The Wronged Princess - Book I (39 page)

Non
!
She had to confess all
. 
Cinderella flexed her fingers and forced a
final
deep breath. "These have been
the
best days in my life since my father passed,” she said in a rush
. 
Tears blurred her eyes
,
clogged her throat
. 
Manette circled
behind
and tripped the hooks with a blast of irritating speed and proficiency
. 
The beautiful green silk slid down and Kira stepped over clasping her hand, to help her out of
a
sea of emerald folds.

Essie ran over and threw her arms around Cinderella
. 
"Oh,
Cinde
, I'll wear the white if it stresses you so
. 
Please
. 
Please do not cry
. 
There have been enough tears,
non
?"

Cinderella returned
her
hug with a fierce intensity
. 
"
’T
not that," she muffled against her shoulder
. 
She straightened and set herself
apart
, nodded
her
assent to Manette.

The rich green silks cascaded over Essie's slim body
. 
Cinderella watched Essie's reflection in the mirror with a sad smile
. 
Yet, a sudden sense of thrill rumbled through Cinderella
.
Essie would look her most stunning when they entered the ballroom
. 

Oui,
it was time
. 

While Essie’s attention remained absorbed in donning the green dress, Kira wasted no time sliding the glorious white masses over Cinderella’s head before she could utter any sort of protest
. 
Tingling
,
shimmering particles touched the atmosphere in a surreal
, wavering
quandary, turning the moment into magic.

As her head came through the wide neck, she caught Pricilla’s narrowed gaze of suspicion, then astonishment as the final transformation ascended over Cinderella
. 
The heap of cream white fabric in the softest Chinese silk settled round her slight body
. 
And as each fastener, stay by stay
,
molded her form, she wished for…for what
?

The air was suddenly fraught with a phosphorescence glow that could only be described as magical
. 
Cinderella’s body prickled with chill bumps making her feel both light-headed and dizzy
. 
She glanced
about
the
chamber
for—for …..the crack in the floor.

Pricilla’s quick sharp gasp brought Essie’s head round sharply. Her gaze shot straight to Pricilla’s focus
. 
Silence deafened Cinderella’s ears, well, except for the blood pounding furiously through
. 
Heat flaming her cheeks,
Cinderella
searched out the mirror in a slow thick motion
. 
She met Pricilla's accusing and Essie's confused gazes in the glass
. 

“
Je suis désolé
. I
’
m sorry, I-I could not find a way—this must appear
. 
Non
. I-I should have told you.
”
The tears streamed down her cheeks in rivulets
. 

But a sudden moment of resilience gripped her
. 
Cinderella
threw
her shoulders back, tilted her head up, spun to challenge Essie directly in the eye
. 
“
I
love him, you know.
Me.
”

“But…but how?
”
Essie whispered
. 
“How did you do it
?
You were at the ball.
You
are the mysterious princess.”

Cinderella slid to the floor on knees that no longer supported her
. 
She covered her mouth with trembling fingers and closed her eyes against the hate and ridicule she knew she would see in their expressions
. 
A deathlike hush settled over the chamber
. 
No longer able to stand it, she lifted her eyes to face their wrath
. 

It was not anger that met her, however
. 
Essie's mouth hung open from near shock, and Pricilla studied her with such intense contemplation, it once again had Cinderella w
ishing for the floors to open.

How to say it
?
Yet, t
here was no help for it
. 
They were liable to stash her in bedlam
. 
But the time for deceit had passed
. 
“I h-had a fairy godmother,” she stammered
. 
“She did it to me.”

“A fairy godmother?
”
Pricilla echoed in disbelief
. 

“She did not do
everything
. 
You look—beautiful,” Essie choked out
. 
“They are going to know
. 
The minute we walk into that ballroom, they are
all
going to know
. 
We cannot hide it!
”
Essie was stunned
. 
But then a light came into her steady
unblinking
eyes. “That’s right; they are
all
going to know
!
How could I possibly marry Prince now?
”
Her relief would have been comical any other moment.

“Essie, quick
. 
Help her up
. 
She’ll muss the dress
. 
Though, I must say with that crown on her head and those hoops surrounding her
. 
She
appear
s
like
a castle in the center of her own fortress poking out of puffy white clouds.”

“I want a crown,” Essie muttered rushing over.

“Crown?” Cinderella squeaked
. 
Her fingers snaked up to her hair which had miraculously righted itself high above her head
. 
Indeed a jeweled band wrapped her hair.

Pricilla tugged one arm
,
Essie the other, pulling
Cinderella
unceremoniously from the floor
. 
The reprieve flooding her was severe enough to cause the lightheaded sensations that surely created more sparkles in the air
. 
She hoped she would not faint
,
’t
was no time for
such
theatrics.

When she had her legs, and was almost certain they would hold, Cinderella met Essie’s eyes
. 
The stark relief from Essie sparked a glint of mischief
, and
they both turned to Pricilla
. 

“What should we do?” they demanded.

*****

"Are you
trying
to choke me?" Prince snapped at Arnald.

"It is unfortunate this cravat will not cooperate."

"Good lord, you act more nervous than I."

"Only because if you are not happy, I shall be the one to pay," A
rnald retorted
. 
"What of your
m
amán
?
Have you had your audience with her?"

Prince scowled
. 
"
Non
. 
Her efforts to avoid me at every turn have certainly succeeded
. 
What of you
?
Have you managed to gainsay yours?"

"
Non
. 
I fear we may be stuck."

Prince glanced over his shoulder to the ormolu clock
hanging above
the hearth
as a thought occurred to him
. 
"How is it
that
I did not know my dear
mamán
was a twin, do you suppose?
”
Prince turned
on
his cousin
with narrowed eyes
. 
“How is it that
you
did not know
?
After all,
surely you knew
your
mamán
to be
alive and well all these years.”

Arnald scowled back
. 
"Yes, well. That is quite the feat they accomplished, is it not
?
”
With
a
last flick of his wrist, Arnald stepped back
. 
"That is the best knot I can wield."

"I’m not sure it is your best,” Prince muttered
. 
Arnald
could have strangled him, after all
. 
He supposed he should be thankful
. 
“This is not over,
cousin
.
”
He paused before adding, “I don't suppose you arranged for my kidnapping?"

"Hardly
. 
Securing your confirmation was difficult, if you recall."

An odd flutter of air fanned across Prince’s lips startling him in its intensity, of what he did not know
. 
Eyes closed
,
he tried to grasp the swift flash, but alas
,
it escaped
. 
Instead, he moved his fingers to pinch the bridge of his nose
. 
Once Ezbeth strode through those ballroom doors, there would be naught they could do to elude the noose round their necks
. 
Their fate
s
would be sealed
. 
Funny, how he came to think of her as an accomplice in these efforts in circumventing the looming connubial prison.

He
prayed
he would not be required to call her by name, he thought wincing
. 
No one would remiss him for a glass of brandy
. 
In fact, mayhap he should have two.

"Here," Arnald barked, snapping him out of his doldrums
. 
In his hand he held two small glasses filled with rich gold liquid.

"Perfect,"
Prince
praised under his breath
. 
He was sunk.

*****

Escorted by the timid Manette, Cinderella
a
waited with barely suppressed panic alongside Pricilla and Essie just beyond closed doors of the ballroom trying to ignore the footmen’s curious gazes
. 
Dual shiny brass handles separated insanity from unreality
. 
Pricilla’s brutal honesty spelled practicality, she reminded herself
. 
’T
was their only hope.

"Breathe," Pricilla hissed
. 
"Whatever you do, hold your head high
. 
’Twill be
our
saving grace if we are
to carry off this bout of lunacy.
”
She pierced Essie and Cinderella with a stern scowl.

Cinderella nodded and tried to absorb Pricilla’s fierce confidence
. 
She lifted her head
. 
Do or die, the time had come
. 
Her wildest dream or starkest nightmare was about to unfold
. 
She could only admire the tenacity Pricilla snapped to after her own dreadful confession
. 
One of them, leastways.

“I said
breathe
, blast
it
. 
Both of you,” Pricilla commanded. “We’ll get through this
. 
What are they goin
g to do, put us in the dungeon?
” She frowned at that
. 

A hysterical laugh bubbled through Cinderella, knowing it was a probability in some monarchs
. 
The perfect ending to
a horrific
fairy tale.