Palace of Deception: A Romantic Suspense Novella by Helena Fairfax

Author:Helena Fairfax [Fairfax, Helena]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2015-08-02T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

After watching hour after hour of video clips, I had mastered the Princess’s movements and mannerisms well enough to pass scrutiny on the drive to and from the Cathedral. I knew exactly how to hold my head erect, how to lean forwards as I offered the crowds a smile and a wave, how to mount the Cathedral stairs with a light step, my back straight and my chin just lifted. Even the Princess’s own father would need to look closely in order to tell the difference between us.

There was now just the little matter of the ceremony itself. The Archbishop of Montverrier would do most of the speaking during the service. The Princess had only a few lines to say, before and immediately after the Archbishop placed the crown on her head, but her every word would be relayed to the crowds outside and scrutinised across the world. Mr Ross had organised a speech expert to ensure that when the Princess’s voice crackled over the speakers outside the Cathedral, no trace of plain Lizzie Smith from Edinburgh would be heard.

Dr Graham was brought to my door by Daria. He was a man of around sixty, with a full head of grey, fluffy hair and eyes like an owl’s behind steel glasses. Ironically, for a man who was an expert in speech, he barely said a word in conversation during his time with me. Another one of Mr Ross’s team of silent staff, I guessed.

Dr Graham brought with him a disk containing samples from the few occasions where Princess Charlotte’s voice had been recorded. Before attempting the Princess’s voice for myself, I sat in silence, listening over and over again as the professor played back her clear vowels and precise consonants. As an actress, I’m used to projecting feeling in my speech. After listening to the Princess time and again, one thing struck me forcibly. Her voice contained no emotion at all. On first hearing the disk, I put this down to nerves. Perhaps Princess Charlotte was shy of speaking, and had merely learned her speeches off by heart, forgetting that she was addressing real people. But the more I listened, the more I began to wonder. When a speaker is nervous, there will be a tell-tale tremor in the voice, a hesitation, or sometimes a stifled giggle. The Princess’s voice was completely steady, and completely cold.

“I’m delighted to be here at the Royal Children’s Society…”

“As patron of the Montverrier Ballet, I was deeply moved by your performance…”

And, most chilling of all, “It is with great sadness that we remember today the Queen, my mother…”

I began to wonder what this young woman could be like, whose voice was so empty of emotion, even when she spoke of the death of her own mother. It was one of the most difficult voices I’d ever had to mimic, and I struggled. As I repeated the words of the ceremony for Dr Graham, I couldn’t help but inject some feeling into them.

“I, Charlotte,

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