Truth about Leo by Katie MacAlister

Author:Katie MacAlister
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.
Published: 2014-05-21T16:00:00+00:00

Eleven

Princesses do not—repeat, do not—put toads into their cousins’ beds.

—Princess Christian of Sonderburg-Beck’s Guide for Her Daughter’s Illumination and Betterment

“I don’t understand, Your Highness—”

“If you wish for me to call you Thom, then you must call me Dagmar without the Highness.”

The small, round woman with a heavy Cockney accent said something that Dagmar took to be a request for her to raise her arms, and she did so, averting her eyes at the number on the tape as it encircled her bosom. She didn’t care what anyone said; the sea air had made it grow.

“Very well, Dagmar. I don’t understand why Mrs. Hayes had such an aversion to your companion. Are you certain that she didn’t…” Thom’s hands danced in the air in a vague attempt to express a blunt thought, finally resorting to just saying it. “Are you certain that your friend didn’t do what Mrs. Hayes said she did?”

“Nonsense! Julia would never attempt to kill her, either by strangling—oh, higher, please. My husband seems to feel that too much of my bosom shows as is—either by stabbing, as Louisa claimed happened in her dream, or by any other means.”

“What’s this about strangling?” Plum bustled into the room, greeting the seamstress with a cry of pleasure. “Oh, Madame Bentwhistle, how happy I am to see you. You’ve met our princess, I see. Dagmar, Madame is the most talented modiste I know, and I’m sure she’ll have you dressed to the nines in no time at all. Are you almost done with the measuring?”

“We’re done now. At least we are if Margaret took down those numbers right.” Madame gave a pointed look at the young woman with her, who appeared to be suffering from a perpetual, adenoidal sniff. “I have a few things that I can alter quickly, but the rest will take a few weeks. The shifts I can have done by tonight, and one walking gown that I was making up for a duchess, but as she’s not seen fit to pay me for two years, your princess can have her gown.”

“That will be excellent, I’m sure,” Plum said, examining some fabric samples. “Oh, this would look splendid on you, Dagmar. Now who was strangled?”

Thom looked confused. “I don’t know. All I heard about was a threatening note. Was there an attempt on Mrs. Hayes’s life?”

“No, there wasn’t. I told the story badly. No, no ruffles, Mrs. Bentwhistle. I am very anti-ruffles. My sainted mother said that only very young girls could wear ruffles without looking desperate, and I haven’t been a very young girl for ages. I wouldn’t be opposed to a touch of lace though. Mama always said you can’t go wrong with good lace. Where was I?”

“I’m not sure,” Thom said, casting a glance toward Plum, who was perusing a sheaf of fashion drawings. “Maybe you should just tell it all again, since Aunt Plum didn’t get to hear it.”

“There’s not that much to tell, really,” Dagmar said, pointing to a pale green velvet when the seamstress held up two pieces of fabric.

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