Mistress to the Prince (19 page)

“Okay.  We are all done.  I’ll have something ready for you immediately,” she said, smiling regally. 

“Thank you. I don’t know when I’ll need a dress though.  I haven’t heard anything from the queen except for tonight,”
Tara
explained.

Lizzy simply
wave
d away
Tara
’s concerns. 
”No problem.  Whenever you need something, we’ll be ready now.”

Debra magically appeared in the doorway.  “Are you all finished in here?” she asked.

“Yes,”
Lizzy nodded, answering for the whole group. 

Debra smiled at
Tara
at that point. 
“I have several dresses that might work for you tonight.  Will you come this way?” she asked and showed
Tara
to another room that was filled with about fifteen dresses
hanging in various places along the walls
. 

Tara
almost gasped in awe at the beautiful dresses. 
“Oh my.  These are lovely,”
Tara
said, fingering the lovely gowns made of the softest chiffon or satin.  Some were beaded, some just shimmered with metallic threads in the fabric.  They were all dainty and some of the most
amazing
dresses she’d ever seen. 

“The queen told me what would be appropriate for the evening so choose any of them you’d like and we’ll keep the others on hand for future occasions.  If you don’t like any of
them, I’ll have them returned,” she explained.

Tara
touched a dress made of layer after layer of shimmering pink chiffon.  She imagined that it would float around her
feet
, making her look like a fairy in a wonderland.  The bodice was fitted and had jeweled spaghetti straps. 

Debra came up behind her.  “Would you like to try it on?” she asked softly. 

Tara
immediately stepped back.  “Oh, no.”  Sighing,
Tara
turned to the other woman. “I’m not sure the queen mentioned that I’ll be working tonight.  I probably need something more conservative and less…I’m not sure what the right word is but these just seem inappropriate for my place tonight.”

Debra looked confused.  “I’m sorry, it was my understanding that you would be accompanying Prince Maximillian tonight. Was I misinformed
?
” she
asked
, opening up a book that she’d been holding the whole time. 

“No, that’s correct.  But I’ll be with him in a professional capacity,” she tried to clarify.

Debra’s eyes rose at that but she only smiled hesitantly.  “I’m sorry?”

Tara
laughed.  “Well, not in
that
kind of capacity.  You see, I’m his assistant.  I work for him as a senior analyst in his office.  I’ll only be there to help him in an official capacity.”

Debra shook her head.  “I’m not sure I understand,” she said, frowning and looking at her notes.  “The prince is scheduled to attend the ballet tonight.”

It was
Tara
’s turn to look confused.  “The ballet?”

Debra nodded. 
“
Yes. He’ll be dining with the Minister of Defense and his sister, then attending the ballet afterwards.”

Tara
felt better.  “Oh, well that explains it.  The Minister of Defense and Max are probably discussing the airport project tonight.  I should get my notes together for that,” she said and fingered the dress one last time.  “I’ll rush home and get a simple black dress for tonight.  I’d feel much better if I wasn’t so…”

“Conspicuous?” a new voice said from the doorway. 

Tara
turned quickly and saw the queen entering the room.  She curtsied quickly and the queen smiled gently.  “My dear, you don’t understand about tonight
so you’ll just have to trust me in this situation
.
”  She looked at the pink, shimmering gown and nodded.  “
This dress will be perfect for the evening.  Why don’t you go try it on,” she said and took
the dress
down off the hook. 

Tara
accepted the beautiful dress but was hesitant.  “This really isn’t my usual way of dressing.”

The queen smiled.  “Maybe it should be,” she said and gently pushed her
toward
the dressing r
oom.
“Now show us how you look in the dress.”

Tara
slipped into the smaller room and took off her clothes.  She carefully slid the amazing dress on, then zipped it up.  Turning to
see herself in
the mirror, she was astonished at how different she looked.  The softer color made her look dainty and delicate.  She felt
graceful
and very, very feminine.  She wondered what Max would think of her in this dress.  She shook her head.  That was silly, she told herself.  She wasn’t here today to impress him but her mind automatically returned to the previous evening and how wonderful she had felt as she melted in his arms.  Her face turned red just at the memory of how intimate they had been in the screening room and she looked around to see if anyone had seen her face.  But she was still alone in the dressing room, thankfully.

“How do you look?” Queen Natasha asked
outside the dressing room
. 

“Different,”
Tara
called out.  Then carefully picked up the skirt and stepped out into the main area where Debra and the queen were waiting. 

The queen’s initial response was flattering.  “Perfect!” she said and clapped her hands together in front of her.  “It is just what we’re looking for tonight.”

“Are you sure?”
Tara
asked, looking down at the fabric floating around her feet.  “I’m really going to stand out like this.  I think I should wear something that helps me blend into the background.”

The queen shook her head and smiled gently. 
“Nonsense.  You look perfect.  Now that we’ve chosen the dress, go take it off and we’ll get you in for your hair.  I’m sure Nettie will be thrilled with your dark locks instead of our red ones for a change.”

“Nettie?”
Tara
asked, feeling like she was losing control.

“My hair dresser,” the queen said.  “Debra?  Can you take over?  You know what would be appropriate.”

“Yes, your majesty,” Debra said and turned back to
Tara
as the queen left the room. 

The rest of the afternoon was like a fantasy.  Tara was given a massage, manicure, pedicure
,
facial and her makeup was professional
ly
put on.  The last part was having her hair done by what could only be called an artist.  Nettie twisted and curled, pinned and tucked
Tara
’s hair so that it piled on
top of her
head
in romantic curls with small tendrils falling down the sides to daintily touch her earlobes, leaving her neck and shoulders completely bare. 

It was
six o’clock
when
Tara
stepped into the dress again.  It had been magically hemmed while she’d been pampered during the afternoon and, with
the shoes that had been chosen
for her, the dress was only a fraction of an inch over the floor. 

Tara
stared at her reflection in the mirror and almost didn’t recognize herself.  S
h
e was even wearing small diamond earrings and a dainty diamond necklace, courtesy of the queen. 

She walked into the salon where she’d been told Max would meet her.  He was joking with Sam Montrose and his wife, Princess Marabeth, Max’s younger sister.  Max was about to take a sip of his drink when he spotted her but his glass froze midway to his mouth when he caught sight of her in the doorway. 

“Wow!” he said and put the forgotten drink down on the bar.  Sam and Princess Marabeth smiled at Max’s reaction.  Sam slapped him on the shoulder, saying “Go greet your date, you uncouth man!”

Max
barely reacted since all of his senses were centered on the woman standing in the doorway like an ethereal fairy about to flit away at the first sign of danger.  But when she smiled tentatively
toward
him, as if she were waiting for his approval, his body instantly snapped to attention and he moved forward
quickly to take
Tara
’s hands.  “You look beautiful,” he
breathed
.

Tara
was thrilled with his reaction and she could see the sincerity in his eyes. 
“It’s the dress,” she said, but was flattered that he liked it so much.

Max chuckled softly and shook his head. 
“No. 
You’re incredibly lovely,” he said, then kissed her gently on the lips. 
“The dress is only a frame for your beauty.”

His words made her glow and her smile grew broader.  No man had ever said anything like that to her.  S
h
e supposed none had the masculinity to carry it off like Max did. 

Tara
was slightly embarrassed to have an audience.  So far, no one knew anything about their relationship and she was trying to keep it that way. 
She didn’t want to have to work in the palace and be known as the prince’s jilted girlfriend.  It would be so much nicer to keep her relationship just between the two of them so she could have some pride once it was over.  And especially when Max married.  She didn’t want to have to leave the palace simply because rumors had reached his new wife that an old girlfriend was still working for him.  Thankfully,
she glanced at the two other occupants of the room and they were both turned away, giving Tara and Max a moment of relative privacy. 

“Ready for dinner?” Max asked
Tara
.

“Sure. Where are we going?” she asked.

“I believe the chef has prepared a meal on the veranda,” Max said.

The extra privacy was what she would have preferred.  “Lead the way,” she said, smiling broadly, warmed by the desire she saw in his eyes. 

The four of them dined outside under a pretty white tent that had been set up for the evening.  There was candlelight and soft music and wonderful food.  The conversation was lively and
Tara
had one of the most entertaining dinners she’d ever experienced.  Sam and Marabeth seemed to be perfectly suited for each other.  Sam was intelligent but very opinionated.  Marabeth on the other hand, was very intelligent as well, but kept him in line with pointed
jibes
that contradicted just about everything he said.  There was one point when Sam actually changed his opinion because of something Marabeth said.  It was a very complimentary relationship.

Max went out of his way to be charming and make sure
Tara
was included in the conversation.  She laughed at his jokes and at Marabeth arguing with her husband and brother. 
Tara
had never heard of anyone challenging these two people before and was intrigued by the idea.  Sure,
Tara
put small comments in the notes of some of the contracts.  And she saw how some of those comments influenced Max’s decisions.  But she had never thought of coming right out and stating her opinion on a subject before. 

After dinner, they drove off to the
opening night of the
ballet. 
Tara
was excited because she loved the ballet. She’d taken dance as a child but
had never progressed very far although the lessons created a love and appreciation for the dance that had endured ever since. 

They had perfect seats, of course.  There were only four chairs in the royal box at the theater and Marabeth and
Tara
sat in the two front chairs while Sam and Max sat behind them.