Page 71 of Royally Matched
“Good morning, Dana. Yes, I have a lot to do today. In fact, I’m going to be gone all day today, not back until late tonight.”
“That is a busy day. Where are you off to?”
Dana has been my lady’s maid for the last five years since I returned from university. She’s only two years younger than me, and recently married her high school sweetheart. I know she’s trustworthy, and she’s totally got my back, as Maddie would put it. If I ask her not to share where I’m going with anyone, I know I can trust her—and besides, the information could be used if we run into any trouble. Not that I’m expecting trouble, of course. But I am sneaking away without my bodyguard. Father would have a fit if he knew.
“Look, Dana. I’m going out of town for the day to a village in the mountains called Monteluce, and I would really rather prefer it if you didn’t mention it to anyone.”
“Of course. Your secret is safe with me.”
“I knew it would be. Thanks.”
“Is Bartholomew going with you?” she asks.
“I thought I might leave Bartholomew at home for a change. Give him a break.”
She creases her brow. “You’re not taking him?”
“I won’t need him where I’m going. You see, I’m not going on official royal business. It’s a sort of… vacation. Just for the day.”
She raises her brows. “That sounds lovely. But, ma’am, I am concerned for your safety.”
“Don’t be. I’m going with a friend.”
“A friend?”
“Yes.”
I’m not going to tell her my friend is Marco. She would only jump to conclusions, and I’m not going to tell her about our quest to solve the riddle. It all seems like a movie plot rather than real life.
Her brow creases with concern. “With all due respect, there’s more media interest in you than usual right now. Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
I press my lips together to stifle a smile. “I’ve got a disguise.”
If she looked surprised before, that’s nothing in comparison to the look on her face now. “You’re going on vacation for the day in disguise?” she asks, annunciating each word carefully.
I take her by the hands. “Dana, I know it sounds crazy, and so unlike anything I would do ordinarily. But please, you’ve got to trust me. I’ll be gone for a day and then I’ll be back and everything will go back to the way it normally is.”
“All right,” she says after a beat. “Let’s see your disguise then.”
I pull a blonde wig I wore at a fancy dress ball a couple of years ago, and a pair of large sunglasses from my handbag.
Dana eyes the items I’m proudly holding up in my hands. “A wig and a pair of sunglasses.”
I beam at her. “That’s right. Genius, don’t you think?”
“Perhaps?” Dana replies diplomatically.
“I’ll try them on for you.” I pad across the Persian rug to the full-length mirror, where I push my hair inside the wig, adjusting it so it sits correctly, and slide the sunglasses on. Turning to her I say, “See? I don’t look like me at all.”
She bites down on her lip and my heart sinks.
“You don’t think it looks any good, do you?”
“It just doesn’t look very realistic, that’s all. You look like someone who’s trying to go unnoticed, and I imagine that’s the last thing you want.”
I pull the wig from my head and remove my sunglasses. “What would you wear?”
“You’re most often seen in public with your hair tied up in a neat French twist, just like the one you’re wearing right now.”