One Enchanted Evening Read Online Free PDF Page A

without a moment’s hesitation or guilt. “Hadn’t heard a thing.”
    “You’ll need a queen. I’ve decided to come along and be that for you.”
    Pippa would have sat back down on her suitcase, but that would have drawn attention to it and perhaps led Cindi to become more acquainted with her wares than necessary. Pippa settled for not hitting Peaches when she began to pinch her arm, hard. The pain kept her from either swooning or bursting into tears—if she’d been the sort to do either, which she most definitely was not.
    She was left with no choice but to admit the truth of it. She’d been cocky. She had stared Karma right in the face and dared her to do her worst. The platinum blonde bimbo unconsciously preening in front of her was proof enough that Karma did not like to be messed with.
    Pippa knew she had every reason to hate her older sister. Cindi hadn’t had to work her way up through her chosen employment as professional beauty queen; she’d pretty much started at the top. And once she’d realized Pippa could sew, she’d had her sewing at all hours, continually preparing for ball after ball where the prince always noticed Cindi, always proposed, and always went away dazzled and disappointed. Pippa never even got to meet the evening’s leftovers. She was too busy slaving away over the next gala’s gown, which of course had to be more elaborate than the last.
    She could have lived with that if the indignities had ended there, but they hadn’t. Every time Pippa thought she might have a meeting with someone useful, Cindi would somehow catch wind of it, then arrive in all her glory and walk off with all eyes on her, leaving Pippa to metaphorically slink along behind her, carrying her train.
    She had gone to ridiculous lengths to ensure that this time Cindi would have no idea what was up. She’d sworn Tess to secrecy, made Peaches pinky swear she wouldn’t tell, and threatened her other two sisters with grievous bodily harm if they breathed a word. She couldn’t imagine how Cindi had found out.
    Obviously, Karma had been busy.
    “Where are your things?” Cindi asked imperiously.
    Pippa eased in front of her suitcase protectively. “I have them packed away safely.”
    “Not that it matters,” Cindi said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “I’m bringing my own designs.”
    Pippa blinked. “What?”
    “Oh, didn’t I tell you?” Cindi purred. “I’ve been working on a line of fairy-tale fashions. I had lunch with David Jacoby last month and he mocked them up for me.” She frowned, a perfectly elegant creasing of her equally elegant brow. “Did I forget to tell you?”
    Pippa could only gape. Words were beyond her. The Jacoby studio was so far above where she’d ever hoped to even attempt a submission of her portfolio, she could hardly wrap what was left of her smoke-fogged brain around the thought.
    “He shipped them to England for me last week. I imagine Tess has them now.” Cindi reached out and patted Pippa on the cheek. “I just thought that since you’d been working so hard, I would take some of the pressure off you. You’ll be bringing along your little costumes, though, won’t you, darling?”
    Pippa nodded.
    “They’re so sweet. I can hardly wait to dress up the girls and lead them around the castle.” Cindi frowned suddenly, then looked slightly unsettled, if that was possible for a woman for whom everything in life clicked into place with a perfection that was truly appalling. “Oh, I’d forgotten about the castle. Tess said it was drenched in things I might not like.” She looked at Pippa narrowly. “She mentioned drama.”
    Pippa didn’t dare look at Peaches. The drama the castle was drenched in would increase exponentially when Cindi arrived, but there was no sense in saying as much.
    “Do you know anything about that?” Cindi asked suspiciously.
    “Oh, I don’t think it’s drama you have to worry about,” Peaches said without hesitation. “Tess was probably