Levout won’t like it.’ It sounded like a threat.
‘Then the kids can sleep in the bedroom Mr Levout chose for me. We’ll all sleep there.’
There were three gasps of dismay from under the mound of pillows, and two gasps of dismay from the maids. ‘Mr Levout will think it’s inappropriate.’
‘I’ll explain it to Mr Levout.’
‘You can’t.’ They looked afraid, Pippa thought incredulously. Why?
‘I’ll explain it’s nothing to do with you. I’ll tell him it’s just me being pigheaded.’
‘Miss, we’ll get into trouble if we don’t do what Mr Levout wishes.’
Trouble? These two were well past retirement age, Pippa thought. What could Levout do? Sack them? Surely they’d be looking forward to retirement anyway.
She took a deep breath. She was probably only here for a month, she thought, so there was no need to make trouble when it could be avoided. But if, she thought,
‘I gather Marc…’ She caught herself. ‘I gather His Highness, Prince Marc, is to be the new Crown Prince of Alp d’Estella. I’m his legal guardian. Any decision regarding the children will thus be made by me. Not by Mr Levout. Not by anyone else. Do I make myself clear?’
Two jaws sagged.
‘Well?’
‘Oh, my dear,’ the oldest woman said, and she beamed. ‘Oh, yes, miss.’
‘You ought to stand up to him,’ the other woman breathed. ‘No one else does.’ She looked to where the kids were enthusiastically bouncing on their four-poster. ‘He’d have a heart attack if he saw that.’
Pippa turned and looked at the kids. They’d tugged off their shoes before bouncing. As guardian, could she demand anything more? ‘They’re allowed to bounce,’ she said.
‘Oh, yes, miss,’ the oldest maid breathed and she chuckled. ‘I have a grandson who loves bouncing.’
‘You have a grandson?’
‘I have three.’
‘Excuse me, but why are you still working as a maid?’
There was blank incomprehension. ‘We need to,’ the woman said at last. ‘Jobs are scarce.’
‘You don’t have pensions?’
‘Pensions?’
‘Well,’ Pippa said and set her shoulders. ‘Maybe it’s just as well we came after all.’
What was she saying?
The maids left soon after and they were left alone.
The children bounced. They explored every inch of the nursery. Then the four of them-Dolores excused herself as she’d found a fire-took themselves further, checking school rooms, bedroom upon bedroom, living rooms, libraries, great halls, ballrooms…They knocked at each door and when there was no response they peered inside.
They grew more and more awed.
They found the inside swimming pool. It was huge, with a special lap lane designed with wave blockers so the water stayed calm all the time.
‘I want a swim,’ Marc breathed.
‘Tomorrow.’ Pippa gazed round with awe. ‘Let’s go outside and see if we can find the other two pools.’
‘Where is everyone?’ Marc asked. ‘All those people.’
‘Below stairs, I guess,’ Pippa said, giving a nervous giggle. ‘That’s what they say on telly about where the servants live. But take no notice of me. I’m guessing.’
‘Should we go downstairs and say hello?’
‘I guess we said hello when we arrived,’ Pippa said cautiously. ‘I’m not too sure anyone wants to say hello after that. Let’s go outside. It seems…safer.’
CHAPTER SIX
MAX spent two hours with Levout, which were two hours more than he wanted to spend with the man, but there were practicalities to work out. If he was stuck here then he might as well sort them out now. He emerged from the castle offices feeling vaguely tainted. He hated being related to this family. So many wrongs…
But at least now they could be sorted. He’d watched Levout trying to hide dismay as he’d gone through the initial changes he wanted instigated, and he thought, You don’t know the half of it. These were just palace changes. Tomorrow he’d start looking wider.
But now he was starting to be nervous about Pippa’s whereabouts. She’d threatened she’d leave if he didn’t stick around and he knew her well enough to realise she’d carry through with a threat. If she thought he was no longer in the castle…
He’d check. She’d probably be resting, he decided, and he headed for the nursery, climbing the vast staircase three stairs at a time.
The nursery was empty.
He rang the bell and an elderly housemaid appeared, looking apprehensive.
‘Where are the children?’ he asked.
‘They’re with Pippa. I mean…Miss Phillippa.’
‘Did she ask you to call her Pippa?’
‘Oh, yes,’ the woman said, and her nervousness disappeared in a smile. ‘I said to call me Beatrice but she said I was old enough to be her mother and she’d only call me Beatrice if I called her Pippa. She said that goes for all the staff, but we talked about it and thought maybe we wouldn’t call her that in front of Mr Levout.’
‘Very wise.’ What was the gossip below stairs? he wondered. They probably knew more than he did. ‘Is she in her room?’ he asked.
‘She says she’s sleeping here in the nursery.’
He stared at the enormous nursery. It was more like a gallery than a nursery, he thought. If he’d been stuck in here as a kid, alone, he’d have had nightmares. Maybe Pippa was right. But…
‘Are there enough beds?’
‘There are five bedrooms. But Pippa says they only need one.’
‘That’s ridiculous.’
‘Yes, sir.’
He looked at Beatrice, who looked back at him, expressionless.
‘You don’t agree?’
‘I have grandchildren,’ she said gently. ‘If one of them was the new Crown Prince, maybe I’d be sleeping with him, too. And maybe the dog as well.’
She met his gaze, without a hint of a smile.
‘You’re saying it’s unsafe.’
‘No, sir. At least…‘ She hesitated. ‘Sir, I’m only a maid. But if it was my child who was Crown Prince, I’d hold him close.’
‘Because…’
‘I couldn’t say, sir,’ she said softly, turning back to her unpacking, leaving him vaguely worried. What was she telling him?
He’d promised Pippa they’d be safe. Was he sure? He thought back to Levout’s concerns. A lot of petty officialdom stood to lose substantial income if what Max planned came to pass.
Yeah, but they’d had a prince on the throne for four hundred years. Surely they couldn’t object-or do anything about it if they did object?
All the same, suddenly he thought that Pippa and Dolores sleeping with Marc wasn’t such a bad idea.
That worried him as well.
Dammit, these weren’t Pippa’s children. Here he was, asking her to be responsible again.
