The Wronged Princess - Book I (14 page)

A sense of silly g
iddiness stole over her whole body as she stepped from the window and spun around
. 
She’d truly happened upon a rare freedom.

Chapter
9

For the first time in what seemed a lifetime, Thomasine thought the dinner of cold cucumber soup, herb crusted lamb served with roasted potatoes would never end
. 
By the end of the fifth course, she questioned her sanity
. 

The strained event marked small talk that included the royal gardens, architecture of the castle and previous royal occupants and visitors
. 
The conversation flowed with her undeniable skill
. 

It must be noted, however, when her dear husband blundered how successful he thought the ball had turned out, it wasn’t just Thomasine and Prince who leaped eagerly to guide the conversation toward a more neutral topic, but the mother of the two daughters as well
. 

“The weather is simply fabulous this time of year, You
r
Majesty,” Hilda addressed
Osmond
swiftly
. 
“Did you perchance order it yourself, sir?
”

Thomasine was pleased to see covered giggles from Pricilla and Esmeralda. Unfortunately, their mother silenced them with a stern look haltin
g
the outburst
abruptly
. 
A shame
, really
. 
The
two young women seemed almost—sweet.

Thomasine shared a curious look with Prince
. 
She could see by his expression he thought the same, begging the need to remind
her son
royalty did not wear open
miens
. 
She felt most sorry for the young girls as life could not be so agreeable with such an overbearing mother, she supposed, accounting for the permanent pinched expression in the over abundant flesh of her skin.

Osmond
seemed
most
perplexed by her question
. 
“It was a witticism, dear,”
Thomasine informed him, mildly.

“Ah!
”
Thomasine held back a resigned sigh as
her darling,
husband’s
laugh, loud and booming, roared so out of place to all but him. “
Oui, oui
, Madam
. 
I
ordered it.
”

Then, that fleeting thought that supper would never end
. 

To her horror,
Osmond
then ventured, “So when have we the big event to look forward?
”
He speared the two young women with a sharp gaze Thomasine had not seen in years
. 
“Which of you did the shoe fit, eh?
”

Pricilla covered an angry flash. Thomasine was sure no one noticed except
ing
herself
. 

He bore his piercing look toward Esmeralda
. 
Thomasine would have been thrilled under any other circumstance
. 
“Is there something wrong with your eyes, Girl?” he thundered, then stabbed a fork through a piece of lamb, oblivious to sudden surrounding hostility.

Dead silence stretched across
a
taut atmosphere making it absurdly awkward
. 
How Thomasine kept from groaning aloud and dropping her head in her hands was beyond her
. 
She had to remind herself that royalty showed no emotion
. 

Which was not the case for
their guests
. 

Esmeralda’s already pale face drained of color
. 
She bound from her chair so quickly it toppled but for a quick footed servant saving its crash.

Gasping for breath she bolted from the room
. 
Hilda’s face flushed an even deeper shade of red than normal, and looked—well…murderous
. 
Thomasine wished she felt justified in ordering her to the dungeon on facial expression alone
. 
Alas, she could not, however tempting.

She could have happily killed
Osmond
in that moment
but
instead indicated to the servants that supper was, fortunately now, completed
. 
“Shall we adjourn to the library?” she managed
. 

Her husband
rose from his chair to assist her as was his usual custom, ignorant to the tense air which rolled over the room like a thick fog
. 
Thank the Lord she truly loved him.

Thomasine could only be
grateful
when her son donned ingrained and impeccable manners by bowing and offering an arm to Hilda
. 
“Madam, shall we?” he prompted, leaving an angry Pricilla to follow.

Mayhap, there was no need in reminding him of maintaining a blank façade, she thought, following the parade from the dining chamber.

Chapter
10

Cinderella whipped around at the sound of running footsteps
. 
It was too dark to see—no time to reach her chamber before … Esmeralda appeared, tears streaming down her face in the steady flow of a river, flushed and contorted with anger
. 

Not an attractive sight by any means
. 
Cinderella drew herself up, squared her shoulders
. 
She found herself torn between storming to her room to slam the door in Esmeralda’s face and curiosity as to what could possibly warrant this
unexpected call
. 

It took only a moment to realize that Esmeralda's distraught was so complete she had not realized she’d gotten herself lost
. 

An accidental visitor.

Cinderella allowed Esmeralda a silent cool countenance, something she would never have braved in the past.

“What are you doing here?” Esmeralda snapped
. 
The
e
ffect was ruined by an unfeminine sniff.

Keeping her expression carefully neutral, a
wicked
pleasure stole over Cinderella while she basked in Esmeralda’s flushed appearance
. 
The impulse to retort back, however, subsided as long habits of passiveness prevailed
. 

Cinderella let out a long
,
tired sigh.

Aware of her own annoying passive and compliant tendencies, Cinderella surprised herself by asking, “Why do you cry so?”

“What do you care? You would no doubt be happy about it.
”
Her distress so absolute and out of character, Cinderella could not help but feel some pity, especially in light of
Stepmamá’s
recent reprimand in the carriage
. 

Taking Esmeralda by the shoulders, Cinderella guided Esmeralda to her bedchamber and pushed her into the overstuffed chair
. 
She even went so far as to dampening a cloth from the sideboard
. 
With an unhurried step back to Esmeralda, she handed it over
. 
“Here, cool your face
. 
Your distress is quite obvious.
”

Esmeralda’s glance remained suspicious but she complied without comment, breath ragged, eyes watchful
. 
Cinderella perched on the end of
the
bed, and crossed one leg over the other
. 
She studied Esmeralda with an unnatural boldness
. 

The heart-shaped face and straight nose turned up at the end were really quite attractive, Cinderella decided
. 
Even the full mouth appeared generous when it was not in its constant scowl
. 
Rich copper locks fell in disarray across her smooth complexion
. 

“You know, Essie, you are quite pretty when your manner is not so licentious.”

“Licentious!
”
Esmeralda’s face puffed up as she flashed her eyes at Cinderella.

“
Oui.
Wicked
. 
U
nrestrained
. 
M
orally decrepit
.
”
Cinderella curled her fingers appearing to study her chipped nails, yet in reality,
dare not
take her attention from Esmeralda.
“Though
,
I speak in regards of human decency toward others.
”

Remarkably,
Esmeralda’s anger overrode her natural spastic inclination to blink
. 
The result presented a spectacular and brilliant green most would never deign to see
. 
“How dare—
” she
lashed out
. 
But her temper deflated like a fallen soufflé
. 
Cinderella’s matter of fact tone seemed to penetrate her wounded pride and she slumped over
. 
Tears shimmered firing the brilliant green of her eyes
. 
The effect quite took Cinderella by surprise.

Maintaining her relaxed posture, Cinderella bent an elbow and leaned forward on her knee, chin propped in
an
open palm waiting to see how Esmeralda would respond
. 
Instinct had Cinderella dangling her leg in a gentle swing back and forth most cautiously
. 
She dare not let down her guard
. 
Her calm demeanor hid a strong fear long ingrained, too many years at her
step
family's mercy
. 
She hoped the hypnotic motion would help forestall scathing remarks
. 
The isolation of her chamber never ventured far from her mind
. 
A small tingle touched the air around Cinderella, lending her a subtle confidence.

Esmeralda dragged in a shaky breath,
regarding Cinderella blatantly
. 
“You realize
Mamá
would be livid if she heard us speaking thus,
non
?
In peaceful tones, no less
.
”
Again
,
that unfeminine sniff
. 

Cinderella shrugged her shoulders ignoring the sudden
acquiescent
. 
Esmeralda
was right, of course, and Cinderella had nothing to add
. 
She pulled a kerchief from her pocket and held it out
. 
An olive branch of
sorts
. 
Something stirred
in the vicinity of her heart
. 
Quite unfamiliar.

Esmeralda snatched it from her fingers and gave an unladylike blow into it.

The unreality of the situation struck her and she giggled
, soon
turning to loud guffaws
. 
Suddenly she could not stop
. 
It must have proved infectious, and Esmeralda giggled too
. 
For the first time in their young years, tension fled and the two sat there facing one another
. 
 

Not as adversaries but
as
young women,
sisters
. 
They were the same age after all, seventeen and marriageable.

She watched Esmeralda’s glance sweep the room
. 
Eyeing the large bed, she patted the overstuffed chair seeming to test its softness,
then moved
to the sideboard
. 
Quite elegant
, Cinderella thought, seeing it through Esmeralda’s eyes
. 
She was used to a dirt floor, a straw mattress, confined spaces
. 

“
’
Tis very nice,” Esmeralda said.

“It’s the Royal Palace. Of course it’s nice.
”
Cinderella burst out
. 
Silence prevailed once more.

“I have to sh
are with Cill,”
Esmeralda informed her.

“Oh.
”
Cinderella did not know what to say to that
. 
“
Je suis désole
. 
I’m sorry.”