In Love with a Prince Read online

  IN LOVE WITH A PRINCE

  Written by

  Kate William

  Created by

  FRANCINE PASCAL

  Copyright © 2015, Francine Pascal

  "I told Lynne three songs," Dana said. "I really should get back to the band."

  Prince Arthur's arms remained around Dana for a moment longer. At last he released her, but with obvious reluctance. "Thank you for the dance."

  "I . . . I enjoyed it," Dana murmured.

  They stepped apart, still staring deep into each other's eyes. Finally, Dana tore her gaze from Arthur's and returned to her place in front of the microphone.

  She checked the playlist, then began belting out "Late Last Night," one of her favorite songs. As she sang, she felt euphoric, as if she were floating above the ground.

  She hadn't felt this way since . . . since the last time she fell in love, Dana realized with a shock.

  Something terrible was happening to her, something terrible—and wonderful.

  Arthur Castillo stands for something I despise, she reminded herself. But it didn't matter. She was falling in love with him anyway.

  CONTENTS

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  One

  "Just one more day and he'll be here!" sixteen-year-old Jessica Wakefield announced as she deposited her tray at the crowded lunch table on Friday.

  "Arthur Castillo, crown prince of Santa Dora," Lila Fowler said dreamily. "The richest, handsomest boy in the world."

  "I still have so much to do to get ready!" exclaimed Amy Sutton. "I need a haircut, and a manicure, and what am I going to wear to school on Monday?"

  The boys at the table—Todd Wilkins, Barry Rork, Ken Matthews, and Winston Egbert—did not seem to appreciate this turn in the conversation.

  "I don't think we need to dress up for Arthur," Elizabeth Wakefield remarked, the corners of her blue-green eyes crinkling with amusement. "He probably wouldn't even notice—remember, he's just an ordinary guy."

  "Just an ordinary guy." Jessica shook her head. How could her twin sister be so naive? "By definition, Liz, a prince can't be an ordinary guy. Besides, it's been five years since Arthur came to Sweet Valley as an exchange student. I bet these days he notices the way a girl dresses."

  Jessica reached into her book bag and pulled out a copy of a tabloid newspaper. Prince Arthur's picture was splashed across the front page. "See? Here he is in London a few weeks ago with Princess Diana. Arthur's used to hanging out with the most glamorous people in the world!"

  Elizabeth smiled. There was no point in arguing; nothing would stop Jessica from viewing Prince Arthur's upcoming visit as the event of the century. And admit it, Elizabeth said to herself, sneaking a peek at the tabloid story, you're as excited as she is!

  Twins Jessica and Elizabeth looked exactly alike. Both were slim, blond, and suntanned, the epitome of classic southern California beauty. But they tended to think differently about most things. Elizabeth, older by four minutes, was considered the more serious twin. She was a model student and wanted to be a professional writer someday. With that goal in mind, she spent hours each week researching and writing articles for the Sweet Valley High newspaper, The Oracle. In her free time, she enjoyed quiet pursuits: a walk on the beach with her boyfriend, Todd Wilkins, a long talk with her best friend, Enid Rollins, or an hour alone writing in her journal. Jessica, on the other hand, thrived on constant action and excitement. No matter how much energy she expended as co-captain of the Sweet Valley High cheerleading squad, there was always plenty left over for shopping, gossiping, partying, and flirting.

  Their attitudes toward Prince Arthur were a good example of the differences between the two sisters. Elizabeth and the prince had become special friends during his previous stay in Sweet Valley. Arthur had felt comfortable with Elizabeth because she treated him like a normal kid; she had liked him for himself, not for his title as crown prince of Santa Dora, a tiny kingdom on the Mediterranean seacoast between southern France and northern Spain. The two had corresponded ever since, and recently Elizabeth had received a flurry of letters from the young prince. In the latest, he had announced his plan to stop in Sweet Valley for a few weeks as part of the world tour he was taking prior to his seventeenth birthday and official investiture as crown prince.

  "I'll never forget when Arthur was here in sixth grade," Jessica reminisced while popping the top on a can of soda. "The time I was his special date to the formal reception at the embassy . . ."

  "You only got to go because you're Elizabeth's twin sister," Lila said disparagingly. "He wouldn't have invited you otherwise."

  "Yeah, wasn't he mad because you gave away the secret of his identity?" Amy asked.

  "That's right," said Ken Matthews, captain of the high school football team. "We all thought he was just a normal foreign-exchange student. Then we found out he was the son of King Armand and Queen Stephanie!"

  "He just didn't want people to make a fuss over him," Elizabeth explained. "That's why he swore me to secrecy when he told me the truth about himself."

  Jessica lifted her shoulders helplessly. "Could I help it that Arthur mistook me for Elizabeth and said something to me about being a prince?"

  "Can you help it that you couldn't keep a secret if your life depended on it?" Lila rejoined.

  "Like you would have kept that secret," Jessica countered hotly. "Anyway, that's all ancient history. This time around, I won't make any mistakes. And Arthur won't, either. This time, he's going to fall for me, not Liz!"

  "He didn't fall for me," Elizabeth protested, shooting a look across the table at Todd. She knew her boyfriend was more than a bit suspicious about all the letters Arthur had written to her lately, and about the fact that the prince's first stop in Sweet Valley would be the Wakefield home. "We were only in sixth grade!"

  "Arthur was young and didn't know any better," Jessica agreed. "On this trip, it shouldn't take him long to figure out that he and I are meant for each other."

  "Whoa! What would Sam think if he heard you talking like this?" Winston asked. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but last time I checked, you two were so close it would've required surgery to pry you apart."

  Jessica gave a thought to her current boyfriend, Sam Woodruff, a senior at Bridgewater High. It was true, she and Sam were very much in love. But Sam was . . . Sam. Not Prince Sam. "Oh, he wouldn't care," she said dismissively. "Anyway, he can't blame me if Prince Arthur just happens to be smitten by my charms."

  "If you think the prince is going to give you a second glance, Jess, you're dreaming," said Lila. "These photos prove he likes high-society girls, like yours truly."

  "Your dad may be a millionaire, but Arthur's got tons of money of his own," Jessica scoffed. "He's more interested in beauty and personality."

  "Exactly." Lila smiled smugly. "Face it, Jess. I'm going to sweep the prince off his feet."

  Jessica shook her head. "Not a chance. Because I'm getting the first shot at him. Liz and I are meeting his plane tomorrow and then he's coming over to our house for lunch!"

  "That doesn't mean anything," Lila retorted. "You're out of your league with Arthur. I was born for a royal lifestyle. You wouldn't know what to do with a palace and jewels and servants."

  As Jessica struggled to come up with a pointed retort, the tabloid made its way around the lunch table along with two other photos of Arthur that Jessica had "borrowed" from Elizabeth's desk drawer.

  Amy sighed rapturously over Arthur's royal portrait. "Talk about handsome," she gushed. In the photo, Arthur wore a blue uniform and a sash covered with medals. His deep brown eyes confronted the camera with a regal intensity. "If he looks this good when he comes to Sweet Valley High on Monday, I might just faint."

  Amy's usually good-natured boyfriend, tennis player Barry Rork, scowled at this remark.

  "If you think he looks good there, check him out here." Ken's girlfriend, Terri Adams, handed Amy a candid snapshot of the prince wearing swim trunks and standing on a Mediterranean beach, his dark, curly hair windswept and his muscular body deeply tanned.

  Maria Santelli gazed at the picture over Amy's shoulder. "He's perfect in every way," she concluded.

  Only one girl at the table wasn't swooning over Arthur's photos. "I think he looks a little foolish," Dana Larson commented after a brief, scornful glance at the royal portrait. "Obviously those medals on his chest are just for decoration. I bet everything about this guy is a big pose."

  Dana's comment drew supportive nods from the boys. "You girls'll be disappointed in him," Barry predicted.

  "From now on, I'm wearing a crown to school," Winston joked to Maria, his girlfriend. "It's the only way to get anyone's attention around here!"

  "You could wear ten crowns and you'd still be closer to a frog than a prince," Lila said dryly.

  "Ouch!" Winston yelped.

  "You really should try to be more pleasant, Li," Jessica warned. "If you expect an invitation to visit me at Chateau Royale someday, that is."

  "Dream on. You'll be visiting me." Lila smiled at Arthur's royal portrait. "By the time my p
arty rolls around, there'll be pictures of Arthur and me in all the newspapers. We'll be the couple of the hour."

  Jessica made a sour face. She was sick of hearing about the extravagant bash Mr. Fowler was letting Lila throw for Arthur on his final weekend in Sweet Valley. No expense was to be spared: there would be live jazz and fancy catered food, and Lila was sure to be dressed in the latest, hottest European concoction.

  Jessica was truly glad that Lila seemed to be bouncing back from her recent traumatic experience involving their classmate John Pfeifer. Even though she had emerged from the incident unhurt, for a while Lila's self-esteem had been shot to pieces. She felt she was at least partly to blame for John's trying to rape her. The fact that the whole school had been talking about what had happened and that not everybody believed her side of the story didn't help. But Lila had stood up for herself. She had confronted John and spoken out about the issue of date rape to the entire Sweet Valley High community. It had taken an incredible amount of courage, and the counseling Lila was getting at Project Youth was really helping her put her life back together.

  But being happy that Lila seemed to be taking a healthy interest in herself and in boys again didn't mean that Jessica intended to give an inch in the duel for Prince Arthur and for social supremacy at Sweet Valley High!

  She knew what she had to do: fight fire with fire. "I'm going to give a party for Arthur, too," Jessica announced.

  "You are?" her sister asked in surprise.

  "Yes." Jessica shot a triumphant look at Lila. "And my party will be a week from tomorrow. Two whole weeks before yours, Li!"

  Lila narrowed her eyes. "You can throw a party every single night of the week, Jess. It's not going to get you anywhere."

  "We'll see about that," Jessica said coolly.

  "You know, the last time Arthur was in town, he hated everybody making a big fuss over him," Ken reminded Jessica and Lila. "Remember that dumb party the Unicorns threw, with the throne and everything?"

  Ken had a point. Just thinking about the Unicorns' party, with its corny Santa Doran theme, made Jessica cringe. "This party will be the exact opposite of that one," she declared. "I learned my lesson. And unlike some people, I'm not going to try to impress Arthur by spending a lot of money."

  "You can't afford to," Elizabeth commented.

  Jessica ignored her twin. "It won't be a Santa Doran party, it'll be an all-American party," she continued. "The guests will wear red, white, and blue, and I'll have American food and good old-fashioned American rock 'n' roll music for dancing."

  Jessica scanned her friends' faces. She could tell everyone liked her idea—everyone but Lila. Jessica's eyes came to rest on Dana Larson, the lead singer for Sweet Valley High's hottest rock group, and she had a sudden thought. Why play boring CDs when she could have the real thing?

  "Dana, would you and the Droids like to play at my party for Arthur?" Jessica asked.

  Dana shook her head, her long beaded earrings jingling. "Thanks anyway, but I'd just as soon not have anything to do with all this."

  "Why not? It would be great publicity, playing at a party for an international celebrity like Prince Arthur!"

  "We don't need that kind of publicity," Dana said scornfully. "If you ask me, the concept of a royal family in this day and age is completely ridiculous. We're supposed to be above all that in the United States!"

  The boys laughed heartily. Jessica frowned as she tried to understand Dana's viewpoint. Maybe it was natural for someone as offbeat and unconventional as Dana to find a prince completely stuffy and old-fashioned, she decided. "All the same, will you talk it over with Guy and Max and Emily and Dan?" Jessica pleaded. "In case they feel differently."

  Dana shrugged. "Sure."

  The bell rang, and they all bussed their trays and headed for the door. "So, what time should I come over for lunch tomorrow?" Lila inquired, falling into step beside Jessica.

  "Sorry, Li," Jessica said breezily. "It's Elizabeth's lunch party, not mine. You're not invited."

  Lila stomped out of the cafeteria in a huff. Jessica followed at a slower pace, daydreaming about how, at this time the next day, she would have Prince Arthur eating out of her hand. Of course, Sam would be irked when Arthur fell madly in love with her. But he would just have to share her for a while. It was part of his burden as the boyfriend of the hottest girl at Sweet Valley High. Besides, how could Sam or anyone else expect her to say no to a prince?

  "Liz, I know it's my turn to cook dinner tonight." Jessica made a big show of dropping her book bag and collapsing into a chair at the kitchen table. "But will you trade with me?"

  Elizabeth shook her head. "Not this time, Jess. I still have a bunch of things to do to get ready for the lunch party tomorrow. Enid's coming over in a few minutes to help."

  Jessica pouted. "But I have a lot to do before tomorrow, too. I still haven't decided what to wear to the airport when we go to meet Arthur!"

  "What a crisis!"

  "It is a crisis," Jessica insisted. "I want to be the girl of Arthur Castillo's dreams!"

  "Well, maybe the girl of Arthur's dreams would know how to cook," Elizabeth suggested with a sly smile.

  Jessica stuck her tongue out at her twin. At that moment, the phone rang. Jessica jumped up from the table and reached for the receiver. "Hello? Oh, hi, Sam."

  Elizabeth leaned back against the counter. As she flipped through a cookbook she overheard Jessica's conversation.

  "Yeah, the prince is coming over for lunch tomorrow," Jessica said. "Some of Liz's friends will be here, too. I'd invite you, but it's her party."

  "Jess!" Elizabeth hissed. "I'd love it if Sam came. Go ahead and invite him!"

  Jessica turned away, pretending not to hear her twin. "Tomorrow night? Um, I'm not sure if I'm free. Go ahead and make other plans if you want and I'll call you tomorrow afternoon, OK?"

  "Why'd you blow off Sam like that?" Elizabeth asked as soon as Jessica hung up the phone.

  "I didn't blow him off," Jessica said. "I just don't feel like having him over for lunch, that's all."

  "What about tomorrow night? I didn't know you had another date."

  "I don't," Jessica admitted. "I just don't want to commit myself to anything. I mean, what if Prince Arthur asks me out?"

  Elizabeth burst out laughing.

  "What?" Jessica demanded. "Is it so impossible that Arthur could like me?"

  "No, it's not impossible," Elizabeth said. "But where would that leave Sam?"

  The doorbell rang before Jessica could answer. As Elizabeth turned to leave the kitchen Jessica called out after her, "One thing, Liz. Is it OK if I ask Dana over for lunch tomorrow?"

  Elizabeth stopped in her tracks. "Dana?"

  "Yeah. I think she's looking for things to do these days, since she and Aaron broke up."

  "Hmm . . . and I hear the rest of the band is psyched to play at your party, but Dana's still not going for it."

  "I thought maybe if she saw Arthur in person . . ."

  Elizabeth put her hands on her hips. "What happened to 'Sorry, Sam, it's Liz's party or else I'd invite you'?"

  Jessica smiled sweetly. "You'd better get the door—it's probably Enid."

  Elizabeth hurried into the front hall. Jessica is really out of control, she thought. But it wasn't only Jessica. Everyone was going nuts about Prince Arthur, and he hadn't even arrived yet! Everyone . . . including Todd. Todd seemed to grow more jealous and out of sorts every day. He was convinced Prince Arthur had ulterior motives for writing so many letters to Elizabeth and wanting to visit her. How many times was she going to have to assure him that he had nothing to worry about, that she and Arthur were just good friends?

  It all made Elizabeth particularly glad to see Enid. At least there was one person she could count on to stay level-headed and reasonable.

  The two girls headed upstairs to Elizabeth's room. "So, have you shampooed the red carpet yet?" Enid joked as she sat down on the bed.

  "We don't have one in stock. Jessica will probably just lay her body down for Arthur to walk on," Elizabeth replied dryly.

  Enid laughed. "So much for the entertainment. What's on the menu?"

  "Raw vegetables and dip, croissants and seafood salad, a big bowl of fresh fruit, and cookies for dessert. Does that sound OK?"

  "It sounds perfect," Enid replied.