* Photo credit to The Closet *
Because Papa Wakefield’s got some sweet hookups, the twins are going to the South of France to be au pairs for a royal family for the summer! I’m sure. Anyway, Liz is crushed to be leaving poor Todd Wilkins behind again, but this time, Todd doesn’t feel like waiting around to see if Liz is going to cheat on him. Instead, he totes dumps her at her going-away party! He gets all business-y and offers the opportunity to “reevaluate our relationship at the end of summer,” and she’s all, “And what if I don’t want to come back to you?” and he’s all, “I guess that’s a chance I’ll have to take.” Burn! He’s just not that into you, Liz. He’s like, “Just because I think we should give each other freedom for a while doesn’t mean that I don’t love you.” Yes, it does, Todd. So Liz spends the first third of the book, pining for Todd, crying her eyes out, and dreaming off a tall, dark, handsome stranger riding toward her on a horse.
The second third of the story chronicles the twins’ means of travel. Jess falls in love on the train with charming, sexy Jacques Landeau, who is traveling with his ill but equally silver-tongued father Louis Landeau, the duke of Norveaux. Also traveling on the train is the ridonculously bitchy and high maintenance Countess de Rimini and her shrewish daughter, Antonia, who will be visiting the same chateau where L&J will be au pairs. They refuse to consort with the servants (i.e., the twins) and shriek about stolen jewelry. Interestingly enough, before Jacques departs, he gives Jess an expensive-looking (but “fake”) emerald pendant. Me thinks a thief is afoot!
The twins arrive at the chateau and meet the high-spirited (read: ill-behaved) French children in their care. Liz and Jess argue about Jess wriggling out of her duties (e.g., she paints her toenails while one of the children runs off and gets lost in the woods), and Jess winds up burning a letter that Todd sent Liz before Liz can see it. Unforgivable!
During a thunderstorm, Liz ingeniously heads straight into the woods and gets lost in the magical topiary maze, where she stumbles upon a cottage. Inside just happens to be the handsome stranger of her dreams! He also just so happens to be Prince Laurent, the eighteen-year-old son who’s rebelling against the crown and has actually been dreaming about meeting a beautiful blond goddess looking just like Liz! Oh, for God’s sake. They fall in love and blah blah, you know the score, and Jess and Liz make up after Jess thinks Liz nearly died in that thunderstorm, but still—what did Todd’s letter say?! I’m burning up with curiosity!
Back to Jess’s love life. She finds out that Norveaux doesn’t exist, thus there can be no duke of Norveaux, thus no son of the duke of Norveaux, so who the frack is Jacques? Just some guy whom Jess catches rifling through her bureau after breaking into the chateau via secret passageways and then seizes her in the dark. But then they make out and all is forgiven. Of course! Ugh, this series.
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