Read Garden Princess for Free Online

Except for kings and dukes and princes (and there would be none of those today), men didn’t wear much jewelry. But there would be plenty of young ladies at the party, and Hortensia had been speculating about what they might bring for days. “The little dairymaid won’t have much in the way of jewelry,” she had remarked, “though her parents may dig out an old locket or something. But she’s as sweet as a primrose, so it hardly matters.” Then there were the twin sisters Hortensia had invited. “Red hair, freckles on their noses — adorable creatures,” Hortensia had commented. “Their father is a sea captain. Sea captains are always bringing their wives and daughters pretty things.” There was also a shopgirl coming to the party; Hortensia thought she might borrow something from the shop where she worked. And last but not least, there were the princess and the other young lady from the royal court. Krazo didn’t need Hortensia to tell him that royals always came loaded down with jewelry. His emerald brooch, for instance, had belonged to the daughter of a duke, as had his pearl ring. The duke’s daughter had come to one of Hortensia’s parties wearing bracelets all the way up her arms, gold chains around her neck, and rings on her fingers. Small wonder Hortensia had overlooked the brooch in that pile of treasure!
    The important thing today, Krazo knew, would be to put himself in the way of opportunity. And so, as the sun began to crawl down the afternoon side of the sky, he made his way to the front lawn. A wisteria vine twined above the portico of Hortensia’s palatial home, a vantage point that made it a perfect hiding place. He had just settled himself in among the fragrant blossoms when he spied a young man walking through the front gate. It was the gardener from the royal palace, and as he came up the drive, Hortensia came out to greet him. The gardener slowed, staring dumbly at her as most men did when they saw her for the first time. Krazo watched his mistress place her hand in the crook of the man’s elbow. “Garth, isn’t it? I’ve been so looking forward to meeting you. My garden is in the back. Come along and I’ll show it to you.” They strolled off, Hortensia’s voice fading until the only sound was the quiet splash of the marble fountain in front of the portico.
    Where was the princess? Krazo wondered.
    He had his answer not five minutes later when a carriage rolled up the drive. The princess leaned out the window. “Stop beside the fountain, please, Axel!” she called to the coachman.
    “Whoa!” The coachman pulled up on the reins and climbed down. The princess opened the carriage door, and the coachman helped her down.
    Krazo leaned forward. He could see a necklace — a small blue stone. Was that all she was wearing?
    Now the coachman was helping a second young woman out of the carriage. “Diamonds,” Krazo muttered at the sight of her necklace. “Much better!”
    “Where is Garth?” said the girl with the diamonds. “He promised to meet us.”
    “He was only going to walk ahead and see how much farther it was,” said the princess. “It wasn’t far. He must be nearby.”
    But what was this? Krazo saw that another girl was climbing out of the carriage. It was the dairymaid. She yelped as she stepped to the ground, and the princess rushed to her side. “How’s your ankle, Bess?”
    “It hurts something awful, miss,” moaned the dairymaid. “I can’t believe I twisted it!”
    “It was lucky we saw you sitting beside the road. Here, let me help you to the fountain. You can soak your ankle in the water. It’s cold and might keep the swelling down.” The princess spoke in a soft voice that Krazo liked.
    Then his gaze darted back to the girl with the diamonds. Krazo stared, fascinated, as she fingered her necklace. A moment later, she reached up to touch her earrings, one after the other.
    And now more guests were arriving. Three people on horseback — the shopgirl and