Page 11 of Once Upon a Royal Summer
“You must watch a lot of Dancing with the Stars,” she blurted.
“Something like that,” he said, and then they were off again, waltzing in a long series of spins until the big grandfather clock began to chime.
At last, Lacey broke her gaze and looked away. Both arms of the towering clock pointed straight up, marking twelve o’clock. It was time for the tea party to end and for Lacey to dash away from the ballroom like Cinderella. “Oh my goodness,” she said, slowing her footsteps to a halt. “I’m sorry, but I simply must go.”
She was supposed to say those words loud and clear so all her guests could hear her, but they came out in a breathy whisper, as if she were fleeing from a real Prince Charming.
Grumpy Baseball Cap frowned. “Wait, where are you going?”
“It’s midnight,” she said, and right on cue, the lights in the castle dimmed, just as they did every day when Sweet Pea’s Royal Tea Party drew to a close.
But Lacey’s mad dash from the ballroom felt different this time. Her heart thumped in her chest and her hands shook as she gathered her skirts. She had to concentrate extra hard on remembering to step out of her shoe before she reached the exit.
The ballroom’s grand double doors slammed shut behind her, and a backstage assistant promptly locked them to prevent any overeager kids from trying to follow Princess Sweet Pea. Lacey heard another roar of cheers and applause rise from the tea party as she pressed a hand to her chest and tried to catch her breath.
“That waltz was really something.” The stagehand looked her up and down and shook his head. “Who was that guy you were dancing with?”
“I have no idea. Just an ordinary dad,” Lacey said.
Never mind the fact that ordinary dads didn’t typically dance like Fred Astaire…
“Could’ve fooled me. For a minute there, I thought you might be dancing a real royal waltz.”
Lacey’s gaze flitted toward the closed doors to the ballroom. That makes two of us.
CHAPTER FOUR
The Problem with Fairy Tales
No sooner had Henry stepped outside the twinkly Ever After Castle, hand-in-hand with Rose, than his personal protection officer appeared at his side.
In truth, Ian Walker was more than just a bodyguard. He had the muscular build of someone whose job required him to wrestle potential kidnappers to the ground if necessary, but Ian’s bulky shoulders carried Rose around for piggyback rides as often as they bore the burden of protecting his royal charges. His official job description ranged from personal protection officer to valet to general assistant. Rose had referred to him as “Uncle Ian” since she’d first learned to talk, and he was as much a friend to Henry as he was an employee.
He’d also undergone a recent wardrobe change so as not to resemble a royal bodyguard. A “make-under,” if such a thing existed.
As he sidled up next to Henry, Ian smoothed down the front of his knit polo shirt where his necktie would normally rest. “How was the tea party, Your Royal—”
Henry shook his head. “No titles, remember?” he said under his breath.
“Right. So sorry, Your…er…Henry,” Ian said.
Ian had been hired to protect Henry since before Rose had been born, and inside the Bella-Moritz palace walls, they were on a strictly first-name basis. The two men were as close as brothers. Royal protocol, however, dictated Ian should address both Henry and Rose as HRH when out in public. Protocol was apparently so ingrained in Ian that it was a hard habit to break.
Henry could relate. He was having an equally hard time getting used to the sight of Ian wearing cargo shorts.
“How was the tea party, Henry? Rose?” Ian flashed Henry’s daughter a wide smile.
“It was so fun,” Rose gushed. “We had tea and cake and cookies shaped like glass slippers, crowns, and piles of mattresses.”
Ian glanced at Henry, brow furrowing. “Piles of mattresses? Am I missing something?”
“Princess and the Pea,” Henry said by way of explanation.
“Ahh.” Ian nodded. “Of course.”
From where they were standing, Henry could spot rides and attractions from every fairy tale he’d ever heard of. Just up ahead, a line snaked its way around a mini-roller coaster that ran through The Three Bears’ Woods. The ride tick-tick-ticked up a hill and then whooshed down in a rush of rattling tracks and happy screams. A faux frost-covered mountain loomed to their right, home to The Snow Queen’s Mountain Sleigh Ride. Farther down the path, a crowd gathered at the entrance to The Three Billy Goats Gruff Wild Water Crossing. People exited the ride with sloshing sneakers and broad smiles. Booths dotted the park, selling anything and everything from a trio of Little Pig balloons to sparkly ice cream bars shaped like mermaid tails and unicorn horns. All around him, the air smelled of soft pretzels and candy floss. Henry felt as if he’d been dropped into the middle of a storybook.
“Daddy danced with Princess Sweet Pea,” Rose announced, dragging him back to the conversation.
