The Lost Princess

Chapter Twenty: Affairs of the Heart

Madge gathered me in her arms as I sank to the floor, sobbing.

"Oh Evelyn, I've missed you," she murmured, her voice wrought with emotion.

All the feelings I hadn't been able to express when I'd seen Mother bubbled to the surface and poured out of me in rivers of tears. Madge held me tightly for a long time until they'd run dry and all I could do was sniffle.

"I knew the day would come when I'd see you again," she said softly as she smoothed my hair. "Though I hoped it would be among happier times."

"How did you know?" I asked her as I attempted to dry more tears with my soaked handkerchief.

She huffed a laugh.

"I had my suspicions from the moment I saw you with those boys," she told me. "But really it was my husband, Hugo. He came to me after you visited the painting gallery with the other ladies. He said seeing you next to that old portrait was like seeing a ghost and he thought he might be losing his mind. I didn't want to believe him at first because I wanted so badly for it to be true. I didn't want to get my hopes up. But seeing you today... your coloring and features may belong to your father, but your eyes are your mother's. I took care of both of you as babies. I would recognize them anywhere."

"I knew I should have left that portrait alone," I mumbled. "It's a miracle no one else has recognized me yet, especially Mother. I'm not exactly the best actress."

"She will know you when it is her time to know. Hugo only noticed because he has a knack for seeing detail like that. It's what makes him such a talented painter." She sighed. "I will say, though, when this is all over I will be giving those boys a piece of my mind. They were reckless for dragging you into this without a care for the danger they've put you in."

I shook my head quickly.

"They told me their plan but was my decision to come here, Madge. They don't know who I really am," I confessed.

Madge sat back, surprised. "You certainly have quite a tangle of lies going here, my dear. I hope you know what you're doing."

"I know what I'm doing it for," I told her. "As long as I hold that in my heart, I have faith everything will work out as it's supposed to."

"Then I have faith in you," she said as she reached over to caress my cheek again. "Someday this nightmare will end and you will have the love you deserve, my princess. I will do everything in my power to see to it."

I gave her a shaky smile and sat up straight as I tried to compose myself, then looked down at my rumpled dress

"I'm a mess," I said, sure that my face was a disaster.

Madge laughed and pushed herself up with the help of a nearby chair.

"Yes, I do hope you're not planning on attending the ball looking like that," she replied. "Speaking of which, we should get you back. You and I both need to start preparing for tonight."

My head swirled a bit from all the crying as I stood, but I regained my balance as Madge walked over to the washbasin and came back with a clean wet rag.

"Here," she said as she handed it to me. "We can't have tongues wagging about a lady returning to her room with a tearstained face."

I dabbed at my face with the cool cloth until some of the heat faded away.

"There. Much better." Madge took the cloth and set it aside before she opened the door. "Come, I'll take you back to your room."

I followed her back through the maze of hallways and took deep breaths to calm myself. Once we were out of the servant's quarters, Madge checked to make sure no one was coming before waving me on. The palace was mercifully empty as we made our way back to my suite and when we reached the door, Madge paused.