An American Cinderella:A Royal Love Story(37)

"Good luck!" Lydia called as the limo pulled away.

I waved through the open window until the limo pulled onto faster  traffic. Then I rolled it up so that the wind wouldn't mess up my hair. I  was on my way to the ball.

I was on my way to Henry.





Chapter 23





The limo pulled up alongside one of the older buildings downtown. The  building was a private club, so I'd never been inside, although I'd  heard of the extravagant parties that were often thrown here.

The building took up the entire corner. Rich tan stone with large  windows glimmered in the fading light. A red carpet lined the sidewalk  on the corner, and the police had the intersection completely blocked  off.

I took a deep breath and stepped out of the limo and onto the red  carpet, clutching my invitation and a small purse with my ID and phone.

Act like you belong here, act like you belong here, I whispered to  myself. I was positive that one of the police officers was going to call  me out. This was a party for high society, not some low-level  government employee. They would see right through me.

I held my head high as I walked along the red carpet, keeping my eyes  open for any sign of Henry. He was supposed to meet me inside, but that  didn't mean I couldn't run into him outside of the building.

Cameras flashed as I walked along the red carpet to the entrance of the  building. Security was everywhere. It seemed like every other person in a  dark suit wore some sort of ear piece and sunglasses. It reminded me of  all the events the president attended, only with more security.

The closer I came to the door, the more nervous I became. I appeared to  be one of the later guests to arrive. Despite Gunner and Lydia's amazing  skill, it took time to get me ball-ready. I bit my lip, and then  immediately stopped knowing I would damage Lydia's lipstick.

"Invitation and ID." It wasn't a request from the huge man guarding the  entrance. I handed him my envelope and ID. He carefully scanned each  one, checking to make sure they were authentic. He waved them under a  black light while a female guard did a pat down on my dress. I didn't  know that security was going to be this tight.

The man handed me back both and stepped out of the way to let me pass.  Inside I could hear the soft sounds of classical music combining with  laughter and gentle chatter. I followed the soft sounds down the  brightly lit hallway to the main ballroom.

A man stood at the entrance to the main hall announcing guests as they  arrived. Beside him stood Andre in a black uniform that matched the  security outside. I smiled and waved to him, wondering what he was doing  working security.

"The Lady Emma and Lord Jack," the announcer called out to the ballroom.  The blonde woman in front of me smiled at her date, and together they  walked in.

I'd never met a lord or a lady. I took a deep breath and tried to look  like I was supposed to be here. This was a ball for royalty, and I tried  not to look out of place. I just hoped that I could find Henry among  all the guests.

"Invitation, please," the announcer asked, holding out his hand for my card.

"Oh, right." I handed it to him.

"The Lady Aria," the announcer boomed to the room. My face turned bright red.         

     



 

"I'm not a lady," I quickly told him. "I'm just normal."

Andre snickered. "Everyone is announced as a lord or a lady with their  first name only for the masquerade," he informed me. "In honor of the  Peasant Queen."

"Oh. That makes sense." I remembered Henry's story of how the prince  snuck his love into the ball, tricking everyone into thinking she was  royalty so she would be accepted. My face was still beet red, though.  "Thanks, Andre."

He nodded. "Henry's over there. He's been waiting for you."

I grinned, feeling the butterflies that always seemed happy to dance at  Henry's name. He was why I was here. I gave Andre a small wave and  started to walk in the direction he pointed.

The ballroom was huge and golden. Crystal chandeliers hung from the  ceiling and everything seemed to be gilded. Party-goers mingled on the  open floor. Everyone wore floor length gowns or tuxedos. Diamonds  sparkled on the necks of nearly every woman, the wealth of America on  display.

Masks of all shapes and colors dotted the faces of the wealthy guests. I  thought I recognized some of the guests, but the masks made it  difficult to point them out.

That's kind of the point, I told myself as I thought I saw the Vice  President of the United States walk past. Tonight, you can be anyone.

"You're here."

I turned at Henry's voice, a smile on my face. He crossed the space  between us in two steps and kissed me on the lips. I pressed into him,  not caring that people were looking. What was the point of wearing a  mask if not to hide my identity?

"Sorry I'm late," I whispered when he broke the kiss.

"I would have waited all night for you." He looked me up and down, his hands on my shoulders. "You look unbelievable."

"Thank you." I stepped back to look at him. He wore his military dress  uniform with a simple black mask across his eyes. His uniform was black  with bright accents of gold and deep red. A string of medals hung across  his breast for his service. He looked like a prince out of a fairy tale  on his way to marry a princess.

A princess dressed like me, I realized.

"You look pretty nice yourself," I told him. I reached out and straightened one of his medals. "I like the uniform."

He flushed slightly at the compliment before tucking my hand into the crease of his arm.

"I'd like you to meet my brothers," he said, guiding me across the floor. "And my mother."

I nearly tripped at the mention of meeting his mother. Wasn't that  something you did after a long period of dating? I wasn't sure. I hoped  she liked me since I certainly liked her son.

At least I wasn't worried about what I was wearing.

"Did you know that Andre is working security for this thing?" I asked him.

"It's part of his job," Henry replied. "He works security for me, actually."

"Oh. I didn't know that. I guess I just assumed you two did the same  thing for your work." I frowned slightly as I realized I wasn't really  sure what that was. Henry had managed to stay rather vague about the  details of his job. I knew that he was a businessman who dealt with  trade, but I hadn't really asked more than that.

I was more interested in who he was than what he did.

Henry nodded to several guests as we walked. Some of them whispered after we passed, and I could feel a million eyes on my back.

"Why are they all looking at me?" I whispered to him.

"Because you're the most beautiful woman in the room," he replied, giving my hand a gentle squeeze. "This way."

He led me to another room, nodding to three men wearing the traditional  "I'm in security" uniforms and ear pieces. There were less guests in  this room, probably due to the security standing guard at the door. Most  of the guests didn't dare venture past them.

Two men stood talking near one of the windows. They both wore military  uniforms that matched Henry's, although the medals on their chests were  different. They turned and smiled as we approached. The men were  replicas of Henry, but with just enough differences to mark them each  their own.

"Aria, I'd like to introduce you to my brothers," Henry said. He  motioned to the man on my right. "This is my younger brother, Freddy."

Freddy grinned. His smile was full of mischievous light as he took my  hand and brought it to his lips. "So you're the one getting Henry in  trouble with Liam."

My eyes darted over to the other man. He was slightly taller, but with a  stern face and serious gray eyes. His mask was edged in gold where his  younger brothers wore simple black.         

     



 

"This is my older brother, Liam," Henry said while still glaring at his little brother.

Liam simply nodded a greeting. "A pleasure to meet you."

"You can be more friendly than that," Freddy chided him. "He's always a  stick in the mud for these things. He'd rather be working."

"There is a lot still to be done, Freddy," Liam replied, his accent  thicker than his brothers. "Some of us have responsibilities."

"That's true, and I'm glad none of them are mine," Freddy replied with a  chuckle. He winked at me. "The benefits of being the youngest son."

"You see now what I have to deal with," Henry whispered to me.

"It's very nice to meet the two of you. Henry speaks very highly of  you." I grinned, glad to have faces to put with the names from Henry's  stories. Well, masked faces, but still better than nothing.

Liam's brow went up. "Are you sure you've got the right man? The mask isn't fooling you?"

Freddy laughed. "That's just because he wants us to make a good  impression. Now that you've met us, you'll get all the horror stories."

Henry just rolled his eyes.