Carrick beamed as he gleefully ignored his new friends’ warnings and led them under the nearest serving table. He crawled on his hands and knees between one and then another, hiding skillfully beneath the long tablecloths that hung down on all sides, giggling as he went.<br/><br/>As the only child of a powerful and incredibly self-centered man, Carrick had little to fear from anyone in the kingdom. Ewan sensed that Victoria saw her children as mere pawns in her larger chess game of acquiring power and prestige, and therefore she had no compunction about ruling over them and their love lives with an iron fist. Ewan, too, was obsessed with power, wealth and titles, and would happily sacrifice his own family members to forward his ambitions. The only family member that he would not allow harm to come to in any way, however, was Carrick. Partly that was because Ewan did in fact love Carrick in his own narcissistic way – as he loved Victoria. More importantly than that love, though, was the fact that Carrick was his legacy.<br/><br/>Prince Ewan believed that all of the wealth, power and fame – or infamy – he managed to achieve would be pointless if he didn’t have children to pass them along to. This paternal sensibility and concern also extended to those children of Victoria’s whom Ewan assumed to be his – and whom he hoped to adopt someday. Of all of his legal and assumed children, however, Carrick was his one true heir. As such, the Prince was fiercely protective of the small child. Furthermore, as someone who thoroughly enjoyed breaking rules, the Prince was not about to stand in the way of letting Carrick have fun at the ball. On the contrary, Ewan hoped that the boy could evade Miss Smyth for as long as possible.<br/><br/>Miss Elaine Smyth was an attractive young woman of twenty years who had recently taken over as nanny for Carrick. As such she was petrified of making a serious mistake – as the previous nanny had been fired for. Carrick’s flight was likely to not place her in the best possible light with the Prince.<br/><br/>Under a table, Carrick suggested the other kids be silent when he saw her slippers approach. The Nanny flew right past the table, though, directly towards an alcove at the back of the chamber. Carrick could only cover his mouth to avoid giggling out loud.<br/><br/>That darkened niche did in fact contain a person, as she suspected – but it wasn’t Carrick.<br/><br/>“Gotcha master Car…oh… I am sorry,” she said, mumbling an apology after seeing it was a teenage boy crouching down in the shadows.<br/><br/>“It’s alright,” he whispered, his face blushing. “Please… don’t tell anyone I’m here,” he said. The teen was wearing peasant garb, though the clothes were clean and new and he appeared to have recently bathed. Even still, the tanned color of his skin and rough hands told Miss Smyth that he worked outside – perhaps as a gardener. Elaine was surprised to find him there and a little concerned about it.<br/><br/>“Why… should I not tell anyone you are here?”<br/><br/>“Because… because my love is in that room, and I am not allowed to join her. I was hoping to at least… catch sight of her. I’m sorry… you’re right – I should go,” the young man said, backpedaling.<br/><br/>Elaine put up her hand. “No, I didn’t see you. I have too many problems right now, just … carry on,” she said as she turned and walked away.<br/><br/>After another circuit of the room turned up nothing Elaine was beginning to get nervous. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted Lady Katherine and decided to enlist the young woman’s help.<br/><br/>“My Lady, apologies, might I have a word?” Miss Smyth asked tentatively. Once given permission Elaine continued.<br/><br/>“I am having trouble locating Master Carrick. I haven’t seen Master David either. Would you mind telling me where he likes to play? Perhaps they are together?” she asked with a pained expression of concern.