Miss Polly had a Dolly (Emma Frost #2) (4 page)

"Why
didn't you tell me
you were seeing someone?" I
asked my dad when we got back to the house. Helle had to go back to her shop where
she sold trinkets or something like that according to my dad who apparently
didn't really know what it was she was selling.

"I don't know," he said and sat in a
chair while I served him a cup of coffee. "I thought it would be better
this way."

"You mean a sneak attack on one of my most
important days?" I asked with a chuckle.

My dad laughed. "Yeah, something like
that."

I found a box of Danish butter cookies and gave
him a couple with his coffee. I grabbed a handful myself and started eating
them.

"So what did you think of her?" he
asked with his mouth full.

I swallowed mine and drank some coffee while
choosing my words carefully. "She seemed very nice, actually. I like
her."

"Actually? You didn't expect to like
her?"

I shrugged. "To be frank, no. It was quite
a shock at first, and then I guess I reacted with resentment. But lunch was a
good idea. Talking to her made me like her. But I have to say you didn't give
her a fair chance bringing her like that. It wasn't fair towards her. You could
have at least told me about her."

He ate another cookie and nodded. "Well, I
was afraid you'd be angry, so I thought we should just get it over with."

I chuckled again. "You're impossible.
You're lucky she still likes you after that stunt. That proves to me she's a good
woman."

My dad smiled in a strange fashion. There was
something about him.

 Something…like…glowing? Could you say that
about a guy? Well, he was glowing. He was happy and I don't think I had ever
seen him happy before, not like this. It made me a little jealous. I think a
little might be an understatement. Why wasn't I able to make him happy like
that?

"She's a great woman," he said with
that strange smile on his face. My dad never smiled much. He was grumpy about
work, about his medical clinic when I was a child, he was angry at my mom for
leaving him and moving to Spain the last few years, there had always been
something for him to be moping about. But not now. Now he wasn't even
grumbling. That was very new to me and a little odd when you've become accustomed
to such different behavior. Thinking about it while sitting in front of him, he
had been a lot happier lately. I had just thought it was because of him finally
being able to retire from his clinic and moving closer to his daughter and
grandchildren.

I smiled with a sigh. "Well as long as she
makes you happy, Dad, then I am too. We should invite her over for dinner and
get to know her a little better. If she is going to be in your life, then we
should make her welcome."

My dad grabbed the paper and nodded.
"Sounds great, sweetheart."

His face disappeared behind the local Fanoe
paper where pictures from the TV show
Shooting
Star
were plastered all over.
Shooting
Star
was a TV reality show that featured children singing. A little
like
X-factor
and those kinds of
shows, only for children. It was the biggest talk of the island these days. The
TV show was coming to Fanoe for the first time and everybody wanted their kids
to audition. The show's host was a young guy in his twenties who simply went by
the name of
Patrick
. He was the
most talked about host in Danish history, a horrible drama queen and
primadonna, but always fun to watch. Especially when he whined excessively into
the microphone in enthusiasm.

 He
was
the show and most people liked to see the children sing, but they watched it
because of him. He was funny, witty, and very very handsome. And he wasn't
afraid of acting crazy. People never knew what he would do or say next and I
had a feeling neither did the producers. He always did or said something that
created headlines everywhere and made people talk. That made it the most
popular show in Danish television history. Me, unlike most people my age, I
wasn't afraid to admit it. I liked to watch
Shooting
Stars
and I was definitely going to go down there for the auditions.
Just to see the set-up, I didn't have any children that wanted to do it, but
Sophia did. She had six kids in total and she had managed to persuade two of
them to audition for the show. I was naturally going to be there to support her
and of course, hopefully catch a glimpse of the spectacular host.

Josephine
Gyldenstjerne knew she was
born for greatness. She
also knew children weren't born equal and that she was among the few born to
rule others. At the age of six, Josephine knew all about class distinctions and
she knew her place in this world. As the daughter of a Count and Countess of
Denmark, she knew she was destined to live a life of luxury.

As always in the spring, the family moved to the
small island of Fanoe and lived at their residence close to the beach. And as
always, Josephine was followed closely by her governess, Ms. Camilla, even when
they took a rare break from her schooling and walked to the beach. Josephine
adored the beach. She loved the mighty dunes and wide stretch of sand, and she
particularly loved the huge ocean with nothing but water as far as you could
see. Every afternoon this week she had begged Ms. Camilla to take her down
there and watch the waves coming in from afar. And every day Ms. Camilla had
said no, they had work to do. Until this Wednesday afternoon, when the sun was
shinning from a clear blue sky and even Ms. Camilla felt the calling of the
birds and the alluring spring outside of the windows of the mansion they called
their vacation residence.

"England is on the other side of the
ocean," Ms. Camilla said when they stopped at the top of the dunes. She
pointed to make sure Josephine watched.

But Josephine didn't care. She knew all that and
even more. She closed her eyes and breathed in the salty air blowing in from
exotic places far, far away. She imagined a small boy at the shore in England
standing just like she did and breathing in the same air, just hours earlier
before it blew across the North Sea. She chuckled at the thought and opened her
eyes. Ms. Camilla was still talking about England and trying to teach her stuff
that she already knew. Josephine had spent most of her life reading and
learning about other countries, but she was never taken anywhere, not even when
her parents travelled to all kinds of places all over the world. No, she had to
stay and get her education she was told when she pleaded with them to take her
along for an adventure. She had obligations. There was going to be a day when
she would be able to travel and see the world as well, just not now. Education
was more important.

So Josephine had to just dream about all of
those exotic foreign places for now, but one day she was going to see them all.
No one was ever going to stop her from doing that. Not even her absent parents
who only spent time with her when they quizzed her on her knowledge and what
she had learned in school so far. They never even ate together, since Josephine
was supposed to eat with her governess and was only supposed to see her parents
when she entered their chambers every evening at seven forty-five to say
goodnight. If she was lucky her mother would come and listen in during her
lessons every now and then, and she would get to hug her afterwards, even if it
was only a short hug.

Once they took her with them to a gallery
opening where they were invited as guests of honor. Josephine had enjoyed that
immensely. Especially when all the photographers were yelling and taking
pictures and asking her to smile for them. That was a lot of fun. But it had
only happened that one time. She was hoping for more.

"So tell me Josephine," Ms. Camilla
said. "How many people live in London, the capital of England?"

Josephine sighed. "Do I have to? I want to
just enjoy the sound of the waves and the fresh air."

"Yes, I know. But learning is important,
too. You know that."

Josephine sighed again and looked up at her
governess. How she loathed the woman. She was the person closest to her, but
sometimes Josephine wondered if she was even human at all. Sometimes she would
imagine her being a robot that her parents had bought to mind her. Josephine
would picture her in her chambers putting in new batteries or charging herself
up by plugging into the wall outlet. That always made Josephine laugh.

"So? I know you know this one, Josephine.
I'm taking it easy on you now."

"Twelve million people," she answered.
"Making it the largest city in Europe. The country of England is one of
the world's most famous and wealthiest. The country is seventy-four times
smaller than the United States. The people of England consume more tea per
capita than in any other country in the world. Most police officers in England
do not carry guns with them unless it is an extreme emergency. The oldest zoo
in the world opened in England, in the city of London, in 1828. In Medieval
England, beer was a common breakfast beverage. Shoelaces were invented in
England in 1790. England is home to the famous rock and roll band
The Beatles
, as well as
The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd,
and many
other rock bands."

Josephine breathed and looked up at Ms. Camilla
waiting for her reaction. Ms. Camilla nodded with tight lips. "Very well
then. If you insist on making fun of me, then maybe I should talk to your
parents."

Josephine stopped smiling. She shook her head.
"Sorry," she said.

"Maybe it was a mistake to come out here.
Let's get back and finish our work," Ms. Camilla said.

Josephine felt the tears pressing. She really
wanted to go down to the beach first. She wanted to put her feet in the ocean
and feel how cold it was. She wanted to breathe the salty air for at least a
few minutes more, she wanted to run across the sand even if her dress might get
sandy or wet. She just wanted to have a little fun for once.

Is that so hard to understand?

Ms. Camilla grabbed her arm. Josephine pulled it
out of her grip. "I don't want to," she said with tears in her voice.
She knew she sounded like a small child with her shrill voice, but enough was
enough.

"What are you saying? Miss Josephine
Gyldenstjerne. You are to obey whatever I tell you to do. If I say we go back,
we go back immediately. It's not up for discussion. Would you rather have your
father send you away to boarding school?"

Josephine snorted. Her heart was racing and she
didn't know what to do. She only  knew that she was determined not to go
with the governess back to that boring old house and all the boring books. She
stomped her feet like a four-year-old.

"I want to go down to the beach!"

"But we have just been to the beach,"
Ms. Camilla said.

"I want to go all the way down there. I
want to have my feet in the sand. I want to feel the ocean. I want to make a
sandcastle!"

"Miss Josephine!" Ms. Camilla was
yelling now, dismayed. "Are you raising your voice to me? Because I will
not have that. You come here this instant and follow me back to the house. I
will have to call up your parents and have them come up with a proper
punishment for this behavior. Never have I…" Ms. Camilla put her hand in
her pocket and pulled out a cellphone. "I'm calling them now. They should
know what is going on. Your father will be very angry. He is at a very
important meeting today and has no time to deal with this. And your mother is
getting ready to go to Skagen for a couple of days. She has to meet with the
jeweler about the earrings she ordered and try on the dress for the Royal
wedding next month." She looked at Josephine who had started to back up.
"Come back here, young lady."

Josephine shook her head. "No," she
said. "You're gonna call them anyway. I might as well have my fun first."
Then she turned around and started descending towards the beach.

"Miss Josephine!" she heard her
governess call behind her, but she didn't care one bit. She ran and felt the
wind lift her hair and it was almost as if she was flying. She couldn't help
laughing and smiling while she ran down the dunes and into the sand where she
felt it tickle her toes in the sandals. Finally,
finally
she was going to feel the ocean. Finally she was on
her own. Ms. Camilla was probably still yelling but the wind drowned out her
voice much to Josephine's pleasure. She pulled up her dress to better run
faster, something she hadn't been allowed to do for a very long time, except
during her tennis lessons with Mr. Henrik. It felt so good that she had to
laugh as loudly as she could and scream out her joy.