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  Before dinner, we’d stood on our stage together. I’d just gone over the chalk markings I’d made and decided it was time to convey my last pep talk.

  “It’ll be fine!” I encouraged, trying for perky and confident, hoping they didn’t hear the part of me that was skeptical. They looked at me with less than confident faces.

  “You really think they will like our performances?” Fleur asked tentatively.

  “Yes, I do. I don’t think anything like this has ever been done in court before. It will be, well, history in the making!” I had to laugh at that. What would the historians make of this night? I had no idea. Going around our little circle, I checked with them each individually.

  “Genevieve, are you good to go?” She nodded her head and gave the one shoulder shrug at the same time. Aloof as ever. But secretly, I think she was excited. Hard to tell with her.

  “Chantal? Louise?” They would be our rhythm section for the evening. Louise held her newly made bongo set. Chantal had the gourd shaker, as we didn’t have a harp part for the songs we were singing this time. They both nodded, seeming confident enough.

  “Nicole?” She’d be playing the smaller lute, while I played the larger one.

  “I am ready, boss,” she answered, giving me the two thumbs-up sign I’d taught her recently. I was secretly proud that she used it in the right context. The last one was Fleur. I was almost afraid to ask.

  “Fleur?” I looked at her, apprehensive of her answer. She had a big role in this whole thing, playing the violone. It’s not like you could hide a bass. At least she could hide behind it a little. Truly, she seemed most comfortable behind that instrument.

  “I…,” she hesitated, then nodded in the affirmative. “Yes. I think I am ready. But…”

  “But...?” I asked, hesitant to hear her answer.

  “But I am not sure I can eat tonight!” She pressed a hand against her tummy. “It feels like the sea during a storm inside,” she admitted. I smiled, then gave her a big hug.

  “You’ll be the star of the show, mark my word,” I assured her. She really was very talented. I’d even found myself wondering if I couldn’t bring her back with me to the 21st century. Actually, we’d all make a pretty boss girl band in my time. I tried not to dwell on that because when the time came, it was going to be hard to leave them all. We turned when we heard footsteps disturbing our little meeting.

  “Please excuse me, ladies.” It was Prince Charles, who bowed in our direction. “M’moiselle Blanchet, the king and queen request your presence at their table tonight,” he declared regally. Then my stomach suddenly felt like the roiling sea. Really? I’d never heard of a musician sharing the table of the royal family. I looked over at Nicole for a little girl support, but she just wiggled her eyebrows at me like, go for it. So I turned back to Charles and tried not to notice Genevieve’s anger. Or was it disappointment? Again, hard to tell.

  “It would be my pleasure,” I curtsied. He bowed again in return and left the room without saying another word. I really had to admire his acting abilities.

  “Well,” I addressed the ladies again. “That’s odd, isn’t it? Now I’m a little nervous,” I admitted. They all rallied around me, giving advice like girls do. Genevieve, who was often a guest at the king’s table, was even nice enough to give me pointers. I wasn’t sure if I should take her advice or not. Maybe she was telling me the exact opposite of what to do and what not to do. But still. I stood in their midst and felt an overwhelming sense of belonging. I’d never had a group of girlfriends before. Anne and I were loners, really. And once I’d become a hit on YouTube, everyone that tried to be my friend seemed fake. But here, I was part of something different: a sisterhood. I felt a real connection to these girls, and I was thankful for them. We separated after that, needing to dress for dinner. Nicole linked arms with mine as we walked toward our rooms.

  “What an honor,” she exclaimed as we walked.

  “I suppose,” I answered her tentatively, biting my lip. “But I was hoping to sit with you all, and make sure nothing happened during dinner to make Fleur change her mind and lose her nerve.”

  “Do not worry about that,” she said. “I’ll handle the girls, you just concentrate on having a good time at dinner. I mean, you know you will get to sit next to Charles.” She bumped my hip with hers and gave me a wink.

  “Oh, like that’s supposed to make me feel less nervous!” I exclaimed. Although, it actually did. I was excited about that part, but tried not to show it.

  “Everyone will see what a fine couple the two of you make.”

  “Nicole! What are you talking about? I’m just a court musician. There is not a chance that I will ever be anything more than that,” I countered. I knew in my heart that this was true, like it or not.

  “Well,” she needled in her all-knowing voice, “there is still room for a little, ah, assignation with him in the meantime.”

  “What? You’re crazy!” If only she knew. “Genevieve would scratch my eyeballs out.”

  “Hmmph. Well, I have seen the way he looks at you when you are not looking, Let us just say I have never seen him look at her that way.” Her words made my heart rate kick up a notch. Thinking about him tended to do that. Part of me wanted to tell her that there was, in fact, something going on between the two of us. I mean, right now, she was my best friend after all. There was another part of me that was glad it was a secret because then it was just mine and his. For now, I’d keep up the charade.

  “You have a very vivid imagination,” I dissuaded her, shaking my head. We came to my room and stopped before my door. “Thanks for helping me out today.” I said as I extracted my arm from hers. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  “Luckily, you won’t have to find out,” she countered. She gave me a peck on my cheek and waved as she headed toward her own room. “Look gorgeous tonight!” she called out before turning the corner. I laughed as I went in to prepare myself for possibly the most important evening of my life so far.

  * * *

  “May I?” Charles asked, extending his elbow to lead me into the dining hall.

  “Yes, thank you your Highness.” I graciously accepted, enjoying being this close to him. He led me to our seats at the table on the dais. His father, the king, sat in the middle of the table, his wife to his right. Prince Charles sat to his left. I wasn’t sure exactly where I was to sit, so I was glad Charles was there to lead me in. He started to pull out a chair to the left of his own seat, the one that Genevieve often sat in, I noted.

  “Charles,” the king directed to the chair next to him, “allow our guest to sit next to me this evening, if you will.” I squeezed Charles’ arm in alarm. No! If this was an attempt to make me forget the anxiety of putting on a show later this evening, then it was working. A little too well.

  “Of course, Father,” Charles nodded to the king and led me to his seat, pulling it out for me. I tried to remain calm. I took a few deep breaths like I do before performing.

  “Don’t worry,” he whispered in my ear as he bent to scoot my chair in. “I’ll be right beside you.” Easy for him to say, I thought. As he took the seat next to me, I looked across the room to try to find Nicole. Ah, there she was, giving me the raised brow look. I tried to imitate the wide-eyed emoji that I surely would have used had I been texting Anne during a situation such as this. She smiled and winked at me, nodding her head toward Charles, and I couldn’t help rolling my eyes in return. I did, however, instantly feel a bit more calm. I looked to the left and right of the long table, and caught da Vinci’s eye on the other side of Charles. He smiled and winked. I smiled back. I loved Leonardo! Or Leo, as I had started calling him recently.

  The King turned to me as Charles took his seat on my other side. “M’moiselle Blanchet, it is a pleasure to have you join us this evening.”

  “Thank you, your Majesty, but I believe the pleasure is all mine,” I answered, hoping he didn’t notice just how close Charles’ chair was to me now. I tr
ied to keep the double entendre out of my voice, considering how much I enjoyed sitting next to the prince.

  “I hear we are in for a treat this evening,” he continued the conversation.

  “Yes, I hope you will be delighted with what we have prepared.” Okay, you got this. Keep it cool Izzy, keep it cool.

  “Excellent!” exclaimed the king. “I do love good entertainment, and I must say, we have been spoiled having you here. Word of you has spread, do you know?”

  “Pardon?” I answered, astonished. What was he talking about? It’s not as if they had telephones or the Internet. How in the world did “word” spread I wondered?

  “Have you not noticed how many more people have come to court since you have been here?” I looked around because honestly, I hadn’t noticed. Who was I to know how many people were usually at court or not? It was a big castle after all, teeming with people!

  “No, your Majesty. I had not noticed,” I answered honestly. “I guess I’ve been a little preoccupied.” He chuckled at my answer and then pointed around the room.

  “That group there,” he pointed, then waved when he caught their attention. “La famille Duvivier. They have come from far north of the country. Usually, they travel to Spain for the summer,. Theyt heard of our fine entertainments here and decided to stay to see what all the talk was about.” He continued looking around the room. “Ah, and over here,” he pointed to another group, “the Delacroix family. They summer in Provence, but again, here they are.” He leaned in conspiratorially. “You see their beautiful daughter, Mademoiselle Annette. I do believe they are hoping for an advantageous wedding to our dear Charles,” he elaborated, wiggling his eyebrows in the prince’s direction.

  Charles admonished, “Father, I am sure our guest does not want to hear about all the intrigues of the court.”

  “Oh, on the contrary,” I looked at him with a huge smile. “I find this rather fascinating. Do go on your Majesty,” I prompted, turning back to the king.

  “Well, you may not know this,” he continued obligingly, “but my younger son, Henri, is currently in Italy. He will be heading home to France soon with his intended, an Italian noblewoman, Catherine de Medici. However, here is his older brother, next in line for the throne, with no prospects of marriage. What say you to that? Should he not be actively looking for a wife?” He was clearly having too much fun at his son’s expense. I could feel Charles tense next to me, probably unsure how I would handle this.

  “What about Mademoiselle Touraine?” I asked the king, looking toward Genevieve. “I thought she might be intended for the prince. She is a noblewoman after all, is she not?” I tried to ignore Charles, who found an opportune moment to cough and grab his goblet for relief.

  “Yes,” the king agreed thoughtfully, stroking the beard on his chin. “She is not a bad choice. Her Father is a friend and loyal to the king. I might be able to approve that union. Although there still may be a better match. Right Charles?”

  “As you say,” Charles conceded. He seemed relieved that our attention was diverted to filling our plates from the platters just being served.

  The King leaned toward me once more after dishing up a healthy portion of some kind of cooked bird which I hoped was chicken. “Do not worry yourself, M’moiselle Blanchet, the queen and I have an exciting announcement to make after tonight’s entertainment.” He turned to smile at the queen. “Do we not, my dear?”

  The Queen smiled back at him, and I could tell that there really was love between them. I wasn’t sure that existed with royals, since most marriages were more politically motivated than anything. It was nice to see all the same. They reminded me a lot of my own parents. The four of them would probably love having a dinner party together. I felt the familiar pang just thinking about my parents. I tried to shake thoughts of them from my mind before my heart hurt even more from missing them.

  “We have a wonderful announcement to make, dear Charles!” the queen exclaimed as she looked down at her son sitting next to me.

  “Mother, you know how much I despise surprises,” he protested.

  “Which is exactly why it is fun to spring them on you every once in a while, dear,” she countered. “We hope you will like this surprise, Isabelle. For it involves you too.”

  “Well,” I said, “now I am thoroughly intrigued. For I’m just the opposite. I quite like surprises.” I smiled at the prince who seemed extremely uncomfortable. So I launched into a story of a time when my parents surprised me with a trip. I found Charles’ hand and kept it in mine, hidden by the table and my wide skirts. I hoped to give him some reassurance that things would be fine.

  “They took me out of bed in the early-morning hours and carried me straight to the car…carriage,”–whew, this was a tough story to tell in 16th century–“When I awoke, confused and a little worried, they told me we were going to the happiest place on earth,” I exclaimed, thankful for the famous Disney World tagline. I’d have to sorta make up the rest, though. How to describe Disney in a 16th century kind of way? “It was a Grand Carnival,” I hesitated, hoping there was such a thing, “... in Paris. And I loved every minute of it.” The King and Queen nodded and launched into their own “remember that time we dressed as commoners” stories of visiting the carnival themselves.

  I felt Charles squeeze my hand in thanks. Soon I got very distracted as he traced light circles in my palm, and slowly up to my fingertips and back. I tried to control the shivers running up my arm and tingling my entire being. Why is my throat suddenly dry? I grabbed my drink with the other hand and took a huge gulp. Whew, was it getting hot in here? I could feel the heat coursing through my body and knew it was bringing on a powerful blush. I tried to look natural, tried to concentrate on what the king was saying next to me. But honestly, I had no idea. I was so mesmerized by the sensations from a simple touch on my hand. How was that possible? I had no idea the hand was so sensitive. I turned our hands over, so I could touch his hand in the same way. I couldn’t look at him, but heard his quick intake of breath and guessed he was in the same kind of trance I was in. I didn’t want it to stop, but I noticed the king looking at me as if he were waiting for an answer. Uh, oh dear. What had he just said?

  He asked again, “Are you quite well, M’moiselle? You seem rather flushed.” Oh man, super embarrassing!

  “I’m fine,” I choked out, grabbing for my glass again and closing my hand over the prince’s to try to stop the crazy fireworks going on inside. “I’ll admit, I’ve been a little warm all day,” I told him, hoping the explanation would do. “But it’s cooling off now, so I’m sure I will be just fine.” I nodded with affirmation.

  “Yes,” he agreed, “it has been unusually warm today, but I suppose it is normal for this time of year.” We finished our meals without any more, uh, distractions. I looked over at my girls, and noticed they were getting fidgety. It was about time for us to get ready to perform. So I turned back to the king.

  “Your Majesty,” I began, “I hope you will excuse me early, but I must prepare for tonight’s performance.”

  “Yes, yes. Of course, he consented. “Please, if you have had enough sustenance, let us not keep you.” He glanced at my plate unconvinced of that.

  “Oh, I’ve had plenty. Thank you so much,” I assured him as I began to rise. Charles jumped up to help me with my chair. I was sad to lose the warmth of his hand in mine.

  “Thank you, my dear, for joining us. We shall hear you momentarily then,” he said as I bowed in his direction and he dismissed me.

  “Do you need any help, M’moiselle?” Charles asked as I turned to go.

  “No,” I returned. “We are ready, but thank you for asking.”

  “Good luck, my girl!” Leonardo said as I moved to pass his chair. I leaned down and give him a quick peck on the cheek.

  “Thank you Signor da Vinci,” I replied with a smile. Then I was off to prepare my girls, realizing as I walked away how thoroughly I’d enjoyed breaking bread with the royal family.

>   Imagine that!

  * * *

  I had asked for candelabras to be placed close to our stage area, to shed more light on the performers than the audience. The servants had been instructed to dim the wall sconces around the room. It was the best I could do with the crude lighting I had at hand. But it was perfect and had the desired effect I was hoping for. It made the faces of our audience dark. This, I hoped, would ease the nerves of my friends performing for the first time.

  I nodded at Fleur and she began the first chord progression of the song “Crazy for You” by the uber talented Adele. The song, of course, was written to be performed with an electric bass, but again, a girl had to use what was available, right? Fleur was amazing on her upright Renaissance violone, steady as you please as if she’d been performing her whole life. I looked out among the audience, and found Charles. I began to sing, belting it out in my most soulful voice. Fleur kept right along on her stand-up bass. I loved this song. So simple, subtle, yet powerful all at the same time. I had to admit, I was certainly feeling her lyrics tonight. I think I’d definitely lost my head where a certain pair of blue eyes were concerned. I might just be going crazy. It was getting increasingly more difficult not to think about Charles with every word I sang. Hoping I wasn’t obvious, I made sure to look all over the room and walk from one side of the makeshift stage to the other. Too bad I didn’t have one of those cool retro microphones on a stand to croon into.

  I held out the last note and Fleur barely finished her last chord progression when the silence was broken by thunderous applause. I smiled and took a bow, then turned to Fleur. The smile on her face was utterly happy. I could tell she was amazed. I went to her and grabbed her around the waist for another bow. She did the best she could while still keeping her bass upright.