lady Alexandrina.”He was handsome, if one liked black pointy beards and mustaches with a few gray hairs. Drina

personally preferred to see a gentleman’s face.“I was wondering if you had seen the Prince of Wales today or yesterday?” she asked. “Lord

Worthington here is looking for him.”Drina nudged George with her elbow, and he nearly dropped the rest of the Christmas crackers.

He managed to bobble them between his hands before he caught them all. “Yes, I am looking for thePrince of Wales.”

“I’m afraid that Bertie hasn’t arrived yet,” Helena said shyly. She blushed and cast her eyes to thefloor.

Fourteen is such an unfortunate age, Drina thought. You’re old enough to not want to be withthe children anymore, but young enough to not be allowed with the adults yet.

“But we expect him any day,” Mr. Ruland said.“Excellent,” Drina said. She took a green-wrapped Christmas cracker and handed it to Helena.

“For you, Helena. Happy Christmas.”Helena smiled. “Thank you, Drina. I love Christmas crackers.”Drina took George by the arm and guided him around the room to where Arthur and Leopold were

playing trains together on the floor. She gave them each a blue-wrapped Christmas cracker. Then they

went to the desk where Louise was sitting, sketching Windsor Castle. Louise, even at the age oftwelve, showed a distinct artistic talent. Her sketch was nearly perfect in proportion and depthperspective. Her brown ringlets framed her oval face and she gave Drina a welcome smile. Drinathought that Louise would probably end up being the prettiest of the royal princesses. She took a pink-wrapped Christmas cracker from George and handed it to her.

“Happy Christmas, Louise.”Louise stood up and gave her a one-armed embrace. “Thank you, Drina. I plan to give you my

drawing when I’m done with it.”“I’ll treasure it,” Drina assured the twelve-year-old princess.She took the last Christmas cracker from George and walked over to the windows that faced the

city, where Alfred was standing looking out at the falling snow. Although Alfred was only a yearyounger than Alice, he wasn’t yet included in the state dinners. At sixteen, he wore his navy uniformproudly. He was a midshipman, and judging from the disdainful look on his face, he didn’t think hebelonged with the nursery children. She gave him a smile and handed him the last cracker.

“I’m too old for such silliness,” he said. “But thank you all the same, Drina.”“Of course you are,” she agreed. “But happy Christmas to you all the same.”George was standing near Alice at the door. Drina walked over to meet them. Whatever they were

saying, when she arrived they stopped abruptly, looking guilty.“You didn’t get a Christmas cracker for me?” Alice said, sticking out her lower lip and looking

very much like Beatrice.“I got you something much better,” Drina assured her. “But you won’t get it until Christmas Eve

when we open presents.”“She bought you a book,” George added.Drina bumped his arm with her elbow. “George! You’re not supposed to tell her.”A loud crack filled the air and Drina smelled smoke. Before she could turn around to see what

had happened, George careened into her and they crashed to the floor in a tangle of arms, legs, andcrinolines. The fall knocked the air out of Drina, and it took her a moment to catch her breath—particularly because George was on top of her.

“What are you doing?” Drina demanded as soon as she had enough breath.“I heard a gunshot,” he said. “Someone might be trying to assassinate—”She pressed her finger to George’s lips to stop him from saying something that might scare the

younger children. He was much too tactless to ever become a diplomat.Drina turned her head to see Alfred holding the remnants of a smoking Christmas cracker in his

hands.“That was brilliant!” he practically yelled, looking in that moment much more like a boy than a

man.“George, it was an overactive Christmas cracker,” Drina said, but didn’t move her finger from his

lips. They were warm and soft and she wanted to trace them with her fingertip. But before she couldsuccumb to such impropriety, Beatrice hopped on George’s legs, followed by Arthur and Leopold.

“Huzzah!” Leopold exclaimed as he rolled off his brother’s back and onto the floor.“All of you kindly remove yourselves from my person, before you squash me like a bug,” Drina

wheezed from the bottom of the pile.George scrambled off of her but managed to keep both boys on his back and began crawling

around the room to their great delight. After going all the way around the room, he shook them off.Beatrice ran up to him and grabbed his pant leg, shouting, “Me! Me! Me next!” He took her by the

arms and swung her onto his back.Drina slowly sat up. She missed George’s touch and his warmth the moment his body was no

longer touching hers. With Beatrice still on his back, he held out his hands to pull Drina to her feet.As they stood looking into each other’s eyes, Drina found herself breathless again. His beautifulbrown eyes were perfectly framed with his dark lashes: It was like looking into his soul.

Then Beatrice yelled, “Come on, horsey!”Whatever spell they’d been under was broken. They released hands and stepped back from each

other, and George galloped around the room to Beatrice’s loud squeals of delight. He set her downnear Alice and Drina.

Alice gave her famous one-eyebrow raise. “George, I find it very interesting that when youthought you heard a gunshot, the only person you tried to save wasn’t a member of the royal family.”

Both Drina and George went red in the face.“Forgive me, Princess Alice. I didn’t have time to consider,” he said. Then he abruptly pointed to

the clock on the mantel. “Oh, look at the time! I have several things that I need to do before tonight. SoI will bid you both adieu.”

He bowed to Alice and left the room without even looking at Drina.Drina exhaled loudly and waited until she could no longer hear his footsteps before rounding on

Alice. She took her friend by the arm and whispered in her ear, “How could you?”“How could I what?” Alice replied, feigning innocence.“Embarrass me like that!”“The only person who should have been embarrassed is George,” Alice whispered back. “For a

clever young man, he is the only person in the room that doesn’t know he is in love with you.”Drina shook her head. “He’s not in love with me. He only cares for me as a friend. That’s all.”“He covered you with his own body from a bullet,” Alice said flatly. “Which means he would

have died for you. You don’t do that for a mere friend.”Drina felt her color rising again. “How are things progressing with Prince Louis?” she asked in a

lame attempt at turning the conversation.“About the same … I like him,” Alice said, shrugging. “But that doesn’t mean I’m ready to spend

the rest of my life with him. I still don’t know his opinions on the issues that matter to me most.”“And you haven’t met my cousin Friedrich, yet,” she said. “Perhaps it will be love at first sight.”“Oh, have you found him, then?”Drina shook her head. “The last person who saw him was Bertie.”“So that’s why you’re trying to locate my brother.”“Yes.”Alice gave her a small smile. “I thought you were never going to speak to Bertie again after he

kissed you at Osborne House.”“I suppose I’ll have to forgive him eventually, but that doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven him yet.”

“But you will,” Alice pointed out.“I always do,” Drina said. “But only for you.”“Bertie doesn’t mean to make a nuisance of himself,” she said. “He sometimes gets carried away,

that’s all.”Drina remembered Mrs. Strachey and thought that Bertie got carried away much more often than

his dear family knew.“I hope you don’t think I’m trading on our friendship,” Drina said. “But have you reminded your

mother about my request to end the entail?”“Not yet,” Alice admitted. “But don’t worry. I will. I’m only waiting for the right moment to

broach it with her again. Mama can be obstinate once decided on a position. I don’t want to set heragainst you.”

Drina hugged Alice. “You’re the best of friends, Alice. I can’t thank you enough.”The princess waved her words aside. “If only we knew of a similar case in history where a

daughter had inherited a title from her father; a royal precedent on how it was done then. I really thinkMama would be willing to do it, if she wasn’t the first.”

“Then I will haunt the royal library and see what I can find. If it’s been done before, it will be in abook in there,” she said. She turned toward the door, when a little hand pulled hers. Beatrice’s facewas covered in chocolate.

“’Fank you, Drina,” she said.Drina ruffled her blond curls. “You’re most welcome, Your Royal Lowness.”Beatrice giggled and ran back to hold on to Helena’s skirt.Drina walked quickly down the corridor to her room. She opened the door and saw her mother

standing by the fireplace. She forced herself to smile.“Hello, Mama.”“Where have you been all day, Liebling?”“Shopping in town,” Drina said. “A couple of last-minute gifts for Christmas. I got you some

fudge.”She stepped over to her table and found the package with the English fudge and handed it to her

mother, who opened it and pinched off a small piece.“Fudge from Hoburg is superior.”“I know,” Drina said, “and much harder to come by.”Her mother set the package of fudge down. “This is no time for sweets, Drina. We must get you

dressed for this evening.”Drina pulled the cord for her lady’s maid, who arrived a few minutes later. Her mother didn’t

actually help her dress, but gave running dialogue as Drina took off her day dress and Miss Russoncarried out her evening gown. It had a royal blue robe with a double skirt, a pattern of blue forget-me-not flowers and leaves on a white background. The berthé, or collar worn off the shoulders, was thesame royal blue and edged with blond lace.

“Turn around,” her mother said.Drina slowly turned in her beautiful new gown. Her mother held out her three-string-pearls, then

strung them around Drina’s throat and clasped the lock. Drina went to the mirror on the bureau and put

in her diamond drop earrings.“Has Princess Alice asked Cousin Victoria again about the entail?” her mother asked.“Not yet,” Drina said. “She’s waiting for the right moment.”“Don’t allow her to wait too long, Liebling,” she warned. “If your father were to die with the

entail in place, we would be practically penniless.”“I know, Mama,” she said, looking down at the floor.Her mother put her finger underneath Drina’s chin. “Smile, Liebling. You are quite pretty and

there will be eligible young men at dinner.”Drina dutifully obeyed and walked with her mother to the Grand Reception Room to wait for the

procession into dinner. Her father was already there. He gave Drina a real smile and a half hug withhis arm.

“How are my beautiful ladies tonight?” he asked.“We are happy and charming, are we not, Liebling?”Drina put on her politest smile. “Happy and charming.”

Chapter 11

The Grand Reception Room truly is grand, George thought.Three large golden chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Enormous paintings with golden frames

flanked both walls and were surrounded by more gold trim and filigree. Several golden chairs linedthe walls, and George wished he could hide underneath one of them when he saw his father coming.Hiding under furniture had worked rather well for him as a boy, until he turned ten years old and wastoo big to hide underneath anything without being seen.

The Duke of Doverly continued toward him at a steady pace, his eyes never leaving George’sface. His father carried a cane, but it was more a courtly decoration from another era than a usefulprop. George pulled at his cuff links compulsively. This was going to be an unpleasant interview. Italways was unpleasant with his father.

“Where is the Crown Prince of Hoburg?” his father demanded. He was never one to waste time inuseless small talk.

“Indisposed,” George lied. “I’m afraid he caught a nasty cold on the train ride here and is nowlying in his bed eating gruel, and the housekeeper has kindly provided a hot compress. I hope he willbe well enough in a day or two to attend the state dinners.”

His father placed one hand on his shoulder, forcing George to look at him in the eye. Even at sixty,his old man was still several inches taller than him. George tried not to blink or look too guilty. Hisfather squeezed his shoulder so tightly that it hurt.

“Are all the Prince’s needs being met, boy?” he rasped. “Have you called for a doctor? What adiplomatic mess it would be if he were to die of a trifling ailment while on our soil.”

George contemplated lying and saying that he already called for a doctor, but he quickly decidedagainst it. His father would want to speak to the doctor personally. George might as well say aufWiedersehen to his dream of being an engineer there and then.

“Prince Friedrich doesn’t wish for a doctor,” he said slowly. “The prince says he needs only restand time to be quite himself again. The housekeeper has diligently been providing mustard plastersand broth. He should be on his feet in no time.”

The duke finally released his death grip on George’s shoulder. “See that you keep a close eye onthe prince. You wouldn’t want your allowance halved before your travel to Austria. Everything ismore expensive on the continent.”

“Father!” George said exasperatedly. “I’m not going to Austria. You can’t force me to.”“And you’re not going to be a common laborer, either. At least not while I’m paying your bills,”

his father rasped. He must have noticed George’s surprised look for he added, “Don’t think I don’tknow what you’re about, boy. I know more than you think. And I know you haven’t given up on yourfoolish notion of becoming an engineer.”

George was sincerely glad that his father for once didn’t know what he was about: The Duke ofDoverly would be furious to know that his son had never laid eyes on Prince Friedrich. But there was

nothing else George could do today. He’d searched the entire city of Windsor and only succeeded inlearning that the prince had visited the inn on the previous night, but no trace further.

He wandered out of the Grand Reception Room and found Drina and several younger members ofthe party standing in a circle playing a parlor game.

“Come join us, George,” Emily called. She held out a hand to him and he took it. “We’re playingReverend Crawley’s Game. We all stand in a circle and link hands, but not with the people directlyon either side of you. Drina, take one of George’s hands and Edward, you take the other.”

Drina was standing on Emily’s left and she dutifully held out her gloved hand. George took herhand in his and marveled for a moment how small and feminine it was. He stroked it gently with histhumb.

“Are you going to examine my hand as well?” Edward said with a hearty laugh, as he pushedGeorge in the chest with his own hand.

“Switch places with Lady Clara,” George said, slapping away the hand. “I have no intention ofever holding your hand.”

Edward guffawed and traded with her. George was now holding both Drina’s and Lady Clara’shands, while standing between his brother, Edward, and his wife, Emily.

“We are in a human knot,” Emily said, “and our purpose is to untie the knot without letting go ofeach other’s hands. You can crawl over or under each other’s arms, but as I said before, there is noletting go of each other’s hands.”

Princess Alice and Prince Louis lifted up their joined hands and Lady Hyacinth ducked underneaththem. George crawled under Emily’s arm and found his faced pressed up against Drina’s waist. Hecould hear her quick intake of breath. But since his other arm was behind Edward’s back, he reallyhad nowhere else to move to.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, trying not to notice that she smelled like freshly cut ivy and ignoring theurge to lean his head closer toward her.

Lord Weatherby hopped over Lady Hyacinth’s and Princess Alice’s arms, which forced PrinceLouis to kneel. Princess Alice nearly sat on his knee as she went underneath his arm and behind him.Emily tried to turn around, which caused Drina to spin away from George and over Weatherby’s arm.Weatherby looked her up and down like she was a plump Christmas turkey. George wanted to punchhim in the—what had Mrs. Strachey called it?—sauce box.

“I think we’re getting more tangled, not less,” Emily complained, her arms crossed in front of her.“No, I think we almost have it,” Princess Alice said, inclining her head toward Weatherby. “We

just need Lord Weatherby to go underneath Drina’s arm and then that should free you, Lady Dinsmore,to turn back the right direction and untangle yourself with your husband.”

Everyone did as she suggested, and then only three people were out of place. Drina duckedunderneath George’s arm as if they were dancing. She spun out and magically every person wasstanding in a circle looking at each other.

“I can’t believe we did it,” Lady Clara said, laughing.“Yes, well done, everyone,” Princess Alice said, clapping.“Let’s make the next game a sitting down one,” Edward said, plopping down loudly in a wingback

chair. Everyone found a seat nearby on the chairs and sofas in the room. Weatherby moved a chair

closer to the circle for himself and one for Lady Hyacinth.“Let’s play ‘How? Why? Where? When?’” Lady Clara said as she sat on the same sofa as

George. She touched his arm and smiled at him expectantly. George glanced over her head at Drina,who rolled her eyes at him. Or them. He wasn’t sure which.

“I have one,” Drina said.“How do you like it?” Emily asked.“In my hair.”“A ribbon!” Lady Clara called out excitedly.Drina shook her head.“Why do you like it?” Edward asked.“They’re so amusing and sometimes they can be very handsome,” Drina said, simpering. “And

other times unamusing and terribly plain.”“When do you like it?” Princess Alice asked.Drina tapped her finger against her chin. “I like them at balls and parties.”“Where do you like it?”“On the back of a dress, or the edge of my sleeves,” Drina said, touching the trim of her gown.“The word must have multiple meanings,” Edward said as he stroked his black goatee. “You have

me stumped.”George looked at the edge of Drina’s sleeves and noticed the blue-ribbon bows that trimmed the

dress. She turned her head and he saw that she had a matching one in her hair.“Bows!” he said.“Or beaux,” Princess Alice said.“Yes,” Drina replied with a grin. “Bows and beaux.”“They’re both delightful,” Lady Clara said, giggling.“You can never have too many of either.” Emily pointed to George. “You guessed it right first, so

it’s your turn next.”George folded his arms and leaned back on the sofa, away from Lady Clara. “I’m ready.”“How do you like it?” Edward asked.“I don’t.”“Too vague,” his brother complained.George shrugged his shoulders. “I suppose I’m amused by it in others, but never in myself.”“Why do you like it?” Lady Clara asked with yet another giggle.“It’s beautiful and ornamental,” George said, shifting in his seat farther away from Lady Clara.“When do you like it?” Princess Alice asked.“At the expense of others.”“Where do you like it?” Emily asked.“In a large garden or a park.”“A kiss,” Lady Clara tittered.George shook his head slowly.“Folly,” Drina blurted out.“Correct!” George said.

“But since Drina has already had a turn, you must pay a forfeit,” Emily said, pointing at him. “Youhave to say half a dozen flattering things to a lady of your choice in the room without the letter—”

“A,” Princess Alice said as she looked at Drina.“Yes, A is a very good letter,” Emily agreed with a smile.George glanced round the room. Lady Clara smiled at him eagerly. Princess Alice lowered her

eyes; she clearly didn’t wish to be picked. He didn’t want to choose his sister-in-law, either, whichleft only Drina or Lady Hyacinth.

He walked to stand in front of Drina. “Lady Alexandrina, you are … punctilious.”“Punctilious!” Edward repeated, and slapped his thighs. “Hardly a compliment to a lady. No

wonder you’re single, George.” Edward guffawed loudly at his own wit and several other membersof the party snickered into their gloved hands.

“You are meticulous,” George continued.“Not much better,” Emily said, shaking her head.“You are pretty. You are kind. And your figure is perfection.”Weatherby whistled. Edward clapped. Everyone else in the party laughed merrily.Drina touched each of her gloved fingers on one hand and held out her thumb on the other. “That’s

one, two, three, four, five compliments. I believe you owe me one more.”“You are so, so—” George faltered as he looked into her light blue eyes. She was watching him

expectantly, and he didn’t wish to disappoint her.“So?” Drina prompted.“Pulchritudinous.”“What did you just call me?” Drina asked with her eyebrows raised. “It sounds infectious.”“Pulchritudinous,” George repeated. “A person of breathtaking beauty.”Drina blushed, looking pleased.George sat back down by Lady Clara. He must have let his mind wander too long, for he blinked

several times when he saw Edward on the floor in the center of the room. He must have lost in thegame. George was glad he hadn’t had to pay this particular forfeit—Edward had to pretend to be apig and answer questions. His brother oinked loudly. It was all too fitting for Edward’s swine-likepersonality.

“Clever pig,” Weatherby called. “Who’s the greatest flirt in the room?”Edward turned around on all fours before crawling toward George and oinking loudly. George

felt very hot all of a sudden. Lady Clara hit him on the arm with her fan and giggled. “Oh, LordWorthington you’re such a flirt!”

“Clever pig,” Drina said, diverting attention from George. “Who is the cleverest person in theroom?”

Edward crawled in a circle and stopped briefly in front of Princess Alice, before crawling infront of his wife and oinking several times.

“You are a clever pig indeed,” Emily said with a laugh. She patted his dark hair affectionately.George’s attention was caught by Princess Alice as she leaned closer to Prince Louis, a

movement that boded well for their prospective match. He heard her say in a low voice, “Parlorgames remind me of evenings spent with my grandmother at Frogmore Lodge. Bertie always loses and

has to play the clever pig.”It hit him. Mrs. Strachey at the tavern had said the princes had gone to the frogs. Or rather, they

must have gone to Frogmore Lodge—a royal estate not more than a few miles from Windsor. He hadgone there once with his father to visit Queen Victoria’s mother, the Duchess of Kent, who residedthere.

He would go there tomorrow and take Drina with him. She knew just what to say and when to sayit. In fact, there was no one’s company he preferred more than hers.

Chapter 12

“I need an excuse to visit Frogmore Lodge,” George said to Drina during luncheon the next day as hedished himself potatoes on a plate.

“And you expect me to find you one,” Drina said, more as a statement than as a question. He wasasking for her help again and she could never seem to deny him even the smallest of requests.

George grinned at her and nodded, taking a large bite from his roll.“Why?”“Mrs. Strachey at the tavern said the royal princes had gone to the frogs,” he said. “She must have

meant Frogmore Lodge. They could have hardly gone to France, and there are no other frog citiesabout—I checked a local map yesterday.”

She returned his grin. “Very clever, George. I suppose I could persuade Alice to visit hergrandmother,” Drina said. “You could accompany us.”

“I knew I could count on you,” he said.“When and where should we meet you?”“I’ll have a carriage ready near King George IV’s Gate at three o’clock,” he said.After finishing her lunch, Drina wandered through the different rooms and galleries to find her

friend. Alice was playing the pianoforte in a small room. Drina smiled as she heard her friend playthe traditional English carol “The Holly and the Ivy.” She let Alice complete the tune beforeannouncing her presence in the room.

“There you are,” Drina said as she clapped her hands in applause.“I didn’t know I had an audience, nor that I was missing,” Alice said, turning around on the piano

bench to look directly at her.“Do you have plans for this afternoon, aside from practicing the pianoforte?”“To be truly competent at the pianoforte, you must practice at least an hour daily,” Alice recited.“Are you quoting your father or Baron Stockmar?”“Since neither of them is here to rap my knuckles if I play the wrong note, I suppose it doesn’t

matter,” Alice said, wiggling her fingers. “What would you or your George like me to do thisafternoon?”

The princess was practically prescient. “Visit your grandmother at Frogmore Lodge.”Alice stood up. “I should always be happy to visit Grandmother. She isn’t in good health of late.”“Perfect.”Alice raised an eyebrow.“I mean, it’s not perfect that she isn’t well,” Drina explained quickly. “It’s perfect that you’ll

come.”Alice laughed. “You and your George are far too easy to tease.”Drina stuck her tongue out at Alice. “He’s not my George. Come collect your things, we’re

leaving at three o’clock from King George IV’s Gate.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Alice said, curtsying to Drina as if she were the Queen.“I’m not that bossy.”“You’re dreadfully domineering, my dear,” Alice said. “It runs in our blood and I wouldn’t have

you any other way.”Drina laughed and returned to her own rooms to collect a bonnet and a pelisse. It was always cold

in the carriage, even on a short ride. She was the last to arrive at King George IV’s Gate; Alice wasalready there talking to George. Drina sincerely hoped her friend wasn’t embarrassing her.

“I hear you’re destined for the Foreign Office, George,” Alice said. “Or should I call you LordWorthington now that we’re all grown up?”

“No, on both counts,” he said. “Ah, there’s Drina.”George opened the door to the outside, where a carriage was waiting for them. He helped Alice in

first and then Drina. He climbed in after and placed rugs on both of their laps to keep them warm, thensat on the seat across from them. He tapped the window of the carriage to signal to the driver that theywere ready to leave. The carriage lurched forward and Drina nearly fell forward.

An awkward silence overcame their party. Drina tried to think of something to say to either Aliceor George, but nothing innocuous came to mind.

“So, I hear from Drina that you have lost one of my suitors,” Alice said with a twinkle in her eyes.She was clearly teasing both of them.

“No, no, no,” George said quickly. “I’ve simply misplaced a prince.”“Like a glove,” Drina suggested.“Just like,” George said, and everyone laughed, clearing the awkward atmosphere. Drina breathed

a little easier.“Well, I hope you find both him and my brother at Frogmore Lodge,” Alice said. “Either way, my

grandmother will be delighted to have us visit. I believe she is lonely and her health isn’t what it usedto be. I’m sorry she isn’t with us at Windsor.”

“I’m sorry to hear she’s feeling poorly,” George said.Drina squeezed her friend’s hand.“I ever look back on my childhood and girlhood as the happiest time in my life,” Alice remarked.

“But my mother’s childhood wasn’t a happy one, and the damage it did to her relationship with mygrandmother has never been undone.”

Drina noticed George looking at them both curiously. “When the Queen was a child, she wasn’tallowed to even walk down the stairs unless she held a hand of an adult,” she explained. “She wasraised in virtual seclusion, but she was never allowed to be alone.”

“Aunt Feodora, my mother’s half-sister, calls her time at Kensington House her ‘years ofimprisonment,’” Alice continued. “My grandmother put too much trust in the villain Sir John Conroy.It was he who contrived such strict rules to control my mother.”

“I see,” George said.Drina didn’t think he truly did. The rift this caused between Queen Victoria and her mother had

mostly healed, but there was still a distance between them, which is why the Duchess of Kent residedat Frogmore Lodge and not at Windsor Castle with the rest of the royal family.

“There it is!” Alice said, pointing out the window.

Frogmore Lodge did not at all look like a lodge, but rather a midsize country house. It wasstunningly white even against the snow. It reminded Drina a little of her family’s own estate,Rothfield House, but Rothfield was much larger. Frogmore Lodge was three stories high and hadseveral rows of rectangular windows. The outer facade was nearly flat, except for a second-storybalcony that encircled the entire house.

The carriage pulled in front, and a footman appeared to open the carriage door. George descendedfirst and then helped Drina and Alice out. They were ushered into the entryway, where their coats andhats were taken. A man, presumably the butler, bowed deeply to Alice. “This way, Your RoyalHighness.”

They followed him to a sitting room where there were two large fireplaces, both with blazingfires. Drina wanted to walk up and warm her hands in front of the closest one, but she didn’t. Insteadshe followed Alice to the other side of the room where an old woman sat in an enormous chair. TheDuchess of Kent was clearly wearing a wig, for she had enormous dark curls surrounding her cheeks.Her face was plump and wrinkled, but she smiled kindly at them.

“Grandmother,” Alice said in a sweeter voice than usual. “Please allow me to introduce myfriends, Lady Alexandrina Gailey and Lord Worthington.”

“I’ve seen you before,” the Duchess of Kent said, pointing her walking stick at George. “You’rethe Duke of Doverly’s son.”

“Yes, Your Royal Highness,” he said, and gave her an elaborate bow.The Duchess of Kent moved her walking stick to point at Drina. “You’re Cousin Wilhelmina’s

daughter, then?”Drina curtsied. “Yes, ma’am.”“You’ve inherited her good looks, except for—”“The nose,” Drina finished for her.“You may sit down,” the Duchess of Kent said.George and Drina sat on a sofa and Alice took the chair nearest to her grandmother. The older

woman shivered.“Should I get you another shawl, Grandmother?” Alice asked, but was already standing up and

fetching a black mantilla shawl. She placed it lovingly around her grandmother’s neck. The Duchessof Kent took one of Alice’s hands and squeezed it.

“You are the dearest girl, Liebling,” she said. “I look forward to all your visits. Will you play forme?”

Alice smiled and walked over to the pianoforte. She took off her gloves and played severalChristmas songs, including Drina’s favorite, “Stille Nacht” or “Silent Night.” Drina and Georgeclapped loudly and Alice bowed to them. She gave her grandmother a kiss on the cheek and then satback down.

“Wilhelmina’s girl,” the Duchess of Kent said.“Yes?”“Do you play and sing?”“I can play,” Drina said. She had the voice of a crow.“Then play.”

Drina went to the pianoforte and played two moderately difficult songs. She wasn’t asaccomplished a player as Alice and she could see that the Duchess of Kent knew it and was pleasedby the comparison. Drina stood up after and accepted the praise of her friends before sitting backdown next to George.

“And what do you do?” the duchess asked George, pointing at him with her walking stick again.George blinked. “Nothing.”“Nothing?”“I can play chess if you’d like?” he said, looking to Drina and Alice for assistance.“You can read to me,” the Duchess of Kent declared.George blinked again, but stood up and said gallantly, “Happy to. What would you like me to

read, ma’am?”She used her ever-useful walking stick to poke a book on the table nearest her. George picked it

up and began to read in a monotone voice. He continued to read for nearly half an hour before theolder woman fell asleep and started to snore—loudly.

George closed the book and quietly walked to the door. He waved for them to follow. Drina andAlice tiptoed to the door and closed it behind them.

“Are the princes here?” George asked.Alice shrugged. “Let’s go ask the butler.”They followed Alice down the hall, where they were met by the butler. He bowed again to Alice.“My grandmother is resting,” Alice said. “I was wondering if my brother Bertie is visiting as

well?”“Yes, he was, Princess Alice,” the man said. “The Prince of Wales came and stayed two nights,

much to the delight of the Duchess of Kent.”“Has he gone already?” Alice asked.“Yes, Your Royal Highness.”“Was he alone?” George asked.“Did he have a man with him?” Drina added.The butler brought a fist to his mouth and cleared his throat. “The Prince of Wales did bring a

guest with him.”“What was his name?” Drina asked.“I wasn’t vulgar enough to inquire,” the butler said tightly.“Did my brother say anything about his intentions?” Alice asked. “Where he was going next?”“To Windsor Castle,” the butler said. “He took Her Grace’s carriage not a half hour before you

arrived.”“With the friend?” Drina clarified.“Yes.”“Simmons,” Alice said. “Would you be so good as to gather our things and alert our driver that

we’re ready to go?”“Of course, Your Royal Highness,” he said, and gave her a low bow before leaving the grand

entry.“It was probably Prince Friedrich,” Alice said.

“If only we could know for certain,” George said, raking his fingers through his hair and swore.“I could teach you that curse in German if you’d like,” Drina offered. “It’ll come in handy if you

go to Austria.”He smiled a little, but shook his head ruefully.“I’d like to know it,” Alice piped in. “Curse words were sadly lacking in my educational

experience.”“Schei—”The butler returned at that exact moment with their coats and hats.“Sh-shall we go?” Drina managed.“Yes,” Alice said with a laugh. “And you can finish telling me all about it later.”Drina put on her coat and realized that she needed to use the facilities before their long and cold

drive back to Windsor Castle. She caught Alice’s eye and mouthed: Water closet?“Spit it out, Drina. I don’t understand what you’re trying to ask me.”“Do you need something?” George asked.She wanted to throttle them both. Huffing, she said in whisper, “I need to use the—well, you

know.”“My grandmother’s private throne room?” Alice asked with a smirk.George snorted, sounding just like his brother’s pig impression from the night before.Drina tsked and gave both of her dearest friends a blistering glare, which only made them laugh

harder. “You two are very badly behaved for a princess and the son of a duke.”“Well, I’m only a second son.”“If you’ll follow me, my lady,” the butler said with a gesture of his white-gloved hand. Drina

trailed behind him with one last glare at her snickering friends.The hygiene room was inconveniently placed at the end of a hall. She entered the large room and

closed the door behind her. Sighing, she took off her coat and hung it up on the hook. The room trulydid look like a royal palace. The bathtub was encased in ornate woodwork, and the toilet scarcelyless engraved than a wooden throne. She placed her gloves on the table before conducting herbusiness and washing her hands in the cold water of the sink.

Drying her hands on the white towel, she dropped it and stooped down to pick it up. Underneaththe washing table there was a handkerchief by the white towel. She was about to leave it on the floorwhen she recognized the insignia: Embroidered in the bottom corner was the family crest of the houseof Hoburg, a circle of three lions.

She tucked the handkerchief in her pocket before putting on her hat and gloves. She smiled as sheleft the room, content in knowing she would have the last laugh.

They were still standing by the door, George squashing his hat between his nervous hands andAlice trying hard not to smile at his discomfort.

“There, there, George. I don’t think your father will decapitate you without my mother’s expresspermission,” Alice said jovially. “Try not to remind her of when you broke a window at BalmoralCastle.”

“It was probably Prince Friedrich with Bertie,” George said, ignoring her previous sally.“It wasn’t probably, it was most certainly Prince Friedrich of Hoburg.” Drina held up the

handkerchief for her friends to see. “Look what I found in the royal throne room.”“Which means the prince has already arrived at Windsor Castle,” George said with an undignified

huff. “And this whole trip was for nothing.”“Not nothing,” Alice assured them. “You read so soothingly that you put my grandmother right to

sleep.”“You’re a terribly boring reader, George,” Drina said with a snort. “You nearly put me to sleep,

too.”George bowed to the ladies. “Always happy to be of the smallest assistance.”Their carriage pulled up to the front of the house and they entered it in the best of spirits. When

they arrived at Windsor Castle nearly half an hour later, Drina was anxious to see her cousin. Alicewas interested to meet him and George would be relieved to finally find the missing prince.

They walked to the prince’s bedroom and George knocked on the door. Herr Bauer answered itwith his usual smile and greeted them in German.

“May we speak to the Prince?” Drina asked in German.Herr Bauer shook his head and replied in German, “I’m sorry, he isn’t here.”“Have you seen him today?”“I haven’t seen His Royal Highness since the train station.”“Oh,” Drina said, and turned to translate the conversation for George; Alice spoke German

flawlessly.The princess didn’t say anything, but Drina could tell from her pursed lips and furrowed brow that

she wasn’t pleased with the missing prince. Her suitor’s absence was more than a courtly slight; itwas an international insult.

“I’d better go and change before dinner,” Alice said, excusing herself. “Mama doesn’t toleratetardiness.”

Drina glanced at George, who looked stricken, as if he’d just seen a Weiße Frauen; his face waspale and he kept swallowing convulsively.

“Where the blazes is the fool now?”She chewed on her lip. “Perhaps he stopped in town again for beer?”George raked his fingers through his dark hair, mussing it beautifully. “What am I going to do?

There’s not enough time before dinner to go and find him.”“At least we know Prince Friedrich isn’t dead or kidnapped by highwaymen,” she pointed out.“I could kill him myself,” George said, shaking his head. The expression on his face did look

murderous. She hadn’t seen him this upset since Edward broke his favorite slingshot on purpose whenthey were twelve.

“As much as I’d like to assist you in murdering my cousin, I’d better go get dressed for dinner aswell,” Drina said. She placed a hand on his arm and squeezed it. “I’m sure everything will work out.”

Chapter 13

George was decidedly less sure than Drina that everything would work out. In a half an hour everyonewould assemble for dinner, and there would still be no Crown Prince of Hoburg.

“What are you doing lurking in the hall?” his father barked in his raspy voice.George turned to see the Duke of Doverly already dressed for dinner, wearing a red sash filled

with royal medals.“Don’t slouch, boy!”George popped back up like a toy soldier as his father whacked his shins with his cane. It smarted

something fierce.“Where is the Crown Prince?”I have no idea.He contemplated telling his father the truth, but he knew it was a terrible notion.“With his valet, sir. Changing for dinner.”His father clapped a heavy hand on George’s shoulder. “Prince Friedrich had better be at dinner,

or Queen Victoria will be forced to come to his rooms and find him.”“Th-the Queen?”“It’s a state visit, son. And Prince Friedrich is her second cousin. She’s naturally concerned that

the prince should be ill while under her sovereignty.”Worse and worse.George pictured Queen Victoria’s response to Herr Bauer in the state room instead of the prince

who was supposed to be courting her daughter: She’d look remarkably like Bloody Mary as she’dyell, “Off with George’s head!”

He gulped and touched his neck. “The prince will be at dinner.”His father had a ghost of a smile on his lips as he nodded. “And George…”“Yes, sir?”“I received a letter today from Lord Loftus,” he said. “He says he would be delighted to have you

join his staff in Austria.”“Father, you know I don’t want to go.”The Duke of Doverly clapped George on the shoulder again, ignoring his protest. “Prince

Friedrich better be at dinner.”His father didn’t wait for a response before walking away.At that moment, George could’ve happily consigned all monarchies to perdition. He had no desire

to serve any monarch, under any flag. All he really wanted to be was an engineer.And what do engineers do?They solved problems by their ingenuity. They built bridges, tunnels, towers, canals, and more.

George just needed to think of some way to fix the situation.He looked at the problem from the beginning. The servants had put a valet in the room of a prince.

They had clearly mistaken him for His Royal Highness, as George had. Herr Bauer had resided in theprince’s quarters for most of a day before Drina was the first to notice. And no one since had realizedhis true identity.

“That’s it!” he said aloud, punching a hole through the top of his hat in excitement.The servants already believed that Herr Bauer was the Crown Prince of Hoburg, which meant that

all the lords and ladies would believe it, too. He walked back and forth in the corridor.But what of Drina’s parents, Lord and Princess Rothfield? And most important of all, Queen

Victoria? Could they be hoodwinked?He put his hat back on his head, the top only holding on by a few threads. He must have looked

ridiculous, but in that moment, he no longer cared. Drina and her parents hadn’t seen Prince Friedrichsince he was ten years old; Nearly eight years would have changed him greatly. Drina hadn’t knowninstantly that he wasn’t her cousin. As long as George kept Herr Bauer far enough away from theRothfields and the royal family, everything would be fine.

He knocked on the prince’s door loudly and Herr Bauer answered it with a bow. “Guten Tag,Herr Vorthington.”

George bowed. “And a guten Tag to you, Herr Bauer.” He cleared his throat and then pointed tothe valet. “You, come—uh—eat—essen, mit me.”

He pointed next to himself. Then he brought his hands to his mouth and pretended to eat. Hepointed to Herr Bauer and then back to himself again for good measure.

“Ja,” Herr Bauer said and walked out of his room.George shook his head and held up his right hand to stop him. “No—nein.”How could he explain it?He took off his broken hat and dropped it on the floor. He pointed to Herr Bauer and then shaped

his hands in a circle and put it on his head.Herr Bauer shook his head. He didn’t understand what George was trying to mimic. George

exhaled slowly and then held out his hand as if he was holding a scepter and put his other hand on hishead in a fist. He probably looked ridiculous.

“Königin?”“Yes, ja!” George said. “You eat,” he mimicked eating again, “mit Königin.”Herr Bauer’s jaw dropped. George took the man by the arm and led him back into the prince’s

rooms. No one would believe a prince would be dressed for dinner like that. And George couldn’tlend him his own clothing—the fellow was a head taller and at least two stones heavier. He led himto the locked trunks and prayed that the prince was about the same height.

“Keys?” he asked, and shook his hand like he was holding a ring of keys.“Schlüssel?” Herr Bauer offered.“Most likely,” George said. “Schlüssel.”Herr Bauer shook his head and George thought he said something to the effect that Prince

Friedrich had the Shlüssel—keys.Well, then George would have to pick the lock. He’d picked plenty of locks when he was a boy.

He held up one finger to Herr Bauer. “One minute.”George went to his own room, two doors down, where his valet was shining his shoes.

“I need something sharp,” he demanded. “Quick, man.”Mr. Humphrey bowed to George and without any hurry, took out a long needle from the shoe-

shining kit. “Its purpose is to sew shoes, my lord.”“It will have a new purpose today,” George said. “Please have my dinner clothes ready. I’ll be

back in a trice.”George ran down the hall back to Herr Bauer’s room. He walked into the room without saying a

word and went straight to the metal trunks. Kneeling by the closest one, he stuck the needle into thekeyhole of the lock. He bit his lip and angled the needle in several directions before he heard a clickand the lock opened. George threw open the top of the trunk, revealing perfectly packed military-stylejackets and a plethora of shirts, trousers, and male effects.

Herr Bauer spoke rapidly in German.“I have no idea what you said, my good man,” George said, shrugging. He picked up the most

ostentatious coat he could find and handed it to the valet.Herr Bauer refused to take it, shaking his head vehemently.George pushed the coat against the man’s chest. “For the Königin.”“Die Königin?”“Königin,” George said firmly.Herr Bauer took off the jacket he was wearing and replaced it with the fancy coat. It fit

remarkably well—the prince must be a tall man as well. If George didn’t know better, he would havebelieved that this tall, proud man was a prince. A startling thought came to him: The only differencebetween a prince and a peasant was their clothes. A prince wasn’t necessarily any smarter or moretalented than his servants—Bertie was more charming than clever. The difference between the classeswas education, training, and money—not something innate at birth. And even though George had beenborn an aristocrat, he was just like any other man. With the right training and correct suit of clothes hecould be anything …

He could be an engineer.George smiled and nodded encouragingly at Herr Bauer. Then he pulled out his pocket watch and

pointed to the number seven and then to himself.“I’ll be back at seven to get you.”“Seven,” Herr Bauer said.“Seven,” he repeated, and went back to his own rooms down the hall. Mr. Humphrey had already

laid out his evening clothes. George handed the man his hat and coat. His valet scowled when he sawthe hole in this hat; he didn’t say anything but gave George several glares of disapproval as he helpedhim into his dinner clothes. At least Mr. Humphrey had stopped asking what happened to the othercoat, trousers, and shirt that Drina borrowed. George was tired of lying.

To his ornery valet.To his father.But most of all to himself.

As George escorted Herr Bauer into the State Dining Room, most of the guests were already seated,

including his father and Queen Victoria. He took several steps forward before realizing that HerrBauer was still standing by the door, looking awestruck. George had to admit that the State DiningRoom was rather an impressive sight. The carpet was a rich crimson and the walls might have beencream, but there was enough gold on the woodwork to make the whole room look golden by gaslight.

George gently tugged at the fellow’s arm and led him to a seat as far from Drina’s parents aspossible.

Unfortunately, the chair was next to the Lady Clara, who couldn’t seem to speak without laughingat the same time. It was terribly annoying.

“I’ve scarce seen you at Windsor Castle during my visit, Lord Worthington,” she said through agiggle.

“I’ve been much occupied hosting the Prince of Hoburg,” George said. “Allow me to introduceyou.”

He gestured to Herr Bauer sitting on his other side past Drina’s empty seat. Herr Bauer bowed hishead to Lady Clara. Her green eyes nearly fell out of her head. She leaned across George’s arm andogled Herr Bauer.

She tittered. “Another German Prince!”George moved his arm. Lady Clara thankfully took the hint to stop leaning on him, but she tapped

her ivory fan on his arm flirtatiously.Herr Bauer said something in German. Luckily, Lady Clara didn’t speak a word of the language.“Is he single, do you know?” she asked with a laugh. “Not that I’m interested in a prince. Oh, no.

Too far above my station.”George knew he ought to dampen her enthusiasm, but she was hard to shake off. And he had plenty

of practice plying off young ladies from his arm. Even though he wasn’t the heir to his father’sdukedom, he was still considered a great catch on the marriage market because of his mother’sfortune and close relationship with the Queen. Which meant he was constantly avoiding youngdebutantes and even worse, their matchmaking mothers.

“Why, yes, Lady Clara,” he said with a false smile. “The Crown Prince of Hoburg isn’t married.”She tapped him thrice more with her accursed ivory fan, and smiled broadly at Herr Bauer. He

smiled back at her and her eyes widened; happily, her attention was completely drawn to the valet.George offered to switch places with “Prince Friedrich.” It afforded him a great deal of pleasure tosee her move in on a foreign servant, believing him to be a prince.

But where was Drina?

Chapter 14

Drina kept fidgeting with her hands as Miss Russon buttoned up the back of her emerald green dress.She was irritated. Where could Friedrich be? Didn’t he know how important his visit was fordiplomatic relations between the two countries?

She sat down in front of the mirror and her lady’s maid began to hum “Here We Come A-Wassailing” while she arranged Drina’s hair.

“You seem jolly tonight,” Drina said, sharper than she meant to.Miss Russon blushed as she stuck a pin in Drina’s hair. “One of the foreign servants arrived today

and he has the whole servants’ quarters in an uproar.”“Why is that?”“He’s fearfully handsome and such a flirt,” Miss Russon said with a smile. “He told me that my

hair was the color of a perfect sunset.”“He must speak English very well.”“He does, my lady,” she said. “I didn’t even notice his accent until he said he’d like a drink of

wassail. But I didn’t understand him at first, because he pronounced it more like vessel. That’s whatput the song in my head, my lady.”

Her cousin Friedrich also had difficulty with that English word. Even after his father had hiredhim an English tutor when they were eight years old. Friedrich had never been able to say that wordquite right.

It couldn’t be …Drina turned and grabbed her maid’s hand. “Is his hair flaxen yellow and are his eyes an

unnaturally light blue?”She looked at Drina’s face intently. “Now that you mention it, he does have blue eyes and fair

hair, my lady.”“Is he taller than average?”Miss Russon bit her lower lip. “Aye, my lady.”“Does he have the sort of presence that can hold a whole room’s attention?”The maid’s face went red as fire. “At least the female servants.”Drina released Miss Russon’s hand and stood up. “I need you to take me to the servant’s quarters

at once.”“Why, my lady?”“Because the new servant is the Crown Prince of Hoburg.”“Golly!” Miss Russon said, covering her mouth with her hand. “A prince gave me a

compliment?”“I’m sure you deserved it,” Drina said and pointed to the door. “But could you take me to the

servants’ quarters at once, please?”Miss Russon bobbed a curtsy and led Drina down the corridor to a hall that she’d never walked

down before. They passed through the kitchens, where dozens of servants were busily cutting, baking,and plating. The room smelled of cinnamon, nutmeg, and roasted boar. She followed her lady’s maidup a staircase to a large room where there were mismatched chairs and tables. Sitting on a chair,surrounded by a bevy of maids, was a handsome young man. His hair was the same blond as her ownand his keen eyes, a bright blue. He held himself well; or rather, he sat as if he owned the castle.

He caught her staring at him and winked. And that confirmed it.“Friedrich!”“Alix!” he said, standing and walking toward her. Cousin Friedrich was even more handsome up

close. He had thick sideburns and a strong jaw. He was so tall, she had to glance up to see his eyes,which were looking at her in speculation and amusement. Friedrich took both of her little hands intohis much larger ones and kissed them.

“To think little Alix is all grown up.”“Your Royal Highness—I mean, Cousin Friedrich,” Drina mumbled. “I don’t know what I mean.”“There is no need for formality between us,” he said, still holding her hands. “I am Friedrich and

you are Alix.”“My friends call me Drina now,” she admitted, strangely out of breath. “Alexandrina is such a

mouthful and Alix is rather too German to be in fashion.”“Drina,” he said with a slight, very charming accent. “It suits you, Cousin. But to me, you will

always be my little Alix who would follow me around the castle as we played knights.”“You were the knight,” she said. “I was always your squire. You promised me that I would rise in

the ranks, but only after I carried around all your things and cleaned up after you.”Friedrich gave a low laugh. “You aren’t supposed to remember that part.”“My childhood in Hoburg seems so very long ago.”“Long ago, but not forgotten, I hope,” Friedrich said. “I never forgot you, Alix.”Drina pulled her hands away. They were no longer children.“Where have you been, Friedrich?” she asked. “You were supposed to arrive at Windsor two

days ago.”“I did,” he said.Drina blinked. “No, that can’t be true. We searched for you everywhere.”“Who is ‘we,’ Alix?”“George—Lord Worthington,” Drina explained. “He was tasked by his father, head of the Foreign

Office to, to—”“Keep an eye on me?”“Yes,” Drina said.“Tell me about this George,” Friedrich said with a knowing grin. “Is he one of your beaux?”She shook her head. “No, he is a family friend.”“But you wish he were your suitor?”Drina turned purple. How does he know that without even meeting George?“We aren’t here to talk about me,” Drina huffed, poking Friedrich’s shoulder. “We’re here to talk

about you. Your man Herr Bauer said that you’d gone into town for a drink.”Friedrich shrugged his shoulders. “I met Bertie on the train from London and he begged me to go

get a few drinks with him.”“Bertie?”“Is there another Albert running around?” he asked with a slight smile.“Only his father,” she said. “But he’s not the sort to get drunk with guests arriving.”“Bertie is his own man,” Friedrich said with another shrug. “And he will be king of all this one

day.”Drina smiled at this, but she wasn’t about to fly from the scent during a hunt. “Why didn’t you

come to Windsor Castle after the drinks? Why did you stay two nights at Frogmore Lodge?”He smiled at her again. “You are still too sharp! Bertie wanted to give his grandmother her

Christmas present.”“It took two days to give a Christmas present?”“He has a great affection for his grandmother.”“But your trunks were sent to Windsor Castle.”“Bertie kindly offered me what I needed,” he said. “It isn’t difficult for him to be generous when

he is heir to the crown of England, ja?”Drina pursed her lips to the side and eyed him suspiciously. “Then why aren’t you in your state

room? Why are you in the servants’ quarters?”Friedrich gave her a sheepish smile. “There seems to have been some sort of mix-up with my

room. It appears that the good servants of Windsor Castle don’t speak any German and they put myvalet, Herr Bauer, in my apartment. Do you remember his sister?”

“Gretta, she was my nanny.”“Ja.”“Why haven’t you resolved the mix-up?”“I was going to, eventually,” the prince insisted. “Herr Bauer’s room is little more than a closet

and I have no intention of sleeping there.”Drina folded her arms across her chest and gave him a stern look. “I’m not ten years old anymore,

Friedrich. I want the truth and I want it now.”His easy smile slipped. “Bertie told me on the train from London that I was invited to England to

be a suitor to his sister, Princess Alice.”She nodded. “I know.”“But I didn’t,” Friedrich said, shaking his head. “My parents told me that this was a diplomatic

visit to England and that I would have the opportunity to visit you and Aunt and Uncle. You don’tknow how much I have missed all of you. Especially you, Alix—I mean, Drina. You were my firstfriend, my best ally.”

“I’ve missed you, too, Friedrich,” she said. “So very much.”“But we aren’t children anymore, are we?” he said. “Yet, I don’t feel like an adult either. I’m not

ready to be married. I’m much too young. There is still so much of the world I want to see. So manythings I want to do before I settle down and produce heirs for Hoburg, ja?”

Drina nodded. “I feel the same way. We don’t even turn eighteen for another month and my motheris already pressuring me to make a good match. I don’t want my entire life decided before it’s evenbegun.”

“Bertie sympathizes,” Friedrich said. “His parents are pressuring him into a marriage withPrincess Alexandra of Denmark, whom he has met once but felt no particular affection for.”

“But Princess Alice is one of my best friends,” Drina said. “Anyone would be lucky to marry her.She’s smart, extremely capable, and very pretty. There is nothing she couldn’t accomplish if shewished to.”

“She could look like the goddess Aphrodite and have the nature of a Catholic saint, but I stillwouldn’t want to marry her. Not now. Not yet.”

Drina bit her lip. “You don’t have to.”“Thank you,” he said with a laugh, and bowed to her.She couldn’t help but laugh. “There is already a prince here who wants to marry her. We just have

to help him win her affections.”“What prince?”“Prince Louis of Hesse.”“I know him,” Friedrich said. “I met Louis and his brother at their uncle’s home in Darmstadt.”“Perfect,” Drina said. “We just need to create opportunities where Alice and Prince Louis can get

to know one another better. He is quite smitten with her already.”“I like this plan,” Friedrich said. “Am I also to make myself loathsome to the princess?”“Oh, no,” she said quickly. “Just be yourself and flirt with every female you see and she won’t

want a thing to do with you.”“I don’t flirt with every female,” he protested.Drina looked over his shoulder at the group of maids watching and waiting for him to return to

their circle. She raised both of her eyebrows and gestured her hand toward them.“You do make persuasive points in your argument,” Friedrich said.“I think this will work,” Drina said. She just hoped that she was being a good friend to both

Friedrich and Alice.He smiled. “It appears that you are now the knight and I’m the squire. I’m here to do your

bidding.”“First, we need to get you to your correct quarters,” she said.“I’ll gather my things,” he said. He walked back to the mismatched chairs and picked up his

portmanteau … but not before kissing the hand of every single female servant who had stood waitingfor his return.

He came back to Drina and offered her his arm. She sighed and rolled her eyes, but didn’t take hisarm.

“I’m not sure if I should applaud you, or scold you,” she said.“I was only doing as you suggested,” he replied with a wolfish grin.“Follow me,” Drina said with a sigh. “Everyone will be assembling for dinner by now.”Friedrich followed her through the kitchen and down the long corridor. She led him to his room

and stopped in front of the door.“I expect to see you dressed in your best military uniform for dinner,” Drina said in a stern voice.“Yes, sir,” he said, saluting her. “But I will be late to dinner.”“Better late than not at all,” she retorted, opening the door and gently shoving him through it.

“Herr Bauer isn’t here.”“What?”“Come see for yourself.”Drina poked her head through the doorway and saw the large room was indeed empty and that one

of the trunks had been opened.“Where is he?”Friedrich shrugged and took a set of keys from his coat pocket and shook them. “Someone has

broken into my trunks and been through my things.”“We can worry about that tomorrow,” Drina said, and pointed to the cord by the window. “Pull

the cord and a servant will come assist you to dress.”Friedrich grinned wickedly.“Not a female one,” she snapped.“Pity,” he said with another charming smile.“I expect to see you in the State Dining Room in less than half an hour.”“And you will, Alexandrina,” he said. “You will.”

Chapter 15

George surreptitiously dimmed the gaslight by them so that Herr Bauer’s face was in shadow at thedining table. He glanced down at the royal family on the opposite end of the table—none of themwere looking his way. The Rothfields were equally engaged speaking to his parents and ViscountessJocelyn, another one of Queen Victoria’s ladies of the bedchamber.

But where is Drina?A butler opened the door to the State Dining Room and several footmen began bringing in trays of

food. A footman placed a boar’s head on a silver platter in front of George. He gulped; he didn’t likeit when his food still had a face. But thankfully he didn’t have to eat the boar’s head. There was alsoturkey, baron of beef, five different types of fish, game pies, vegetables, sauces in silver-giltsauceboats shaped like sleighs, and his favorite: mock turtle soup made from calves’ heads. Georgeloaded up his plate and ate until his stomach could hold no more.

As he picked up the ladle to add more gravy to his beef, he saw Drina standing in the doorway tothe room. She was dressed in emerald green and the light behind her made her look like a shapelyChristmas tree. She scanned the room twice before noticing them in the darkest corner and walkedtoward them.

She sat next to him, a curious expression on her face. “Why is it as dark as an attic and what isHerr Bauer doing here?” Drina whispered in his ear.

“I invited him to dinner,” he said softly.“You did what?”“Invited him to dinner,” George said, grinning at his own cleverness. “Don’t worry, he has

excellent manners.”“Why?”“Because I needed a foreign prince to come to dinner,” he said. “Or my father threatened to cut my

allowance … And it has been such a lark. You would have been in stitches, if you’d seen how manytimes Lady Clara has tried to get his attention. She keeps asking him questions in English and healways answers her with ‘ja.’”

George watched Drina look past him to where Lady Clara was seated next to Herr Bauer.“You are so amusing, Prince Friedrich,” Lady Clara said with another high laugh and a flirtatious

wave of her fan.Drina shook her head; her face looked grave.“What’s the matter?” George asked.“I’ve found the real Prince Friedrich,” she said, glaring at him.George’s jaw dropped. “Where? How?”“Here,” she said, pointing to the floor.“Here?”“He was in the servant’s quarters,” Drina said. “Because of the mix-up with the rooms.”

George exhaled. “So, he’s not here here.”“But he will be soon,” she said. “I left him in his rooms to dress for dinner. He’ll be arriving here

here any moment.”George’s head felt ready to explode. He picked up his glass of red wine and drained it in one

gulp. “What are we going to do? I think I may have caused an international incident!”He followed Drina’s eyes as she looked down the table to where Queen Victoria was sitting next

to her husband, Prince Albert.“Has Herr Bauer been introduced to the Queen or Prince Albert yet?” Drina asked.“No,” George said. “We arrived after everyone had already assembled for dinner. I didn’t

introduce him to anyone except Lady Clara.”“Good,” she said. “We can still think of something.”“We can think while we eat,” he said, trying to lighten her mood. “You haven’t had a bite since

luncheon and you didn’t eat much then. Would you like me to cut you off an ear from the boar’shead?”

They both looked at the boar’s head on the silver platter in front of them. Its eyes were open andthere was a large red apple in its mouth. Why civilized people put decapitated pigs’ heads on thetable, he’d never understand.

“George, how did you know that I shared Prince Albert’s fondness for boar’s head?” Drina saidteasingly. “I’ll eat it, if you cut it off.”

She was calling his bluff. This was the Drina he knew.“I’m not sure what would make me more ill,” he admitted. “Cutting off the ear or watching you eat

it.”Drina shrugged her curvaceous shoulders and George’s eyes noticed that she was wearing an

enormous emerald on a golden chain around her neck. The emerald brought attention to her chest,which he thought didn’t require any more attention. She smirked at him before reaching her hand outto the boar’s head and taking the apple from its mouth. She placed it on his plate. “There you go,George.”

“I find myself already full,” he said. “I’ll let you have the apple as an early Christmas present.”She laughed. “That isn’t a proper Christmas present at all, in England or Hoburg.”“What is a proper Christmas present in Hoburg?”“My mother would say jewels,” Drina said, touching the enormous emerald at her breast. “My

father would say a book. I suppose the proper present is what a person wants or needs most.”“So, a boar’s head is right out.”She laughed like he’d hoped she would and dished herself up some fish and vegetables. She ate

her food, but her eyes kept darting toward the door. George was too afraid to look for the prince.What a mess I’ve gotten us into.The footmen began to remove the dinner plates from the table and the superfluous dishes—

including the boar’s head. George’s stomach was so full that he didn’t think he could eat another bite.That was until the footmen brought out an enormous Christmas pudding (on fire and as big as hishead), a tower of mince pies, bon-bon dishes, cream dishes, and ice pails displayed on porcelaindessert trays held up by four figures representing the different seasons. It would be a crying shame to

let such delicacies go to waist—waste. He’d meant waste.He popped a whole mince pie in his mouth just as Drina grabbed his arm. He choked on the pie,

beating his chest with a fist and coughing loudly.“Whatever you do, don’t introduce Herr Bauer to anyone else,” she whispered, and darted from

her chair to the door.George saw a glimpse of a tall, blond young man in a red coat with a black sash covered in

jewels standing in the doorway. Drina pushed him back through the door that led to the OctagonDining Room and closed it behind them. George exhaled in relief. He looked from Herr Bauersmiling at Lady Clara to the enormous serving of Christmas pudding on his plate. Suddenly he foundhimself quite without an appetite.

Chapter 16

Friedrich bowed to her formally and opened his mouth to speak, but Drina didn’t give him theopportunity. She grabbed his arm and turned him around and out of the State Dining Room and into theOctagon Dining Room, which was blissfully unoccupied. She closed the door firmly behind them.

“I’m here as you requested,” he said, a questioning look in his eyes.“There is one small snag,” she began, but she found herself at a loss for words.If only she hadn’t insisted on Friedrich coming to dinner tonight. If only George hadn’t come up

with a harebrained scheme of using Herr Bauer as a doppelgänger for her cousin. If only Friedrichhadn’t fled for Frogmore Lodge when he had learned that he was supposed to be a suitor to Alice.There were plenty of “if onlys,” but none of them would change what had already happened.

“What is a snag?” Friedrich asked.“Problem.”“Problem?” he repeated, tilting his head in confusion.“George couldn’t find you, so he brought another prince in your place,” she explained weakly.Friedrich shook his head and switched from speaking in English to German. “You speak in riddles

tonight, Cousin. I feel as if we are playing a game and I don’t know the rules.”Drina answered him in German. “You see, Lord Worthington’s father demanded your presence at

dinner tonight, and we had already spent all day yesterday searching the village for you. And todaywe even went to Frogmore Lodge and missed you by minutes.”

“And?” he prompted.“Well … when George couldn’t find you, he decided to replace you with your valet,” Drina said.“How very revolutionary of you.”“Not truly,” she quickly explained. “Herr Bauer doesn’t even know that he’s pretending to be you.

George’s German is abysmal.”She watched her cousin closely for signs of anger. His broad shoulders shook and his face was a

mixture of emotions. He folded his arms across his chest. He cleared his throat imperatively.Oh. Dear.Then Friedrich laughed and laughed and laughed. His face went red and then he bent over from

laughing so hard. Drina pursed her lips again. This was no time for frivolity. If Queen Victorialearned that she had dined with a valet instead of a prince, there would be no end to their troubles.George’s father would be furious and he would follow through on his threat to send him to Austria.She barely saw George now when he lived in London; she couldn’t bear to think of how many years itwould be before she would see him again if he moved to the continent. And if Queen Victoria knewDrina’s part in it, she would never agree to breaking the entail on her father’s estate or letting Drinainherit the title.

“What are we going to do?” she asked in desperation. “Now there are two of you!”“I’m sure my creative and clever cousin will come up with something,” Friedrich said with a

wink.“But I can’t,” she protested in English, but stopped short when she heard footsteps approaching

the door. “Quick! Underneath the table!”Drina gave her cousin a shove and he climbed underneath the table ahead of her. It was much

more difficult than she’d supposed it would be with her enormous crinoline cage. Drina’s torso wasbent over to make room for her flowing skirts. She pulled the rest of her skirt underneath the whitetablecloth just as several pairs of men’s shoes walked into the room. Friedrich sat next to her with hislong legs tucked against his chest.

“This is like old times, Alix.”She harrumphed. “You always got me into trouble.”“Someone had to teach you how to be naughty,” he said, with his all-too-charming grin.“Alas, I failed horribly at teaching you how to be nice.”She could tell that he was trying very hard not to laugh again. She pressed her finger to her lips

and shushed him for good measure. They watched the shadows of people through the tablecloth. Sherecognized the lean figure of George’s brother as he walked by.

“How tall is that fellow?” Friedrich whispered.“Edward—Lord Dinsmore—is over six feet tall,” she whispered back and then hit herself on the

head with her hand. “That’s it!”“What is it?”“Shadow Buff,” she said, clapping her hands soundlessly.“I’m afraid that I don’t follow, Drina,” Friedrich said.“It’s a parlor game,” she said in a low voice. “You hang a sheet across the room and put a single

candle on a table behind it and then you take away all the other lights in the room. One person sitsdirectly in front of the sheet while each person passes between the sheet and the candle creating theirshadow.”

“Shadow Buff.”“Correct,” Drina said. “The person who sits in front of the sheet must guess the names of every

person that walks behind it. But you can disguise your shadow any way you want to.”“What happens if they guess your name correctly?”“You have to pay the forfeit.”“Which is?”“The forfeit can be many things,” Drina explained on her fingers. “You have to allow others to

pose you in a silly Grecian statue position, pretend to be a pig, or sometimes kiss every lady in theroom.”

“I will endeavor to lose, then.”She nearly laughed out loud, but luckily the pressure from her corset at its angled position

underneath the table made it difficult to speak and impossible to laugh.“I have every faith in you,” he said, “but I don’t know how Shadow Buff is going to solve the

problem of the two princes, ja?”“We switch you,” Drina said simply. “When the gas lights go out, I’ll send Herr Bauer into the

hall where you can switch jackets with him and then you will return to the dark room and finish the

game with us.”“I like this plan very much,” he said gravely. “But won’t people recognize that I am a different

person?”Drina attempted to shake her head, but there wasn’t enough clearance underneath the table. “He’s

only been introduced to one young lady so far, and she is silly enough that if she said something, noone would take her seriously.”

“I am game, you say?”“Good,” she said. “Since you can bend over and I can’t, will you see if the coast is clear?”“But we are not by the sea?”“I mean see if anyone is still in this room,” she clarified.Friedrich leaned his head nearly to the floor and peeked underneath the tablecloth. He released

the tablecloth and sat back up. “The coast, as you say, is clear.”“Let’s go.”He climbed out from underneath the table with ease and held out a hand for Drina. She accepted it

and couldn’t help but think how much easier this adventure would have been in trousers. She managedto crawl a few feet forward with her skirt springing back up into place and then, with much assistancefrom her cousin, managed to get back to a standing position. Her cousin stood tall and saluted her.

“Ready at your command, Cousin.”Drina snorted. She placed a hand on him to make him stay there. She went over to the door that

led to the State Dining Room. She opened it slowly and found only servants clearing up the feast. Sheushered him over with a wave of her hand.

“Stay in the State Dining Room until I come for you.”“And what am I supposed to do while I wait?” he asked.“Have the servants bring you some dinner,” she said. “I don’t suppose you’ve had a bite yet.”He shook his head and gave her another of his wolfish smiles. “You think of everything.”“Shy away from the baron of beef,” she advised solemnly. “It’s not seasoned quite right.”Friedrich promised to pass on all beef and left her in the Octagon Dining Room. She surveyed the

room. Unsurprisingly, the Octagon Dining Room was shaped like an octagon. A large table was in thecenter of the room flanked by chairs. Octagons weren’t as easy as square rooms for such a game asthis.

Where could she hang the sheet?It had to be positioned between the two doors that led to the room so that Friedrich could enter

through one door and Herr Bauer and everyone else through the other. She walked over to thewindow, where holly and mistletoe hung. One corner of the sheet could be tied to the curtain and theother to the knight’s spear near the opposite wall.

Drina opened the door to the China Corridor, which led back to the Grand Reception Room, andrequested two footmen to procure her a sheet and a single candle. They returned within a few minutesand followed her into the Octagon Dining Room, where she instructed them how and where to hang it.She took the candle and placed it on the table, then directed a footman to move one of the diningchairs in front of the sheet.

“Very good,” she said. “Thank you, that will be all.”

As they left the room, she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Now she just needed tosomehow convince at least a dozen people to leave the party and come with her to this room.

She walked quickly through the China Corridor, nearly skipping. She arrived out of breath at theGrand Reception Room. She saw Alice talking with Prince Louis and her brother Bertie. The Princeof Wales had brown wavy hair, a round face, and newly grown side whiskers that were rather sparse.His thick lips were pouty, but when he smiled, like he did at her now, he was almost handsome. Drinasmiled back and walked to where her friends stood.

“There you are, Drina,” Alice said in English. “Bertie, I believe you have something to say toher?”

“I’m very sorry,” he said with an unrepentant smile. “I promise that it will never happen again.”“I know it won’t,” she said. “I wouldn’t allow it to.”“Is there anything I can do to atone?”“I’m sure I’ll think of something, but for now, I need you to play parlor games. I’m forming a

group of young people to go to the Octagon Dining Room,” she said quickly.“Anything to avoid the tedium of my mother’s state parties,” Bertie said.Alice raised one eyebrow questioningly.Drina could only whisper, “Please.”“Of course,” Alice said and then asked Prince Louis, in German, if he would join them. He

nodded vigorously.“Wonderful,” Drina said. “Please wait in the China Corridor. I’ll be with you in a trice.”She spotted George standing with Herr Bauer and Lady Clara in a corner of the room. At least he

wasn’t allowing Herr Bauer to meet anyone else. She walked up to them.“Princess Alice and I are gathering the younger members of the party to play parlor games in the

Octagon Dining Room. Would you like to join us?”George raised his eyebrows, but said, “Of course.”“We’re meeting in the China Corridor.”He nodded and took Herr Bauer by the arm, guiding him toward the door. Lady Clara was close

behind them.Drina needed a few more people for her plan to work. She saw a circle of young people in the

center of the room, including Edward and Emily, Lady Hyacinth Fotheringham, and the lecherousLord Weatherby. She pasted on her best smile and approached them.

“Should we escape our parents and play some parlor games?” Drina asked in what she hoped wasa persuasive voice.

“Too right,” Lord Weatherby said.She tried not to cringe in response. She looked at Edward imploringly, and he nodded almost

imperceptibly.“Yes, let’s,” he said, clapping his hands.“Why not?” Emily said.Lady Hyacinth Fotheringham nodded graciously. “I dearly love a game.”“Follow me.”She led the group from the Grand Reception Room to the China Corridor, where Alice, Bertie,

Prince Louis, George, Clara, and Herr Bauer stood outside the door to the Octagon Dining Room.“I have taken the liberty of having the room prepared for Shadow Buff,” she said. “I need a

volunteer to discern our shadows.”“I’ll volunteer,” George said.“Yes. You stay here for a few minutes,” she said. “We’ll come for you when we’re ready.”Edward held open the door for everyone and they filed into the Octagon Room and behind the

sheet.“May I borrow your fan, Lady Clara?” Drina asked.Lady Clara held out her ivory fan. “What a lark.”Drina took the fan and then walked over to Herr Bauer. “Prince Friedrich is waiting for you in the

State Dining Room,” she whispered to him in German. “You are to change places as a part of thegame.”

He smiled jovially and nodded. Herr Bauer was really the nicest of men. She took him by the armand quietly opened the second door and sent him through. Drina took a deep breath.

This is going to work.Several other members of the party switched effects and tried to make their silhouettes look

different. Edward took off his jacket and stuffed it to his shirt to make his belly look round—clearly,he was trying to look like Lord Weatherby. Lady Clara borrowed a pigeon feather from LadyHyacinth and put it in her hair. Emily took a napkin off the table and tied it over her very recognizablecurls.

The second door from the State Dining Room opened and her cousin slipped into the roomwearing the dinner jacket Herr Bauer had worn. No one seemed to notice him enter.

“Is everybody ready?” Drina asked. “I’ll go get George—Lord Worthington.”She opened the first door to the China Corridor and beckoned George to enter the room. She sat

him down in the chair and then joined the others behind the curtain.“The ladies will go first,” Drina announced, pointing to Lady Clara.Lady Clara sauntered in front of the table with the candle. It wasn’t her usual gait, and the feather

on her head made her shadow look taller. Drina pointed to Emily; she walked across sideways,obscuring her profile. Princess Alice went next—she must have been bending her knees for sheappeared to be Lady Clara’s height. Lady Hyacinth grabbed a bowl from the table and placed it infront of her stomach as she walked across. Drina was last. She stood on her tippy toes and fannedherself vigorously with Lady Clara’s fan as she walked in front of the sheet.

The ladies all stood next to the windows.“All right, George,” Emily said. “Tell us the order.”“Lady Hyacinth, Princess Alice, Lady Alexandrina, Emily, and Lady Clara,” George said.Everyone in the room laughed.“Wrong on every single lady,” Emily called. “Let’s see if you do any better on the gentlemen.”Edward went first with his enormous fake belly. Next came Lord Weatherby, who leapt across the

room like the “lords a-leaping” in the silly Christmas carol. Prince Bertie and Prince Louis walkedtogether in perfect synchronization. Their shadow looked like one very large person. CousinFriedrich went last. He made no attempt to hide his identity. He strode across with his broad

shoulders back, the epaulets on his dinner jacket clearly displayed.Drina exhaled slowly. This was going work—it had to. Both her and George’s futures depended

on no one recognizing the prince switch.

Chapter 17

“Try to do better guessing this time, George,” Edward called from behind the curtain.George harrumphed. He was only being gallant, letting the ladies win. He’d known who Drina

was on her tippy toes. He could always recognize her silhouette.Now for the gentlemen: The fellow who’d crawled with his coat sagging was clearly Lord

Weatherby. He wasn’t sure who had walked with Edward. One of the slimmer fellows, either PrinceLouis or Bertie. The last man was undoubtedly Herr Bauer, who probably had no idea that he wassupposed to hide his identity because he didn’t speak a word of English.

“Prince Louis, the Prince of Wales, Lord Weatherby and Edward, and Prince Friedrich,” he saidat last.

“Wrong, all but one!” Edward called from behind the sheet.George stood up and untied the corner of the sheet. It fell and he saw all the players in their

“disguises.” They laughed at him and he joined in, until he saw the man whose arm Drina was holdingwasn’t Herr Bauer. He was of a similar height and complexion, but blonder and handsomer.Somehow Drina had managed to avert disaster. She’d replaced the pretend prince with the real one.Relief bubbled out of him. He felt like a newly uncorked bottle of French champagne.

“You lost, dear cousin,” Drina said playfully. She tapped Friedrich’s arm with Lady Clara’s fanbefore returning it to its rightful owner. “George guessed your true identity.”

“I must have drunk too much wine at dinner,” Lady Clara said, fluttering her fan at her blushingface, “but I declare, Prince Friedrich, your features look entirely different in this light.”

Friedrich lifted her free hand and kissed it. “You wound me, Fräulein, for I could never haveforgotten your lovely face.”

Lady Clara’s blush deepened to a berry red and she smiled, but she kept blinking at PrinceFriedrich as if she wasn’t quite convinced that he was the same prince.

Drina gave a nervous, high laugh that sounded unnatural. “My cousin has many faces, Lady Clara.”“I suppose it is a trait of all Hoburg princes,” Alice added dryly.The princess clearly wasn’t fooled. George met Alice’s eyes and she gave him the slightest of

winks. She wouldn’t betray their secret.Lady Hyacinth bit her lip; she did not look entirely convinced, either.Bertie stepped forward, taking Drina by the elbow. George clenched his teeth and his fists.“This discussion is growing tedious. I can assure you all that this is my friend, Prince Friedrich of

Hoburg,” Bertie said in a pleasant voice, but one that brooked no argument. “Now what of theforfeits?”

Drina gave Bertie a glowing smile and George almost did, too. No one in the room was going tocontradict the Prince of Wales.

“My cousin must pay the forfeit,” Drina piped up, stepping away from Bertie and breaking hishold on her elbow. George’s hands unclenched.

“Yes, you must, Prince Friedrich,” Lady Hyacinth said eagerly.“What is forfeit, Fräulein?” Prince Friedrich asked with a pronounced German accent.Every eye in the room was on the prince and they were all smiling. Somehow, they’d actually

done it! George reached for Drina’s hand and squeezed it before letting go. She gave him a glowingsmile that left him breathless. Her full lips were red and appeared entirely kissable. There were onlya few inches between them. Drina’s eyes glanced at his own lips.

“You were incredible,” he whispered, so softly that only she could hear.“We’re a formidable pair,” she said.He felt a link between them that was as tangible as a bridge joining two sides of land. “We are,

aren’t we?”Lady Clara stepped between them, breaking their connection, before standing in front of Prince

Friedrich. “You must kiss every lady in the room—”“Spanish fashion,” Drina said, cutting her off.“I think I would much rather kiss every lady in the room Hoburg fashion,” Prince Friedrich said.

“But I’m fond of Spain as well. And I’m most eager to learn how to kiss Spanish fashion from theselovely ladies.”

“Come, Friedrich,” Drina said, and led him by the arm to the eager Lady Clara, who stuck out herchin and puckered her lips. Prince Friedrich was about to lean forward and kiss her when Drinatapped his shoulder. He stood up straight and Drina pecked Lady Clara’s cheek.

“I’m becoming less fond of Spain by the minute,” Prince Friedrich said. “When I return toHoburg, I intend to declare war on them.”

Bertie, Edward, and Weatherby clapped their hands and guffawed. Drina led Prince Friedrich toPrincess Alice. Again, it was Drina who kissed Princess Alice’s cheek. Next, she kissed LadyHyacinth’s cheek and finally, Emily’s cheek.

Prince Friedrich picked Drina up, twirling her around in a circle and planting a kiss on the top ofher head. “Ha! Drina, you little minx. I got a kiss after all.”

Drina and Prince Friedrich broke apart, laughing like old friends.“It’s so dark in here,” Lady Hyacinth complained.“Perfect for a game of Snapdragon,” Edward said. He walked over to the door and yelled to the

servants. “Oy, you there! Yes, you! Please fetch us a bowl of brandy and pile it full of raisins.”George scanned the room and found Drina standing next to his sister-in-law near the curtains.

Bunches of holly and mistletoe hung in front of the window. Lord Weatherby walked up to the pair.“I believe you are standing underneath mistletoe,” he said pompously. “I’ve come to collect my

prize.”Drina stepped back as Emily moved forward and planted an enthusiastic kiss on Weatherby’s

unsuspecting face. The entire room roared with laughter. George even chuckled himself, though he feltanything but jolly at that particular moment.

“If that kiss had lasted any longer,” Edward called, “I would be obliged to call you out,Weatherby!”

“It would have been worth it,” Weatherby said with a lecherous laugh.“Come, everyone. Sit down around the table,” Princess Alice said in a crisp voice. “Pick your

position for Snapdragon.”George noticed that Prince Friedrich and Bertie were both still glued to Drina’s side, which

irritated him to no end. Drina should have been holding his arm, sitting by his side, and whisperingwitticisms in his ear. Not Bertie’s. George looked away only to see Edward’s knowing eyes. Hisbrother shrugged his shoulders as if to say, “You had your chance.”

Ignoring his brother, he sat down next to Princess Alice, who gave him a slight smile beforeturning to talk to Prince Louis in German. George only understood about one word in twenty, but hedid hear the German word for Christmas—Weihnachten.

A servant opened the door and set a large bowl of brandy piled with raisins in the center of thetable.

“That will be all,” Bertie said. He picked up the candle left over from the Shadow Buff andplaced the flame near the bowl. It instantly ignited.

“And go!”Everyone except Prince Friedrich tried to snatch the raisins out of the bowl without burning their

fingers. George quickly grabbed the raisin closest to him, careful not to set his shirt sleeve on fire. Hepopped the flaming raisin in his mouth and experienced the unforgettable taste and the burningsensation.

Edward, always indulgent when it came to food, was the finest and fastest player. He ate the lastraisin and only the brandy was left burning, filling the room with a sickening smoke.

“I say,” Bertie said bombastically, smiling down at Drina. “I’ve never enjoyed a night at WindsorCastle more, eh, Alice?”

“Very enjoyable,” Princess Alice said. When she stood to leave the room, everyone followedafter her, leaving the servants to clean up the mess they had made.

George was the last person to leave the room. He felt as if everything was singed—his fingers, histongue … and his heart.

Chapter 18

George was one of the first guests to enter the dining room the next morning for breakfast. He saw hismother sitting next to Viscountess Jocelyn and remembered Drina’s advice to ask his mother for helpin becoming an engineer.

Taking a deep breath, he walked to his mother’s side. “Mother, might I have a word with you?” heasked quietly.

She didn’t even turn his way. “Not now, George.”Those three words summed up his entire relationship with his mother.“Right,” he said, cursing himself for even trying to talk to this woman who was nothing more than

a stranger. He went to the buffet and filled his plate with eggs, sausages, and kippers before choosinga seat as far away from his mother as possible.

Drina entered the dining room with her mother, trailed by Prince Friedrich. Bertie entered shortlyafter and sat next to Drina.

“Tante Wilhelmina, you are far too beautiful to be anyone’s great-aunt,” Prince Friedrich saidgallantly.

George rolled his eyes. Princess Wilhelmina was still a fine-looking woman with an abundanceof light hair braided like a coronet around her head. She had a straight figure and faded blue eyes, butshe had to be at least sixty years old.

“You know what I miss most about Christmas in Hoburg?” Drina asked.“The Yule log?” Prince Friedrich ventured.“Ice-skating on the lake near the castle,” she said, her blue eyes sparkling.“Oh, yes,” he said. “You and I would hold hands and spin so many circles on the lake that we

would fall over. And then we would get back up and do it all over again.”“We’ve got a nice frozen pond near Frogmore Lodge,” Bertie said from her other side. “It’s only

a short carriage ride away and it’s perfect for skating. We can go this afternoon if you wish, Drina.”She glanced from one prince to the other and readily agreed. George sighed. He wasn’t a good

skater, and he didn’t like being upstaged by either prince. But he didn’t want to be left behind, either.The party that entered the sleigh an hour later consisted of Bertie, Princess Alice, Prince Louis,

Prince Friedrich, Drina, the Weatherby siblings, and Lady Hyacinth. The sleigh had three rows ofseats and Drina sat next to Prince Friedrich and Bertie in the first row. Bertie drove the sleigh.George found himself next to Princess Alice and Prince Louis in the second row. The Weatherbys andLady Hyacinth sat in the last row.

George was forced to watch two Crown Princes fawn over Drina and he didn’t like it one bit.Next to him, Princess Alice and Prince Louis were speaking in German. When there was a pause

in their conversation, George asked her, “Are you fond of ice-skating, Princess Alice?”“Very,” she said. “My father taught me how to ice-skate and my family goes skating at Frogmore

Lodge every Christmas. It is one of my favorite traditions. Do you enjoy skating yourself?”

“I haven’t had much practice.”“If you need any help,” she said with a sly look on her face, “you should ask Drina. She’s a

capital ice skater.”“She appears rather preoccupied with royal princes at the moment,” George said bitterly.Princess Alice smiled widely. “Then you’d better try harder, hadn’t you, George?”“Almost there!” Bertie yelled over his shoulder. The three-storied white house loomed ahead.“Where’s the pond?” George asked.“In the back,” Bertie replied.Bertie pulled the horses to a halt, and a groom quickly ran from the house to take the reins. Then

Bertie hopped out of the sleigh and offered both arms to Drina, lifting her out of the carriage by thewaist. George saw Drina place her hands on top of Bertie’s to gently dislodge them from her person.Prince Friedrich dismounted next to his cousin and offered his arm.

“Thank you, sir knight,” she said. Bertie followed them. Prince Louis helped Princess Alice out ofthe sleigh, leaving George the task of helping Lady Clara. He offered his hand to her.

“Oh dear, Lord Worthington,” she said. She giggled and held a delicately gloved hand to hermouth. “I believe it is too slippery for me to step down. Would you please lift me to safety?”

George grabbed Lady Clara’s waist and set her down on the snowy ground as quickly as possible.Not quickly enough though, for Lady Clara pressed her entire body against his and said breathlessly,“You are too good, Lord Worthington.”

“Not at all,” he said, stepping back so quickly he hit the carriage seat with his behind. He took adeep breath in and started to walk toward the house. Lady Clara grabbed his arm possessively andwalked next to him.

When they entered the house, Bertie was asking to see Drina’s foot to find her a pair of skates.She lifted her skirt and pointed her shapely ankle. Bertie stroked both the ankle and the foot. Georgedesperately wanted to punch the Prince of Wales in the face.

“You can take Vicky’s old pair,” Bertie said, handing a pair of skates to Drina. He grabbed alarger pair of skates and handed them to Prince Friedrich. “Here you go, Friedrich. My father’sskates.”

“Danke,” Prince Friedrich said.Bertie didn’t measure any of the other lady’s feet with his hands. But he did give everyone a pair

of skates, including George, who handled the strings awkwardly. He hadn’t skated since he was nineyears old, and even then he hadn’t shown any aptitude for it. Still he followed the rest of the party outthe opposite door and down a hill to a large frozen pond surrounded by beautiful evergreen trees.

Drina was the first to wander out onto the ice. George watched as she completed a figure-eight.Drina held her arms up like a ballerina and made several complicated turns on the ice. Each time, heheld his breath.

What if Drina falls?George awkwardly hobbled out on the ice. He wobbled forward and waved his arms like a

chicken until he found his balance. He cautiously took a few more steps toward Drina, but he was tooslow. Bertie and Prince Friedrich skated effortlessly out to meet her, Princess Alice and Prince Louisright behind them. Drina and Princess Alice took each other’s hands and spun around in circles,

laughing. They released each other and skated toward the three princes.“Let’s race,” Drina said. “The first one to Lady Clara wins. On your mark, get set, go!”Lady Clara stood on the edge of the lake, in her skates but not on the ice. Drina, Bertie, Prince

Friedrich, Prince Louis, and Princess Alice skated madly toward her. Drina deliberately sloweddown at the end, letting Prince Friedrich win. He took hold of Lady Clara’s shoulders and shefavored him with a flirtatious smile. Drina smiled too as she skated away hand in hand with Bertie.George looked back at the house and wished that there was a reason for him to go inside.

“Why aren’t you skating, George?” Drina asked in a breathless voice as she skated back to him.She came to an abrupt stop inches away. A small, teasing smile curved the edges of her beautiful lips.

“I’m surprised you noticed I wasn’t skating while you were making a spectacle of yourself,”George said.

“Excuse me?” Drina said. She placed her hands on her hips and scowled at him like the PrincessRothfield always did.

His good sense told him to hold his tongue, but his feelings were too strong to remain bridled. Heraked his hands through his hair. “You were … carrying on with His Royal Pain in the Ass.”

“You have no right to make any comment on my behavior,” she snapped. “If it weren’t for HisRoyal Highness no one would have believed our prince switch last night. No one there daredcontradict the future King of England.”

“I suppose you think I should be grateful to Bertie.”“You should be grateful to me,” she retorted. “I risked my entire future to help you. But it never is

about me, is it? It’s always about you!”George was too dumbfounded to answer—he stood there frozen with his mouth open. Luckily, he

didn’t need to. Drina skated away in a flurry of skirts and jumps. Back to Bertie’s open arms.

Chapter 19

Drina was still fuming hours later as she drank afternoon tea with Alice in the Crimson Saloon. Shetook a vicious bite out of a biscuit.

“What has that biscuit done to offend you?” Alice asked.“It isn’t the biscuit that’s offended me, it’s George.”“Better and better.”Drina shook her head and sighed. “I’m tired of waiting for George to return my affections. And I

don’t want him to pursue me out of jealousy, but out of love.”“They’re very often two sides of the same coin,” Alice said. “Jealousy and love.”“He’s behaving atrociously.”“Love often causes one to behave atrociously,” the princess agreed as she sipped her tea. “At

least it does in novels. I don’t know much from my own limited experience. But I did watch my sisterVicky’s romance with Prince Frederick of Prussia, but since she was fourteen years old and hetwenty-four, it wasn’t very romantic. They were never alone and Vicky did almost all the talking.”

“Vicky always does most of the talking,” Drina said dryly. She swallowed before asking, “Areyou ever alone with Prince Louis?”

“Never,” Alice admitted. “I feel as if all our conversations are stilted because another person isalways near, hovering over us. So we talk about the food at dinner. The weather. Innocuous topicsthat are shallow and insipid and tell me nothing about his heart or his head. How are we ever to trulyknow each other?”

“Perhaps I could help?” Drina offered. “I will distract the chaperone so you and Louis can talkwithout an audience.”

“It’s the best plan I’ve heard so far,” Alice said, shaking her head. “I just wish my sister werehere to guide me. Vicky always knows what to do.”

She set down her tea cup. “Do you miss her very much?”Drina had never been overly fond of Vicky—she was too perfect and too clever, and she knew it.

Vicky also had the nasty habit of telling on them to the dreaded governesses, or worse, to her parents.“Of course I do,” Alice said. “She’s my sister. And I feel sorry for her, too. She’s having a

difficult time adjusting to her life in Prussia. She loves Fritz dearly, but she wrote to me that she feelslike a fly struggling in a very tangled web, and that she feels weary and depressed and even a littlehopeless.”

“I’m sorry to hear that she’s struggling,” Drina said. “It’s difficult to leave your home and startagain in another country.”

“My dear Drina,” Alice said, taking her hand. “I’d forgotten you experienced something similarcoming to England.”

“It’s hard when you don’t know the customs and everything is different, especially the language,”she said. “And the holidays can be the most difficult.”

“Especially at Christmas,” Alice agreed, patting her hand. “This was always the time of yearwhen we felt like a normal family instead of a royal one. And now it might be my last one at home…”

“Must you marry a prince?” Drina asked quietly.Alice sipped her tea. “Nothing creates closer diplomatic ties then a royal marriage, even to a

minor German prince. My father wants to modernize Germany through marriage.”“How so?”“He thinks that the German states should be more like England, with a constitutional monarchy,”

Alice explained. “He has positioned Vicky in Prussia and hopes that I can be influential in Hesse orHoburg.”

“I’m not sure modern ideas would be well accepted in Hoburg,” Drina admitted. “Could youmarry an English lord and stay in England?”

“It’s illegal for a princess in England to marry without her parents’ and parliament’s permission.The last English princess to marry a commoner was Henry VIII’s sister Mary, and it was her secondmarriage. Her first marriage was to the elderly King of France.”

“Rather like my parents,” Drina said, taking another sip of tea.“The list of eligible princes is rather slim,” Alice said. “Vicky’s husband, Fritz, vetoed his cousin

Prince Albert of Prussia. He said he wouldn’t do for ‘one who deserves the best.’”“I agree with him entirely! You do deserve the very best.”“Prince Willem of Orange came in January this year,” Alice said. “But I didn’t like him.

Thankfully my parents didn’t, either.”“Which leaves the last two choices: Prince Louis or Prince Friedrich.”“They are both very handsome,” Alice said. “There could be worse fates than to be forced to

marry a handsome prince.”Drina smiled at her friend, but it held no joy. Marrying a foreign prince would mean leaving her

family, her home, and her country. She feared Alice would be like Vicky—struggling in a verytangled web. Despite Alice’s rank, she would always be considered a foreigner in Germany.

“Your cousin is clearly not interested in me, and Prince Louis seems to like me well enough,”Alice said. She sighed and added, “But I’m afraid the most attractive thing about me is my family.”

“Nonsense!” Drina said, more loudly than she’d meant to. Several people in the room looked atthem. Drina spoke in a lower tone, “You are beautiful and clever. A talented artist. A wonderfulnurse. A cracking rider. An advocate for women’s rights and the best companion anyone could hopefor. The prince you accept will be the luckiest man alive and if he doesn’t already know it, I will tellhim.”

Alice laughed and her tea cup clattered on its saucer.The room full of people became nearly silent. Drina looked around and saw Queen Victoria and

Bertie enter the Crimson Saloon. She and Alice scrambled to their feet.Queen Victoria was only four feet, eleven inches tall, yet she somehow filled the space. She

scanned the room with her enormous eyes and fixated on her daughter Alice and Drina. She walkedtoward their sitting area, every eye in the room following her.

“Alice, I believe you will find Prince Louis and Prince Friedrich are both in the Green DrawingRoom,” the Queen said in an overly sweet voice.

Alice gave her mother an elegant curtsy. “Yes, Mama.” She immediately left the room.Queen Victoria stared at Drina, who dropped her eyes.“Alexandrina,” she said.Drina looked up reluctantly.“I have given your request about your father’s estate some thought.”“And?” she asked with a gulp.The Queen gave her another penetrating stare. “I shall give you your answer after Christmas. See

that your behavior until then does not influence my decision detrimentally.”“I’m sure it won’t, Mama,” Bertie chimed in, grinning. “Drina is exemplary at all things: art,

music, dancing, languages. I only wish that I could be more like her.”“Come on, Bertie,” Queen Victoria said imperiously. “We have more important people to speak

to.”“Yes, Mama,” he said. He took Drina’s hand and bowed over it. “But there is no person that I

would rather talk to. Please say you’ll save some dances for me tonight, Drina?”The Queen’s already pinched face tightened in obvious disapproval.Drina could have laughed out loud. Cousin Victoria had told her not to allow her emotions to

show on her face. Clearly, that rule did not apply to queens.“Of—of course I’ll save you some dances,” she managed.Cousin Victoria’s protruding eyes looked ready to pop out of her head and she cleared her throat.Bertie finally released Drina’s hand and followed his mother to the next grouping of chairs. Drina

exhaled and made her own retreat from the room. She walked through the Lantern Lobby to avoid theGreen Drawing Room with the two royal suitors.

As much as she’d missed her cousin, she didn’t want to leave England again. Drina smiled at theirony—eight years ago, she would have stowed away on a ship to return to Hoburg. But now, Englandwas home. She clung to it even tighter than she had Hoburg.

She would do whatever it took to keep the Rothfield estate.And she would show the Queen what kind of marchioness she could be.

Chapter 20

Miss Russon assisted Drina into a white satin evening gown with diamond-shaped puffs on the skirt.Her collar was trimmed with point lace and reached only the edge of her shoulders. Drina put on acoral necklace with three strings, a coral bracelet on each wrist, coral earrings, and strands of coralin her flaxen hair. She wore more ornaments than usual, but she thought her pale complexion neededthe color that the red coral gave her.

Drina slid on her gloves and her social smile. She was going to be on her best behavior tonight infront of the Queen. Her future security depended upon it.

When she reached the Grand Reception Room, she walked to the opposite side of the enormousrectangular room and stood by Edward and his wife.

“You look stunning, Drina,” Emily said kindly.“Maybe you’ll finally catch a husband,” Edward said with a knowing grin.“I didn’t know you could catch a husband,” Drina said tartly. “Is it like catching a cold?”“The worse kind of cold,” Emily said, and squeezed her husband’s arm with both of her hands.

“For you never can be cured of it.”Drina gave a fake laugh. She saw her mother enter the room wearing a stunning tiara of all

diamonds. Her father walked a step behind his wife. He was wearing a black suit and his graying hairstuck up in the back. The crowd of people parted to let her mother through; People always did. Shewas like her cousin, Queen Victoria. She had presence.

Drina turned toward Emily and faked another laugh. She hoped that her mother would stop andtalk to someone else. She hoped in vain.

“Drina,” her mother called, gracefully waving her over.She bowed to Edward and Emily and walked the few feet to her mother, who took Drina by the

arm and whispered in her ear: “Why are you wasting time talking to Edward? He is already married.You need to go stand by the young people. Mingle, is that the right English word?”

“It depends what you think mingle means,” Drina countered.Her mother motioned her hands together. “You know, socialize.”“Then mingle is the correct word,” her father said. “But there’s no need to rush Drina off right

away. I’ve barely seen her in days.”“You’ll see her plenty at home if she doesn’t find a husband,” she said. “And this is her best

opportunity to find one.”Drina looked to her father for help. He smiled at her reassuringly. “Wilhelmina, it’s Christmas.

Let’s enjoy the festive spirit, eh?”“Your daughter doesn’t know what is best for her,” her mother said. “ I know what is best for

her.”“Oh, look. They’re lining up for dinner,” he said, pointing to where Queen Victoria and Prince

Albert stood at the head of the procession. “Should we take our places, dearest?”

Her father drew her mother’s hand through his arm and dragged her away from Drina. He lookedover his shoulder at his daughter and winked.

Papa is a dear.Drina was one of the last ladies to join the procession, which meant she was escorted to the

dining room by Lord Weatherby. He held her chair out for her and sniffed her neck when he pushedher chair in. She shivered in disgust. He tried to touch her shoulder, but she leaned forward quickly. Itwas going to be a very long dinner.

She took only a small portion of every course and tried to make as little conversation as possiblewith Lord Weatherby. Like most men of her acquaintance, Lord Weatherby was more than happy tomake all the conversation. His favorite topic was himself—he proved to be equally loquacious whenspeaking about his title, his house, his fortune, and his favorite racing horses.

As the dessert courses were taken away, Drina tried not to smile too widely when it was time toleave the gentlemen to their port and cigars. She stood to follow the other ladies when she felt a handtouch her arm. Alice stood beside her and linked her arm with Drina’s.

“How was dinner?” she asked.“Dreadful.”Alice laughed. “I won’t tell that to the cook.”Drina flushed. “Oh, no. I meant the company.”“I know,” Alice said. “But I couldn’t resist teasing you a little.”They walked arm in arm to the Waterloo Chamber, where there was a string quartet playing. Not

long after, the gentlemen joined them. Prince Louis asked Alice to dance and Drina noticed herfriend’s complexion blush as she accepted him. Drina stood on the side of the room, waiting to beasked. She saw George looking at her, but he turned away when he met her eyes.

“Drina, will you dance with me?” Friedrich asked.She found Friedrich standing in front of her with his gloved hand outstretched. She placed her

own gloved hand inside it and allowed him to escort her out to the middle of the floor. The musicianswere playing her favorite waltz—Mozart’s Hoburg Homily.

Friedrich placed his left hand on her waist and raised his right hand over his head. He wanted towaltz like they did in Hoburg, not England. Drina timidly placed her hand on his waist and claspedhis other hand over her head. She hadn’t danced a Hoburg-style waltz in years. With the lightest oftouches, Friedrich led her through turns and spins, past other couples. He was an excellent lead andshe a perfect follower. It was exhilarating to dance with someone who matched her steps and style sowell. The music ended and Friedrich gave her a formal court bow. Drina responded with a fullballerina curtsy, her pointy nose nearly touching the floor.

Friedrich clapped. “Well done, Alix—I mean, Drina.”“Yes, well done,” Bertie said, joining them. He offered her his gloved hand. “There is no better

dancer in the room and I’ve come to claim the dances you promised.”She smiled as Bertie squired her around the dance floor, making her laugh more than once. But her

attention was behind him; she watched George leave the room without dancing even one dance. Hewas a dreadful dancer, but he was also the only man she truly wanted to dance with.

Chapter 21

George knew he was being foolish when he left the ballroom. Drina wasn’t doing anything wrong bywaltzing with her cousin. They were merely dancing—although that horrible Hoburg prince danced aswell as Drina. Then blasted Bertie came to steal her for several songs, making her laugh.

Princes!George was all too aware of his own lack of rhythm. He walked down the long corridor, lit only

by gas lamps, and pulled open the door to the outside. It was freezing, sleet like rain coming down insheets. He pulled his jacket collar up and folded his arms. Sighing, he wished things were as simpleas they had been when they were children. When Drina was his best friend and nothing could comebetween them—not her overbearing mother or his annoying elder brother.

But they had grown up and their relationship was no longer simple. His feelings for her had onlydeepened, but now he had to watch every smile, each word, fearing what society would construe ofthem. He knew he wasn’t the suitor Princess Rothfield wanted for her daughter. He was no prince.Not even a duke. He wouldn’t inherit a large estate or a fortune. He barely even had a profession.

How could George compete with the most eligible bachelor in all of England—in all of theworld?

He’d wanted to tell Drina how he felt about her, but he had been so afraid of ruining theirrelationship. And now he had ruined it, by not telling her.

Am I too late?

The wind blew right through his coat. If he didn’t go inside soon, he’d catch a cold.He opened the door and walked slowly to his rooms. A fire blazed in the hearth, but what caught

his attention was the newspaper on his bedside table. He walked up to it and read the front:Underground Railroad to be Built from Paddington to Farringdon. He’d never heard of such athing. The very thought was fascinating—a railroad underneath the ground.

George picked up the paper and read the full story and even turned to page six to finish it. Thechief engineer was John Fowler, who was widely considered to be the greatest engineer in all ofEngland. He was certainly the highest paid—the article also talked about his previous engineeringachievements and his training under John Towlerton Leather.

George crushed the paper in one hand. Who better to train under than the foremost engineer in thecountry? This could be his chance to become a real engineer—an opportunity to create a career forhimself. He would no longer be financially dependent on his father. It was everything he ever wantedwhen he had studied at Eton.

He could make a name for himself. His own name, not just the name of his esteemed ancestors. Hewould no longer need his empty title Lord Worthington.

He was the lord of nothing.

The second son of a duke.The spare heir.George carefully smoothed out the newspaper on the table and then folded it into quarters and

placed it in his jacket pocket.He could do this. Every dream required a leap of faith, and if he didn’t take this leap, he’d spend

his whole life regretting it.

The next morning, George left Windsor Castle well before breakfast for the train station. Heacknowledged the surly stationmaster with a nod before climbing into the first-class train car. Onceseated, he pulled out his newspaper and read the article about the underground railroad again. He hadplenty of time to reread it on the long ride to London.

At Paddington Station, George hailed a hansom cab and told the driver the address from thenewspaper. After a few minutes, they arrived in front of an inauspicious brown brick building.

A middle-aged clerk with fair curly hair and a long white scar across his forehead was sitting atthe front desk. George took off his hat and bowed. “I should like to speak to Mr. John Fowler.”

“Do you have an appointment, sir?”He gulped, shaking his head. But he hadn’t come all the way from Windsor to be stopped now. He

pulled out his gilt-edged calling card and handed it to the man. For once, his title worked in his favor.The clerk stood up immediately and bowed to George.

“One moment, Lord Worthington,” he said with another bow. “I’ll let him know that you’re here.”George wasn’t kept waiting more than a few minutes when the curly-haired clerk returned and

asked him to follow him down the hall. The clerk opened the door to a spacious office with a largetable in the center. On the table were sketches and renderings of tunnels and bridges. Sitting in a chairat the head of the table was a man in his forties. He was bald on top with a circle of dark brown hairand sideburn whiskers that reached his chin. His dark eyes seemed to be evaluating George. The clerkbowed once more to both men before closing the door.

“How may I help you, Lord Worthington?” Mr. Fowler finally asked.George took out his rumpled newspaper and pointed to the article about the underground railroad.

“I was hoping to work for you—to train under you—to become a civil engineer.”The older man pointed to the chair closest to his. “Please sit down, Lord Worthington.”George placed his hat on the table and then sat, drumming his fingers on the table nervously.“You’re very young, Lord Worthington.”“Eighteen, sir.”“What experience do you have?”He gulped again. Not much. “Well, sir, I, uh … took first in mathematics at Eton college … and I,

uh … designed a small bridge on my father’s estate and we built it this past June.”“And what have you done since?” Mr. Fowler asked, intertwining his fingers.“I’ve been working as a junior secretary in the Foreign Department.”“Have you lost your position at the Foreign Department?”George shook his head slowly. “No, sir. My father is the head of the department. It’s just that I

don’t particularly enjoy the work. I’m not interested in politics. I want to be an engineer.”“What do you know about cut and cover trenches?”“Only a little,” he admitted, flushing with embarrassment. “Are you referring to the bottom-up

method or the top-down method?”“I will allow that I’m impressed you know the difference. But I’m afraid, Lord Worthington,” Mr.

Fowler said, shaking his head, “the only thing you’re qualified to do is bring me my coffee.”“Then I’ll do that, if you’ll hire me.”“The son of a duke wants to bring my coffee?” he asked incredulously.“If that’s where I have to start,” George said. “I’d rather bring you your coffee than pander to

foreign princes.”Mr. Fowler cocked his head to one side. “Why, Lord Worthington?”George cleared his throat. “I want to train under the best engineer in the country and learn your

methods. And hopefully, one day design my own bridges and tunnels, sir.”“The pay for a trainee won’t be what you’re used to,” he said, pointing at George’s expensive

black suit. “And the work site will be quite different than the Foreign Office. Those fancy clotheswould be ruined within an hour from all the dust and muck.”

“The money doesn’t matter; I’m here for the experience and I realize that these clothes areinappropriate for engineering work. I only wore them today out of respect for you and your position.”

Mr. Fowler barked a laugh. “Are you trying to flatter me, my lord?”“Yes,” he admitted with a small shrug of his shoulders. “Is it working?”The man didn’t smile, but his face still somehow looked pleased. “I won’t tolerate tardiness, nor

insubordination.”“Yes, sir,” George said, nodding and trying to hold in his smile. Hope filled his chest like a

balloon.“You will have no special privileges. You’ll be treated the same as any other member of my staff,

Lord Worthington.”“You don’t have to call me by my title,” he said, grinning. “You can just call me George.”“Well, George,” Mr. Fowler said, smiling widely as he stood up and held out his hand. “I like

your enthusiasm. I’m willing to give you a chance.”“Thank you, sir,” George said, puffing out his chest and shaking his hand. “Thank you so much.”

Chapter 22

The arched windows bathed the library in light. Thousands of books lined the walls from floor toceiling. Drina stood in front of the fireplace and warmed her hands, trying to come up with a plan orsystem. But the task was monumental and seemed hopeless.

How was she supposed to find a legal precedent regarding a woman inheriting a title and estate, ifshe didn’t even know where to start?

“I thought I’d find you here,” Alice called.She turned to see Alice and all of her younger siblings, plus Bertie, walking toward her. Beatrice

was holding Alice’s hand, but spying Drina, she dropped it and ran to her. Drina scooped her up andtwirled her around before resting her on her hip.

“Are you here to help me, Baby?”“Yes,” Beatrice said with an emphatic nod, her bright curls bobbing up and down.“As you see, I’ve brought reinforcements,” Alice said, gesturing to her siblings.“I’m afraid that I don’t even know where to begin,” Drina admitted, shrugging her shoulders.“The legal section, I should think.”“Alice, you’re a genius,” Drina said dryly.“Well, my dear, I’m a polymath, so of course I’m a genius,” Alice said, with a wink and a smile.

“Now, Bertie, go fetch us a ladder from the other side of the library. Alfred and Helena, you two takethis shelf. Arthur and Leopold, you take this next shelf, and Louise and Drina, the one above it. Bertieand I will sort through the highest shelf once he returns with the ladder.”

Alice handed stacks of books to her siblings, and they took them over to a round table with chairs.Drina set down Beatrice so that she could carry her own stack of books. She brought them to anotherround table and set them down with a thud. Drina sat and Beatrice climbed onto her lap.

“I help you find it.”“Thank you, Baby,” Drina said, patting her curls. “I should like that very much.”Louise sat next to them and handed her a paper. “For you, Drina. Happy Christmas.”Drina turned the paper over and saw Louise’s completed sketch of Windsor Castle. The center of

the picture was the Round Tower, set on a hill. Trees and shrubs framed the castle and softened thehard lines of the stone. Louise had even drawn clouds in the sky.

“Thank you, Louise,” Drina said, squeezing the younger girl’s hand. “It is the best Christmaspresent I’ve ever received. When I get home, I’ll frame it and hang it in the parlor at RothfieldHouse.”

“It’s not that good,” Louise said, blushing and looking away.“It is that good,” she assured the princess, “and I thank you for it and for helping me today.”Louise smiled and began reading the book in front of her. Drina opened the first page of her own

book when Bertie came and sat next to her, flipping through the crackly pages of a large tome. Dustparticles circled around in the air like snowflakes.

“Why did you ask me for two dances?” she asked suspiciously in a voice barely above a whisper.The Prince of Wales had the grace to color. He cleared his throat. “I’m trying to help you with my

mother.”“By making her angry?”“That is a delightful bonus,” he said with his ever-charming smile. “But no, I have a plan to help

you break the entail.”Drina chewed her lip, unsure if she wanted any part in Bertie’s scheme. “A plan besides finding a

legal precedent in these dusty books?”“Yes,” he said. “I have learned in the military that it is always good to have more than one angle

of attack.”“Then what is your plan?”Bertie shook his head. “You’ll see.”She didn’t see at all, but she’d already wasted too much time talking. Turning open the book, she

began to scan the phrases for important words like entail and inheritance.Page after page.Book after book.Shelf after shelf.But she saw no precedent of a woman inheriting a title from her father or any other male relative.

Drina kept reading until Beatrice fell asleep on her lap, her curly little head resting on Drina’sforearm.

“I’m hungry,” Leopold complained. Drina heard his stomach grumble.“And I’m tired,” Arthur said, yawning and stretching his arms.“I suppose it’s past time for lunch,” Drina said, standing up with Beatrice in her arms.“I can look longer,” Louise said, giving both of her younger brothers a dirty look very reminiscent

of her mother’s scowl.“There’s no need to,” Drina said, resignedly. “I don’t think we’re going to find anything to

convince your mother to lift the entail. And I’m sure you’re supposed to be in lessons right now.”“We are,” Helena said in her soft voice, “but you’re more important.”“I can’t tell you all how much it means to me that you all tried,” Drina said, and sighed. “But I’m

as hungry as Leopold. I think we ought to go have some lunch.”The royal children closed their books and placed them back on the shelves. One by one they left

the library until it was only Alice, Bertie, and Drina, who was still holding the sleeping Beatrice.Bertie took his sister from Drina’s arms.

“Thank you for your help, Bertie,” she said sadly. “It was a good plan, Alice.”“Don’t give up yet,” Alice said, hugging her. “There are still so many books that we haven’t gone

through.”“I won’t,” Drina assured her, but she couldn’t help but feel disappointed. What if there wasn’t a

legal precedent to be found? Would Drina have to marry to secure her financial and social position?She shivered at the very thought.

George raked his fingers through his hair and took a deep breath before leaving his room at WindsorCastle. He wandered through the private apartments, searching for his father. He finally found himstanding next to Lord Rothfield in the Crimson Saloon. They were looking out the window at the icyrain.

George walked up to them. Nervousness tunneled from his stomach to his throat like anunderground train, but he’d gone too far to turn back now.

“Father,” George said in an undertone. “I need to speak with you. Privately.”Lord Rothfield gave him a nod. “Good to see you, George.” He clapped George on the shoulder

and then walked away.“Privately?” his father rasped. “There is no privacy in a palace, boy.”“Then over in the corner,” George said, gesturing to a pair of chairs that were empty.“Very well,” his father said, and walked over to a chair and sat down.“I don’t want to be a foreign diplomat,” George said, still standing. For once, he was looking

down at his father and not looking up. “I have no talent for it. I’m much too blunt and I can’t endurecatering to somebody just because they happened to be born royal. Every minute spent in PrinceFriedrich’s company has convinced me that this isn’t the life I want.”

The Duke of Doverly patted the seat next to him indulgently. “Sit down, George.”He sat on the edge of the golden chair—too tense to scoot back.“You didn’t let a few tosses from your horse stop you from learning how to ride, did you?” his

father said. “Don’t let a few hiccups on your first diplomatic assignment get you down in the mouth,son. You’re sure to do better next time.”

George growled, but he wasn’t going to give in this time. He shook his head. “No, Father. Youneed to listen to me. This isn’t about my assignment. It’s about me. I don’t like diplomacy. I hatepolitics. I want to be a civil engineer.”

“A civil engineer?” his father whispered contemptuously. “A common profession, when you wereborn from the blood of kings?”

“Yes!” George cried. “I don’t care that our great-great-great grandfather or something was theillegitimate son of King Charles II. The world is changing. Technology is the future, not deadmonarchs. I read in the newspaper that the Metropolitan Railway is building an underground railwayfrom Paddington to Farringdon. I put my name forward just this afternoon as a trainee and Mr. JohnFowler accepted me.”

“If you take this position,” his father said, “I will cut you off without a penny.”“I’ll have a salary of my own.”His father gave a scornful laugh. “A working man’s salary? Ha! You’ll hardly be able to live at

the level of comfort that you’re used to. That you were born to.”“I can manage,” George said tightly.“And don’t depend on inheriting your godfather’s fortune. He may be eighty, but he could live

another dozen years.”His father’s threats bounced off him as if he were wearing a suit of armor. George didn’t have to

worry about the Foreign Office or being sent to Austria any more, or hope that a man he barely knewwould die and leave him his money. George was now a working man with a salary. He had options,

choices—and they felt more powerful than any crown.“I can’t control your decisions, Father. But I can control my own. If you wish to cut off my

allowance, which you already threaten to do on a weekly basis, do it. But I’m done living underneathyour thumb. You can write to Lord Loftus and tell him that I won’t be coming to Austria any timesoon. Unless he’d like me to build a bridge or a railroad.”

And with that, George walked away. It felt amazing.

Chapter 23

The morning of Christmas Eve, Drina returned to the castle library and was surprised to see Alicethere. She was sitting on one side of the sofa by the arched window, Mr. Ruland was sitting in themiddle, and Prince Louis on the other side. They were all speaking amicably in German about therecord-breaking cold weather Windsor Castle was experiencing this Christmas.

This isn’t going to help their courtship at all.“Hello, Alice, Prince Louis, and Mr. Ruland,” Drina said, with a curtsy.They all returned her greeting.“Mr. Ruland, the Prince of Wales requires assistance on a German letter he is writing,” Drina

lied. “Would you be so kind as to go and help him?”He shook his head and stroked his goatee. “But I’m chaperoning, Lady Alexandrina. I cannot leave

Princess Alice alone with a suitor.”“I’ll stay with them the entire time until you return,” she assured him. “And Bertie was quite

insistent that he needed you right away.”Mr. Ruland still looked unsure, but Drina ushered him out of the library before he could protest

further, and shut the door behind him.“I thought Bertie was still in bed,” Alice said in English. “He was out quite late with Prince

Friedrich. I believe they left for town after the dancing last night.”“I have no idea where Bertie is,” Drina replied mischievously. She sat down on Alice’s other

side so that the princess was between her and Prince Louis. “Budge over a bit. I’m falling off.”Alice scooted a little closer to the prince.“Did you know, Prince Louis,” Drina began, “that Alice is very interested in nursing and in

women’s rights and education?”“I didn’t,” he said with a thick German accent. “But I’m eager to hear more.”Drina stood up. “I’m sure Alice could tell you all about it. I’m going to find a nice big book about

dead people and read it … over there.”Smiling to herself, she walked back to the legal section they had begun searching the day before.

She ran her fingers over the spines of leather-bound volumes until she found a thick book onparliamentary bills from 1700 to 1750 and pulled it out. Blowing off the dust from the top, she heavedit over to the chair by the fireplace. She flicked through a few pages, but didn’t see anythingpertaining to female heirs. It was pretty dull stuff on the whole.

Drina peeked over at Alice and Prince Louis—their dark heads were together in closeconversation. She didn’t know what they were saying, of course, but she hoped it was a more excitingtopic than the cold weather.

Mr. Ruland opened the door to the library. “His Royal Highness isn’t in the family rooms.Princess Helena hasn’t seen him at all this morning.”

“He must have become impatient waiting for you,” Drina lied smoothly. “Why don’t you check the

Queen’s apartments?”Mr. Ruland looked from Drina to where Alice and Prince Louis were seated at the sofa. “I’m not

—”“Yes,” Alice piped up, “I believe I did see my brother head toward my mother’s apartments. I’m

sure he’ll be very grateful for your assistance with the letter, Mr. Ruland.”“Very well, Princess Alice,” he said, and bowed to her before leaving.Alice blushed a little as she leaned even closer to Prince Louis. Drina yawned and flipped

several more pages and read about private parliamentary acts. They were interesting, but notparticularly helpful about entails or primogeniture.

Not that she really expected to see any parliamentary bills about primogeniture. The law hadexisted in England since the Norman conquest in 1066 and it stated that the eldest son would inheritall the land instead of it being equally divided among the children. It protected a family’s wealth andprominence while keeping large estates intact. And entails were usually part of deeds of settlement,which gave the eldest son the right to the income from the estate, but didn’t allow him to sell the landor to mortgage it. Even entails had their limits. They could only exist until the grandson of the manwho created the entail turned twenty-one. The difficulty was that Drina’s deceased grandfather, whohad created their entail, had no grandsons. In such cases as these, the estate usually went to a distantmale cousin.

Daughters didn’t typically inherit estates in England, which she thought was ridiculous andentirely unfair. But Drina didn’t have any cousins from the Gailey line, male or female. Hergrandfather had been the only child of an only son. Her father had already outlived his two brothers.And when he died, all of her family’s property would go to the government, leaving Drina withnothing.

She closed the heavy book and then opened it to a random page and began reading about a specialparliamentary bill by John Churchill, the 1st Duke of Marlborough.

Drina’s eyes widened: The bill allowed Churchill’s estate and title to go to his eldest daughter.“I can’t believe it,” Drina said aloud, pressing her hands to her suddenly hot cheeks.“What?” Alice asked. “What can’t you believe?”“In 1706, a special parliamentary act allowed a daughter not only to inherit the estate, but the title

as well!”“Who?”“Lady Henrietta Churchill. Her brother predeceased her father, Lord John Churchill, and he

wanted his estate and title to go to his eldest daughter. She became the second Duchess ofMarlborough in 1722.”

“That’s just what we needed!”“It says she held the title ‘suo jure,’” Drina read.“What does suo jure mean?” Prince Louis asked.“I don’t know,” she admitted, shaking her head.“It’s Latin,” Alice explained. “It means that she held the title through her own right, not through

marriage.”“Which means that either with a royal dispensation or a special act of parliament, I would be able

to be the fourth Marchioness of Rothfield, suo jure,” Drina said excitedly. “I would be able to keepmy home, fortune, and family’s title.”

“This calls for a celebration,” Prince Louis said, standing up. “Let’s see what we can find in thekitchens.”

He held out his arm for Alice. She shyly placed her hand on it and allowed him to help her stand.“But what about poor Mr. Ruland?”

“I’m sure he’ll find us eventually,” Prince Louis said in German.“You two go,” Drina said, grinning. “I’ll catch up with you in a few moments. I want to read

through the details one more time.”Prince Louis gave her a grateful smile and led Alice toward the door. The princess glanced over

her shoulder at Drina, who winked at her.She had no intention of catching up with them.

Two hours later, Alice poked her head back into the library. “How is your chaperoning going, dear?”“Smashingly, I hope,” Drina said, grinning as she set aside another heavy law tome that she’d

been looking in for a second precedent to further bolster her case. “Please say you two behavedshockingly while you were alone.”

Alice’s eyes sparkled and she smiled. “Entirely shockingly.”Drina squealed. “Oooh! Did he kiss you?”“No!” Alice said, sitting beside her.Drina took her friend’s hands. “Did you kiss him?”“Of course not!”“Alice!” Drina complained. “Don’t keep me in suspense. I have no suitor of my own, so I must

live vicariously through you. I need every scandalous detail.”The princess blushed rosily. “He held my hand.”The bubble of excitement in Drina’s chest popped like it had been pricked by a sharp pin. She

blinked in disappointment. Trust the royal family’s propriety to waste a perfectly good opportunity.“That’s it?”

“I told him that it is best to be quite honest about one’s feelings, and then I asked him how he feltabout me.”

“How very bold of you,” Drina said, leaning forward. “What did he say?”Alice bit her lip to suppress a smile. “That he’d requested my photograph after his visit in June

and that he’d looked at it often because he thought I was so beautiful.”“You are,” she said, her heart warming toward the stiff German prince. Perhaps he was worthy of

her dearest friend after all. “What else did you talk about?”“I’m afraid that I did most of the talking,” Alice said with a chuckle. “It is our family’s failing

after all.”“Very true!” Drina said, laughing with her friend.“I thought that he only cared about hunting and his next meal. But he listened with insight and

sympathy as I talked about women’s education and health reform,” Alice said, glowing as she spoke.

“I do believe I’ve misjudged him; he was in no way deficient in understanding … And as you have soaptly put, he is very nice to look at.”

“Prince Louis is the handsomest of princes,” Drina said, and then could wait no longer to ask thequestion burning in her mind: “Will you pick him as your prince?”

“He is so dear and kind,” Alice whispered. “I think I might even love him.”“Love!?” Drina exclaimed, squeezing her friend’s hands tightly.“Should he ask … I will accept.”“Oh, he’ll ask!” Drina said. “He’s besotted with you.”They squealed together like schoolgirls and hugged each other tightly.

Chapter 24

George left for dinner early, hoping to see Drina. He had her Christmas present in his jacket pocketand he couldn’t wait to give it to her. But when he arrived in the reception room, she was already onthe arm of Prince Friedrich. They were standing next to Princess Alice and Prince Louis and all fourwere laughing and looking like they were having a jolly good time together. He watched them forseveral moments, when he felt someone standing behind him.

Before he could turn around, he heard his brother say, “So, a little bird told me that you aren’tgoing to live under Father’s thumb anymore.”

“Is Father still livid?”“Very,” Edward said with his usual teasing smile. “He railed about disinheriting you, crossing

your name out of the family Bible, and never mentioning you again.”“What did you say?”“I was tempted to agree with him, you know,” Edward said. “More money for me and all that. But

it is Christmas Eve, so I went and spoke with Mother and convinced her to be indulgent of yourengineering folly and let you give it a go. I’ve even prevailed upon her to settle a sum of money onyou so that you may be financially free of Father and his whims.”

George was speechless. He opened his mouth and then closed it. Then opened it again, but nowords would come out. His brother, of all people, had come to his aid when he needed it most.

Edward put a hand on George’s hair and mussed it up. “Happy Christmas, little brother.”“I—I—”“It was worth it just to see you speechless for once in your life,” Edward said, clapping him hard

on the back.“Thank you,” he said with a gulp. His gaze had somehow ended up on Drina again.Edward put his arm around George’s shoulders. “If I were you,” he whispered into George’s ear,

“I’d take advantage of the mistletoe before you miss your opportunity.”He shrugged his brother’s arm off. “I don’t need your advice.”Edward grinned even wider and shook his head. “Oh, but you do, little brother. You do.”The wretched fates proved Edward correct. The Queen and Prince Albert entered the reception

room and began the procession to the State Dining Room. Prince Friedrich took Drina’s arm andfollowed Princess Alice and Prince Louis. The only lady left was Lady Clara. George offered her hisarm and sat next to her at dinner.

George was delighted when Lady Clara and the rest of the ladies left the gentlemen to drink theirport. He poured himself a large glass and steadily avoided his brother’s laughing eyes and his father’sangry ones. He found Prince Louis beside him, pouring his second glass of port and lookingpositively unwell. His face was flushed red and his hands were shaking.

“Are you all right?” George asked him.“Ja,” Prince Louis said, nodding absentmindedly. He kept pressing his hand against his coat

pocket.“Got something important in there?” he asked.Prince Louis reached his hand into it and pulled out a silver brooch. “It is a present for Princess

Alice. Do you think she will like it?”“Yes,” George said. “Ladies love pretty baubles.”Prince Louis drank the rest of his port and was about to pour himself a third glass, but George

took the bottle from his hands.“Bad idea,” he said kindly. “The royal family decorates their tree on Christmas Eve and then

exchanges presents. You don’t want to be foxed.”“Foxed?”“Drunk,” George explained.“I’m so, so … anxious? Is that the right word?”He shrugged. “Anxious about what?”“My visit to England is almost over,” he said, squeezing the brooch in his hand. “I mean to ask

Princess Alice to marry me tonight.”“Anxious and nervous are probably both the right words,” George said, giving the prince a smile

of encouragement. “Best of luck.”“I think I’m going to need it,” Prince Louis said. He lifted the glass to his lips, as if he’d forgotten

it was empty, with shaking hands.George nodded sympathetically. “Just tell her how you feel.”“Fill?”“Your feelings. Tell her that you love her,” George said, thinking about Drina. “That there is no

other person in the whole world that you’d rather be near than her.”Prince Louis smiled. “I like your words very much, Lord Worthington. I think, with your

permission, I will say something similar but in German.”“You have it,” George said.Both he and Prince Louis followed Prince Albert and the rest of the gentlemen to join the ladies.

The royal children were already putting gingerbread decorations on the tallest Christmas tree thatGeorge had ever seen. Princess Alice and Drina were hanging nuts and ornaments on the tree andlaughing together. Queen Victoria herself was lighting the candles.

“Ask her now,” George said, gently pushing Prince Louis toward Princess Alice. “Before youlose your nerve.”

Prince Louis nodded and went up to Princess Alice. They walked together away from theenormous Christmas tree to the fireplace on the other side of the room. George watched theirexchange, and he wasn’t the only one; Drina’s and Queen Victoria’s eyes were also on them.

Queen Victoria handed her lighter to Bertie and walked past the couple, as if to go to anotherroom. Prince Louis and Princess Alice stopped her.

“Prince Louis has proposed,” Alice said, blushing and smiling.“Your Majesty, Queen Victoria,” Prince Louis said, extending his hand. “May we have your

blessing?”Queen Victoria took his hand and squeezed it with her two plump hands. “Certainly.”

George looked at Drina, who was smiling broadly at her friend. Queen Victoria called for herhusband and he came immediately. Prince Albert was told the news and he embraced his daughter andthen shook Prince Louis’s hand vigorously.

“A beloved newly bestowed full-grown son,” Prince Albert said, loud enough for the entire roomto hear. Prince Louis beamed in triumph.

George reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out Drina’s present. But she was no longerstanding by the Christmas tree. Bertie was also strangely absent.

George spun on his foot and left the room, shoving his gift back into his pocket.He was being a fool. Drina was clearly meant to be a queen and he, well, at least he would be an

engineer.

Chapter 25

Drina looked from Alice, who was beaming with happiness, to Friedrich by her side. “I’m so gladthat Alice found her perfect prince.”

“And I’m so glad it wasn’t me,” Friedrich said with a wicked smile.She laughed.“Come over here, Drina,” he said. “I have something for you.”They walked to a corner of the room behind the Christmas tree, which blocked their view of the

other guests. Friedrich pulled a Christmas card out of his pocket and handed it to Drina. “When I firstsaw this, I thought only of you.”

She turned over the card to see a picture of a hideous snow monster holding holly and giving acreepy smile to a little red robin. Drina laughed so hard that she snorted. “It’s so hideous!”

“Read the back.”Drina turned it over and read: From your devoted knight and cousin, Friedrich.She threw her arms around him and gave him a quick hug. “I love it!”Her cousin returned the embrace and when she let go, Drina handed him two Christmas cards.“Two?”“I couldn’t pick just one,” she admitted. “They were both gruesomely perfect.”Friedrich turned over the card with the dead robin first and burst out laughing. He shook his head.

“You English are crazy. Who sends pictures of dead birds to their friends and family for a Christmasgreeting?”

“You have to see the next one.”He turned over the card where the man was being held by the bear. He smiled. “This won’t end

well for the man.”They laughed together merrily. “I have more gifts to give,” Drina said. “Happy Christmas,

Friedrich. Try not to break too many hearts tonight.”He gave her wolfish grin. “I can’t help it. I was born to break hearts.”Drina went back to the Christmas tree and found her gift for Alice. She picked it up and made her

way to her friend. When Alice saw her, she hugged her tightly.“I’m so very, very happy for you!” Drina said.“I’m happy for myself,” Alice said, still beaming. “I have the happy ending I didn’t think I’d find.”“Here’s your Christmas present,” she said, handing the brown paper package tied with twine to

her friend.Alice unwrapped the brown paper and read the title of the book: “Notes on Nursing: What It Is

and What It Is Not, by Florence Nightingale.”“I know you used to follow her letters during the Crimean War.”“Her hygiene methods in field hospitals were innovational,” Alice said. “I can’t wait to read

this!”

The princess opened the book eagerly.“Well, not now,” Drina protested. “It’s Christmas Eve. The best methods for disposing of bloody

bandages can wait.”Alice laughed and took Drina’s hand. “I’m still working on your present.” She leaned in

conspiratorially to whisper, “Don’t forget to put your stocking out for Father Christmas.”“I won’t,” Drina assured her. She saw Prince Louis standing behind them, looking like he was

waiting to speak with Alice. “I believe your handsome fiancé has a present for you as well.”Drina took her card from Friedrich and walked over to the fireplace to sit. She looked around the

room. Edward was grinning at Emily, who was holding a diamond circlet. Lord Weatherby’s handwas on Lady Hyacinth’s back; Drina shivered in disgust. Lady Clara sat rather close to Friedrich andthey were laughing together. And Alice and Prince Louis were grinning stupidly at each other. Shewatched Prince Louis give Alice a brooch; Alice exclaimed in delight and grasped his hands. Shelooked genuinely happy and Drina was genuinely happy for her friend.

But George was gone. Drina suddenly felt rather gloomy and stood up to leave the room. Shedidn’t want to bah humbug anyone else’s Christmas Eve. She quietly left the room and found herfather sitting on a sofa in the corridor.

“There you are, Drina,” her father said. “I’ve scarcely seen you this week. Come and sit down byme.” He must have seen her dour expression for he added, “Why so glum on Christmas Eve?”

“I’m not feeling glum,” Drina lied as she sat. “In fact, earlier today, I read about a specialparliamentary act passed in 1706 that allowed a daughter to inherit her father’s estate and title in herown right.”

“That’s wonderful!” he said. “We should go tell your mother at once. Have you told QueenVictoria about it? Perhaps it will help sway her decision.”

“Alice promised to,” she said, secretly hoping her friend wouldn’t forget with all the excitementof her own engagement. “So now you don’t have to regret that I wasn’t born a boy.”

“I never regretted your birth even once,” her father said, taking her hands in his. “From the firstmoment I held you in my arms, I knew that I was luckiest man alive. I have a beautiful wife and abeautiful daughter—”

“Except for the nose,” Drina interjected, touching the tip of her long, pointy nose.“Except for the nose,” her father agreed, and touched his own long nose. “And the unfortunate

height.”“I don’t mind that one as much.”“I adore them both,” her father said earnestly. “Because they make you you, Drina. You are more

important to me than any title, any estate. You are my greatest legacy.”“Thank you, Papa,” Drina said with a sniff as she leaned over and embraced him. “You are

wonderful.”He patted her hair. “Almost half as wonderful as you.”She sat back and sniffed again. “I think I’ll go to bed now, Papa. I’m awfully tired.”“I have one more thing for you,” he said. He took a small box out of his coat pocket and handed it

to her. “This is from your mother and me. She picked them, of course—she says I have no taste forjewelry. Happy Christmas.”’

Drina lifted the lid of the small box to reveal a sparkling set of sapphire earrings trimmed withsilver. “They’re stunning, Papa!”

“The same color as your eyes,” he said. He smiled wryly and added, “Try not to get arrested forstealing them.”

Drina clutched the box to her stomach. “You know? You knew?!”Her father nodded. “Next time, tell George to tip the coach driver as well as the footmen if he

doesn’t want his exploits spread about. Dinsmore’s driver was full of details and I was more thanhappy to pay for his discretion.”

“Are you angry?”“Not a bit,” her father said, shaking his head. “But next time, I would be honored if you called on

me to rescue you.”“I didn’t want you to tell Mama,” Drina admitted. “And George was afraid you’d tell his father.”“I can keep a secret from your mother,” her father said, patting down his gray hair that stuck up in

the back. “And I’m fond of George. I would never say anything to his father that would get him intotrouble. In fact, I’ve always thought he was rather fond of you, too. And in my opinion, he’s worth adozen princes.”

She blushed and shook her head. “He doesn’t care for me that way.”“You might be surprised,” her father said, and then kissed her on the cheek.Drina kissed her father’s cheek and took her own jumble of thoughts back to her bedchamber. She

pulled the cord for her servant. Within a few minutes, Miss Russon arrived and assisted her out of herevening gown and into her nightdress. Drina dismissed her and then carefully placed the jewelry shewas wearing, along with her new sapphire earrings, into her lockbox.

She climbed into bed and sat for a few moments watching the flames dance in the fireplace. Thenshe suddenly remembered Alice telling her to put a stocking out for Father Christmas.

Drina groaned as she scrambled back out of bed. She pulled the stocking off her foot and placed iton a hook in front of the fireplace. It was silly to put out a stocking for Father Christmas at her age,but she wasn’t quite ready to give up on dreams and magic yet. And in the morning when nothing wasin her stocking, she would pretend something wonderful was inside.

She closed her eyes and smiled, picturing George in a very large stocking.

Chapter 26

Drina opened her eyes slowly. It was Christmas Day. She rolled out of bed and tugged open thecurtains. Light streamed through the windows into the perfectly pink room. She walked to thefireplace to warm her hands; the embers of a small fire were still burning in the crate.

She reached out and startled: There was something inside her stocking! Drina quickly pulled thestocking off the mantle and found a piece of paper inside.

She dropped the stocking and unfolded the paper. At the bottom was the official stamp of QueenVictoria Regina and her signature. Drina glanced through the carefully written lines. It was a royaldispensation:

I, Queen Victoria, do officially end the entail of the Rothfield estate because of the lack of any direct or indirect maledescendants. I hereby give Lady Alexandrina Victoria Gailey, daughter of Lord Anthony Gailey and Princess Wilhelmina ofHoburg, the authority to inherit Rothfield estate and the title Marchioness of Rothfield suo jure.

All Drina could do was laugh. She laughed so hard that she cried. She almost didn’t hear the lightknock at the door. For half a moment, she thought it would be George, but she shook her head. Hewouldn’t come to her rooms. Not now. Probably not ever.

Drina slipped on her silk robe and opened the door. Alice stood in the hall, fully dressed andgrinning at her.

“Were you a good girl this year? Did Father Christmas come?” she asked archly.“I’ll say,” Drina answered, opening the door wider so her friend could come inside her room. She

shut the door behind Alice and they sat side by side on pink chairs.“How did you do this?” Drina asked.Alice smiled. “Last night, my mother called me to her rooms to talk about my marriage to Prince

Louis. She was so pleased, I thought it was the right moment to ask a favor of her.”“Obviously, she said yes.”“Nearly,” Alice replied. “I told her about the special parliamentary act that allowed Henrietta

Churchill to inherit her father’s title and estate, but she still seemed hesitant. So I pointed out to herthat if you weren’t going to inherit your family’s estate that you would be desperately looking for awealthy husband and that there was a very eligible prince looking your way. And of course, shedoesn’t want you to marry Bertie, because she’s trying to set him up with Princess Alexandra ofDenmark.”

“Why would she think that Bertie wished to marry me?”“It was his idea to help you,” Alice said. “Bertie’s been telling Mama how beautiful you are and

how talented and how much he likes you. Then he asked you to dance several times. I think that iswhat finally did the trick.”

“That was kind of him.”“Will you forgive him now, Drina?” Alice asked earnestly. “May I tell him that he is forgiven?”

She paused before answering. “Yes, as long as he promises to keep both his lips and arms tohimself in the future.”

“Bertie will be so pleased.”“Thank you for all that you’ve done, Alice,” Drina said. “You must have stayed up very late to

slip that letter in my stocking.”“Late indeed,” Alice said with a wink. “My father wanted to talk to me in his study and he

explained to me what happens between a man and a woman when they are married.”“I wondered how much you knew about that.”“Not much at all. In fact, nothing beyond kissing. And I have yet to be kissed,” Alice confessed,

blushing. “But I look forward with joy to kissing and consummating my marriage.”Alice laughed and blushed some more. Drina laughed with her.“You will be so happy and you must name your most beautiful daughter after me.”“I will,” Alice said with another smile. “Although, life was made for work and not pleasure.”A dreary Prince Albert-ism if there ever was one.“Perhaps life was made for both work and pleasure,” Drina said, standing up. “Now I must get

dressed. I need to tell my parents the good news and go thank your mother.”Alice stood up, too. “I should go spend the morning with Louis. He leaves for Hesse in three days

and I could cry my eyes out just thinking about it.”“How soon will you be married?”“Papa says within the year,” Alice said. “But I can hardly wait. I could be quite happy and

contented living in a cottage with Louis. We will share intellectual interests and aspirations.”“And he is very handsome,” Drina said with her own smile.“The handsomest of princes!” Alice said, smiling. “And even more handsome than Vicky’s

husband, Fritz. Not that appearance matters, of course.”“Of course not—but it helps,” Drina agreed with a laugh.

Once Miss Russon helped her to dress, Drina left her room and knocked on her parents’ door. Herfather opened it, still in his morning robe.

“Is everything all right, Drina?” he asked.“Everything is wonderful!” she said, throwing her arms around her father.“Vhat is vonderful?” her mother asked. The Princess Rothfield was already dressed in a day

gown of dark purple taffeta with a small waist and an enormous skirt. “Tell me at once, Liebling.”Drina held out the letter to her. “Queen Victoria has officially broken the entail on Rothfield

House. I’m to inherit the title.”“I must see for myself,” her father said, snatching the document from her.“It is everything I have prayed for,” her mother said, embracing Drina. “Your future is secure, my

darling, my dearest Liebling.”“How did this come about?” her father asked.“Princess Alice convinced the Queen with the help of the Churchill precedent,” she said, thinking

it best not to tell her parents everything. Her mother would be offended that Queen Victoria didn’t

think her daughter worthy of a prince.“I’m so happy,” her mother said. “I could shout it from the castle towers.”“But it’s raining, dearest,” her father pointed out. “And I think it would be best to keep such happy

tidings to ourselves until all the legal work is completed. And we don’t want her swarmed by fortunehunters, at least until the London Season next year.”

“I think there is much to what you say, Anthony. But Drina must go and thank Cousin Victoria atonce.”

“Yes,” Drina agreed.“I’ll come with you,” she said, patting Drina’s arm. “Try not to babble this time.”“I’ll do my best.”“You could hardly do worse than last time,” her mother reminded her.“I’ll keep this royal dispensation safe,” her father said. “Happy Christmas, indeed!”

Drina and her mother waited for over an hour in the Queen’s Audience Chamber before QueenVictoria arrived, accompanied by Viscountess Jocelyn and George’s mother, the Duchess of Doverly.The duchess gave Drina a small smile of reassurance, and Drina couldn’t help but notice that Georgehad inherited his beautiful brown eyes from her.

She and her mother both stood and curtsied to the Queen.“Your Royal Highness,” Drina said in a breathless voice. “I wanted to thank you for your

kindness in breaking the entail.”“You are welcome, Alexandrina,” Cousin Victoria said. “It was the only thing to be done because

there are no other male heirs. I would not change the law for any other reason. I love peace and quiet;I hate politics and turmoil. We women are not made for governing, and if we are good women, wemust dislike these masculine occupations.”

“Of course, Cousin Victoria,” her mother said. “You are an exemplary monarch and a greatexample to all your people.”

“Indeed you are, ma’am,” the duchess agreed.Queen Victoria nodded with her double chin.“Congratulations, Your Majesty,” Drina added, “on Princess Alice’s engagement to Prince

Louis.”“I feel sure that no girl would go to the altar if she knew all,” the Queen said. “I think people

really marry far too much; it is such a lottery, after all.”The Duchess of Doverly covered her lips with a handkerchief, hiding a smile. Lady Jocelyn

managed to turn her laugh into a delicate cough.Drina opened her mouth to reply, but before she could speak, her mother grabbed her arm. “Thank

you again, Cousin Victoria. We are so grateful. We will let you get back to your families forChristmas. Your Majesty, Duchess, Lady Jocelyn.”

Her mother gripped Drina’s arm tightly until Queen Victoria left the room with her ladies.“Come, Liebling,” she said as they walked toward the opposite door.“Why did you not let me speak?”

“I was saving you from yourself, Liebling.”“You don’t even know what I would have said!”“I didn’t need to,” her mother replied. “I saw how you stuck out your chin. It was going to end ill

for all of us. Come, this is a day to spend with family, ja?”

Drina spent the rest of Christmas day with her parents. She sat by them and Friedrich during the statedinner that evening. She was wearing a new blue stain tunic dress with an underskirt of white silk,covered by innumerable small flounces.

But unfortunately, George didn’t seem to notice her or her new dress. He sat at the other end of thetable by Lady Clara, who was giggling every time Drina glanced in their direction.

She took a large bite of Christmas pudding. It was still hot and burned her tongue and the roof ofher mouth. She grimaced.

“What is the matter, Drina?” Fredrich asked.“Nothing,” she said.“Oy!” Edward called out from a few seats away. He pulled a silver coin from his mouth. He held

it up for the entire table to see. “I got the silver sixpence.”“Congratulations, Lord Dinsmore,” Prince Albert said, raising his wine glass. “May you enjoy

wealth and good luck in the coming year.”Everyone lifted their wine glasses and toasted: “Lord Dinsmore.”Drina stole another glance at George and saw that he was looking right at her. Then Lady Clara

touched George’s arm and his attention was back on her. She sighed in resigned disappointment. Afterdinner, the royal family left for their private apartments and the younger members of the party decidedto play a game of the Courtiers.

“We need a king or a queen,” Lady Hyacinth said.“I’ll be king,” Edward said. “Since I found the silver sixpence. George, get me a chair and place

it in the center of the room.”Drina saw George grimace in annoyance, but he did pick up a chair and set it in the center of the

room. Edward sat down and folded his arms. Copying the king without smiling or laughing was thekey to the game. Everyone else folded their arms. Edward nodded regally to the rest of the group.

Edward yawned widely and stretched out his arms. Drina and the rest of them copied him. Hetook out his handkerchief and wiped at his eyes. Everyone else in the room took out a handkerchiefand wiped at their eyes. Edward took the same handkerchief and placed it on his nose and made asneezing noise that was part pig grunt and part dog bark. Drina lifted her handkerchief toward hernose and found her eyes locked with George’s. He almost smiled at her, but he covered his mouthwith the handkerchief. Drina wasn’t as fast. She tried to hide her smile with a snort, but ended up ingiggles.

“Drina, I cry forfeit,” Edward said.“What is the forfeit, oh great king?” Emily asked.“To say yes or no to three questions by the company,” he said. “Drina, you will have to leave the

room while we decide which questions to be asked.”

Drina stood up and gave Edward a ballerina-like curtsy, which made everyone laugh. She walkedout into the corridor and waited to be called back into the room. She didn’t have to wait long beforeGeorge opened the door and said, “Time to come back in.”

“All right,” she said, and followed him into the room. She stood on the edge of the circle withevery eye upon her.

“Have you ever been kissed?” Lady Clara asked with an annoying giggle.“Yes,” Drina said, willing herself not to blush.George grimaced again and Lady Clara giggled even louder.“Do you like England better than Hoburg?” Friedrich asked.Her eyes darted back and forth from her cousin to George and then back to her cousin. She

shrugged her shoulders as she said apologetically, “Yes.”“And now for the final question,” Edward said. “Do you fancy my little brother, George?”Her face felt as hot as the Christmas pudding. She blinked and looked back at George, whose

usually open face was unreadable.“What?!” she exclaimed. Her heart constricted inside her chest as if it were being pricked by

thousands of sharp holly leaves.George walked until he stood directly in front of her, shaking his head. “No, no. That’s not the

right question,” he said, red-faced and looking almost as embarrassed as Drina felt. “Do you likeplaying cards for money?”

“Yes.”“Yes to cards or to George?” Edward asked, grinning wickedly.Nearly everyone in the room laughed.Drina glared at Edward. Wasn’t it bad enough that his little brother had made her a laughingstock

in London? Every one of their friends already knew that she fancied George. Now Edward wasmaking her look like a fool in front of them. She was so angry she could have screamed.

For the first time in her life, she hated all the Worthingtons. Hated that Edward was mocking her.Hated that Emily was giggling at her behind her gloved hand. Hated that George didn’t love her back.Hated that he didn’t realize how much his touch affected her. Hated that he was smiling at her now inthe way that made her knees weak.

“George,” she choked out. She shoved George in the chest with all her strength before turning andrunning out of the room as fast as her dancing slippers could carry her.

If only she could run away from her feelings as easily.

Chapter 27

George stood stock still, unsure of what to do. Was he supposed to follow her? Did she need space?Did she not love him after all and had only said yes to spare his ego?

“Go after her, you idiot!” Edward yelled.“Kiss her if you find mistletoe,” Prince Friedrich said, and added with a rakish grin, “and kiss her

if you don’t.”That was all the encouragement he needed. George ran out of the room and saw Drina at the end

of the China Corridor. He ran toward her, darting in between members of the royal family. Why didthere have to be so many of them?! He very nearly ran into Queen Victoria. He stopped short andbowed low to the Queen. Leopold and Arthur took the opportunity to grab each of George’s arms.

“Give us a ride on your back, Lord Worthington,” they begged in unison.“Later,” George said. “My word of honor.”He pulled away from the boys to find himself blocked by Prince Louis and Princess Alice. Her

arms were folded across her chest. “What have you done now?”“Nothing,” he said in exasperation. “It was Edward.”“What did Edward do?”George huffed impatiently. He didn’t have time for this. “He asked her if she fancied me in front

of all our friends.”“And what did she say?” Princess Alice asked, examining his face.“Yes. She said yes,” George said, raking his fingers through his hair. “Then she shoved me and

ran.”“And do you fancy Drina, George?”More than anything.“He does,” Prince Louis said from her side.“Of course I do!” he practically yelled in frustration.Princess Alice stepped aside to let him pass. “You’d best catch her, then.”George sprinted down the China Corridor, but Drina was already gone. He opened the door to the

Octagon Dining Room, where his father was sitting at the table drinking port with several gentlemenfrom the Foreign Office.

“What are you doing now, George?” his father rasped from the head of the table.“Looking for mistletoe,” George said as he ran back out of the room.He turned down the short hall that led to the State Dining Room. Several servants were still

clearing away all the dishes from dinner, but there was no sign of Drina. He sighed and kicked overthe closest chair and cursed. His big toe throbbed in pain. A male servant picked the chair up and setit right on all fours.

“Have you seen a lady wearing a blue dress?” he asked the servant.“Yes, my lord,” he said slowly as he bowed to George.

“Where did she go, man?” he demanded.The servant pointed to the Crimson Drawing Room. George limped-ran into the Crimson Drawing

Room. There wasn’t even one person in the entire room. He wanted to yell and kick another chairdespite the bruise already blooming on his right foot.

He limped through the seemingly endless red room until he reached the Green Drawing Room—which was also empty. The only sign of life was the light flickering from the gas lamps. The GreenDrawing Room was as green as its name suggested—the walls were green and the furniture wasgreen. The room was also decorated with large green boughs and green mistletoe. And even thecurtains were green.

Except … one.George saw a bit of blue material on the side of one of the emerald green curtains. He exhaled in

triumph. He walked quietly until he reached the curtain and pulled it back. Drina jumped in surprise.Acting on Prince Friedrich’s advice, he pulled Drina into his arms and without so much as a

word, he closed his eyes and bent down to kiss her. His lips brushed the soft velvet curtain and hestumbled forward, hitting his forehead on the glass window.

Drina ducked around him. “Haven’t you made a fool of me enough already today?!”“I didn’t do anything,” George protested. “It was Edward.”She seemed to consider this. “But you didn’t stop him when he asked the second time. All you did

was smile at me.”He gulped. “I admit … I wanted to know. I needed to know.”She threw up her hands. “Everyone already knew.”“But I didn’t,” George said, “and I can be a bit of an idiot.”“You did just kiss a curtain.”“Fair,” George said. He stepped closer to Drina until he could feel her skirt brushing against his

pant legs. He gulped again. “I love you, Drina. I think I’ve been in love with you for years, but I wasafraid of ruining our friendship … There is no other person in the world that makes me feel the waythat you do.”

“Well, it’s about time,” Drina said, smiling so beautifully that George loved her even a little bitmore. And before he knew it, her arms were around his neck and she was pressing kisses all over hisface. George finally regained his senses enough to place his hands on her waist and pull her closer tohim. She leaned back to look him in the eyes.

“I never got to give you your Christmas present,” he said.“It had better not be any body part of a boar,” she warned.George shook his head slightly and reluctantly removed one of his hands from her waist to pull the

golden brooch out of his pocket. It was shaped like a rose with a scroll across the top with MIZPAHengraved on it.

She took the brooch from him. “Mizpah?”“It’s a protective talisman for friends or lovers when they’re apart,” George explained.“Are we friends or lovers?”“Both … I hope … because you’re my dearest friend and I’m madly in love with you.”“I’m in love with you, too, George,” she whispered.

Drina was so close to him that he could feel her breath on his lips. He placed his right hand on herneck and guided her mouth toward his, careful to keep his eyes open until their lips met. He didn’twant to miss and kiss the curtain again.

When his lips finally met her soft ones, it felt like Christmas magic—warm, sparkling, andwonderful.

Much too soon for George, they returned to find their family and friends singing Christmas carols.Princess Alice and Prince Louis looked happy as they sat side by side on the piano bench while herfingers danced over the ivory keys to the melody of “Hark, The Herald Angels Sing.”

George joined in singing loudly. He squeezed Drina’s hand and inclined his head toward thepiano. “Why aren’t you singing?”

Drina smiled at him and his heart jumped again, but she shook her head. Drina never sang inpublic. He watched her eyes travel around the room to where her parents sat on a sofa. PrincessRothfield and Lord Rothfield were holding hands and singing—George could hear Lord Rothfield’svoice because he was entirely tone deaf.

His own mother and father sat nearby. George was surprised to see his father rasp out the words“Glory to the newborn king!”

George’s mother actually smiled at him, giving him a rare nod of approval. Like Edward, shemust have guessed his feelings for Drina.

Prince Friedrich was the only one besides Drina that wasn’t singing—he probably didn’t knowthe words to the English carol. He was standing awfully close to Lady Clara. For a moment, Georgecontemplating warning him about Lady Clara’s propensities near mistletoe, but then he thought betterof it. He watched Prince Friedrich put his hand on the small of Lady Clara’s back and he looked likehe wouldn’t mind being caught by her underneath mistletoe.

Bertie and Lady Hyacinth were singing and standing so cozily together that it looked like theydidn’t even need mistletoe as an excuse.

“Joyful all ye nations rise;Join the triumph of the skies.”

Princess Alice played the last note and smiled at Prince Louis.Princess Rothfield stood up. “Drina, where have you been?”Drina turned bright red and shrugged. She seemed unwilling or unable to speak.So George began to sing loudly, “We wish you a Merry Christmas …”Drina, who never sang, joined in off-key for the second: “We wish you a Merry Christmas.”By the third repeat, Princess Alice started to play the music to the song. George had never liked

the princess more than in this moment. Lord Rothfield stood up by his wife and started singing.Princess Rothfield shook her head and tsked before joining in, too. Then one by one the other peoplein the group began to sing with George and Drina. And finally, the whole room sang together:

“Good tidings we bring

To you and your kin;Good tidings for ChristmasAnd a happy New Year!”

George put his arm around Drina’s shoulders and she leaned her head against his—it wasdefinitely going to be a very happy New Year.

Acknowledgments

I’m so grateful to Jean Feiwel and the Swoon Reads imprint for giving my story the royal treatment. Iwas lucky enough to work with two amazing editors, Emily Settle and Rachel Diebel. You bothbrought so much sparkle and joy to my story. I would knight you both if I could! I’m so thankful for thebeautiful cover designed by Kathleen Breitenfeld. Cheers to my copy editor, Nancee Adams, forhelping me catch all the naughty little errors. I’m grateful to my production editor, Dawn Ryan, for allher hard work. Thank you to Madison Furr, for being an incredible publicist and for spreadingpublishing cheer. And the deepest of curtsies to the rest of the Swoon Reads team: Lauren Scobell,Holly West, and Kat Brzozowski.

To my agents, Jen Nadol and Jennifer Unter, finding you has been a gift. I’m so lucky to work withsuch talented people.

All of my love to Violet, Alivia, Isaac, and Andrew. Every day with you is magical. To myhusband, Jon, you are my best friend and my dearest love. Captain Wentworth’s got nothing on you.Mom and Dad, thank you for being my biggest fans. Michelle and Stacy, thank you for being the bestsisters ever and for reading my stories first.

I’m surrounded by many friends who have been incredibly supportive: Erin, Debbie, Irene,Susannah, Nicole, Ruthanne, Katie E., Marin, Amanda, Elisa, Katie F., and Dannielle. You guys arethe best!

The Young Adult book community in Utah is warm and welcoming. I’m so grateful for thefriendships I’ve found here. Hugs to Krysti, Sarah, Allisa, Bambie, Tricia, Kaylynn, RuthAnne, Dan,Kathryn, Caitlin, Sofiya, Emily, Erin, Crystal, Alex, Rosalyn, Sara, and Charlie.

The Swoon Squad has been a wonderful support system and I’m lucky to call these talentedauthors friends. I’m especially fortunate to live near my fellow Swoon author, Tiana Smith, who isjust as witty in person as she is on paper.

Addie Thorley and Jennieke Cohen, you two are the best! I was so blessed to find writers wholike corsets and smart heroines as much as I do.

Book bloggers, YouTubers, Instagrammers, reviewers, teachers, and librarians around the world,you are all on Father Christmas’s nice list. Thank you so much for all you do to support me and thebookish community.

Dear Reader, I can’t thank you enough for joining me on another adventure. I hope that yourdreams are too large to fit into any stocking and that you never stop believing in magic, friendship,and fudge—uh, … I meant love.

Happy Holidays.

Author’s Note

Mizpah jewelry was first created in the 1850s and was considered to be a sentimental token ofaffection. Victorians also believed that if they wore Mizpah pieces it would help their relationship togrow. Genesis 31:49: And Mizpah; for he said, The Lord watch between me and thee, when we areabsent from one another.

Lady Alexandrina Gailey is a fictional character, and Hoburg is a fictional country. It is inspiredby Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the small German duchy that Prince Albert was from. Like Drina’smother, Queen Victoria’s mother (also named Victoria or ‘Victoire’) was first married to her deadaunt’s husband, Emich Carl, 2nd Prince of Leiningen and they had two children together: Feodora,who is mentioned in this book, and Carl, 3rd Prince of Leiningen. Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld’s second marriage was to Prince Edward Augustus, the Duke of Kent. They had one daughtertogether: Alexandrina Victoria.

Queen Victoria (1819–1901) married her first cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.They had nine children together. Their eldest son, known to the family as Bertie, became KingEdward VII and was infamous for his many romantic affairs. Most of Queen Victoria’s dialogue inthis book are things she either said or wrote. In a letter in 1870, she wrote: “The Queen is mostanxious to enlist everyone who can speak or write to join in checking this mad, wicked folly of‘Women’s Rights,’ with all its attendant horrors, on which her poor feeble sex is bent, forgettingevery sense of womanly feeling and propriety.”

Princess Alice Maud Mary (1843–1878), the third child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, metPrince Louis of Hesse during the Ascot Races in June 1860. He was invited to stay at Windsor Castlefor the holidays. He proposed to Alice and was accepted on November 30, 1860. They wouldn’t bemarried for two more years, because first her grandmother, the Duchess of Kent, died and then did herfather, Prince Albert. Alice tirelessly nursed both of them until their deaths.

Princess Alice and Prince Louis were married July 1, 1862. They loved each other, but theirmarriage wasn’t without difficulties. They were constantly short on cash. It would be several yearsbefore he inherited the Duchy of Hesse. They had difficulties within their families and with theirinternational loyalties, particularly during the Austro-Prussian War in 1866. Her elder sister, Vicky,was married to the heir of the Prussian emperor and was the victorious “enemy.”

Alice was passionate about nursing and corresponded with Florence Nightingale. She created theWomen’s Union in Darmstadt, an organization that trained nursing assistants for wartime. Sheestablished the Alice Society for Women’s Training and Industry, which was dedicated to educatingwomen for employment. She also started the Alice Hospital in Darmstadt, which treated sick peoplewithout charging.

Louis and Alice had seven children together. Their son Friedrich Wilhelm, called “Frittie,” wasdiagnosed with hemophilia. In 1873, he fell from a window and bled to death internally. In 1878, hereldest daughter, Victoria, became infected with diphtheria. The infectious disease spread to four ofher other children: Alix, May, Irene, and Ernie. May choked to death as a result of her illness. Alice

contracted the disease and died shortly after on December 14, 1878, (the same day that her fatherdied, seventeen years prior).

Her most beautiful daughter, Alix, would go on to marry Tsar Nicholas II. They were very happytogether and had four daughters (including the famous Anastasia) and one son.

Victorian Parlor Games

Reverend Crawley’s Game

A group of at least eight people stand in a circle and hold hands with every other person. As a group,try to untie the knot without releasing hold of each other’s hands. You can step over each other’s armsor crawl underneath them. You win when the knot unties into a single ring (rarely, there are tworings).

Shadow Buff

Hang a sheet or tablecloth across an area in the room or hall, put a candle behind it (or flashlight) andturn off the lights. Have one person sit in front of the sheet and guess who is walking behind it. Theother players can disguise themselves or simply walk in front of the candle, behind the sheet. If aplayer is guessed correctly, they must pay a forfeit (see Forfeits).

How? Why? Where? When?

1.  A player thinks of the name of an object.Tip: Choose a word with multiple meanings, like bows (ribbons for hair) and beaux (male

suitors).2.  The other players try to discover the object by asking the following questions (only once):

How do you like it?

Why do you like it?

When do you like it?

Where do you like it?

3.  The player who picked the object must answer honestly, but can alternate answering between the different meanings of theword.

4.  If you guess the object correctly, it is your turn to choose an object.

The Courtiers

Pick a king or a queen to sit in a chair in the front of the room. The courtiers (all the other players) sitin a circle around the monarch. Whatever movements the king or queen makes, the courtiers mustimitate, no matter how silly. If any of the courtiers smiles or laughs while copying the monarch, theymust pay a forfeit (see Forfeits).

Forfeits from Cassells Household Guide, 1869:

Forfeits for Gentlemen

To kiss every lady in the room Spanish fashion. The person to whom this forfeit is assigned usually imagines that an agreeable task isbefore him; but he is thus enlightened. A lady rises from her seat to conduct him round the room, and she proceeds to each lady in turn,kisses her, and then wipes the gentleman’s mouth with her pocket handkerchief.

To make a Grecian statue . To do this the gentleman must stand upon a chair, and take his pose according to the pleasure of thecompany. One person may stick his arm out, or bend it into an awkward position; another may do the same by a leg; a third may inclinehis head backward, with the chin elevated in the air; and so they may proceed, until his figure is sufficiently removed from the “Grecian”to satisfy the party. He is bound to be as plastic as possible while the statue is moulded.

Say half-a-dozen flattering things to a Lady, without using the letter l. This may be done by such phrases as “You are pretty,” “Youare entertaining, &c,” but such words as graceful, beautiful, and charitable are, of course, inadmissible. *You can choose differentletters of the alphabet.

To play the Learned Pig. To do this, the gentleman must first put himself as nearly as possible in the attitude of one. He must go on allfours, and he is then to answer questions that may be put to him either by the company or by somebody who may volunteer as hismaster, to show his attainments. The questions asked are something like the following: “Show us the most agreeable person in thecompany,” or, “the most charming,” “the greatest flirt,” &c. After each question, the victim is to proceed to any one whom he mayselect and signify his choice by a grunt. The learning as well as the docility of a pig has its limits, and the game must, therefore, not beprolonged too far.

To choose one of three signs. To do this, he is to stand with his face to the wall, while any lady present makes three signs behind him—of a kiss, of a pinch, and of a box on the ear. He is then asked whether he chooses the first, the second, or the third, not knowing theorder in which they have been made, and receives the corresponding action.

Forfeits for Ladies

To say “yes” or “no” to three questions by the company. The lady must go out of the room, while the company agree as to each of thequestions to be asked. To each of these the lady must give one or other of the plain monosyllables. Ladies of Experience say the safeanswer is always “no”; but this hint must be reserved to readers of these papers.

Opportunity. To stand in the middle of the room, and spell opportunity. If, after the lady has spelt the word, a gentleman can reach herbefore she regains her seat, he may avail himself of the “opportunity” offered, under the mistletoe.

To kiss the gentleman you love best in the company, without anyone knowing it. There is only one way of paying this penalty, andthat is, to kiss every gentleman in the room, leaving them to settle the question as to “loving best” among them.

To kiss each corner of the room. When this forfeit is declared, a gentleman stations himself in each corner, and the lady has to pay anunexpected penalty.

To sing a song, or play a piece of music. This is given either to elicit the musical capabilities of a lady who may be shy, or to make anagreeable interlude in the round of other forfeits. If the lady called upon can really do neither, another forfeit is allotted to her.

Victorian Glossary

Balmy—eccentric; mad; crazy

Bauble—showy trinket or jewelry

Bough—a main branch from a tree

Bricky—brave or fearless

Crack lay—housebreaking

Crinoline—a metal cage-like skirt used instead of petticoats

Cronies—friends

Entail—a legal restriction that requires the heir to an estate to be male, and gives them the right to only the income of the estate (theycannot sell or mortgage the land). Then the land is passed to the next male heir in the hierarchical line. The third generation can sellthe land.

Folly—foolishness; or a costly ornamental building in a garden or park with no practical purpose

Forfeits—ridiculous acts a person must do if they lose in a parlor game

Foxed—drunk

Morganatic—a marriage between two people of different social ranks; when one of those people is royal, it prevents the passage ofroyal titles and property to their spouse or their children

Polymath—a person of wide-ranging knowledge

Primogeniture—the eldest son inherits all the property

Pulchritudinous—a person of breathtaking beauty

Punctilious—showing great attention to detail or correct behavior

Sauce box—mouth

Toffs—wealthy person

Twaddle—foolish or trivial speech or writing; nonsense

Selected Bibliography

Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse: Princess of Great Britain and Ireland. London: John Murray, 1884.Cassell’s Household Guide: Being a Complete Encyclopedia of Domestic and Social Economy, and Forming a Guide to Every Department of Practical Life, Volume I. London:

Cassell, Peter, and Galpin, 1869.Dennison, Matthew. Queen Victoria: A Life of Contradictions. 2nd ed. New York: St. Martin’s, 2014.Gill, Gillian. We Two: Victoria and Albert: Rulers, Partners, Rivals. 2nd print ed. New York: Ballantine Books, 2009.Hubbard, Kate. Serving Victoria: Life in the Royal Household. Reprint ed. New York: Harper Collins, 2013.Nightingale, Florence. Notes on Nursing: What It Is, and What It Is Not. London: Harrison, 59, Pall Mall, 1859.Packard, Jerrold M. Victoria’s Daughters. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1998.Pool, Daniel. What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew. New York: Touchstone, 1993.Rappaport, Helen. A Magnificent Obsession: Victoria, Albert, and the Death That Changed the British Monarchy. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2012.Strachey, Lytton. Queen Victoria: An Eminent Illustrated Biography. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal, 1998.

Also by Samantha Hastings

The Last WordThe Invention of Sophie CarterA Royal Christmas Quandary

About the Author

Samantha Hastings has degrees from Brigham Young University, the University of Reading(Berkshire, England), and the University of North Texas. She met her husband in a turkey-sandwichline. They live in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she spends most of her time reading, eating popcorn,and chasing her kids. The Last Word is her debut novel. You can sign up for email updates here.

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Contents

Title PageCopyright Notice

Dedication

Chapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 6Chapter 7Chapter 8Chapter 9Chapter 10Chapter 11Chapter 12Chapter 13Chapter 14Chapter 15Chapter 16Chapter 17Chapter 18Chapter 19Chapter 20Chapter 21Chapter 22Chapter 23Chapter 24Chapter 25Chapter 26Chapter 27

AcknowledgmentsAuthor’s Note

Victorian Parlor GamesVictorian Glossary

Selected BibliographyAlso by Samantha Hastings

About the AuthorCopyright

Copyright © 2020 by Samantha Hastings.

A Swoon Reads BookAn imprint of Feiwel and Friends and Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271swoonreads.comfiercereads.comAll rights reserved.

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eBook edition 2020

eISBN 9781250759726First eBook edition: 2020