Twice Upon A Time (Unfinished Fairy Tales #2)(50)

This time the lord chamberlain slinks away in silence. Edward and I exchange a smile, and I realize for the first time that I am actually enjoying my role as princess.



* * *



As the carriage rattles along on my way to Princess College, I wonder when Krev is going to come back. Although Edward and I have made up, the ghost of our first quarrel hangs over my head. Until I can assure Edward that Krev is not going to take me back to the modern world, he will always be reluctant to let me out of his sight. The only solution is to have Krev appear, but that is something beyond my control.

There are several more carriages than usual lining the street where Princess College is located. I guess they belong to the other parents who have come to see the musical. Elle and I certainly selected a good location for the school. It’s off one of the main streets, so the traffic won’t cause too much noise, but it’s also close enough that transportation wouldn’t be difficult.

As I go down the corridor, I almost run into a person who has just emerged from a classroom.

“Sorry, I was walking too fast . . .” The words die away on my lips when I notice the person I nearly ran into.

“Lady Gregory?” Last time she seemed familiar, but by now, my memories have recovered so much that this time, her name springs into my mind without any doubt.

The old lady smiles at me. “Miss Katriona . . . forgive me, it should be Princess Katriona. Congratulations on your marriage to the prince.”

“Just call me Kat,” I say, feeling uncomfortable about an old lady bowing to me in deference. “We’re at school, not the palace. There’s no need for so many formalities. By the way, how come you are one of the teachers here?”

“The girls have formed a crochet club, and I was invited to be the teacher, since many of my projects have won prizes.”

I remember Lady Gregory’s room, so cozy and delightful with all those homemade crocheted objects hanging over the place. “That’s great. How are the girls getting along?”

“Most of them are doing fine. It’s refreshing for me as well, to be able to teach so many young and eager children.”

The bell rings. I’m reminded of my purpose—to see the musical.

“Lady Gregory, would you like to come and see the girls’ performance with me?”

Her face lights up. “So, it is today? How forgetful of me. I am sure I wrote it down on my notebook, but I never seem to remember.”

Elle had told me that she would save me a seat, but it really is unnecessary. While there are a few parents present, we still have plenty of empty chairs. I guess either most other parents are too busy working, or they don’t care enough for their children. I’ve heard noble ladies at court remarking that that children doing a musical is something trivial or frivolous.

Rosie looks adorable in her elf suit. Their voices are like little angels, and I can tell that most of the girls take genuine pleasure in performing. Once the musical is over, I hand out roses to the girls, who are surprised but excited to receive the flowers.

“From His Highness’s garden,” I say, and someone squeals. As I expected, Edward is extremely popular among girls.

When I finish handing out the flowers, Elle touches my arm. “Kat, the headmistress would like to have a word with you.”

“Are there any problems with the funds?” I asked.

Elle shakes her head. “I don’t think so. She merely wants to give you a report.”

I say goodbye to Lady Gregory, who smiles just as affably as she usually does.

As we make way to the headmistress’s office, there is the sound of a man shouting in one of the classrooms. Elle and I look at each other. There are a few male teachers in the school, and there are men on the school board, but the sound of this man belongs to someone who has never had an education. His pronunciation is rough and uncultured.

The next second, a man in patched, dirty clothes, with a scar running over his right cheek, drags a little girl out of the room. The girl is Molly.

“Excuse me?” I address the man, who looks like he could use a good shaving. “May I ask what you are doing?”

The man bristles at me. “I’m taking my girl home. She has no business coming to a place like this when her family is starving.”

“Mr. Ripley,” Elle says in a soothing tone. “Surely, there is no need to come to the school and interrupt the lessons. In fact, we are on our way to see the headmistress. If you would be so kind as to come with us and sit down and have a discussion, maybe we can come to a better solution—”

“To hell with your solution,” Mr. Ripley growls. “You can afford to say that with your expensive dresses and jewelry, but my girl ain’t cut out for a place like this. She’s got to come home with me and make herself useful.”

Molly tugs on my sleeve. “It doesn’t matter, Your Highness,” she says in a small voice. “I’d much rather go home. I often fall asleep in class. It ain’t much use for me to be here anyway.”

Mr. Ripley scowls at me. I guess he didn’t hear Molly call me Your Highness. With his scar, he looks more grotesque than most people. “What’s the use of having children if they can’t lessen the burden of the family?”

I feel like punching him in the face, but all I can do is clench my fists and watch him drag Molly away. I’ve been doing my best to help the children, but so far my efforts aren’t producing the results I hoped for.