Externally, nothing seemed different in the Capulet household. There was no sign that we were on the verge of disaster. I appeared in Juliet’s room in one of my work day dresses, my hair in its usual neat bun. Can anyone see this joy and fear inside me?

Juliet was primping obsessively at her mirror. “Good morrow, Nurse,” she said. “Fetch me something from the kitchen, I’m starving.”

“As you wish, my lady,” I said. Juliet would probably be more reasonable after she’d eaten. So would I.

Most of the kitchen staff had simply fallen asleep on the floor as soon as they had finished their work. I tiptoed around the snoring staff, snatched up some bread and cheese for both of us, and stole back to Juliet’s room.

“Nurse, there is something I must ask of you,” Juliet said when I returned. “But you must never speak of it to anyone.”

“What is it?” I asked, handing her some bread and cheese.

“I need you to take a message to Romeo.”

I choked on my breakfast. “A message? Are you out of your mind?”

“Yes! I want you to ask him about marriage for me!”

All I could do was stare at her. “You are out of your mind.”

“You’re supposed to do what I tell you to do!” she said.

“No, I’m supposed to look out for you, since your own mother doesn’t even notice when a total stranger starts kissing her daughter in public!”

Juliet sighed dramatically. “If you really must know, I let him kiss me. He asked me first.”

“Why on earth would you let him?” I demanded, trying to keep my voice down. “And this is very much beside the point!”

Juliet crossed her arms “Because when I danced with Paris, he looked at me as if I were a horse or a dog he was thinking about buying! Then Romeo cut in, and he looked at me as if…as if I were a goddess.”

I buried my head in my hands. “Oh, Juliet.”

She began to flutter around the room like a lost butterfly. “I didn’t see it as an effrontery at all-- he was so…passionate.”

“Apparently,” I muttered.

“It was just like I dreamed it would be, Nurse…but oh, so much more.”

I groaned. “Juliet, no.”

“Well, what would you have done?” she demanded.

“I would have knocked him senseless with the nearest blunt instrument,” I replied. It was true. Then again, knocking out Benvolio after he’d just helped me up might be rather impolite.

“And you think I’m crazy!” Juliet said.

“I’m not the one who wanted to see all the Montagues dead,” I said. “Desperate times call for desperate measures. If you give them an inch, they’ll take a mile.”

“And then what would I have done? Gone back to Paris and fawned over him like an idiot?”

“There were other young men there,” I said.

Now Juliet groaned. “You don’t understand! I kissed Romeo because he’s the first man I’ve ever wanted to kiss.”

“Oh, come on! You’d known him for what, a minute? How can you possibly be comfortable with that when you didn’t even know his name?”

Juliet giggled in a way that made me want to smack her. “That’s the magic of it.”

I wanted to pull my hair out, but I’d spent far too much time putting it up this morning. “All right, fine, he’s attractive, he’s dreamy, he’s attracted to you. To each his own— I’ll give you that. But Juliet, think about this: you’re the kind of girl almost any man wants to marry. You can practically have your pick out of the men of Verona and probably Mantua too.”

“I don’t want anyone else! I want Romeo!”

“Shh!” I said. “Do you know what that even means, Juliet? Let me spell it out for you. If you marry Romeo, your family will slaughter him before your eyes and then either they’ll kill you too or the Montagues will kill you. They will also probably kill me, and a bunch of innocent people who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I don’t care how dreamy he is, Juliet, I will not help you pursue a romance with Romeo Montague, let alone help you marry him the day after you met him!”

Juliet’s perfect white complexion turned purple with fury. “I’ll die if I can’t be with him! I don’t expect you to understand because you have a heart of stone! You’re old and ugly! You’ve never loved anyone, and no man would ever love you! You’ve never felt what I’m feeling and you never will!”

I drew a deep, shuddering breath, trying to control my anger. I couldn’t scream at her, so it came out in dry, angry laughter. Remember, you’re the rational one and the last thing we need is more reckless behavior. I am loved. I wonder what she’d think if she knew. I found the memories of the garden and prayed they would fill me up enough to speak what was needed. But I couldn’t speak now, it would all explode. What would my mother say in a situation like this?

Juliet sank down into the chair opposite mine. “I can’t go on without him, Nurse. I just can’t.”

“You don’t know that,” I said. “You are stronger than you think, Juliet.”

“Why should I be strong? What is the alternative? I’d rather be Romeo’s goddess for a little while than Paris’ cow for the rest of my life,” said Juliet.

Now I was calm. “You’re being illogical and melodramatic. Paris isn’t the only other man in Verona. You’re thirteen, for heaven’s sake! You have plenty of time!”

“I don’t want anyone else,” Juliet said again.

I stared out the window at the patch of blue sky. imploring the heavens for help. God, angels, Mary, some minor saint that everyone ignores—someone, anyone please help me. Was this what it was like to be a parent?

Perhaps I should try a compromise. “Will it really kill you if you don’t ask him about marriage today, Juliet? Why don’t you get to know him more first before you decide if you want to spend your whole life with him?”

“Because I don’t have plenty of time! Our families are feuding. He could die tomorrow! And I can’t stall Paris for very long, Nurse. He’s impatient.”

“Perhaps you’ve got more in common with him than you thought,” I said. “There are ways to stall men, Juliet. If only we could induce Paris to fall in love with Rosaline.”

“Don’t speak to me of Rosaline,” Juliet snapped.

“Oh, so you do recall that Romeo was hopelessly ‘in love’ with her yesterday,” I said.

Juliet shook her head. “He was never in love with her. It was—madness, that’s all. Silly infatuation.”

“Yes,” I said. “but what if it’s the same with you? What if he’s just infatuated with you?”

“He loves me!” Juliet declared. “He told me. He said the most beautiful things.”

“But what if you do marry him and you find out that you don’t even like him, much less love him?”

“That’s impossible,” Juliet said.

“You don’t know that! You barely know anything about him! Just think about all the things he doesn’t know about you! What if he hates flowers?”

“Nobody hates flowers!” Juliet said.

That was probably true. “Look, Juliet, even if you somehow survive the Capulets, you’re life will be miserable. You’re not going to have any money, Juliet! No dowry, no more fancy gowns, no more gourmet food, no days lolling around in the sun dreaming about flowers. You’ll work all day every day, and you’ll work twice as hard once you have children. Your finest clothes will wear out into rags. No one will make way for you in the streets. No one will mistake you for a goddess. Your house will most likely be smelly and dirty and dark, and the food will be awful because you don’t know how to cook. I know because I lived it, Juliet! I know what it’s like to go from rich to poor. I’m not afraid of it anymore because I know how to work, but you should be, Juliet. You don’t know how to take care of yourself, and I can’t always be there to do it for you.”

“I love him,” she said stubbornly. “Nothing else matters. Now, go find Romeo and do as I ordered!”

Apparently, the kind of help I wanted was not on the divine agenda this morning. “I will not! I will not ask him to marry you! I would prefer if you never saw him again but you most certainly are not marrying him today! I am your servant, but I am not your slave, and you cannot make me!”

“Oh yes I can! If you don’t do as I ask I’ll have you dismissed!”

“And then what will you do?” I asked. “Do you have another servant who will not betray your secret?”

Juliet paused. “Fine. I’ll go myself.”

“You know you can’t go out alone!”

“Why not? You do it all the time?” Juliet huffed.

“That’s because I’m poor and I know how to sword fight,” I said. “I know my way around the city. You won’t last an hour.”

“I don’t care,” Juliet said. “I’ve got to see him!” She started for the door.

“Fine!” I said, crossing my arms. “Go get yourself killed, or robbed, or kidnapped, or worse.”

Juliet paused. “He’s worth it! And besides, if something happens to me, you’ll get blamed for it.”

She left the room. Despair clouded over me as I realized that Juliet was going to get her way, as usual. I would be responsible if something happened to her. I could just quit. Take off with Benvolio on his next trip and never come back. Maybe drag my family along. We’d figure something out. But if something happened to her, it would be my fault, and I’d feel terrible. “Fine,” I said, defeated. “I’ll do it.”

Juliet reappeared in the doorway and smiled her fake angelic smile. “Romeo promised that he’d be waiting in the Prince’s gardens by the statue of Cupid.”

I groaned, and left her there in her insanity. I set off into Verona, wondering if Prince Escalus knew about all the craziness that happened in his palace. It was a big palace, to be sure, but Prince Escalus wasn’t the sort to let anything slip by unnoticed. He would probably be upset if I skewered Romeo in his garden, but he would probably approve of the slightly less violent plan that was forming in my mind.

Although the symbolism made me gag, I admit that the statue of Cupid was a good meeting place for practical reasons. Few people knew about it, and it was located in an out-of-the-way part of the gardens. Romeo was daydreaming at the base of the statue.

“So,” I said, causing him to jump.“You’re the one who’s trying to ruin Juliet’s life.”

“What?” he said. “I assure you, Madam, my intentions towards Juliet are nothing but honorable--

“Honorable!” I said. “Anyone from your family with truly honorable intentions would leave her alone! Even if you’re telling the truth, is it honorable to risk an innocent young girl’s life and rip her away from her family forever just to satisfy your own selfish desires?”

“I love her,” he said. “And she loves me. Is that not enough for you?”

“That doesn’t answer the question,” I replied, struggling to keep my voice low. “She’s a child, you idiot. She doesn’t know anything about love. And neither do you. You met her last night.”

“What do you know about love? You’re just a servant. Why don’t you just do what you’re told and be done with it, woman?” Romeo said.

“Why of all the idiotic—” My irate reply was interrupted by a familiar cynical chuckle. Benvolio limped into the garden, looking as if he hadn’t slept all night, and said, “She is much more than ‘just a servant,’ Romeo. This is Lady Carafa. Insulting her is probably the worst decision you’ve made within the past twenty-four hours, and that is saying something.”

Romeo did not apologize. “This is Lady Carafa?”

Benvolio nodded. “Lord Carafa’s daughter. I suggest you treat her with more respect. And even if she was ‘just a servant,’ she’s the only one who might have helped you, so you should still treat her with respect.”

Romeo scowled. “I did not ask for your advice, cousin.”

“No, I’m generously giving it to you free of charge,” Benvolio replied. “Now apologize, you fool.”

“Sorry,” he mumbled.

“Let me make this perfectly clear,” I said. “I can’t control what you two are doing, but that isn’t going to keep me from speaking my mind about it. And Benvolio is right, I’m the only one who can help you, so you’re just going to have to deal with it. And if you hurt Juliet, you’re going to have to deal with me.”

“That doesn’t sound like much of a threat,” Romeo scoffed.

“I would rethink that,” Benvolio interjected.

I drew my sword and started for him. “Really?”

“Who are you?” he shrieked, backing away.

“You really don’t listen, do you?” Benvolio said. “She took on Tybalt all by herself. Which reminds me, I have some news for you that you won’t enjoy. But finish your conversation first. I’m enjoying this immensely.”

Romeo’s sword hand was trembling. “I—I am sorry, my lady. Truly. But please, tell me what Juliet thinks of my offer of marriage.”

I sheathed my sword. “She’s changed her mind about the wedding. She is, unfortunately, still under the delusion that she loves you, but she doesn’t want to rush into marriage yet. She is still very young and she needs some time to think it over. To say nothing of the fact that you just met yesterday.”

Romeo looked crestfallen. “But last night—” Romeo said.

“A lot can change in one night,” I said. “Especially for a capricious teenage girl.”

“But she still loves me?” Romeo asked.

I sighed. “That’s what she said.”

He cast a tragic glance at the statue of Cupid. “Very well. If that is what she desires, I’ll wait, though it seems an eternity.”

Benvolio rolled his eyes.

Romeo added, “Thank you for delivering the message, Lady Carafa. Tell your mistress that my love for her still burns within me, but I will do as she desires. You may go.”

I nodded, then glanced at Benvolio.

The tiniest hint of a smile played around the corners of his mouth as he said, “The Prince has just installed a new fountain of Poseidon. You might find it interesting to look at on your way out.”

“Thank you, Sir,” I said. “I shall tell my mistress of your message, Romeo.”

I left them there, and went in search of the new fountain. I found it in another conveniently secluded spot in the garden. There was also a convenient bench in the shade, so I sat down and admired the fountain. I felt a bit jittery after telling such a massive lie, but I wasn’t going to passively let these two crazy teenagers ruin their lives if I could help it. I’m not sure how much time passed before Benvolio arrived, but it seemed like ages. He finally limped into the garden and I ran to embrace him. “I love you,” he said. I saw his huge grin as he released me. “You’ve got nerve! The look on Romeo’s face when you drew your sword-- “

On impulse, I hugged him again. “I love you too.” I meant for it to be a short hug, but he held me close for longer than I had expected, and that was fine. His smile was softer and graver when we parted again. We sat down together on the bench, and I felt giddy even in the middle of such a colossal mess.

“I assume you were lying about Juliet’s message?” he asked, putting his arm around me.

“Unfortunately yes,” I said. “I tried to talk her out of it, but apparently I’m not very persuasive.”

He chuckled. “Not as persuasive as Romeo. It’s not your fault.”

“What happened to you?” I asked.

He groaned. “It’s a long story.”

“Tell me,” I said.

“Well, I chased Romeo around Verona all night in an attempt to keep him from getting killed, so I didn’t really get any sleep, and in the process I ran into a band of drunken Capulets. I was lucky to get away with just a limp. It should heal soon. I hope.”

“Why on earth was Romeo wandering around Verona in the middle of the night?” I asked.

“Because he’s an idiot,” Benvolio replied. “According to him, that’s what people do when they fall in love. As someone very much in love, I disagree, but I’m sure that’s different for everyone. Did you sleep?”

“Yes,” I said, getting closer to him. “It was a very full day.” We were silent for a little bit, enjoying the moment.

Then I asked, “What was the news you were going to tell him?”

He grimaced. “Oh yes. Tybalt has challenged Romeo to a duel.”

“Oh great,” I said.

“Yes, apparently he saw Romeo at the party last night,” he said. “By some miracle, he left early and didn’t see it when Romeo…met Juliet, but he was furious all the same.”

“What’s Romeo going to do about it?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Ignore the challenge. His mind is all fluffy clouds and butterflies.”

“That’s not going to last very long.”

“No it’s not. There isn’t really anything we can do about it. I can keep close to Romeo and try to make sure he doesn’t get killed, but that means I might have to kill Tybalt. I will if I have to, but I don’t want to, much as I despise the man. I don’t want to kill anybody. And I have to sleep sometimes…soon, for instance,” he said, yawning. “My apologies.”

“Don’t apologize. You look exhausted,” I said.

“I feel exhausted,” he replied.

“This is…really a mess.”

“Yeah,” he said. “It is. Well, we’re not dead yet. And thanks to your brilliance, Romeo and Juliet are not getting married today.”

“Thanks for backing me up,” I said.

“It was a pleasure,” he said, grinning. “It’s a pity you can’t tell Juliet that Romeo’s a coward.”

I shook my head. “She’d just say that he’s peace-loving.”

“You’re probably right,” he said. “On the positive side, his love poetry has drastically improved.”

I groaned. “Wonderful.”

“You wouldn’t actually kill him, would you?” he asked.

“No,” I said. “Sometimes I want to, but I wouldn’t go that far. Don’t let him know that, though.”

“Of course not.”

I let my head fall back against his shoulder and sighed. “I probably should get going.”

“Being responsible isn’t much fun, is it?” he said sadly.

I giggled. “If it was fun, everybody would do it.”

“True,” he said. “Elena…when we get out of this mess—or before that, if we don’t get out of it…there’s some things I want to talk about.”

I smiled back at him, feeling delighted and terrified. “I’m always ready to listen.”

“Yes,” he said.

Reluctantly, I rose to leave, and he followed me. “Goodbye, Benvolio,” I said, embracing him again. “Goodbye,” he said. “I’ll find you tomorrow if things go well. If they don’t, I’ll find you sooner.”

I walked out of the garden. Though I felt the loss of his presence with every step, and my life was a total wreck, I was happy. I wasn’t sure exactly what “things” Benvolio wanted to talk about, but I was fairly certain that he meant marriage.

Marriage. It was a different kind of being at home altogether. Always within sight of his smile, not having to say goodbye…By the time I reached the Capulet house, my thoughts were swirling in a happy, dazed fog. I was struggling to refocus on the current mess when Juliet pounced on me in the Capulet garden.

“Oh, sweet nurse, what news?” she demanded.

“Shh! Do you want the whole house to hear us?” I said.

“No one’s home,” Juliet said. “Mother is out gossiping with the old ladies, and Father is out grouching with the old men, and all the servants have taken the opportunity to nap. We’re quite safe. Now tell me, what news?”

I sighed. “I fear you may not call me ‘sweet’ after hearing my news,” I said, sitting down on the bench. “Romeo cannot marry you today.”

Juliet’s face clouded over. “What? There must be some mistake. Are you sure you heard him correctly?”

“I’m not that old,” I retorted. “Of course I heard him correctly.”

“But why?” she whimpered.

“Because he just met you yesterday,” I said. “His love for you is undying, but he wants to get to know you a little better first.”

Before Juliet could react, a pigeon landed on her shoulder. She jumped and shrieked, flapping her arms madly in an effort to get it off.

“What in the world?” I said. Then I saw the note attached to its leg. I stood silent, praying that Juliet would not notice it and simultaneously wondering if it was blasphemous to ask God to keep my lies from being discovered. Another pigeon landed. And another. And another. All with messages. They just kept coming, until an entire flock of carrier pigeons was fluttering in the garden.

“Don’t just stand there!” Juliet shrieked. “Help me!”

I stepped forward tentatively, causing several pigeons to flutter, hoping against hope that somehow she wouldn’t realize they were messenger pigeons. Unfortunately, even Juliet wasn’t that stupid.

“This one’s got something on its leg,” she said. She took the note off and began to read. I took a step back, wanting to shrink into the ground and disappear. Pigeon mail forced even Romeo to be short and to the point. I stared down at the pigeons, dying inside.

“I knew you were lying!” she said. “I knew he wouldn’t do that to me! How could you lie to me like that?”

“Because I’m supposed to take care of you!” I said. “You can finish yelling at me after we get these pigeons out of here--we’re going to have a lot more to worry about if anyone finds out about this. Go on, shoo, pigeons,” I added, waving my arms. “Go back to the insanity from whence you came.”

Scowling, Juliet helped me get the pigeons out of the garden. By some miracle, no one came to ask why a flock of pigeons had suddenly descended into the yard.

“He wants me to meet him in Friar Lawrence’s cell this afternoon as soon as I can get away! The Friar has agreed to marry us! I’ll pretend I’m going to confession.”

“You can’t be serious,” I said, sitting down on the bench.

“I don’t know why you think it’s so wrong,” Juliet said. “A lot of girls of my rank marry at this age.”

“Most girls your age don’t want to marry their parents’ mortal enemies,” I said. “And just because something is commonly done doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do.”

“There’s no point in waiting,” Juliet said. “We love each other, and this time I’m not letting you get in the way.”

“Juliet, please,” I begged. “What’s the point of--“

“If you say another word against it, you’re fired,” Juliet said. “I don’t need you anymore! If you want to keep your family alive, from now on you do what I say!”

I stared at her, horrified. At this point, it was only a matter of time before I was fired anyway, but I needed to keep working as long as I could. Although really, would it be that bad to be fired, at this point?

“Very well,” I said quietly. “I’m sorry you see it that way. I just want you to know that I did all of this because I care about you, Juliet. I wanted to keep you from as much harm as I could.”

“Why should I believe you?” Juliet said. “You’ve already lied to me. Now go make yourself presentable. You’re coming to witness the wedding.”