Ella studiously ignored me for the rest of the afternoon, forcing on a smile so she could socialize with the other debutantes. Ashley kept shooting me glances, grinning as she whispered with Sarah and Penelope. The whispers didn't bother me that much - I'd dealt with far worse female intimidation tactics at Glen Abbey - but my cousin's cold shoulder did. I made sure to stay far away when Andrew and James came to seat themselves near the ladies, focusing intently on the blades of grass I was braiding together whenever I felt the prince's eyes on me.

I tried once more to speak to Ella when we mounted for the ride back into Highcastle, but she made great show of being enamoured in conversation with Emily, who was all too eager to play along. I was left to hang back behind them, overhearing Ashley and Sarah's mean little titters and giggles behind me.

"...did you see? She had leaves in her hair!" Sarah hissed, her voice loud enough for it to reach my ears.

"And with such hair, it's no wonder Lord Amberly was able to spot her. She's an orange beacon!" Ashley whispered back while Sarah giggled.

I kept my expression carefully neutral despite how rotten I felt inside. I knew from experience that one had only to endure such taunting without succumbing to it until the bullies eventually grew bored. I had a feeling that with these girls especially, given that I'd enraged them by showing up with two of the Season's most eligible bachelors, any sign of weakness would be used to torment me for the rest of the summer.

Ella continued to ignore me as the three of us finally made our way back to her rooms, my cousin hurrying from the courtyard where all the rest of the ladies were dismounting and attempting to draw the prince's attentions. She had muttered some excuse about a dress fitting to Ashley, who had promptly shot me an arch little look as she nodded.

"How was the hunt?" Rosanna asked, standing with a smile as she set down her embroidery when we entered. Ella let out a little huff as she disappeared into her room. Emily was grinning again and I wanted so very badly to slap her.

"Libby ran off with the prince," Emily taunted, shooting me a sass-filled look as she settled herself next to the afternoon tea tray.

"I did not!" I protested, as Rosanna let out a horrified gasp.

"Well you were one of the last to arrive," Emily shot back, "And with the prince and Lord Amberly no less!"

"I got lost!" I cried, "For heaven's sake, do you really think I'd be trying to catch the eye of a prince looking like this?"

"But were you trying to catch his eye?"

The question drew all eyes in the room to where Ella was standing in her doorway, her arms crossed as she glared at me. I swallowed.

"Of course not," I said, while Emily snorted.

"I think it's obvious, Ella. She's more of a liability than an asset," Emily sneered. I shot her a glare, unintimidated, before I turned back to face my cousin's icy stare. Before I could open my mouth to apologize, Ella spoke again.

"Emily, leave us please," Ella said stiffly, "Rosanna, I need help setting my hair. And you, in here with me"

I didn't bristle at the tone she used with me, but instead followed my cousin into her room behind Rosanna. Ella closed the door behind us, pressing a fist to her forehead as she squeezed her eyes closed.

"You've put me in an awful position," she said finally, opening her eyes to look at me. I tried not to squirm under her stare while Rosanna busied herself with the combs on Ella's vanity.

"I'm sorry, Ella, I really am," I said.

"I don't have much of a choice now, Libby. I hope you understand why I have to send you home," she said, even pained disappointment a pretty expression on her face.

"Ella, please!" I pleaded, "You don't have to send me home because I didn't do anything wrong!"

She let out a frustrated sigh as she went to sit at her dressing table, letting Rosanna undo her hair from the plaited bun she'd worn out hunting.

"Libby, this is my season. Whoever I manage to pique the interest of is whoever I am going to marry. I cannot have you around if you are going to be selfish," Ella said, staring at me in the mirror to emphasize her point, "I'm sorry, but I simply cannot risk it,"

"Then I promise not to speak with him again! Really, I won't even dream of talking to him at all! Please, Ella, I'm not a liability. I may have failed out of school, but I know all the rules and I swear I'll obey them!" I pleaded, kneeling next to her and taking Ella's hands in my own, "I can't go home, mother will disown me! Your offer was a lifeline, Ella!"

"Then why did you squander it so carelessly?" she asked, shaking her head, "I'm sorry Libby, but unless you can do something of value for me and not just yourself, I have no use for you here,"

She sighed and pulled her hands from mine, turning to stare at herself in the mirror. I couldn't move, frozen with the prospect of facing my mother. I hadn't yet been home since my expulsion from Hargrove and I couldn't imagine her wrath at discovering that I'd been ejected from the Season as well. I wracked my brain desperately for anything that could be of use.

"I'm excellent at sneaking around, I could be your spy!" I blurted out. She closed her eyes in frustration.

"I don't need a spy, I need a lady in waiting," she said.

"What about the prince, then?" I hedged, throwing caution to the wind, "I know that my talking to him today was wrong, especially since so few debutantes had the honour. But as far as I know, I'm the only lady-in-waiting he's ever really conversed with. There must be some way to turn that to our advantage!"

Her eyes flew to mine, narrowed.

"Do you really think he'd speak to you outside of a function?" she demanded, something unkind in her tone. I couldn't help it as my mouth quirked down and Ella sighed in frustration again.

"Out with it then," she said, refusing to look at me as Rosanna combed out her long golden hair.

"Today wasn't the first time we'd spoken," I admitted.

"Dancing with him for a few moments at the opening ball hardly counts as conversation," Ella sighed, "Libby, really, this-"

"That wasn't the first time either!" I interrupted, continuing only when she'd stopped talking, "The night I arrived, when I ran away, I was ch...I got lost. He found me and offered to escort me back here,"

"It seems you certainly have a knack for getting lost when the prince is near," Ella sniffed, "What did you say to him that night?"

"I told him that I didn't need such a fancy tour guide," I said. Her eyes widened at my sassing of a royal.

"You didn't!" Rosanna gasped, Ella's hair falling from where she'd been weaving it into an elegant updo.

"I did!" I replied, turning to face her, "And he laughed! He had one of his friends escort me instead,"

"Oh Libby, you don't honestly think he remembers who you are, do you?" Ella asked, and I turned back around to face her with raised eyebrows.

"Of course he does!" I lied, thinking back on Ashley's mean whispers earlier that day, "I'm not exactly hard to miss,"

Ella was watching me pensively when the door flew open behind us and Emily tumbled in.

"I'm sorry, Ella, but I was listening," she admitted, unashamed as she glared at me, "But you absolutely cannot let her stay, no matter what she promises you!"

"I asked you to leave!" Ella snapped, making to turn around and face the other blonde when Rosanna settled a hand on her shoulder, keeping her in place.

"If Libby can manage to get Ella invited to the elite events, she's a resource we can't afford to lose," Rosanna said judiciously. Ella weighed her words while Emily snorted.

"She's trying to steal the prince for herself, I hardly think the-" Emily started.

"I most certainly am not!" I shouted above her.

"-elite events are worth the risk of her-" Emily persisted, her voice rising to match mine.

"If anyone's here to steal a husband it's you!" I shouted back at Emily, before Rosanna shouted above the both of us.

"Ladies!" she roared, stunning us all into silence. Emily turned cowed eyes towards the older girl, but I was still fuming from the accusations.

"I'll give you a week to prove yourself," Ella said, breaking the silence as she fixed me with a significant look before turning back to the mirror, "And if I get one more whiff of trouble, you're on your way back to Draughton."

******