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eyes and waited.
    “All
right, Juliette, I will give you one more chance.  But I must have your solemn
word on this: you will leave this place before the wedding, necklace or no
necklace.  Is that clear?  Your solemn oath to me.”
    When
her uncle spoke like that, when he truly became stern with her, her legs
trembled — they always did.  They trembled when she was a girl of 11, and they
trembled today.  Juliette looked him in the eye and promised, “I swear,
uncle.  I will return before the wedding, whether I have the necklace or not.”
    Fran çois turned his
back to her and began to walk away, then stopped, and sighed heavily.  “Oh, ma ch ère , why can ’t you see that
you’re far more valuable to me than any necklace could ever be?”
    He
left.
    "Oh,
uncle." 
    Juliette
burst into tears.
    She
sat on the grass and bawled.  She cried and cried, the tears flowing like
raindrops, the stress of the last 24 hours pouring down her cheeks.  The
prince, the necklace, her capture, her uncle — all of it.  She held nothing back,
sobbing and sobbing until she ran dry.
     
    After
several minutes, she felt numb.  She was empty, all cried out.  She had no more
tears to give.  She finally stood, sniffed twice, dried her eyes one last time,
and began jogging back towards the house.
    When
she rounded the corner of the old castle ruins, she saw a figure in the
distance.  As she approached, she realized that it was her personal maid,
Alicia, looking distressed.
    I
wonder what ’s
wrong?
    When,
Alicia saw her, she gave a relieved smile and waved.   “Miss Juliette! 
Over here, please!”
    Surprised,
Juliette jogged over to her.
    Alicia
rushed up to her and blurted out, “I’ve been looking for you- oh dear!” 
The maid’s expression changed to concern.  “Are you all right?”
    Juliette
realized that she probably still looked like a mess: puffy eyes, red nose,
smeared makeup.  It must be obvious that she had been crying.  “I-  well-”
Juliette stammered.
    Shoot! 
What do I say?
    Alicia
smiled gently, “Never
mind.  It’s all right.  Let’s get you cleaned up.  Follow me, please, miss.” 
    Relieved
at not having to make up yet another lie, Juliette followed Alicia towards the
rear of the castle.
    “Everyone’s
waiting in the drawing room for you,” Alicia said over her shoulder.  “You have
to choose your new tiara.”
    “My
tiara!  I completely forgot!”
    “Well,
the men are just going to have to wait until the lady is ready to make her
appearance.  I know a place where you can get ready without a lot of prying
eyes on you.”
    Juliette
followed Alicia around the back of the building and through the employee ’s entrance. 
Boxes of supplies were stacked along one wall; a dirty white apron hung from a
hook near the door.   At the end of a short hallway, Alicia turned right and
pushed open a door marked “Women.”
    Inside
was the women ’s
employee locker room; a simple wooden bench was situated in front of a row of
pink lockers.  Beyond that, a shower stall with frosted glass.  To the left, a
long vanity with space enough for three to sit side by side.  “You can freshen
up here, miss.  No one will see you.  It will be our little secret.”
    “Alicia,”
Juliette touched the maid’s forearm.  “Thank you.”
    “It’s
no problem, miss.  I can only imagine how overwhelming this must be.”  Alicia
patted Juliette’s hand.  “Please, get cleaned up.  There are fresh towels in
the corner.  And you’ll find every manner of conditioner and shampoo in the
shower.  I’ll fetch you a change of clothes.”
     
Alicia left Juliette alone.  Juliette quickly got undressed and hopped in the
shower.  She turned the knob to hot and stood beneath the spray, letting the
water wash all of the dirt away.  She felt as if the water refilled her,
cleansed her spirit as well as her body.
    She
located a bottle of shampoo that was very close to her own brand.  As she
washed her