The Twelve Dancing Princesses (Faerie Tale Collection) Read online

  PRAISE FOR JENNI JAMES

  Beauty and the Beast (Faerie Tale Collection)

  “Jenni James takes this well loved faerie tale and gives it a paranormal twist. Very well written and hard to put down, even on my cruise vacation where I had plenty to do. Looking forward to others in Jenni’s Faerie Tale series. A great escape!”

  —Amazon reviewer, 5-star review

  Pride & Popularity (The Jane Austen Diaries)

  “This book was unputdownable. I highly recommend it to any fan of Jane Austen, young or old. Impatiently awaiting the rest of the series.”

  —Jenny Ellis, Librarian and Jane Austen Society of North America

  “Having read several other young adult retellings of Pride and Prejudice, I must admit that Pride and Popularity by Jenni James is my top choice and receives my highest recommendation! In my opinion, it is the most plausible, accessible, and well-crafted YA version of Pride and Prejudice I have read! I can hardly wait to read the [next] installment in this series!”

  —Meredith, Austenesque Reviews

  “I started reading Pride and Popularity and couldn’t put it down! I stayed up until 1:30 in the morning to finish. I’ve never been happier to lose sleep. I was still happy this morning. You can’t help but be happy when reading this feel-good book. Thank you, Jenni, for the fun night!”

  —Clean Teen Fiction

  Northanger Alibi (The Jane Austen Diaries)

  “Twilight-obsessed teens (and their moms) will relate to Claire’s longing for the fantastical, but will be surprised when they find the hero is even better than a vampire or werewolf. Hilarious, fun, and romantic!”

  —TwilightMOMS.com

  “Stephenie Meyer meets Jane Austen in this humorous, romantic tale of a girl on a mission to find her very own Edward Cullen. I didn’t want it to end!”

  —Mandy Hubbard, author of Prada & Prejudice

  “We often speak of Jane Austen’s satiric wit, her social commentary, her invention of the domestic novel. But Jenni James, in this delicious retelling of Northanger Abbey, casts new light on Austen’s genius in portraying relationships and the foibles of human nature—in this case, the projection of our literary fantasies onto our daily experience.”

  —M.M. Bennetts, author of May 1812

  Prince Tennyson

  “After reading Prince Tennyson, your heart will be warmed, tears will be shed, and loved ones will be more appreciated. Jenni James has written a story that will make you believe in miracles and tender mercies from above.”

  —Sheila Staley, Book Reviewer & Writer

  “Divinely inspired, beautifully written—a must read!”

  —Gerald D. Benally, author of Premonition (2013)

  “Prince Tennyson is a sweet story that will put tears in your eyes and hope in your heart at the same time.”

  —Author Shanti Krishnamurty

  ALSO BY JENNI JAMES

  Faerie Tale Collection:

  Beauty and the Beast

  Sleeping Beauty

  Cinderella

  Rumplestiltskin

  Hansel and Gretel

  Jack and the Beanstalk

  Snow White

  The Frog Prince

  The Twelve Dancing Princesses

  Rapunzel

  The Jane Austen Diaries:

  Pride & Popularity

  Persuaded

  Northanger Alibi

  Emmalee

  Mansfield Ranch

  Andy & Annie Series:

  A Ghost Story

  Greeny Meany

  Prince Tennyson

  This book is dedicated to my

  dancing princess, Kassidy.

  CHAPTER ONE

  “HELLO!”

  Aleck looked up from snipping at the ornamental hedges in the palace garden to see Princess Cascadia coming toward him. He immediately dropped his shears and lowered into a bow. “Your Highness,” he said as he came back up to face the pretty, dark-haired young woman. She looked exceptionally fetching today in pale blue ribbons and a matching gown.

  She smiled and stopped right in front of him. “Hello,” she said again, her fingers slowly twirling the handle of the white lace parasol that shaded her head.

  He waited a moment for her to say something while his stomach did flip-flops. How many days had he watched the beautiful princess and wished for opportunities like this, to get to know her and speak with her? And yet, when they seemed to come, he had nothing to say. But how did a simple gardener go about speaking with royalty?

  She continued to twirl and wait, her grin growing.

  Say something, you dolt! He swallowed nervously and asked, “Would you like a flower?”

  “A flower?” She looked at the hedge he had been pruning.

  “No. Not from here.” He pointed behind him. “We could pick one from the queen’s garden, if you would like. I know of some lovely roses that have just bloomed.”

  “Oh! Yes, please.”

  “If you follow me, I will show you just where they are.” He began to walk, but when he noticed she was not with him, he turned around. Princess Cascadia stood in the exact same spot. Confused, he asked, “Would you rather I went without you and brought back a couple?”

  She shook her head. “No.”

  Good heavens, how was a man supposed to know what a woman wanted? “Then you would not like to follow me?”

  She chuckled, her laugh floating about her like tinkling fairy bells. “No, Aleck. I wish for you to lend me your arm so that we may go together.”

  How could he be so thoughtless? “Of course.” He rushed to her side. “Forgive me.” Being so close to her, close enough to smell the lavender soap she used, caused his breathing to become quite erratic. He glanced down at her side, and then slowly raised his arm out. He willed himself to act natural as she daintily wrapped her elbow around his shirtsleeve and placed the top of her gloved hand upon his. He gazed into those sky-blue eyes a moment, reminding himself to breathe.

  He was holding her arm. Her hand was upon his, her waist mere inches from him. They were together—truly together for the very first time. A warmth spread through him he had never known before, sending a concentrated group of tingles at their touching limbs. He grinned at her and watched in amazement as she inhaled sharply.

  This overwhelming feeling affected her as well! She could feel it.

  Those eyes sparkled back at him. He was lost. Utterly and foolishly lost.

  Could she possibly think of him as he thought of her? Could the princess actually wish to be with a mere gardener?

  A hound barked some distance away and snapped him back to the present. “Come, and we shall find the most enchanting roses for you.”

  He took a step forward, and then another, half expecting her to turn around and run the other way, but she did not. Instead, she quite happily followed him.

  Nothing had ever felt more right and wonderful than this moment.

  “Aleck?” she asked as they slowly made their way to the flower garden.

  “Yes?”

  “I know this is highly improper, and I will most likely get scolded if I am caught walking with you, but thank you for doing so.”

  His gaze met hers again. “It is my pleasure.”

  She nodded and glanced away, a faint blush stealing across her cheeks. All at once, the parasol began to twirl twice as fast as it had before. “Sir, you flatter me.”

  “I do not mean to flatter, Princess,” he said with a grin, loving this new game of theirs. “Indeed, I only mean to speak the absolute truth. This is by far the most enjoyable moment of my day.”

  She gasped and glanced at
him before biting her lip and looking away again.

  He could not believe his eyes. If he did not know better, she would seem to be genuine in her response to him. “Why did you ask to hold my arm?” he brazenly asked, curious as to how she would reply.

  She kept her profile to him as they continued to walk. “Because I knew you would never think to do so, and so I asked myself.”

  “Because?”

  “Because I wanted to,” she replied.

  “Fair enough.” He let the subject drop. “And have you had any news to impart? Any reason for us to be thus engaged?”

  “News?”

  “Yes. For when your father asks why you have been traipsing the grounds with a lowly gardener, you will have a much better reply to give him than because you wanted to.”

  She blushed again and then shook her head. “You are incorrigible.”

  “I know. I think it is why you like me.” He said the last looking straight at her.

  She gasped in shock. “I have said no such thing!”

  He stopped, his back toward the many windows of the castle. Stepping forward and hiding her for a brief moment, he said, “You did not have to say anything to me. I can tell by your actions.” His heart grew a bit heavy. “Princess, as much as I wish to keep you near me to learn every possible secret of yours and gain your trust, I also fear this.”

  “I have come outside every single day for the past several months in hopes of …” She trailed off.

  To speak with him. “Aye. I think I understand. But it will not do. I am simply a gardener. And as much as you would be scolded for doing such a thing, I would be dismissed from my post completely if this were to continue.”

  “No.” Her breathing became labored. She looked distraught over this declaration.

  Did she honestly have no idea that such things were frowned upon? “What is it?”

  “’Tis not fair,” she said after a few moments. “I—I do not know how to express myself, or why. It does not make sense to me. But there is something about you that calls to me. Something I cannot dismiss.”

  She did feel it too! He clutched her hand. “Princess Cascadia!”

  “Please, call me Casey. I have despised that name my whole life. Casey is what I prefer.”

  “I cannot. I do not dare. You know the help is not allowed to speak so casually of you,” he whispered as he glanced around, making certain they were alone.

  She squeezed his fingers. “Please?”

  How could he deny her anything? He took a deep breath.

  “Please?”

  “Casey.” The name as he said it was so profound, it was as if it echoed between them for several seconds.

  And then she smiled. Her whole face lit up. “Thank you.”

  At that moment, he saw the head gardener walking toward them. “Give me a reason to be standing here with you. Tell me something important so that I may continue working here.”

  Her eyes frantically searched his before they lit up and she said, “I have it! There is a great secret happening in the house. And who knows, perhaps you will be the one to solve the mystery.” She grinned. “Yes! Father is to send out a proclamation within a week asking for brave men to solve the puzzle of the princesses’ dancing slippers.”

  He blinked. “Your what?”

  “Every morning, when we awake, our shoes are completely worn through, as if we had been dancing all night. But none of us can remember leaving our beds. Indeed, it is frightening to see the state of the slippers. And our feet! Sometimes they are swollen and blistered. And yet, we were asleep.”

  “This happens to all twelve of you?”

  “Yes. Oh!” She laughed out loud, causing the head gardener to speed up his walk toward them. “It is perfect!” she said, clasping his hand tighter. “For whoever is able to solve the mystery, Father has said he will allow him to choose one of his daughters to wed!”

  Aleck felt as though he had been punched in the chest. My word! Could it be true? Could this actually be happening to him? Was there a way to have this angel near his side permanently?

  “Aleck? Aleck? Are you well?”

  He glanced at her. “I believe so.”

  “Then will you try to solve the riddle?”

  The gardener glared at him, but remained silent as he passed the princess. Aleck knew this would be horrendous for them both. His eyes searched Casey’s, and he nodded. “Yes, I will try my best to solve the mystery of the dancing princesses.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  PRINCESS CASCADIA WALKED INTO the castle and quickly made her way up the stairs to the large room she shared with her sisters. It had at one point been a small ballroom on the second floor before her father added the east wing and with it, a much larger and grander ballroom. The new addition also had three stories above it, full of bedrooms for the visiting guests and relatives who came to their luxurious events.

  Even though there were twelve girls who shared this room, it was more than large enough to accommodate them. With no fewer than four ornate fireplaces and ten pretty chandeliers that the girls had insisted stay with the room, it was always warm and bright enough.

  The long room was divided, with six beds on one wall and six along the other. They shared eight wardrobes between them. One would have thought there would be a larger age gap between the girls, but with two sets of twins, they surprisingly were just eleven years apart from oldest to youngest. Casey was the third eldest, at nineteen. Abigail was twenty-one, Beatrice twenty, Damalis and Eunice seventeen. Francine, Gemma, and Henrietta were sixteen, fifteen, and almost fourteen. Ilene and Jocelyn, the second set of twins, were nearly thirteen, and then Kymberlia came in last at ten.

  It was mostly fun to have all twelve of them together, but then there were days like yesterday when it became almost perilous to one’s health. Damalis and Eunice were arguing and Henrietta would not stop singing, while poor Kimberlia spilled all of her trinkets upon the floor and several were stepped upon and broken by Gemma, who was attempting to outrace Francine, who would not give back her favorite hair ribbons.

  A life of all girls could not be perfect always.

  However, today was nicely quiet, and thankfully, a small miracle had occurred because Casey found the room entirely to herself. She sighed as she walked over to the small dresser near her bed. She placed her parasol upon it and looked up at the portrait of her mother. Each girl got to choose a painting of their choice from around the castle to have above their beds. Casey chose this one. It was painted when the departed queen was just sixteen years old. Queen Lilith’s beautiful pearl-colored satin gown gleamed from the oils of the canvas. Abigail and Damalis looked the most like her, with their long ginger curls and pretty green eyes.

  The queen had died just over two years ago. There were days when the sting of her death felt as new and as awful as it had then. Friends had said the pain would wear away eventually and become a numb place in her heart, but for Casey, that had not happened yet. She needed her mother sometimes. Needed her laughter and wisdom and kindness.

  How the queen had loved her daughters. Even though there were so many of them, Queen Lilith had been determined to make a special time for each of her girls every day. That one-on-one time taught Casey more about life and love than anything else had.

  She wished she could speak to her mother this moment and share her new feelings for the gardener. Mother would have known what to say and how best to react to such a thing. She would tell her if it was, indeed, something to pursue, or folly on both their parts. But, Casey believed most of all, she would have listened and genuinely pondered such an idea. The family jest was that there were simply too many daughters to find wealthy princes for them all, and so they must learn to cope with any mere farmer who could be found.

  Even though it was meant as a great lark and always brought a laugh when her father bellowed such things, Casey was willing to take it seriously now.

  Perhaps.

  Her father was a good man, but she doubted even h
e would tolerate one of his girls becoming interested in the hired staff. Of course, if they did not solve the riddle of the tattered shoes soon, none of the girls would be fit for anything but the hired staff.

  She walked to the foot of her bed and pulled the worn dancing slippers from beneath it. Every morning it was the same. Holes and tears and frayed ribbons. And every day her father would order new shoes to be made. What was happening to the girls? She knew her sisters’ shoes were all in a similar state.

  She sat upon the bed and slipped off her short walking boots. Rolling down her stockings, she frowned at the blister on her smallest toe. It was definitely new from the night before. Colleen, the lady’s maid, applied ointment to their feet every morning, and each time, she tsked at the foolishness of the girls, scolding them gently for lying to their father and treating him in such a way.

  Dread began to fill her heart. They were not lying, nor attempting to hide anything from their father. What was happening? Though she tried to remain calm and treat this occurrence as if it were nothing, it was fearsome. Dearly so. Something had been happening every night for the past two months, something they could not explain, and it was time it stopped.

  She was grateful her father was finally listening and trusting their word that there was a mystery here. And they were not actually sneaking about, but sleeping when it occurred. It took several hours over many days of Abigail, Beatrice, and herself coaxing him to believe them before he finally caved in and agreed to see if he could call in help. This was the only reason he was having the proclamation announced to the surrounding lands—he could not bear to see his daughters’ fear, if indeed something was really going on.

  Not only was it costing him quite a bit of the palace funds to supply them with shoes every day, but their feet were becoming more unsightly and grotesque each morning. Already great calluses had begun to form upon them all. But if, her sisters pointed out, they were aware of the experience of dancing and just whom—or what—they were dancing with, and where, such feet would be worth having. However, since there was no recollection of any kind, it simply was not fair!