Happily Ever After Read online

  HAPPILY EVER AFTER

  Written by

  Kate William

  Created by

  FRANCINE PASCAL

  Copyright © 2015, Francine Pascal

  To Anna Smith

  "I've never stolen anything in my life," Elizabeth said, desperate to make Laurent believe her. She felt her own tears wet on her cheeks.

  "I know that," he assured her, squeezing her a little to punctuate his words. "I wish things could be different. . . . I wish Antonia and I—" He broke off suddenly.

  If only Elizabeth could forget everything but Laurent and the waltz. But she couldn't do it. She couldn't take another step and pretend that she wasn't devastated by his engagement. "Laurent, it's no use," she said in despair "I can't do this, knowing that you and Antonia—"

  A shriek suddenly pierced the air. "Thieves!" came the countess's shrill, demanding voice.

  Elizabeth gasped as Jessica grabbed her by the arm and said hoarsely, "We have to go . . . now!"

  Visit the Official Sweet Valley Web Site on the Internet at:

  http://www.sweetvalley.com

  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 1

  "This is a nightmare!" Jessica Wakefield moaned. She tossed her blond hair to one side and stifled yet another round of tears that threatened to overflow her eyes. "We were supposed to have the greatest summer ever, and now we may never even see daylight again."

  Jessica nibbed her wrist where the iron cuffs chafed her skin. She and her twin, Elizabeth, were chained to a dank and moldy stone wall in the dungeon of the Château d'Amour Inconnu on a remote island in France.

  Under most circumstances Jessica would have been happy, considering the way her lavender ball gown fit snugly around her body, showing off her curves. Its fluffy skirt billowed to the floor around her legs, and elbow-length white gloves gave her a sophisticated elegance. But what good was a beautiful gown when no one could see her?

  Upstairs the prince and princess de Sainte-Marie were hosting a glittering ball, with music and dancing and champagne. That's where the twins would have been if they hadn't been accused of stealing a valuable jewel.

  "Oh, why did this happen?" Jessica wailed.

  "Well, it wasn't my idea to come to Europe as an au pair this summer," Elizabeth grumbled. "I wish I'd never left Sweet Valley!" She wrapped her free arm around the fitted bodice of her stunning white ball gown. Her blond hair was arranged in large curls atop her head, with a single strand dramatically framing the right side of her face.

  "Me too," Jessica said. It seemed as if they'd been away from their friends and family back in California for years instead of weeks.

  Jessica knew she'd bullied Elizabeth into accepting the au pair position, but she had imagined them living like princesses at the château. Instead they had been thrown in the dungeon like criminals. She pounded her fist on the little cot in the cell with sudden vehemence. "I could kill Jacques for giving me that stupid emerald!" she cried in frustration.

  Jacques Landeau, supposedly the future duke of Norveaux, was the sexy young Frenchman Jessica had met while they were traveling from Paris to the royal château. He was tall and incredibly handsome, with dark brown hair and almond-shaped, deep brown eyes. He swept her off her feet with his sultry French accent and flowery words, and when he gave her an emerald pendant, she just knew she was in love with him.

  Elizabeth shot her a scathing look. "You would have to fall in love with a jewel thief," she said accusingly. "Why didn't you listen when people told you there was no such place as Norveaux?" Her tone turned sarcastic. "Jacques Landeau, the duke of Norveaux. Please!"

  "You don't know for sure that he stole it!" Jessica insisted. "And besides, I'm not the only one who fell for the wrong guy. Since when do you steal other girls' boyfriends?"

  Elizabeth winced, and Jessica smiled triumphantly. Her sister had been more than a little swept off her feet by darkly handsome Laurent de Sainte-Marie, eldest son of the prince and princess. Because Elizabeth and Jessica were responsible for taking care of his younger brother and sisters, Elizabeth and Laurent had been thrown together more than once. Their chance encounters had quickly become planned rendezvous.

  Jessica had actually encouraged the relationship all along. After all, her sister deserved an incredible guy like Laurent. Why should a silly little thing like his fiancée get in the way? But now Elizabeth was attacking Jacques, and Jessica wasn't about to sit around and be the only person who felt lousy.

  "He said he loved me," Elizabeth said, and Jessica heard the tears in her sister's voice. "I was so sure he was telling the truth. I don't understand how he could tell me that while he was engaged to Antonia."

  Antonia and her mother, wicked and snobbish Countess Doloria di Rimini, had traveled with Jessica and Elizabeth on the train from Paris to the château. Both red haired and green eyed, they imperiously ordered everyone around and expected the first and best of whatever was available, whether food or service. From the start they had given the twins nothing but grief, and it was the countess who finally accused them of stealing her emerald pendant.

  "I just want to get out of here." Jessica groaned, shivering in the damp. "This cell is so dark and cold!" There was one barred window in the stout wooden door and another window high in the opposite wall, where Jessica could just see stars in the sky. One dim lightbulb hung from the ceiling, giving off only enough light for them to see each other.

  "If we do ever get out of here, I never want to leave home again," Elizabeth said, tugging on the chains that bound her to the wall.

  Jessica and Elizabeth were identical twins, but their long blond hair and stunning blue-green eyes were practically all they had in common. Jessica was impetuous and a first-class flirt, not above stealing another girl's boyfriend if she wanted him. Elizabeth was a good student and far more serious. Before they left home, she had had a steady boyfriend, Todd Wilkins, and would never even have thought of being with another guy.

  At least Todd and Liz broke up before we left, Jessica thought. Todd's such a drip, and Laurent is so much more exciting. I'm glad I burned the one letter Todd sent her. Elizabeth didn't need the grief!

  Jessica always enjoyed being the more adventurous twin but never hesitated to coax Elizabeth into helping her out when she got herself into trouble with her wild schemes. Sometimes she even thought her sister liked to swoop in and save the day.

  Only now Jessica's wild nature had landed them in a dungeon, and neither one of them was enjoying it.

  "I wish Dad had never even mentioned this stupid au pair job!" Jessica complained, trying to remove some of the blame from herself. She shifted on the hard cot, tucking her left foot under her right leg.

  "Just because he mentioned it didn't mean we had to go for it," Elizabeth snapped, tugging at the chains again. The clattering of the metal against the bricks was beginning to grate on Jessica's nerves.

  "Why do you keep pulling on those things? Have you suddenly developed some kind of superhuman strength?" Jessica asked irritably.

  Elizabeth heaved an impatient sigh, as if Jessica had just asked the most ridiculous question in the world. "This château is hundreds of years old. These chains might be rusted enough to pull away," she explained impatiently.

  "I never thought of that," Jessica said, and she tugged at hers too. "They feel pretty tight to me."

  "Yeah, but at least it's something to do. I can't stand just sitting here," Elizabeth said vehemently.

  "But even if we get the chains out of the wall, how do we get the door open?" Jessica demanded.

  "One thing at a time," Elizabeth said grimly. She switched her attention to her leg chain, as if she was hoping it might not be as secure,

  "I knew being an au pair wasn't the most glamorous job in the world," Jessica said as she bent down to help Elizabeth. "But I never figured we'd end up strapped to a wall like common criminals. We should be waltzing around that ballroom right now, mingling with royalty."

  Jessica gave up and plopped back down on the cot, sticking out her bottom lip in an exaggerated pout.

  "I think I'm getting somewhere," Elizabeth said. Jessica watched hopefully as Elizabeth was able to wiggle the bolt that held her foot chain back and forth in the wall,

  "Wow, Liz, you were right about this old place," Jessica admitted, "If we can just unchain ourselves and get the door open, I promise you Jacques will pay for what he did to us."

  "Don't make promises you can't keep," Elizabeth warned. "And don't forget there's a guard outside to get past too."

  "The guard . . .," Jessica said thoughtfully. She could feel an idea beginning to hatch, and she stood up and approached the door. The guard outside was sitting on a wooden chair that he had tilted back against the wall. He was short, with dark hair, and his uniform was too tight for his paunch. "Why didn't I think of this before?" she wondered out loud.

  "Think of what?" Elizabeth asked, still working on her chains.

  Jessica whirled around to face Elizabeth. "The guard is a guy," she whispered excitedly.

  "So?" Elizabeth whispered back. By the light of the dim bulb overhead, Jessica saw understanding light up Elizabeth's face. "You'
re not serious!"

  "Yes, I am. He might be on the old side, and he might speak more French than English, but he's still a guy," she pointed out. "And you know what I can do when I set my mind to it."

  Elizabeth shrugged, her hands in the air. "I can't think of a better plan," she admitted. "And doing something is better than doing nothing at all."

  Jessica smiled at her twin and turned back to the door. "Excusez-moi, monsieur," she began, smiling through the bars. "Parlez-vous anglais?" She hoped that he did indeed speak English, because those two French phrases were practically the only ones she knew really well.

  The guard looked up at her, his black eyes flat in the dim light. "Yes, I speak some," he said with a heavy accent.

  Jessica cast about in her mind for a good question. "Do you know what time it is?" Lame, she thought. But he did look at his watch.

  "Just after eleven," he said gruffly in his heavily accented English.

  "Thank you," she said warmly. Now that she knew he could understand her, Jessica plunged ahead eagerly. "It must be awesome to be a guard in a royal household. Did you have to go through a lot of training?" She hoped that he could see her brilliant smile from behind the bars.

  "We are all highly trained," he said, his voice softening a bit. Jessica watched as he stood up and sucked in his gut. Gotcha! she thought triumphantly.

  Now that she could see his full face, she realized he wasn't bad looking. His eyes were actually brown instead of black, his face was smooth shaven, and his full head of thick black hair showed touches of gray at the temples.

  "I can tell," she said. "You look like you're in good shape. Do you have lots of muscles in your arms?" Behind her she heard Elizabeth trying to stifle laughter. "Can I feel them?" She batted her eyelashes and smiled even more, stretching her fingers toward him through the bars.

  The guard came a little closer, looked her up and down, and locked eyes with her. Jessica kept her expression as innocent as possible.

  "American girls, ha, so forward!" he sneered. "No, you cannot feel them. Sit down and shut up if you don't want to get into more trouble!" He snorted once before sauntering back to his chair, where he sat heavily and pulled out a newspaper to read.

  Jessica stamped her foot in frustration. Just one more thing to hate about this country, she thought. She slumped down next to Elizabeth and pouted. "This place is awful," she snapped.

  She fought back the urge to cry, but what was the point? They were trapped here in the dungeon, alone and shivering, and no one but Elizabeth was going to hear her sobs. Jessica could feel the cold from the hard stone floor seeping through her satin slippers and making her feet ache.

  "At least you tried," Elizabeth said with a sigh.

  "It's all my fault!" Jessica wailed, giving in to her misery and beginning to weep, the tears rolling down her cheeks. She tasted the salty tears on her lips and sniffed to keep her nose from running. "Jacques seemed so sincere with his talk about moonlight and French nights," she continued. "Oh, why did I believe him? How could I be such an idiot?"

  "I hate to say it, Jess, but I tried to warn you Jacques was bad news right from the beginning. If you weren't such a flirt," Elizabeth accused, "he probably wouldn't have given you the emerald in the first place!"

  Elizabeth stood up and paced. Of course, the chain that held her to the wall didn't permit her to go more than a few steps in any direction. She wished Jessica would either stop whining or think of something productive to do, something other than trying to seduce the guard. After all, she had gotten them into this mess.

  "I never even wanted to come to this dumb château. Why did I ever let you talk me into it?"

  Elizabeth had turned down an exciting summer job at Flair magazine, where she would have learned a lot about being a professional writer, just to come here. She hadn't been totally comfortable about the decision in the first place. Then the night before they left Sweet Valley, Jessica's best friend, Lila Fowler, had given them a big going-away bash at her father's mansion, Fowler Crest. It started out as a great party, but Todd had ruined the evening by breaking up with Elizabeth unexpectedly. His rash decision had come as a total shock to her. He had actually said they should be free to see other people during the summer!

  Elizabeth wasn't sure if Todd had severed their relationship because he felt hurt that she was going so far away or if he was already interested in someone else. But his words had broken her heart, and she had lashed out at him. Elizabeth winced at the memory. He was probably dying to find a new girlfriend after that, she thought. Just imagining Todd with another girl made her want to sob her heart out.

  "Well, what about you, Liz?" Jessica said accusingly, breaking through Elizabeth's sad thoughts. "You didn't exactly make the right choice of guys."

  Elizabeth sighed. She couldn't begrudge Todd a new relationship after the way she had acted this summer. After just a few meetings with Prince Laurent she had fallen helplessly in love with him.

  "You're right, Jess. But you can't deny that Prince Laurent is something special." She tingled at the memory of how she had burst from the château's maze of hedges that first day only to find the stunningly handsome Prince Laurent practicing his fencing. He had taken her breath away!

  The muscles in his shoulders and back had rippled at his every movement, his back glistening with sweat in the bright sunshine. Elizabeth had experienced a weird sense of déjà vu. Later she had recalled a dream she had had on the plane. She had dreamed of Laurent even before she met him!

  A few days later a sudden storm forced Elizabeth to take shelter in what she thought was a deserted cottage, but it turned out to be Prince Laurent's hideaway. The tall prince captivated Elizabeth, with his warm blue eyes, thick black hair, and noble, chiseled features, as well as his sensitive, caring nature and great sense of humor.

  From the moment Elizabeth met Laurent, it seemed as if they'd known each other forever. He tempted her away from her au pair duties for horseback rides and picnic dinners in the moonlight. Even finding out that he was engaged to Antonia di Rimini hadn't managed to extinguish the fire he'd lit in her heart.

  "Do you think Prince Laurent will try to get us out of here?" Jessica asked hopefully.

  "I hadn't really thought about it," Elizabeth admitted. "But I do believe he loves me. I can't imagine that he would leave us here, if he even knows where we are."

  "You're right! Who would tell him?" Jessica whined. "I don't think the de Saint-Maries want him socializing with us in the dungeon while there's a ball going on."

  "Probably not," Elizabeth agreed. Her head was pounding from the effort to figure a way out of this dank, creepy dungeon. Her hands were so cold, they were going numb, and she put them under her arms to try to warm them up. "But I bet the countess has told everyone and anyone how she caught the thieves who stole her necklace!"

  "I can just hear her now," Jessica sneered. "How can Prince Laurent even think about marrying anyone as disgusting as that Antonia?"

  "Laurent is a very dutiful son," Elizabeth said, rushing to his defense. "It's very brave of him to keep with tradition and follow through with his father's wishes." Even if it's not what he truly wants, she added silently.

  "You mean stupid, don't you?" Jessica asked. "No one would ever force me to marry someone I don't love, not even our parents."

  Elizabeth couldn't imagine what Laurent's life would be like, married to Antonia. And the horrible countess would be his mother-in-law! What could be worse?

  "Stop criticizing Laurent," Elizabeth warned her sister. "After all, it was Jacques who got us into this awful place, but Laurent will be the one to rescue us,"

  "You don't know that for sure," Jessica pointed out snidely.

  "Let's not fight about this," Elizabeth pleaded, suddenly weary of the struggle. She dropped the chains with a loud clang. "Oh, Jess," Elizabeth said with a sigh. "I was right. We never should have come to the Château d'Amour Inconnu!"

  Prince Laurent moved through the steps of the waltz automatically and without thought. The music, the decorations, the glittering jewels on the women, all were lost on him. Along one wall of the ballroom, mirrors were hung floor to ceiling, and he watched himself dance with Antonia.