When the door opened to reveal Clarence, I melted into his arms, not caring who saw or whether the doors were open. His arms wrapped around my back, and I could feel his breath on my neck. For a second nothing else mattered.
"I spoke to your father," I breathed, not letting him go.
"I know," he chuckled. "He told me."
"Oh no," I groaned, remembering what I had told the king.
"Forty-eight hours, huh?" He pulled away and I let him lead me to the nearest chair to sit down. "How can I help?"
"You want to help?" I raised my eyebrows, feeling the heat rise into my face.
He knit his brow together and looked at me as though he were trying to size me up before speaking. "Do I want to help you stay here with me?" He repeated my question. "Did I not make that clear enough in the gardens or do I have to try again?"
I laughed at his exasperated look. "No." I giggled again when he stuck out his tongue. "No, I know you want to help, I'm just..." I ran my hand over my skirt.
"Scared?" he asked me.
"Yes," I whispered, looking down at my lap.
"I'm scared, too," he admitted. "I don't want you to go. I don't want to fight my father. I want to figure this out." His voice dropped so low I'm sure I wasn't meant to hear when she said, "I don't want to turn out like my uncle."
My thoughts flew back to our conversation in the terrace as I felt the rough marble where the former king's crown had been struck off. Before I could say anything, another knock at the door stopped our conversation in its tracks.
"You're needed in the throne room," Janet spoke without introduction as she entered the room. She turned to me and added, "I'm sorry. I'll stay with you, but that's the most I could free him today. He's got two more engagements this afternoon alone."
"I--" Clarence looked nervously between the door and my face and back again.
"Go!" I urged him. "I'll still be here when you get back." For the next forty-five hours or so, at least.
He kissed my cheek and strode out of the room, the doors closing behind him and echoing through the grand sitting room.
"I don't think I'll ever get used to that," I sighed.
"So, before I get to discussing work things..." Janet sat down beside me. "I want to talk to you as your friend."
"Okay?" I asked, worried about where this might go.
"Do you like him?" She asked, bouncing in her chair and pretending to do a hair flip typical of every teenage movie mean girl ever.
I couldn't keep the smile off of my face, laughing as Janet fluttered her eyelashes at me.
"Shush." I batted my hand at her playfully. "You know I do."
"I've known for longer than you have, my dear." She smiled and sat back up. "But I wanted to hear it from you."
"Oh, you have, have you?"
She nodded. "So, if you like him, and you want to date him, then what are we doing here?"
"What are we doing here?" I asked her. "You told me to come here!"
"I did," she agreed. "But I mean, what are you going to do now? Because it can't be packing up and going home. Not if you care for him."
I took a deep breath and she pretended to look at a large mural coating the wall in front of us. What am I going to do now?
"Well," I finally answered her. "The way I see it, I have two choices. Accept the king's proposal to leave now and keep all of my pay. Which would mean going home and living with my mom until I start school in the fall."
Janet opened her mouth to speak but I put up my hand to stop her. "Or I could somehow do the impossible and find a way to fix this mess in less than--" I looked at the clock-- "Less than forty-five hours."
She looked desperate to talk, but allowed me to finish.
"So, what I'm going to do now is beg everyone I know for help so we can get this done in forty-five hours or less."
"Oh, thank goodness!" Janet jumped across the couch and hugged me so hard I thought I might break a bone.
"Janet?" I managed to squeak out.
"Yeah?"
"You're crushing me."
She let go and backed away sheepishly. "Sorry." She fiddled with a piece of hair along the base of her neck. "I didn't mean to squish you but I was hoping you would stay."
"So..." I squared myself until I was facing her. "Will you help me fix this mess?"
"Of course!" She smiled and bounced on the couch. "What do you need?"
"We need to discredit Josh." I smiled at her, knowing she would love that part of the plan.
"Yes!" She pumped her fist into the air. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this moment. I hate that man!"
Something resembling a snort came out of my mouth where a laugh was trying to be. "Sorry!" I covered my mouth with my hands. "I didn't mean to--"
And just like that we were both doubled over with laughter.
"I can't believe you just--" Janet couldn't finish her sentence. She was laughing so hard.
I let out a few more giggles while I tried to compose myself enough to talk. Finally, I was composed enough to speak a full sentence, but Janet was still trying to get herself together.
"Janet." I had to pause and look away so I didn't start giggling again. "I think we need to dig up as much dirt on my ex as we can find. Will you help me look into his exes?"
"Are you kidding?" she asked. "Is it Christmas?"
"Come on, Janet. Be serious, please."
"I'm sorry." She straightened herself up and took a deep breath. "This is my moment to shine." She picked up the clipboard she had long-ago discarded on the coffee table. "Just promise you won't be mad at me."
"Every time you say that, you always tell me something I will definitely get mad about," I pointed out to her. "So I'm not going to make that promise."
She sighed and looked back and forth between me and her clipboard. "Okay, I'll tell you anyway. I kept the note he left you in case I ever needed it." She slid a heavily taped piece of paper out of the back pocket of her clipboard and handed it to me.
"That's definitely it," I sighed. "What a great guy."
I handed it back to her. "But what's that going to help with?"
"Oh, probably nothing, except proving you didn't break up with him, like he said."
"He said I broke up with him?" I asked.
"Didn't you read the article?" Janet asked, shaking her head. "He said you broke it off with him when you realized you had snagged a prince or whatever."
Oh! That reminds me. I turned to face Janet. "Where is Semret and Marinette?" I asked her. "I need them. Now."