Wisdom's Kiss by Catherine Gilbert Murdock Page B

to his. Furthermore—they twirled! And as they did so, Dizzy leant back further still and somehow coaxed her skirts to flow most dramatically, accenting the circle they traced in the air—without a scintilla of concern that she might at any moment plunge to her death!
It was—I can use no other term—pure wantonness. That a princess would behave so—before the emperor and Farina! Had the option been possible, I would have fled, so profound my embarrassment and my well-justified fear that I would be blamed for Dizzy's renunciation of her position and all for which it stands.
At last—the escapade took only a few minutes, though my humiliation felt eternal—the two floated to a stop before the throne. Dizzy—yet holding the rose, I was glad to see; on top of all the other indignities she could not mislay a gift from the emperor himself!—with great aplomb curtsied to His Imperial Majesty.
For several long seconds the old man did not respond, and the audience—hundreds of people, from all ranks of life—sat breathless, goggle-eyed at this drama. The emperor had every right in his empire to condemn Dizzy's outrageous flouting of society's conventions. Her flippant presumptuousness could have—and, I will not deny, should have—earned her at the very least his disapprobation; imprisonment, or even banishment, would not have been out of the question.
Instead—to my surprise, and to the shock of Duchess Wilhelmina, who had observed her future daughter-in-law's performance with thoroughgoing outrage—he began to clap, his applause triggering a veritable thunder of accolades. The emperor, in fact, ordered a repeat showing at tomorrow's performance, which may explain why Wilhelmina departed the grounds soon thereafter with obvious ill-feeling, although Roger lingered to praise the princess's courage. For her part, Dizzy conveyed not an ounce of contrition; in observing her flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes I was reminded yet again of the fearless child who used to cavort, immune to our cries of horror and your tears, on the terrace railing.
While I held my tongue before the emperor, once we retired to the privacy of our rooms my ire knew no bounds. It will not surprise you to learn that Dizzy demonstrated no interest in my upbraiding, and indeed seemed deaf to my words—that is, until she hoisted a desktop ornament (tremendously ugly though that is no excuse for its destruction) and hurled it in my direction!
Not since childhood has she exhibited such tantrums, and I find myself at a loss as to how to proceed. Doubtless time will smooth this tension, and hours spent alone in her room will do her a world of good. Thanks to the emperor's fancy, she shall have one more opportunity to indulge her yen for flight or whatever it is she seeks in some acrobat's arms at the end of a wire. But after that: no more. Wisdom must devote herself to her station, and do so directly, for not all occupants of this duchy are as indulgent as the emperor, and he will not linger here forever.
Worse, as dismal finale to this mess, the girl Trudy—the "easy" member of my brood!—now weeps in her room as well! She dressed me for bed as if her world were ending, though my inquiries (tendered reluctantly, to be sure, for I have worries enough crowding my brow) produced little in the way of explanation. I gather she has some sort of family in Froglock and that a reunion had gone badly. It never rains but it pours, does it not—in this case a shower of salty tears!
I am relieved beyond measure that you remain in Montagne, Granddaughter—not only for the safety of our kingdom but because I fear that your very heart would have quit beating in mortification at your sister's performance at the circus and afterward. Speaking of which (and is this not a clever segue by your feeble old nonna?), how does your heart fare? I realize it is too soon for me to expect another letter, particularly given the speed and drama of the last delivery, but I dearly wish