Princess Thief: Stealing Your Heart Read Free Page A

him out bed for eating crackers.”
    “Paulette!” 
Both women giggled as they watched the prince make his way over to a group of
young women.  He gave a slight bow and-
    “Oh
my goodness, Paulette, did those girls just curtsy?”
    Paulette
laughed.  “Yes,
they did.”
    “When
is the last time you curtsied?”
    “Oh,
I don’t remember.  High school maybe?”
    Gazing
at the scene, Juliette whispered, “Another world…”
    As
Juliette daydreamed, Paulette broke the spell, “Well, I better make my way back
to the kitchen.  The first batch of mini-quiche came out burned; I want to make
sure that doesn’t happen again.  Take care, sweetie.”
    Juliette
snapped out of her daze.  “Bye.” 
    Get
it together, girl.  You ’re here to work, not gawk.
    She
checked her watch.  8:25.  The best time to make her move would probably be in
about an hour.  The party will be in full swing, the drinks will be flowing, no
one will notice the florist slip out the back of the room.
    This
is going to be the most low-tech burglary ever . 
    She
visualized the scenario for the hundredth time in her mind: the white bag was
stashed behind the large rhododendron in the hall.  The emergency kit was
safely hidden in the old castle ruins outside. 
    So,
I ’ll
slip out the back of the hall and walk directly to the gem room.  If anyone
asks, I’m lost and looking for the kitchen-
    “Excuse
me.”
    Juliette
instinctively shooed away the distraction as she continued her mental
checklist. 
    The
emerald necklace is in the back corner-
    “Excuse
me?”
    “Yes,
what is it?” Juliette snapped.  She looked up to find-
    Prince
Alfonso Guillermo de Valdivia y Beaumont!
    “May
I have this dance?” Prince Guillermo’s piercing blue eyes and easy smile
rendered her momentarily speechless.
    “Uh-
Uh- Uh- Of course!” Juliette finally found her voice. 
    Oh
my God!  It ’s
the prince!  It’s really him!
    The
small orchestra had just begun playing a fun, bouncy, familiar waltz.  Juliette
smiled, took the prince ’s
hand, and stepped out onto the dance floor.  He placed his right hand on the
small of her back and began gently but firmly guiding her.  She was relieved to
find that he was an accomplished dancer.
    “You
dance quite well,” the prince said, smiling.
    Juliette
returned the smile.  “Thank
you.  My uncle taught me.”
    “May
I have your name?”
    “Juliette.” 
    “Juliette,”
the prince repeated.  “That’s a nice name.”
    As
she gazed into the prince ’s
blue eyes, her 13 year old inner fan girl squealed with delight: I ’m doing it! 
I’m dancing with the prince!
    The
prince gave her a spin which Juliette executed gracefully.  However, as she
turned, she noticed several jealous stares from other young ladies in the
room.  She couldn ’t
help but laugh.  Was it feminine pride? 
    Ha
ha, girls, suck it!
    “You
seem to be having fun,” the prince noticed.
    “Of
course!” she laughed easily.  “It’s not every day the flower girl gets to dance
with the prince.”
    “Please,
call me Guillermo,” he said.
    She
hesitated, then replied, “Of
course.”
    The
waltz came to an end.  The prince held her hand and bowed slightly.  “Thank you,” he
said with a smile.
    “I
enjoyed it,” Juliette also smiled. 
    As she
left the dance floor, the jealous stares followed her.  Ladies whispered to
each other:
    “Have
you seen her before?”
    “Who
does she think he is?” 
    Juliette
just shrugged it off and continued to smile.  She wasn ’t going to let
anyone take away from this moment — least of all, some empty-headed socialites
from the useless aristocracy. 
    But,
as the intense stares lingered for 10 minutes, then 20, she began to feel
uneasy.  Part of her plan — a big part of her plan, in fact — was to slip out
of the ballroom unnoticed.  If this kept up …
    She
turned around and scanned the back of the room.  There she is!
    “Paulette!”
she waved.  “Save