The Ambassador's Daughter

Chapter 15

Louise left a little while later. "Gordon, we need to go to the French Embassy on the way home." An idea had struck her while en route to the palace. And she hoped it would work.

"The French Embassy, Miss?" Gordon asked, glancing at her in the mirror.

"Yeah, I need to talk to Marguerite." Gordon nodded and drove them through the capitol city of Wakanda to the French embassy building. Marguerite was the French ambassador's daughter. Marguerite was a year or two younger than Louise, but they had become friends at many of the events their families had attended together.

As the car pulled up in front of the embassy, Louise jumped out and grabbed the shopping bag sitting at her feet and hurried up the steps of the French Mansion. She rang the doorbell and waited until she was shown into the front foyer. "May I help you, Miss?" The butler asked.

"Yes, I need to talk to Marguerite, please." The butler nodded and disappeared into the house. Louise clutched the shopping bag tightly, Please let this work! She thought. The butler returned.

"Follow me, Miss." Louise followed the butler into a sitting room. Marguerite was sitting on the couch reading a fashion magazine. She looked up when Louise entered, "Louise!" The younger girl squealed with a heavy French accent, she jumped up and waddled over to give Louise a hug.

"Marguerite, bonjour," Louise replied. "I need your help." Marguerite's brown eyes stared up at Louise out of a round, white face.

"What do you need Mon Amie?"

"If anyone asks you were I was today, please, please, please tell them we went shopping."

Marguerite's brows knit together, "But, Louise, I have not seen you for so long. And everyone knows I wouldn't go shopping and come back empty handed."

Louise smiled and held up the shopping bag. She pulled out a figurine of Ra. "This should solve that problem."

Marguerite gasped and held her chubby hands for the marble statue. "Oh, Louise it's beautiful!"

"So, will you cover for me?"

"But why should I need to cover for you?"

"I'm kinda breaking some rules by being out of the house, right now. But I promise it's important or I wouldn't be doing it and I wouldn't drag you into it, too. My dad would not be happy to know where I've actually been. Please!"

"Oui, of course, Mon Amie." Marguerite agreed, Louise hugged her.

"Merci, Mon Amie," Louise cried. "I have to go, but I really appreciate this!" Louise turned and hurried back to her car. The servant was starting to look really anxious. He'd been away from his post for a long time. "Alright, Gordon, take us home." The servant sighed in audible relief. "I promise I will do everything in my power to help you keep your job."

Louise climbed out of the car at her own home and walked inside like she had been shopping with Marguerite all day. The servant she'd borrowed for the day ran around the house and through the servants' quarters. Louise went to the main sitting room and sat down with a book. A few minutes later, her mother entered, a rather frazzled expression on her face. "Where have you been, my child?" Elise cried when she saw her daughter, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "We have been looking for you for hours."

Louise looked up, trying to look innocent. "I went shopping with Marguerite, today."

Elise narrowed her eyes, "You were told you were not allowed to leave."

"Mamma, Dad said I couldn't leave the house unless I went through the front door and I was chaperoned. I complied to both of his rules: I left through the front door and I took one of the servants with me. And Marguerite had one of her servants. So..."

Elise shook her head. "Come, child, I have something to show you." Louise closed her book and followed her mother up to one of the spare rooms. When she entered the room, she stopped. The furniture had all been removed and now the room was now filled with what appeared to be a starlet's dressing room. Two vanities had been set up against one wall, both with 180 degree mirrors and lights. The tops of the vanities were covered with make-up and hair supplies. In the opposite corner, a changing screen had been erected and in the middle of the room stood three racks of dresses, every style and colour imaginable. By the door there were several shoe racks containing the shoes that matched the dresses.

Louise's jaw dropped. "What is this, Mamma?"

"The king is throwing a ball celebrating the birthday of Wakanda. With all that has been going on with you and your father, I forgot to mention it earlier. Pick a dress and we will get it altered for you." Louise stepped toward the racks of dresses. So her mother had been planning for the ball even if she hadn't been bringing Louise along on the process. That was a relief. Louise sorted through the racks and finally picked out a dress. She held it up for her mother's approval. Elise looked at the dress and nodded. Then she shoved Louise towards the changing screen. "Try it on so we can size it properly. There isn't much time to get the proper fit, thank goodness we have our own tailor."

Louise tried on the dress and found it was a few sizes too big. "It will look lovely once the tailor is done with it." Elise picked up the phone and called the tailor up. A few minutes later, the woman bustled into the room, her bag slung over her shoulder, a tape measure around her neck. She quickly and efficiently measured Louise. "I'll take the dress now." The seamstress demanded, jotting the measurements down. Louise obediently took the dress off and handed it over.

"How long will this take?" Elise asked.

"Two weeks." Was the reply, "This is a very delicate fabric and to be as stunning and dramatic as it should be will take some time. You're dress, Madame, will be ready sometime tomorrow." Elise nodded and swept out of the room.

"Thank you," Louise replied before following her mother. "So, a ball, huh?" Louise asked once she caught up with the woman. Elise raised an eyebrow at her daughter. "Sorry, Mamma. So there is a ball coming up soon?"

"Honestly, Louise, I do not know how you picked up such American slang. We have never spent that much time actually in America." Elise scolded. "Yes, there is a ball coming up. The twenty first of next month. The invitation said it is the 10,000th birthday of Wakanda. Can you imagine? Such an old country, yet it is so very young with the UN."

Louise nodded. It was indeed something to think of. Her mother was still talking so Louise pulled her thoughts back to the present in time to hear, "If you don't listen to your father, he may not let you go to the ball."

Louise couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous that sounded. "What is this?" She asked, "Cinderella? I only get to go to the ball if I'm good and do everything I'm asked? Mamma, I promise I will do everything in my power not to upset Dad, but the king has asked me to help with the final preparations for the ball, so I will have to be back and forth between here and the palace a lot in the next few weeks."

Elise looked at her daughter, "Why has he asked you to help? There are so many ambassadors, has he asked the other families to help?"

Louise shook her head, "I don't know why I was asked, maybe just because I was there?" Elise raised an eyebrow skeptically, but dropped the subject.

"Just make sure you aren't sneaking out and are around here for fittings."

"Yes, Mamma."