Page 91 of The Princess Trap
Cherry frowned and held perfectly still, straining to catch the snatch of sound she thought she’d heard. She couldn’t see anyone in here, and after a moment, she decided she couldn’t really hear anyone either.
But then the sound came again, softer this time. A sort of subdued, choked sound, small and high-pitched.
Cherry stepped fully into the room and said, “Is someone in here?”
Silence. But her eyes caught on something she’d missed the first time around. Beneath the piano, a huddled little figure sat on the floor, half-hidden in shadow.
She moved closer. “I’m a little bit lost. Do you think you could help me?”
The figure sniffed. It looked up, revealing a familiar pair of wide blue eyes. One of Lydia’s daughters, the eldest. What was her name…?
“Ella,” Cherry finally recalled. “Hello. Do you know who I am?”
The girl sniffed loudly, tossing Cherry a disdainful look. “Of course I do. I am not a child.”
Right. This was the teenage one. Cherry bit back a smile as she moved closer, sinking down to peer beneath the grand piano.
“What are you doing under there, Ella? Shouldn’t you be in bed?”
“This is my piano,” the child said glumly, her accent thick as syrup. “This is my special room. I come here.”
“Right,” Cherry murmured. “Okay. Fair enough. Well—”
Outside, the clouds shifted slightly, and the moonlight pouring through the windows grew even stronger. Strong enough for Cherry to see the child’s face. And the imprint of a palm against her cheek.
Cherry swallowed down the curse she wanted to spit out and kept her smile in place. “Ella,” she said gently. “What happened to your face?”
The girl turned away. “Nothing,” she sniffed.
“You can tell me,” Cherry said, trying to sound reassuring. Jesus, where was Ruben when she needed him? “I promise you can trust me. I’m engaged to your uncle, and you know you can trust him, right?”
Ella looked back at Cherry, seeming to mull this over. “Uncle Ruben is kind to my mother.”
“That’s because he loves her. He loves all of you. And if someone has hurt you, he’d like to know.”
The girl shook her head. “I am not telling you.”
Before Cherry could reply, she heard the heavy tread of footsteps along the hall outside. Low voices murmured words she couldn’t understand, but they made Ella’s eyes widen, made her huddle deeper into the shadows.
Cherry straightened up and pulled out the plush little seat in front of the piano, angling itjustso. When she sat, arranging her huge skirts around her, the space under the piano was hidden completely from view.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
And just in time. The door opened, revealing a pair of men in the same all-black suit that Hans favoured, clear earpieces curling about their ears.
They both blinked at the sight of her, clearly confused. The taller man collected himself first, and stepped forward.
“Miss Neita,” he said, inclining his head. “We are sorry to disturb you.” He didn’t mention how odd it was for her to be sitting in front of a piano with her back to the keys, in the dark, during a ball held in her honour. “We are looking for Princess Ella. She is not in her room, and the king was concerned about her roaming the halls when we have guests.”
Roaming the halls with the reddened outline of his hand on her face. Yes, he would be concerned about that, wouldn’t he?
“I haven’t seen any rogue children,” Cherry said sweetly. “But I am glad you found me. I was looking for my fiancé,and I got lost.” She let out a sparkling laugh. “Do you think you could have him come here and get me? Put those little earpieces to use?”
The man shifted slightly. “Miss Neita, we would be happy to accompany you—”
“Oh, no,” she said blithely. “That’s not necessary. I’dreallylike to see my fiancé.” She rested her hands against her knees and leant forward, smiling as both men’s eyes flew to her cleavage. “Please?”
The taller man cleared his throat. “Ah, yes. Of course. I’ll—we’ll pass that message on right away. Good evening, Miss Neita.”
