I remained in the service corridor for a few more minutes, catching my breath and silently congratulating myself on a successful sabotage. Through the thick walls, I could hear the clock striking ten and I grinned. The ball wouldn't end for another few hours, which gave me ample time to do as I wished now that I had a proper maid's disguise.

I descended the stairs, pausing near each of the ground floor doors to poke them open and peek through. The first let out into the entrance hall, which I hastily closed since Harriet Smith and Martin Pendleton were walking by not a few feet from me. I continued along the hallway, peeking in to each room only to find a collection of sitting rooms. One had a piano and seating for a small band, while another had a number of gaming tables. I turned a corner in the service corridor to reach the third room, only to give a little squeak of delight.

Behind the third door was the little library that Princess Anne had shown me on my second day at court. Thankfully, the full moon was spilling through the tall windows onto a small reading desk nestled into a corner of the room. I entered the library, careful to prop the service door open with the edge of one of the wall hangings before starting my perusal of the darkened shelves.

Without a candle, it was nearly impossible to see the writing on the book spines, but I made my way towards where I'd noticed a set of travel encyclopaedias. Their thick leather bound volumes were easy enough to find by touch and I lugged down the first, setting it onto the reading desk.

A Compendium of World Travels - The Far East

I rubbed my hands together eagerly, kicking off my shoes as I pulled open the cover of the book. Thankfully the moonlight was bright enough to read by, but only barely. I had just tucked my stockinged feet under me when the library door swung open, flooding the front part of the room with light, and a giggling girl swept in, her skirts swaying around her.

"Tell me!" she whispered, pulling someone in after her. I was frozen in place, my eyes searching for someplace to hide myself, but the desk below me was simply four legs and a table top. The closest curtains were a good two strides away.

"Close the door, please,"

My eyes flicked back to the couple at the door, and my jaw fell open as I watched the girl - Mary Marquette, easily the silliest, most flirtatious of the elite debutantes - pull the door closed behind her, her wide blue eyes batting long lashes at the prince. But his posture, like his tone, was uncomfortable. I sank a little in my chair as he turned to face her.

"I'm afraid I must ask you to stop this unseemly behaviour," he said. The bounce in her step disappeared as she backed away from him towards the door, dropping his hand.

"Unseemly behaviour?" she repeated, all the effervescence gone from her voice.

"Lady Marquette, to be a part of this season requires a standard of manners and poise," Prince Andrew continued, clearly ill at ease delivering this news, "If you wish to stay, this simpering possessiveness must end now,"

The silence hung heavy in the room and I didn't dare breathe. My eyes flicked to the back of Mary's head, waiting eagerly to see how poorly she'd take this. I didn't much like her anyway, especially thanks to the barbed comments she liked to toss my way at breakfast.

"Andrew," she pleaded, snatching up his hand, "You and I have known each other our entire lives, unlike those other debutantes. You know as well as I do that we're meant to be together!" she pleaded, snatching up his hand. The ice in his eyes as he pulled his hand away was enough to lift my eyebrows.

"I know of no such thing, Lady Marquette, and even though we were childhood friends, I would thank you to remember yourself when addressing me," he snapped, something cold colouring his voice as he admonished her, "Now please, return to the ball and cease this foolish spectacle,"

"Andrew, you can't..." she started, only for him to cock his head, the motion enough for her words to stop. They stared at each other for a few seconds, Andrew's displeasure never wavering before Mary started to tremble.

"Please, I only-" she began again. This time Andrew closed his eyes in annoyance, looking away from her. I sank even lower in my seat, sending up a quick prayer that he wouldn't spot me hunkered down in the desk chair.

"I-I'm sorry," Mary said finally, unable to contain her sniffling.

"Please, Mary, go back to the ball and remember that you are but one of seven debutantes," Andrew said, his tone gentler but his words harsh nonetheless. Mary was still shaking as she dashed from the room, a great, gulping sob echoed from the hallway before Andrew swung the door shut behind her.

"What a mess," he muttered, closing his eyes to lean back against the door.

"I wholeheartedly agree, although that was certainly rather snotty of you," I said, crossing my arms. His eyes flew open as he reeled away from the door in a distinctly ungraceful move.

"Elizabeth?" he managed, "How long have you-"

"Long enough to witness how much of a cad you were to her," I said. His eyebrows shot skyward as his eyes hardened.

"That's quite a thing to say to a prince," he said.

"And it very much needed to be said!" I fired back, standing despite my stocking toes, "While I do appreciate you putting an end to Mary's simpering antics, I hardly see how commanding her to return to the ball with a tear stained face and a broken heart is any way to treat a lady!"

Andrew opened his mouth to respond, then closed it, a confounded expression on his face as he looked back towards the door.

"Well I hardly think it's proper for a lady to chastise a prince," he fired back weakly. I rolled my eyes.

"Then I suppose you haven't heard," I muttered, sitting myself back down to read.

"Heard what?" he demanded, crossing his arms.

"That I'm not much of a lady," I replied, turning a page in the book to resume my reading. The silence stretched on between us, Andrew still standing with his arms crossed in the middle of the room while I pretended to read. I was stuck on the same sentence, unable to concentrate knowing that he was still watching me.

"Is there any particular reason that you're reading a book in the dark while a grand gathering is taking place a few rooms away?" Andrew asked finally, striding over to take a seat across from me. I regarded him warily across the table, as he stretched out in the chair, watching me in return.

"I was asked not to attend," I replied, again dropping my gaze down to the book.

"Which would explain why you didn't uphold your end of our bargain," he said. I looked back up at him, only to fight the grin that tugged at my face when I found him tentatively smiling at me.

"You said you wanted answers," I shrugged, my nonchalance ruined by the smile I couldn't stifle, "Ask me anything, your Highness,"

"How did you manage to sneak a message into my father's foreign correspondence?" he asked, knitting his hands behind his head as he leaned back to survey me. I leaned back in turn, proud that he was impressed.

"A spy can't give away all of her secrets," I replied. He laughed.

"I mean it," Andrew persisted, "It's a lucky thing his personal valet thought to keep it separate because it wasn't sealed. I doubt my father would find jokes about a court spy as amusing as I do,"

I chewed my lip, debating if I should be honest with him.

"It was a highly improper method of message delivery," I admitted. He smiled anew.

"Go on," he pressed, leaning forward onto the table.

"I may have knocked over a butler and caused him to drop all his letters so I could mix mine up with them," I said, watching his face to gauge his reaction. His eyebrows hopped in surprise, but his eyes crinkled as he laughed, genuinely amused.

"First I find you lurking outside my meeting with James, now you're assaulting butlers and sneaking things into my father's mail," he grinned, shaking his head in disbelief, "Whatever are we to do with you?"

"I hope you won't join the campaign to send me home too," I said, my expression sobering as I realized how much trouble I'd be in if Ella ever discovered that I was speaking to the prince in secret again.

"Who's campaigning to send you home?" Andrew asked, frowning.

"Ella, Emily, any number of debutantes," I shrugged, "They didn't exactly enjoy me stealing you away from their croquet match,"

"Yes, I suppose we'll have to be a tad sneakier in the future," Andrew said pensively.

"In the future?" I blurted, without really meaning to. I hadn't anticipated any more conversations with the prince besides our friendly, chance encounters at the grand events that all the ladies in waiting were invited to.

"Of course," he said, as if it was obvious, "You're like a breath of fresh air in this stagnant season. Most of my conversations of late have revolved around nothing more than batted eyelashes and empty flattery,"

"However could that be?" I simpered, fixing a coquettish smile on my face as I blinked up at him. Andrew grinned.

"Oh please don't turn in to one of them," Andrew said, "I have enough fine ladies with delicate emotions to deal with,"

"Well you certainly won't have to worry about that from me," I laughed, "For no one has ever described me as a fine lady,"

"Why not? Don't most fine ladies hide away in libraries and sneak around dressed as maids?" Andrew asked. I darted a glance down at my apron and he laughed.

"I was hoping you hadn't noticed that," I muttered, flushing.

"It's only fair I pointed it out," he said, "After all, you called me an ungentlemanly ass,"

"I called you a cad," I corrected, "And I think I've had enough of your questions for one night,"

"Then at least grant me one more," he said, reaching out to rest his hand on the page I'd turned my eyes down to read. I sighed.

"What were you doing in that corridor on the first night?" Andrew asked.

I closed my eyes, smiling. Of all the questions for him to ask, once I'd answered this one there would be no doubt in his mind that I was not at all a fine lady.

"I was trying to catch a mouse," I admitted, smiling sheepishly at him.

"A mouse?" he repeated in disbelief.

"Ella's other girls were being downright rotten, so I figured it would make for a nice bedtime surprise," I shrugged. Andrew blinked once, then roared with laughter, nearly tipping over in his chair.

"Where did you come from and however did you wind up in the royal court?" he asked, shaking his head with a grin when he was finally able to speak again.

"Most recently, Hargrove," I said, "And I really have no idea,"

Andrew laughed again, pushing back his chair to stand. He reached into a pocket in his formal jacket, producing a matchbook.

"I'll end my questioning for tonight," he said, leaning over to light the three-armed candelabra on the reading table.

"Now that's much more gentlemanly of you," I said as the room was bathed in the soft glow of candlelight.

"But you still owe me a dance," he said, tossing the matchbook at me. I caught it, looking up at him with raised eyebrows as he made his way towards the door, "Here's to hoping I won't have to hunt you down in a darkened library to claim it,"

"And here's to hoping you stop trying to land me in trouble," I replied, "Have a good evening, your Highness,"

"And you, Elizabeth," he said, bowing.

"Oh please, just Libby," I said, "I haven't quite grown into Elizabeth just yet,"

"Of course, Libby," Andrew said, unable to keep the grin from his face, "But only if you call me Andrew,"

I looked up at him then, at a complete loss for words. He smiled before closing the door behind him. I slumped back in my chair, exhaling. I'd just gotten away with accusing the prince of being a cad and in return, instead of a verbal lashing, had gained the privilege to call him by his first name.

It seemed that Hargrove's Manners Mistress had a thing or two to learn about the royal court.