For the next two weeks, everything carried on pretty much as usual, with two notable differences: the oldest apprentice was deemed useless as a topiarist and given the full-time job of sweeping and weeding the paths, and every few days Markus had a short chat with Alexis. Then came the day of the wedding.

It was conducted in the ballroom, which had been filled with benches and lavishly decorated. Apart from the chefs and the royal musicians, all the palace staff attended. The royal family was seated at the front, on the raised stage. All the kingdom’s noblemen and noblewomen sat facing the stage, then behind them came the staff in their various uniforms. Isabelle was sitting with the other women who cleaned the palace, all dressed in pale blue, and Markus was at the edge of the large group of green-clad gardeners, the majority of which were topiarists.

The wedding ceremony was long, as befitted a royal occasion, and Markus could see the bride, who had been a servant for a lord and lady, fiddling with the decoration on her dress. He turned his attention away from the girl and looked at Alexis. The Second Prince gave an impression of extreme patience and dignity, although Markus was too far away to see his face. However, he was sure that even Alexis must be bored by now, however much he tried not to show it.

Markus found himself wondering if Alexis would be choosing a bride soon. He was only a year and a half younger than his brother, so surely it wouldn’t be long. The King had no brothers, however, so Markus had no idea if the same pattern of holding a ball and allowing him to choose any bride would be followed. It could be exclusive to the Crown Prince.

The King and Queen might decide that it would be better to marry their second son off to a high-born lady or a princess from a neighbouring kingdom. The thought made him strangely sad. Of course, being denied the right to choose your own partner was a woeful prospect… But even if Alexis did approve of his bride, it would surely mean that he would be with her when he visited the gardens, and he would have no need of Markus’ company…

The ceremony ended and the royal family, accompanied by the many nobles, moved to the large dining hall for the wedding banquet. The staff moved the benches out of the ballroom and prepared it for the dancing, then ate their own meal in a small dining room off the kitchens.

When the ball began, it became clear to Markus that although the servants were invited as well as the nobles, the two most definitely did not mix. Not only did they only dance with members of their own, but two separate circles were formed. Markus asked Isabelle to dance, but to his surprise she refused, and informed him that she’d promised the first dance to Alphonse, whose duties would soon be finished for the evening.

A plump woman wearing the maidservants’ purple uniform tried to talk to him, obviously hoping to be asked to dance, but Markus excused himself and went to stand at the edge of the staffs’ side of the room. Perhaps it was because the atmosphere was less intense with less people there, but he was simply not in the mood for a ball. He certainly did not want to dance, and even watching could not lift his spirits. When the cooks, relieved of their work, came to join the festivities, Markus slipped out of a service door and made his way into the gardens.

He had barely left the palace before he heard footsteps behind. Looking back, he saw that Prince Alexis was following him. Markus sighed. He didn’t particularly want to talk to anyone right now. It would be much better to wander the darkened paths alone, and enjoy the comforting feeling of having plants on every side. But Alexis was royalty, so could not be ignored or made to go away, and these gardens did not belong to Markus.

“I guess it’s not quite the same if it’s not packed full of people,” Alexis said tentatively. When Markus didn’t reply, he continued. “Leaving again before the ball is finished – I’d say it’s becoming a habit of yours.”

“Shouldn’t you be celebrating with your brother and your new sister-in-law?” Markus asked quietly.

“I’m sure Thomas is too besotted with his bride to even notice I’m gone. And my parents know how much I hate making small talk with the lords, so they won’t be too surprised.”

“Isn’t it a prince’s job to just grin and bear it, though?”

“Perhaps you’re right. In that case, I’m not an awfully good prince, but I am still learning, just the same as you.”

“I’ll teach you, if you like. Lesson one: a prince should always dance at a ball.”

“Ah, well, there’s one small snag to that: I haven’t anyone to dance with. The ladies have their lords, the duchesses their dukes. There are a few maidens with no partners, but no one I’d be happy to look at for an entire dance.”

“Lesson two: a prince should always be a gentleman; he should give compliments, not insults.”

“Compliments, you say? That green uniform suits you very well, you know. I just have one complaint to make. With you dressed like that, I wasn’t able to ask you to dance.”

“And why not?” Markus challenged, suddenly feeling more cheerful. “Who needs a ballroom to dance, anyway?”

Alexis took his hand and pulled him along a path leading round the side of the palace. “I’m fairly sure that we should be able to hear the music from outside. You’ve been teaching me, now it’s my turn to give you a lesson – and perhaps you’ll be able to keep your feet this time. So how about it? May I have this dance?”

“You may indeed.”

The nobles and servants continued to dance in a ballroom filled with light and decorated with garlands of flowers, but if anyone had happened to look out of a window on the east side of the palace, they might have noticed two figures in the darkness, dancing in a square bordered by living plants, out of time with the dancers inside but perfectly in time with each other.