Chapter Three The Royal Palace

The next day when Alice came to say goodbye, Angelina hugged her tearfully.

“Don’t let the princess boss you around,” said Alice.

The queen’s big limousine drove up, and Percival the chauffeur stepped out and opened the door—it was already time to leave! Angelina’s parents hugged her and waved goodbye. As the big black car zoomed through the countryside, Angelina looked back and wished she were still dancing in the garden with Alice.

The royal palace was much older and gloomier than Angelina had imagined. It had too many towers to count, and the endless hallways and rooms inside were filled with ancient portraits, chandeliers, and dark antique furniture. It was not at all like Angelina’s sweet, cozy cottage!

A uniformed maid showed Angelina to a small bedroom up in a tall tower. “The queen will see you in the Throne Room,” she announced. Angelina quickly pulled on her pink tutu and straightened her bow.

“I won’t let Miss Lilly down!” she said to herself.

Thinking of Miss Lilly made her feel better as she tiptoed downstairs, past all the scowling portraits of kings and queens. Where was the Throne Room? After wandering down several long hallways, Angelina heard the clatter of teacups. She took a deep breath and peeped inside. There was the queen, sitting grandly on her throne and wearing her shiny crown. She was eating chocolate cream cakes and sipping elderflower tea.

“My goodness, you’re no bigger than Valentine!” said the queen, looking Angelina up and down. “I hope you can convince her to do proper ballet.”

Next to the queen stood two tall, dainty princesses. Angelina stared at their elegant tiaras and lacy gowns.

“These are Valentine’s big sisters, Pearl and Penelope,” said the queen. “They’ll show you the Grand Ballroom and help you find our reluctant little dancer.”

Princess Pearl and Princess Penelope looked curiously at Angelina.

“What a pity Miss Lilly couldn’t come,” said Pearl.

“She’d know how to make our silly sister do ballet,” agreed Penelope.

“Valentine is a sweet child, but she has lots of odd ideas,” sighed the queen. “I wish you the best of luck, Angelina.”

Angelina was so nervous that she forgot to curtsy, and the two princesses giggled. Would Valentine be as unfriendly and stuffy as her sisters?

The parlor maid arrived with a plate of delicious cookies and cakes, but Angelina was so anxious, she couldn’t eat a thing—not even chocolate fudge!

“You don’t have much time,” said the queen. “I hope Valentine will cooperate!”

Once again Angelina’s heart sank. Everything she’d heard about Valentine had made her more worried. She did a wobbly curtsy to the queen and then scurried after Pearl and Penelope, going down more dark and drafty hallways.

“The Grand Ballroom,” announced Pearl, sweeping aside ancient red curtains. “This is where we have all the royal performances.”

“I performed the Goose Lake ballet here last year, and it was perfect,” said Penelope, sniffing and looking down her nose at Angelina.

Angelina gazed around the ballroom. It was huge and gloomy, like everything else in the palace.

“Where can I find Princess Valentine?” Angelina asked.

“She’s probably climbing trees,” said Pearl, rolling her eyes.

“Or digging in the flower beds and getting her clothes dirty,” said Penelope.

They pointed Angelina toward a door to the gardens. Angelina said goodbye to the two princesses and went outside.