Undercover Princess Page 3

  She stopped a moment, her stepmother’s words echoing in her head.

  ‘I hope it doesn’t disappoint you.’

  Lottie only faltered for a second, but it caught Binah’s attention.

  ‘Are you OK?’ Binah asked, cocking her head to the side inquisitively.

  ‘I’m just …’ Lottie trailed off, not wanting to admit how nervous she was to see the school for the first time. ‘Tired from travelling so far.’

  If she’d only known in that moment the domino effect those words would have.

  ‘You’re from another country?’ Binah asked, her enthusiasm bubbling back.

  ‘Yes.’ Wait, what? Did she say county or country?

  ‘That’s wonderful. We have so many international students; you’ll fit in no problem!’

  ‘Wait, I think –’ Lottie tried to interject, to explain she was just from Cornwall, but Binah continued on in excitement.

  ‘No, no, don’t worry at all.’ Binah beamed up at her with a brilliant smile that showed all her pearly teeth and left Lottie feeling a little dazzled. ‘You’re a Rosewood novice and I take it upon myself to know everything so I can help everyone.’

  Lottie blinked a few times, amazed at how much Binah’s words reminded her of her own desire to put good into the world. She quickly remembered herself and opened her mouth to correct the misunderstanding, but Binah’s eyes had moved behind her, squinting at whatever she was seeing.

  ‘And, speaking of things you should know, here come three of them right now.’

  Lottie followed Binah’s gaze as three impeccably well-dressed students walked towards them.

  One of the girls had an iced coffee in one hand and a phone in the other that she was furiously talking into. She was clad in an oversized fur coat and Lottie could see designer logos peeking from her ensemble. This girl could have easily been a brunette Barbie doll come to life. The other students were a boy and girl who seemed to move in unison; they were so identical in build and appearance that they must have been twins. They were like shiny little doves, dressed almost entirely in white.

  ‘Binah!’ called the girl twin in a high-pitched squeal, leaping forward to give her a big squeeze.

  Binah hugged her in return, then they all seemed to notice Lottie at the same time.

  ‘Anastacia, Lola, Micky – meet Lottie. She’s international.’

  Lottie groaned internally, praying no one asked to see her passport. The Barbie girl said a curt goodbye into her phone then turned to Lottie.

  ‘Pleasure,’ said Barbie flatly, holding out her hand, a slight French accent dripping through the word. Lottie shook her hand slowly, noticing how cold it was. ‘I love your dress,’ she added.

  Lottie blushed, realizing that this girl probably had no idea how reassuring and kind that little compliment had been for her.

  ‘Oh, thank y–’

  But before Lottie could finish, the Barbie girl interjected, saying, ‘OK, enough chit-chat. I’m sick of standing around and I want to make sure my luggage isn’t being mistreated.’

  The twins giggled to themselves.

  Binah leaned over to Lottie and whispered in her ear. ‘That one’s Anastacia, daughter of the French ambassador. She’s very entertaining.’

  Lottie nodded, watching as Anastacia and the others sauntered through the archway. Yet Lottie found she couldn’t follow. She was overcome by the thick fragrance that seemed to flood the air around them. The mixture of lavender and roses gave the air a deep, dreamy feel, like being plunged into another world. She looked up at the building looming over her. Lottie felt as though the school was calling to her, pulling her in with an atmosphere of its own. She was meant to be here; she knew it deep in her bones. The tiara that lay hidden away in her bag burned at her side. She’d really done it. She’d made it to Rosewood. She realized then that it wasn’t that she was scared the school would disappoint her; she was scared that she would disappoint the school.

  ‘Allez! Some of us would like to get to Rosewood before they die of old age, thank you.’

  Anastacia’s voice pierced Lottie’s ear, pulling her out of her daze and forcing her legs back into action. ‘What are you doing?’ she asked.

  ‘I have absolutely no idea,’ Lottie replied as she took her first steps into Rosewood Hall.

  4

  The heavy doors of the magnificent oak-walled reception were wide open to welcome the students, new and old, who were pouring in, all of them buzzing with enthusiasm like well-dressed bees in a hive. The way the light hit the archway behind Lottie in strange dappled sections gave the impression that the courtyard was a painting, as if crossing the threshold had plummeted her into another world.

  ‘The welcome speech and fireworks aren’t until later tonight,’ Binah explained, ‘so you’ll want to get settled in to your dorm and relax, maybe try on your uniform. We can meet up before all that.’

  The five of them were standing in line for registration and Binah had pulled out a large beautifully bound document that Lottie recognized from her own Rosewood Hall welcome pack, but where Lottie’s was purple, Binah’s was yellow.

  ‘Which house were you assigned after your aptitude test?’

  Micky, Lola and even Anastacia perked up at this question, each turning round to hear Lottie’s response.

  Along with the application, Lottie had had to take an aptitude test filled with ‘what if’ and multiple-choice questions to evaluate which house would be the best fit for her.

  ‘I’m in Florence Ivy.’

  The other students shared a look and Lottie wondered if she’d said something stupid.

  Binah laughed and patted Lottie’s shoulder, which would have felt condescending coming from anyone else, but her sincere smile made it impossible to take it as an insult. ‘Sorry, sorry! We never call them by their full names. It’s just Ivy, Conch and Stratus.’

  Lottie couldn’t stop herself blushing yet again.

  ‘I see you’re in Stratus –’ Lottie said, pointing to Binah’s yellow notebooks.

  ‘C’est n’importe quoi,’ Anastacia interrupted, her expression inscrutable behind her sunglasses.

  Lottie had a limited understanding of French, but she could still grasp that Anastacia had said something along the lines of nonsense.

  ‘Binah was one of the only students ever to be offered all three houses – and for some reason she chose Stratus over Conch,’ explained Anastacia.

  ‘Hey!’ exclaimed Lola, looking genuinely hurt.

  ‘Nothing personal, Lola. It’s just Conch is clearly the superior house and red is a superior colour.’

  Lola and Micky rolled their eyes in unison, obviously used to this kind of statement from Anastacia.

  Binah shrugged at Lottie, trying to act as if it were no big deal to be invited to all three of the Rosewood houses, but her bashful smile suggested she knew exactly how impressive it was.

  At the front of the line an Ivy prefect, whose purple badge said FREDDIE BUTTERFIELD, took her phone for the term and handed her another welcome pack. Lottie had known this was coming – phones were strictly prohibited during term time – yet it felt as if she were handing over a part of herself. Since her mother had passed away she’d spent so long studying as hard as she could that she hadn’t had time for friends, so Ollie was the only one she ever really messaged. She couldn’t even email him because internet usage was strictly monitored. The idea of him not being easily contactable made her a little nervous, but she quickly gulped it back down.

  ‘Welcome to Rosewood, Miss … Pumpkin.’ Lottie felt a twinge of embarrassment at the boy’s hesitation over her last name but quickly quashed it. ‘This bag contains some gifts from the school to you; it also contains the keys to your room and your fob for entry to the Ivy dorm. All other necessary equipment will be found in your room. You will get your phone back at the end of term. Thank you. Have a lovely day.’ His tone suggested that he may have been enthusiastic earlier in the day but was now struggling to keep chipper,
having had to follow the same script with many other Rosewood students.

  They stepped out of the reception hall and parted ways with Anastacia, who went off towards a bridge in the direction of Conch House, accompanied by a frizzy-haired blonde girl who appeared to have been waiting for her. Lottie watched curiously as Anastacia wrapped the blonde girl in a tight embrace. She almost wondered if she was imagining the scene; it seemed so out of character for the girl she’d just met to display so much emotion.

  Binah took her on a scenic route through the school. They passed the main quarters of Stratus Side, the Stratus House dormitory, which, as the name suggested, was in the topmost tower of the school. Very fittingly, Stratus House was represented by the merlin falcon, a symbol for resourcefulness, which was carved on a plaque above the tower’s entrance. They left the twins there, who gave Lottie a synchronized wave before ascending the tower.

  As soon as they were into the main school grounds, Binah began an impromptu lesson on the buildings they passed. Her lips moved faster than Lottie could keep up with and she spoke with such an intense vocabulary that it bordered on being another language altogether.

  ‘The intricate fenestration on the assembly hall’s walls is an intentional pastiche of eighteenth-century gothic styles …’

  Lottie nodded. Were all Rosewood students this articulate?

  Anastacia had said that Binah was the only student to ever be invited to all three houses and Lottie felt a sudden intense determination.

  I want to be this smart.

  She was going to use her time at Rosewood to work as hard as possible and make her mother proud.

  Once they were out of the main school cluster, which was not a short walk at all and Lottie was very happy she didn’t have to carry her luggage, the path became cobbled, which meant they were getting close to the Ivy dorms. A quarter of the way down the hill, nestled among dense rhododendron trees that backed on to Rose Wood, was a grand-looking stone building. Through its cast-iron gate was Ivy Wood, her new dormitory. It was beautiful and looked like a hotel, such was its size – and indeed it was almost like one. Lottie had read that, along with many en-suite bedrooms, Ivy Wood had its own reception area, kitchen, dining hall, library and study rooms. Ivy clung to the grey stone walls in tangled heaps, climbing up the sides of the buildings. The path to the front door was lined with thick bushels of wisteria covering trellised alcoves … and there it was: her home for the next four years.

  ‘What kind of architecture is popular in your country?’

  Lottie was jolted out of her daydreaming by the unexpected question. She looked at Binah and her voice caught in her throat; it would be completely humiliating to admit to the misunderstanding, but she had to do it. Now was her chance.

  ‘I …’

  But that’s as far as she could get.

  ‘Oh, look, isn’t he wonderful?’ Binah clapped her hands together in excitement.

  Lottie looked up and found her gaze drawn to the pond at the centre of the Ivy garden. There was a bronze statue of a stag, its horns outstretched like a crown above its head, eyes piercing her own with an odd familiarity.

  Binah sighed wistfully as she led Lottie towards it.

  ‘He’s called Ryley – he’s the guardian of Rosewood, and your house symbol.’

  Lottie found she was struggling to pull her eyes away. She once again found herself forgetting to set Binah straight on the mix-up, almost as if the deer were intentionally distracting her.

  ‘Come on.’ Binah gently reached out and stroked Lottie’s palm with her thumb, as she escorted her away from Ryley to the entrance of the dorm. ‘Let’s get you checked in and to your dorm; you must be tired from your travels.’

  Lottie groaned internally. Being at Rosewood was already completely exhausting and she hadn’t even started classes yet.

  Binah marched her up to the door for the Ivy dorm and left her with a clear set of instructions for meeting later.

  ‘I’ll pick you up by the Ivy Wood gate at seven p.m. and take you to the Miracle Marquee to meet the others. If you need any help after I go, your house mother is Professor Devine …’ Binah paused for a moment, bringing her finger to her lips in thought. ‘Although she won’t be around now as she’s giving the orientation speech, but I’m sure one of the prefects will be happy to assist you.’

  Lottie had religiously memorized the names of all her teachers and heads of faculty, but out of all of them she was most excited to meet deputy headmistress and Ivy house mother Professor Adina Devine.

  Ollie had made numerous ‘jokes’ about how that sounded like a witch’s name. Lottie had reminded him that she was sensitive to jokes at the expense of people’s names and pointed out that ‘It sounds more like the name of a fairy godmother, thank you very much.’

  ‘You’re lucky; Professor Devine is an amazing woman,’ said Binah, a wide smile spread across her face. ‘Just be sure not to get on her bad side. She can shout loud enough to shatter glass.’

  Lottie gulped at this thought; she did not deal well with being shouted at.

  Binah swiftly hugged her and Lottie found herself wrapping her arms around her and squeezing tightly, realizing that she didn’t want her to go. Binah had helped her so much already. Lottie worried she’d be completely lost without her.

  ‘Thank you so much, Binah.’ She gave her another little squeeze before pulling away.

  Binah smiled at her again, her teeth glittering in a wide, comforting grin.

  ‘You’ll fit in just fine here, Lottie. I think you’re exactly what this school needs.’ And off she went, skipping away towards the Stratus dormitory.

  Lottie felt odd not having Binah at her side any more. Everything seemed much bigger than it had a few minutes ago and she felt that same anxious loneliness creeping back.

  Be brave.

  Upon entering the dorm, she was greeted by an ornately decorated reception room with a large oak-framed painting of a tiny but stern black-haired woman in purple with a deer by her side. It was, of course, Florence Ivy. She scowled out at the world from inside the frame, demanding to be taken seriously and inspiring resolve in all who gazed upon her.

  I won’t let you down, Miss Ivy.

  A chubby red-haired prefect with a badge that said ELIZA LOOPER was sitting at a desk at the entrance. She smiled at Lottie and checked her in. There was a distinct smell of gingerbread around her, and her heavily freckled face was like a little constellation map. Unlike Freddie from earlier, she seemed genuinely enthusiastic to be helping.

  ‘Lovely to meet you, Lottie!’ She handed Lottie a small booklet with TERM TIMETABLE printed in gorgeous calligraphy on the front.

  ‘This is your finalized timetable. You’ll find out who you’ll be in a company with, that is who you’ll be sharing most classes with –’

  Lottie nodded. She’d already researched how the Rosewood Hall classes were structured. Each year was split into companies of about twenty students all from the same house. Most classes were attended in these companies and she was praying she had a nice group.

  ‘If you want to send and receive any letters, your personal PO box address is in your welcome pack and you can send and retrieve larger packages from the mail room next to the Stratus building.’

  Again Lottie nodded; she’d been through the mail system about a million times with Ollie, reassuring him that they’d find a way to keep in touch.

  ‘You’re in Room 221. Your room-mate arrived about thirty minutes ago. She’s new too, so if either of you have any more questions let me know,’ she said, beaming.

  Room-mate! The word was like an alarm bell in Lottie’s head. How could she have forgotten she was going to be meeting her room-mate. The girl she’d be spending at least the next two years of her life sharing a room with. She headed up two flights of stairs and reached Room 221 at the end of the corridor. The door loomed in front of her, large and white with glittering gold numbers. She took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself.

  T
he first thing Lottie noted as she opened the door was how huge the room was; it made her little attic room in Cornwall seem like a closet. It even had a balcony, one of the perks of being on the second floor. There were two white metal-framed double beds on opposite sides of the room; between them was a large purple Persian rug, perfectly centred on the lacquered wooden floorboards. As expected, her new tartan Ivy uniform, also purple, was lying on the empty bed waiting for her. The bare bed and walls actually excited her; there was so much decorating potential.

  However, something seemed slightly off as she took in the side of the room that had already been occupied. It was almost completely bare apart from a framed poster for the film Rebel Without a Cause on the wall. Her room-mate hadn’t even bothered to put her bedding on yet. Instead she was lying sprawled on her mattress with a book covering her face.

  Was she … asleep?

  Lottie was still jittery with the excitement of the day, and yet here was this girl, napping. She felt an odd sense of impatience. She knew she should let her sleep but she couldn’t help herself. Lottie grabbed the door handle and slammed the door shut.

  The girl sat up abruptly, the book falling off her face to reveal a mop of short black hair and dark piercing eyes that felt like they looked directly into her soul.

  Lottie couldn’t believe it. It was her, the girl from the drop-off.

  5

  ‘It’s you,’ Lottie breathed.

  If she’d thought this mysterious girl was thrilling at first sight, up close she was like a whirlwind. She practically oozed teenage rebellion. Chaos and anarchy in human form. They could not have been more different. For everything Lottie was, this girl was the antithesis. Yet there was something eerily familiar about her that Lottie couldn’t quite place.

  She held herself with an enviable confidence and ease that made Lottie feel shy and awkward in comparison. Lottie suspected her cropped hair was dyed; it seemed too dark to be naturally black. Her make-up was bold and she wore a T-shirt for a band Lottie had never heard of and suddenly worried she should have.