Darby gasped, shocked that the old woman would think she was here for a job, but Colin put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him. “Patrice, we aren’t here for any of those reasons; could you please go get Ms. Ruby?”
Patrice looked back and forth between them several times, then a smile broke on her face. “Now I see how it is,” she said. “I’ll go get Ms. Ruby.”
Only a few minutes later, a beautiful older blonde Fae came sweeping into the room and wrapped her arms around them. Then stood back and looked at Darby. “She’s not what I expected, but it’s about time you grew up, Colin. It is a bit of a shame that she’s not royal; what are you going to do about that? Is that why you’re here to see me?”
Colin laughed, and Darby tried to smile, but the woman had overwhelmed her. “It’s good to see you too, Ruby,” he said. “I am here to get your help, but it’s not quite what you’re thinking.”
Half an hour later, Darby was letting Ruby shove her into another dress, wondering if they’d ever find the right one. She was still wasn’t sure she liked Colin’s plan or if she could pull it off, but she was willing to at least take it this far.
“We’re never going to find a dress that makes me look like a royal,” she said when it took Ruby and Patrice both to strip the last one off.
Ruby threw the dress on the floor and stepped up next to her. “Have you taken a good look at yourself in the mirror? I’ve been watching you Darby, and you have more class and sophistication than most of those women that live on the hill. I can see why Colin fell for you, and let’s not forget that even for a Fae, you’re very beautiful.”
She and Patrice disappeared into the closet again, and she stood staring at her reflection in the mirror, trying to see what Ruby saw. Trying to process the fact that Ruby thought Colin had fallen for her, and what it might mean for their future. But then she heard Ruby’s voice from deep in the closet and shook off the dangerous thoughts.
“I’ve got it. We’ve been looking at this wrong the entire time,” she said, coming out of the closet with a shimmering white dress in her hands.
Darby couldn’t help but gasp when she saw the glimmering creation and reached out greedily, then put her hands down, afraid to touch it. “Oh, Ruby, I can’t wear that,” she said, noticing the way the older woman was cradling the dress.
Ruby stepped up next to her and held the dress up in front of her, then sighed. “I’ve been holding onto to this for a long time. I always thought I’d have a reason to wear it, but I think I’ve been holding this for you.”
She looked at the dress again, then nodded her head. “But only if you’re sure.”
“Let’s try it on first,” Ruby said, slipping the dress over Darby’s head, then standing back.
Darby gasped at her reflection. “It’s perfect,” she said.
“It was yours all along. I just didn’t know it,” Ruby said, a big smile on her face. She reached up and pulled Darby’s hair away from her neck. “You’ll be the belle of the ball, and Colin won’t know what hit him when he sees you in this dress.”
Her stomach clenched in anticipation, and she wished she could share this night with Fiona, who had always dreamed of being whisked off to the castle with a prince. But then she remembered why they were going to the castle, and the romance of the whole thing disappeared.
“Ruby, what if I can’t do it? What if they recognize Colin before he can get to his brother?” she asked, the weight of what they were doing heavy on her suddenly.
Ruby turned her back to the mirror. “Look at yourself; not only are you smart, but you’re quite beautiful. Have a little faith in yourself and in Colin. Go to that party tonight and be yourself, and for heaven's sake, have some fun.”
Darby turned around and hugged the older woman. “Thank you for helping us and thank you for keeping my secret.”
“No one will ever find out from me that there’s more than Fae blood running through your veins,” Ruby said. “Now, let’s see what we can do about all that hair.”
Chapter Seventeen
***Colin***
Colin waited impatiently for Darby to get to the castle; the mustache glued to his lip itched, and his ridiculous clothes were a size too small. He just wanted to get inside, find his brother, and fade back into the crowd, but from the looks he was getting, that wasn’t going to be easy. Just as he started thinking that Darby had decided not to come after all, he saw a carriage come up the long drive and stepped back up onto the walk.
When the woman stepped down from the carriage, he almost turned away, then realized with a lurch of his stomach that it was Darby. She took a couple of tentative steps toward him, making her dress shimmer in the moonlight, and his mouth watered. Her hair was swept up in a complicated twist, exposing her long neck, and shapely shoulders.
“You look incredible,” he said, swallowing several times when she smiled at him, and her cheeks turned pink.
“Ruby said this was the perfect dress, but...” her words were cut off when he pulled her into his arms and kissed her.
When he let her go, she was a little wobbly on her feet, but he tucked her arm into his and said, “Now we’re ready,” then led her up the stairs.
She held her head high as if she marched into the castle every day, flicked her cape at the servant that greeted them, then began to chatter at him. “Oh, darling, look: they’ve redone the entryway. I wonder what else has changed. We really shouldn’t have stayed away for so long.”
Colin wanted to burst out laughing, but instead, he led them down a long hallway lined with servants to the main ballroom. “It won’t be very crowded in there, but don’t let yourself get separated from me,” he whispered as they walked through the big doors.
No one seemed to notice them as they skirted the edges of the room; even in the crazy disguise, Colin blended in with the rest of the guests, some dressed even more elaborately than he was. He scanned the crowd as they made their way around clusters of chatting people, holding on to Darby’s hand as tightly as he could.
Then he spotted his brother by the bar on the other side of the room, and he abruptly changed direction, pulling Darby onto the crowded dance floor. “He’s over by the bar,” he whispered.
They danced their way across the floor, then slipped back into the crowd and made their way over to where Jamison was standing talking to another man. Colin slipped up next to him, waited for the other man to leave, then held out his hand and said. “I’m Colonel Forkington. I don’t believe we’ve met.”
His brother's eyes got big. He studied Colin for a second, then he pulled him away from the bar. “Let’s find someplace private to talk.”
Colin nodded and followed his brother out the back door to the ballroom and down the hallway to a small library where they used to play as boys. As soon as the door was shut and locked behind them, he turned on Colin.
“What are you doing here dressed like that? Is this another one of your games? Because Mom and Dad aren’t going to be happy when they find out that you’re here,” he said. “Do you have any idea how mad they were after Samuel showed them the bill the hotel sent over here?”