“Let me tell you what a pleasure it is to see you again.” Eloise smiled. Her teeth were tiny and bright under the scorching lamps; I was sitting close enough to her to tell that she’d coated them with petroleum jelly, like a Miss America contestant.
“Thank you,” I said. “It’s a pleasure to see you again as well.” I sounded so stilted and formal. I couldn’t imagine anyone actually wanting to watch this thing.
“Wonderful. For our viewers, I’d just like to point out that we’re conducting this interview in the Yellow Parlor of the Castle, which is a treat since we’re rarely allowed outside the Citadel’s media suite. Thank you for inviting me here with you today.”
“You’re very welcome,” I said. Gloria was behind the camera, mouthing Loosen up. I took a deep, silent breath; the cameras and the lights were making me nervous and stiff. Thomas stood near the door, surveying the room with incredible alertness, despite all the noise and distractions and people crowding in and out. Having them both there made me feel a bit better. At least I knew that we shared a common goaclass="underline" make this believable. And so far, it seemed, so good. I felt the tension in my shoulders release slightly, and I eased into a warm, genuine smile. Good job, Gloria mouthed from the back. Just like that.
“People are obviously curious about you, Juliana,” Eloise began. “You were known for years as a party girl—” She gave a short, mirthless laugh. “But it seems as though you’ve settled down since getting engaged, reduced your social profile a bit. Why the sudden change?”
“Well, I guess I just came to understand that, now that I’m older, I have certain responsibilities,” I told her, the words tumbling out just as I’d rehearsed them with Gloria. “And I have to take them seriously. The state of things between Farnham and the Commonwealth have been tenuous for years, and I’m being given the chance, along with my new fiancé, to make a positive difference in the relationship between our countries.”
“And how are you feeling about the wedding? Do you have butterflies? Not cold feet, I hope!” Eloise grinned. I wanted to smack her. This woman was the most incredible phony.
“No cold feet!” I laughed, hoping it sounded at least a little bit believable. “Definitely butterflies, but people tell me that’s normal.”
“You haven’t met Prince Callum yet, correct?”
I shook my head. “He arrives tomorrow, and that will be the first time we’ve seen each other in person. But I know I’m going to love him.” In fact, I had no idea what to expect when I met Callum. I’d been trying not to give it a great deal of thought; there was more than enough to get used to at the moment without driving myself crazy over what came next, but in a short time, I was going to have to face that part of my task, and I was worried about it. I hoped it didn’t show on my face.
“I think I speak for most Columbians when I say that we were surprised when the Castle made the announcement that you had consented to an arranged marriage,” Eloise said. Her tone was light and airy, but she was trying to trap me into saying something scandalous, as Gloria had warned she might. “How did you feel when they first asked you if you wanted to be married to Prince Callum?”
Nobody had asked Juliana anything—she’d been told she was marrying Callum. But I couldn’t very well say that on national television, though everybody knew it was true.
“I have to admit, at first I was stunned,” I said, lowering my voice as if I was confiding something very personal to Eloise. “And uncertain. But I came to see that this was the best thing for all of us—for you, for me, for everyone in Farnham and the Commonwealth—and Prince Callum is a wonderful young man. I couldn’t have chosen a better husband for myself if I had tried, so there was no use fighting it.”
“But you’re so young!” Eloise pointed out. “Wouldn’t it be better to wait until you’re both older before getting married?”
“I suppose,” I said carefully, “that when you know you want to spend the rest of your life with someone, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.” It was such a cliché, but it earned me a genuine smile from Eloise Dash and I knew I’d said the right thing.
“Isn’t that romantic?” Eloise asked her audience. She turned back to me with a glint in her eye. “Now, princess, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding the Libertas movement in the UCC. My sources tell me that Libertas is stepping up their efforts to cause chaos and disrupt your wedding. Do you have any comments on that?” The tenor of her voice had changed, from flippant to dead serious.
Gloria’s face contorted in fury; she leaned over to hiss in the producer’s ear. It had been part of the Castle’s agreement with CBN that the interview would contain no mention of Libertas; Eloise Dash had gone off script.
I froze. I had no idea how to respond diplomatically to that question, but I couldn’t simply tell them to turn the cameras off—the interview was being broadcast live. I thought back to the sorts of things I’d seen politicians say on television over the years, about terrorist attacks in the United States and abroad, trying to cobble together some sort of answer that would be both satisfactory and vague.
Finally, I said, “My most trusted advisers tell me that Libertas is nothing to fear. It pains me that there are people in this country who want to undermine the government and create panic and terror in the hearts of its citizens, but I can assure you that the wedding will go off without a hitch, and the treaty will make the UCC a more peaceful place than ever before.”
“I’m so glad that you feel that way,” Eloise said, but she sounded disappointed. “I find great comfort in your words, as do all Columbians, I’m sure. Thank you so much for joining us today, Your Highness. I wish you and Prince Callum a long and happy marriage together.”
“Thank you,” I responded.
“Cut!” the director cried.
“What the hell was that?” Gloria shouted. Eloise ignored her, busying herself with removing the microphone fastened to the lapel of her fuchsia blazer. “I explicitly told you no questions about Libertas.”
Eloise shrugged. “The people have a right to know how the Citadel is dealing with the Libertas crisis. If you wanted a puff piece, perhaps you should have gone with another reporter. I’m a serious journalist.”
“Well, you’re on seriously thin ice with me right now, Ms. Dash,” Gloria said. “You want answers about Libertas, you contact the General’s office. Do you understand?”
I stood as Thomas approached. My gaze met his as he crossed the room, and even though I knew this turn of events had angered him, the only place it showed was in his eyes, which burned bright green as he helped me remove my own microphone and steered me toward the door. He placed his hand firmly on my elbow, and for the first time I didn’t shake him off. My knees felt weak, and my head was crowded with the voices rising all around me.
“She’s not a child anymore!” Eloise protested. “She’ll be of age in a few weeks, and soon she’ll be running the whole damn country. She’s got to learn to answer the tough questions!”
“That’s not your call to make,” Gloria said. “Get out of here, all of you. That was completely inappropriate. Don’t be surprised if we give the next interview to your competitor.”
It was quieter out in the hall. I was shaking, though I couldn’t tell if it was from fear or exhilaration. Nerve-racking as that experience had been, it had also been kind of fun, too, once I got into it. It had felt freeing to pretend to be somebody else for a while.