Chapter 9: The Princess and Professor

Ellen goes to the door, but she doesn’t admit the caller into her room. I can hear Ellen and another woman talking, but I can’t make out what they are discussing. It soon becomes apparent that they could be a while. I resume what Ellen had started, and close the lids on the remaining jewellery boxes. Then I remove the emerald ring, necklace and earrings I’ve been wearing and return them to their box, placing it to one side. Ellen still hasn’t agreed to allow me to wear the emeralds tonight, but I remain hopeful.

On impulse I open one of the boxes Ellen had dissuaded me from opening earlier. Inside is a large piece of jewellery. At first glance it looks like a large multistrand necklace with several gold chains, each slightly longer than the one above, meeting at a single point at the back of the wearer’s neck. The chains are decorated with small red gems that catch the light. But what makes the piece unusual are the two small shaped metal discs on the lowest chain. The two discs look like flattened cones, and each is engraved with a strange symbol. I carefully lift the piece out of its box to examine the engraving. Too late I realise I’m not alone.

“What are you doing, Jasmine?” asks Ellen.

“Oh! Oh! I’m sorry,” I stammer. “I didn’t mean any harm. I was just looking.”

“Well, well, well, Ellen,” says the woman standing next to Ellen. “I can’t believe you still have that piece.”

I look up and see that Ellen has invited two people into the room. The woman looks very like Ellen, so I presume she is Ellen’s sister or cousin. My heart sinks when I recognise Ellen’s male guest is one of the other contestants. One I’ve tangled with before. Paulo!

“What’s going on?” I ask, suddenly feeling very wary.

“Don’t worry, Jasmine,” replies Ellen. “This is my sister, Sylvie. The Argonaut organisers have assigned her to support Paulo’s dormitory. Paulo you know, of course.”

Of course I recognise Paulo. He’s the man who deflowered me last night. Seeing him here like this does funny things to my emotions. As much as I hate to admit it, I’m attracted to him. An attraction which could spell disaster to my chances of succeeding in the Argonaut. Ever since I first saw him I must constantly remind myself that Paulo is a dangerous rival; not someone I should be trusting with my affections.

Sylvie takes the necklace from me and holds it up to my breasts. I almost die of embarrassment. I now realise the purpose of the springclips on the inside of the metal cones. Ellen was right ... this isn’t something a decent young woman should wear. But Paulo’s presence and my selfpreservation skills save me from revealing my naïvety. I remember the golden rule which my father instilled in me when we hunted together in the woods; ‘Never show weakness in front of a dangerous predator’. I brazen the episode through by making light of the situation.

“What do you think, Paulo?” I tease. “Do you think I should wear this tonight? Will the sponsors in the audience like it?”

My self confidence takes an enormous leap forward when I see Paulo is struggling for words. Sylvie saves him from having to answer my questions.

“Don’t flirt with Paulo, Jasmine,” she admonishes. “What you wear is up to you. If you want to look like a prostitute, then that’s up to you.”

“That piece has never belonged to a prostitute, Sylvie,” exclaims Ellen. “You know it was made for our greataunt Sophie.”

Paulo and I just stand and watch as Ellen and Sylvie have an extended spat over the occupation and morals of the greataunt in question. In other circumstances their quarrel would be funny. But inside this small room, their quarrel is making me feel uncomfortable.

“We could go for a drink or something while they finish scratching each other’s eyes out,” says Paulo. “I saw a café of sorts just down the corridor.”

“Um ... Yeah, sure,” I reply, anxious to get out of here.

“Paulo and I are going to the café while you two sort out your differences,” I manage to say to Ellen during a moments respite in her row with Sylvie. I don’t wait to see if what I say registers in her mind.

Paulo shows me the way to the café he saw earlier. The café is quiet since almost everybody in the complex is busy preparing for this afternoon’s television show. Fortunately I carry a small amount of pocket money for situations like this. It seems Paulo’s does the same. We each order a drink and sit down at one of the tables.