“Are you all right?” he drawls ever so slowly, making me forget the fast-moving world around us. It strangely makes my heart calm down.
“Mm-hmm.” I nod, my attention drawn to his dark hair with the lighter streaks of feathers worked into it. They match the color of his feathered cape. A deep orange linen shirt creates an enchanting contrast, marking my favorite animal. A truly beautiful masquerade.
I should apologize for nearly knocking him to the floor, but what actually issues past my lips shocks me. “I love robins.”
A long moment passes as he just looks at me. His fingers on my elbows start gliding down my forearms to my hands. He holds them gently and tilts his head. Beneath the small obtrusion that forms his beak, a small smile appears. “Do you?”
“Riley!” Snow-White’s upset voice cuts between us. “How did you get lost again? Hurry up now, everyone’s waiting.” She loops her hand around my upper arm and pulls me away, casting the robin an apologetic look that makes her cat nose wrinkle.
When Bellina pops up behind her and nabs my other arm, there’s no escaping the demand of my friends.
“Sorry, I have to go.” A regretful frown creasing my brow, I hope he can read how much I’d rather stay and talk about my favorite birds.
He nods, the smile still hidden in the secret place beneath his mask as the girls pull me away. “I hope to see you again…Riley.”
Dear me, I hope that, too.
Giggling, I hurry off with Snow-White and Bellina, who don’t let go of my arms again. Prince Dominic shocks me as he suddenly rushes at us from the side, sweeping his girlfriend away into a worried embrace. “Did you hurt yourself on the stairs, darling?” he demands, skimming a few loose curls free from her forehead.
“I'm fine,” she assures him with a smile. He doesn’t let go of her again. They follow us as Snow-White pulls me toward the cupcake table set up between two columns and finally slows down. But I don’t get a second to catch my breath because Princess Cinderella storms over to us, clad in a beautiful cornflower-blue dress with long, fingerless gloves. From the speed with which she comes at me, I know she’s going to crush me in an embrace.
“Girl! What took you so long?” she blares into my ear, knocking the air out of my lungs. “Did the Fairy Godmother find you? We feared she missed your house!” Then she holds me away from herself, hands tight on my shoulders. “Goodness!” Her eyes nearly pop out. “You’re beautiful! Is that my dress? It doesn’t look like it.”
I don’t know which of her questions to answer first. “Umm…”
“You have to tell me everything, in detail…later.” Her face splits into a grin. “Now, we have a surprise for you.”
“Oh. Really?” What could that be? A new arrow from Cupid’s tree so I can shoot someone with it tonight?
“Ta-da!” Cindy steps aside, proudly presenting a cheerful Briar-Rose balancing on crutches in a fitted turquoise dress that opens on one side. The slit in the glittery fabric frees her right leg, which is entirely wrapped in a cast.
My smile falls in shock. “Something’s clearly wrong with your humor, Cindy.”
“No, honey, you don’t understand.” Radiating excitement, she draws up beside me, drapes an arm around my shoulders, and holds me tightly against her as she cheers next to my face, “It means you’ll get a very special honor tonight.”
I narrow my eyes at her. “What honor? To be the first to sign Rory’s cast?” Still baffled, I carefully hug the invalid princess. “What in the world did you do to yourself?”
“I thought it would be fun to throw myself over a root in the garden last night.” Briar-Rose laughs as she sits down on an upholstered chair. Someone must have brought it in especially for her because I don’t see any other chairs around.
Her type of entertainment is not amusing. It’s terrible that she has to sit out her own ball. “I can imagine things way more fun than that.”
“Oh, don’t worry.” She waves a dismissive hand. “It’s not that bad. It’ll heal.”
After weeks, yeah. I know how long it took my broken wrist to heal. Wait until the itching begins. An entire leg…ugh. A shudder rakes over me at the thought.
I turn to Cindy and Snow-White. “So, what is the honor you spoke of?”
No one answers, their attention caught by a man in a dark cloak, hood drawn over his head, and one side of his face covered by a white mask. Only when he hands Briar-Rose a glass of champagne and kisses her on the temple, do I recognize the phantom as Phillip.
“Riley!” The one visible half of his mouth curves as he notices me. Then his appreciative gaze moves down and up my dress for a moment. He whistles through his teeth. “Look at you.”
Help! Another blush is on the rise. I grimace. “Yeah…it’s actually not mine.”
His eyes take on a humorous gleam as he leans in and whispers, “Are they ever?” Then he straightens again and turns an impish grin on Bellina next to me. “Awesome slip on the stairs, by the way.”
Laughing, she smacks him on the shoulder. “Shut up, you!”
He rubs the spot, certainly not in pain, but his attention skates back to me. “You had some people worried you wouldn’t show up tonight.”
I bet. “Getting dressed for a ball is harder than one might think.” My comment holds a lot of truth, which surely reflects in my tone as I cast a glance at Cindy, silently saying thanks for the fairy miracle earlier. Then I remember the real reason for the feast and step up to Phillip, breathing a kiss on his cheek. “Happy birthday.”
“Thank you.” He lightly wraps his arm around my waist and smirks. “I hear I’m going to open the first waltz with you tonight.”
“You are?” In shock, I lean back but can’t escape him.
“Oh, yes,” Cindy answers for him, and all my friends flash bright grins my way. “Surprise!”
A frightened little “huh?” escapes me.
“Someone has to stand in for me,” Rory says, pointing at her broken leg. “Because, obviously, I can’t dance.”
“And that someone is me?” My voice trembles, as do my lips. Fortunately, Phillip is still holding me, or I’d probably keel over, what with my knees turning into pudding and all. “Why not Cindy? Or Stormy?”
“Because this is the perfect opportunity to show you off to the many dukes and princes here,” Briar-Rose explains, waving her hands excitedly in the air from her chair. “When they see you dancing, and in this awesome dress, they’ll line up to dance with you.”
“Speaking of, we better get moving,” Phillip adds cheerfully, taking off the dark cloak and draping it over Rory’s chair. “Everyone’s already waiting.” Like most of the men in here, he’s wearing a uniform, the silver embroidery on the white fabric reminding me of the jacket the stranger upstairs wore. Only instead of a band collar, Phillip’s has a lapel in a much darker blue—the same color as his uniform pants. “No couple is going to dance tonight before the host does.” He pulls me away from the others, steering me across to the glass dance floor with the water underneath.
Anxious, I drag him to a halt as I carefully put one foot onto the glass, testing it first with half of my weight, then putting even more on it.
“It’ll hold. Promise.” He laughs but gives me a moment to adjust. “If eighty dancing couples can’t break it, you surely won’t.”
My nervous gaze moves to him. Phillip encourages me with a smile and holds out his elbow for me to grab on to. He escorts me to the very center of the platform and lifts his hand to draw attention. Amazing how the entire room goes instantly quiet. Even the music stops.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.” His voice carries loud and clear through the hall. “And welcome to our ball.”