"She certainly knows how to make an entrance."

I could have fainted with relief as Xavier landed a hand on my shoulder. It was only at his touch that I was able to bring myself to rise.

"A dance?" he asked, then added upon taking one look at my face, "Or perhaps some food?"

The music started for another waltz and I swallowed my groan.

"Food," I managed, keeping my back decidedly turned so I wouldn't be forced to watch Andrew waltz with the foreign princess.

Ardalone was a neighbour far to the south, a powerful ally made rich by their abundance of gemstone mines and agriculture. While I knew little about military matters, I knew enough from my two brothers to understand that when Ardalone became involved in a conflict, their side usually won.

In other words, it was a country whose princess I wanted to keep very, very far from my prince.

"By the looks of it, you're not the only debutante in shock," Xavier leaned down to whisper, nodding his head towards where Ashley was furiously whispering with Sarah Thornbury, the latter vigorously batting herself with her fan. The pair of them were following the princess with venomous eyes, a look of absolute loathing on Ashley's perfect face.

"Yes, but I am the only one here by the prince's invitation and he most certainly did not warn me," I muttered darkly. Xavier pressed a glass of punch into my hand which I threw back before serving myself another. Clearing his throat, his eyebrows once again sky high, he hastily filled me a plate and exchanged it for my second empty glass.

"There must be a reason," Xavier said, sipping his own punch much more respectably as he urged me to eat.

"Can you believe it? A real Ardalonian princess!" Annabelle gasped, coming up beside me to serve herself some punch. I was picking over the food, studiously staring down at my plate rather than towards the dancers.

"Indeed," I muttered bitterly, stuffing a biscuit into my mouth.

"I can't wait to meet her, she must be so exciting!" Annabelle gushed, "Ella would expire of jealousy if I became friends with a foreign princess!"

"How I envy your optimism," I said, setting down my empty plate and collecting another glass of punch. I took a hefty swallow, my traitorous eyes shifting towards the dance floor. Thankfully, I was able to force them upwards before I could seek out the red formal jacket and the ruby dress, focusing instead on counting the candles in the chandeliers.

"What's gotten into her?" Annabelle asked Xavier, shooting me a sidelong look.

"Someone stepped on her foot," Xavier said. I couldn't help it as the corner of my mouth twitched up into the ghost of a smile. I took another sip of punch to hide it.

"How dreadful! It wasn't that great oaf Pendleton, was it?" Annabelle said, horrified.

"Not in the least," I said, "And despite his dentition he is most certainly not an oaf."

"Indeed," Annabelle said skeptically, "Well you'd better hope your foot feels better soon. There's bound to be a clamour for the prince's next dance now that the competition has so suddenly escalated."

Xavier shot me a look, but I was already setting down my now empty glass.

"Then I'd best go test it out," I said, stalking away from the pair of them.

I couldn't stand more idle chatter, not when a million questions were crowding my thoughts. At the forefront was why Andrew hadn't warned me there would be another princess in our midst, this one much more daunting since she was in no way related to my prince as Anne was.

With my belly filled and my courage fortified thanks to the punch, I made my way towards the edge of the dance floor. I wanted to be in plain sight when the waltz ended, even if it meant watching my prince smile down at another beautiful girl. If he neglected to ask me to dance again, I would have no reason to remain at the ball.

I milled near the edges, hovering a few feet from where Ashley and Sarah were still furiously whispering. The dancers twirled before me, Princess Anne waltzing past with William Weatherington, followed by James Amberly with a decidedly grouchy-looking cousin Ella. Thomas danced past next with Penelope's sister, Gertrude, the younger prince shooting me a wink as he spotted me.

Next came Andrew, who was listening politely as the Ardalonian princess chattered, her bright white teeth on display as she smiled. I felt myself grit my teeth as she dimpled coquettishly up at my prince, but they had moved beyond me before I could see his reaction.

"It seems that your new friend is scheming to steal my prince," Ashley Mayfair said. I jumped, not realizing that she'd sidled up to me, Sarah in tow.

"My new friend? I hate to disappoint you Ashley, but I've never met Her Royal Highness before," I said, tipping my head towards Princess Dulciana. Ashley's smile was still in place as she turned to me, her eyes holding nothing but hate.

"I'm not talking about her, I'm talking about Adelaide Winters," she said, "The two of you certainly seem cozy enough, sitting at the royal table together. Was she attending one of the many schools you'd failed out of?"

"Sadly no, although she could probably teach you a thing or three about manners," I replied. Sarah covered up her laugh with a cough while Ashley narrowed her eyes.

"Need I remind you who won Prince Andrew's first dance this evening?" Ashley fired back, her smile gone now.

"Need I remind you that I also 'won' a prince's first dance?" I retaliated. Between Andrew laughing with Princess Dulciana as they waltzed by and the smug look on Ashley's face, I was quickly losing control of my temper.

"And yet not a single one with Andrew," Ashley pointed out, a wicked little smile on her face, "He did, however, ask Adelaide for his second dance, which is why I'll suggest that you tell her to stay away from my prince."

"Your prince? I must have missed your engagement announcement at the end of the last Season," I quipped, glancing down at her hand, "What a pity you've gone and lost your ring already."

Ashley's hand curled into a fist as Sarah's blue eyes went wide.

"But then why is he participating in yet another Season?" I continued before she could speak, plastering a perplexed look on my face, "I was under the impression that engaged princes didn't continue to search for wives."

"You think you're my equal now that you've stuffed yourself into a proper dress and have a pair of ladies' maids?" Ashley demanded, "It's a shame that all your years in school really did nothing to sharpen your brain. You are a speck of dust beneath my shoe, you traitorous little pretender, and you should be ashamed of yourself for stealing a new debutante spot. Of all of Ella's ladies, Emily deserved it the most."

"I beg to differ," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Which begs the question, how exactly are you even here?" Ashley asked. I looked back into her intent blue eyes. The music was rising to its final crescendo and I was eager to be rid of her.

"By invitation of the princess," I replied. Ashley cocked an eyebrow.

"I'm not quite certain that I'm convinced," she sneered, "Tell your little friend to stay away from the prince or I'll destroy her. And don't for a second think that I'm finished with you yet either."

"I'm positively quivering," I shot back. Ashley's face spread into a wicked, beautiful smile.

"You should be," she said, before sweeping up her skirts to brush past me. Sarah followed suit, sticking her nose into the air. I muttered yet another curse under my breath, closing my eyes as I tried to compose myself and cool my temper. When I'd blown out my cheeks and was calm enough to face the ballroom again, I opened my eyes to the dancers bowing and curtseying as the music ended.

I surged onto the dance floor along with the tide of the debutantes and inductees who were searching for partners for the next dance. I very nearly elbowed people out of the way as I charged towards Andrew. Try as I might, however, I came up behind a wall of ladies in waiting, their skirts fanning out to create a gauntlet around Ashley and Sarah. I tried to skirt around them, hating that Andrew's laugh was ringing over the din of chatter. I forced myself not to think about how the foreign princess had gotten my prince to laugh, focusing instead on finding a break in the circle of dresses surrounding the pair.

I was leaning up over Maybelle Holmwood's shoulder when Andrew's green eyes landed on me. I could have fainted with relief as he seized the princess' hand to kiss it goodbye, his eyes never leaving mine as he parted the sea of skirts to come stand before me.

"From the look on your face, I daresay I have some explaining to do," he said, watching me with a wary smile as if I were about to explode. But the concern in his eyes and the way he'd barrelled through the circle of waiting debutantes - Adelaide and Ashley among them - had quieted the cacophony of noise in my head.

"Is that your way of asking me for a dance?" I asked, curtseying to him. His green eyes softened as he reached for my hand, bringing it to his lips. Just his touch was enough to bring memories of last night flooding back and as he drew me into his arms, thoughts of Ashley, Adelaide, and Princess Dulciana settled back into the darkest corners of my mind. Somewhere in the distance, music was starting, but my world had reduced to the two of us.

"I'm sorry," he said, his eyes roving my face that hungry way they had last night, "Mother had told me she'd only be arriving next week."

"We can discuss that later. I'm more interested in why my arch rival got your first dance," I said, as Andrew spun me off into a polka. The energetic dance was exactly what I'd needed to ease my tense nerves.

"Ashley? I'd have thought you'd prefer her to Adelaide," he protested, frowning.

"Why on Earth would you think that?" I asked. Andrew let out a grumble from low in his throat, shaking his head in annoyance.

"After what you'd said last night about Adelaide, I couldn't bring myself to ask her and throw your insecurities back in your face. I thought Ashley would be the wiser choice since you already know I don't care much for her," he said.

"How was I to know that?" I demanded.

"Because I've told you, silly. When you were going on about the kind of woman I should be marrying last Season, that time in the little library," he said, before leaning so close his lips nearly brushed my ear, "Which, incidentally, was the first time I thought about kissing you."

I blushed scarlet as he leaned away from me, that special smile on his face as he laughed at my reaction.

"I'm still annoyed with you," I managed, unable to keep from returning his smile.

"Then you'll have to allow me to make it up to you," he said, "Go check the stables tomorrow morning, I think you might like what you find there."

"If this is your way of promising to take me out for a ride to get away from this madness, then I think I might faint of joy," I said. Andrew laughed, giving my waist a little squeeze where he was holding it.

"I very much doubt you're that easy of a fainter, which is fortunate since you might break your beautiful face and then where would we be," he said. I blushed again despite myself, grinning like an idiot. As close as we were for the dance, I couldn't help but long to throw my arms around him. From the look in his green eyes, I could tell he was thinking much the same thing.

"I meant what I said last night," he said quietly, "And just because I have a duty to dance with others, it doesn't change a single thing between us."

"Thank you," I breathed, my smile mirroring his, "I think I very much needed to hear that."