The Wronged Princess - Book I (5 page)

She
forced herself to breathe
. 
Calming herself with the thought s
he
would
have her chance with Prince
, she just
had
to
. 
He was asking for
all
the maidens to try the slipper,
non
?
They could not stop her
. 
They
could
not, she vowed
, pressing her lips together
.

“We shall be prepared,”
Stepmamá
announced
. 
“Both of you, follow Cinderella about this house
. 
Make sure that she has swept, scrubbed, cleaned, polished, waxed
and
sanitized each and every viable surface.” Her brittle and high pitched voice, grated
. 
“Leave no corner untouched.
”
And with her dramatic flair, quit the room.

And so they did
.

’T
was
another t
wo days
that
found the cottage readied and spotless
. 
U
nfortunately,
it
left her sisters floundering in restlessness
. 
It
well bespoke trouble
for Cinderella
. 
On a normal basis they were annoying and underfoot
. 
Bored, however, made them dangerous
. 

Cinderella had to fight for every ounce of control and sanity as she sat in her own little corner
. 
Mending stockings from a nearby basket, she listened in horrific silence as Esmeralda and Pricilla argued among
st
themselves
on
who
se
foot was the
most exquisite
. 
On whom Prince would think the prettiest
. 
On whom should be first to try the blasted slipper
. 
On whom it would actually fit
. 
Only once, did Cinderella’s lips
tip
in a secret smile, eyes averted.

“What are you contemplating, Cinderella?” Pricilla sneered
. 
“That the shoe will fit
you
?
”
At which point both sisters cackled with hysterics at the absurdity.

“It could, you know,” she said softly
. 

The silence in the room boomed
. 
Oh, no
. 
She’d made a very large tactical error
. 
Cinderella lifted her eyes from her
task
to find both sisters and
Stepmamá
staring at her in dumbfounded stupor.

Pricilla was the first to recover, casting
Cinderella
a bleak, tight-lipped smile
. 
Her cold gray eyes and
cruel
expression sent Esmeralda’s eyes fluttering with bird-flapping intensity
. 
Pricilla rose from her
wooden
chair and glided with a surprising grace to
stand before
Cinderella
. 
The move, deceptively casual
. 
Cinderella would be a fool to believe
otherwise
. 
“W
hat has you so busy this lovely morn
, Cinderella?” The dainty smile she handed Cinderella personified her evil
mamá
to perfection.

Cinderella
found she was unable to hide the tremble in her fingers
.
“
Es-
Esmeralda’s petticoat.
”
Fear had Cinderella’s voice
trickling
out husky and restrained.

Pricilla gently lifted the
soft fabric
from Cinderella’s lap
. 
“Oh, my, yes
. 
I can see.
”
Quick as a flash, she ripped the delicate fabric apart at the seam
. 
Esmeralda’s gasp filled the air but Cinderella dared not shift her focus
. 
“You are quite the seamstress,
oui
?”
Pricilla
said with a twisted curl of her lips
. 
Pricilla let go and it floated to
land at Cinderella’s
feet
. 
Eyes still on Pricilla, Cinderella reached for the garment with a shaking hand.

“Pricilla,
my darling
, you shall be the first to sport the slipper,”
Stepmamá
announced as if nothing out of the ordinary
occurred
. 
“As the eldest,
’t
is
only fitting.
”
Then howled with laughter at her silly pun, jowls shaking
with mirth
. 
The sight would provoke nightmares.

But
,
of course,
’t
was
not out of the ordinary was it? Cinderella reasoned
swallowing sudden tears
. 
She’d let her mouth get the better of her
. 
Cinderella knew for certain the slipper would fit her
. 
It was hers after all, was it not
?
All she had to do was concentrate on that
one detail
and she would be out of her personal torment soon
. 
’
T
would not
be for
much longer
. 
She had
only
to hang on
to her dreams
.

The sudden pounding of hooves vibrated the cottage. It stayed the violence that poised the tense atmosphere
. 
T
hank the heavens
. 

Cinderella surprised her stepsisters by fighting
for a place at the window along
side them
. 
Something she’d never attempted before
. 
Their anticipation of the prince’s visit had to be the only reason no one threw a punch.

Stepmamá
hissed in exasperation, “Girls
!
We do
not
hang out an open window like common…harlots
. 
We let the prince come to us!
”
She raised her chin where the skin hung beneath like that of a gobbling turkey
. 
Cinderella, so attuned to the excitement, let a giggle escape.

Stepmamá
turned to her and snarled, “Not you!
You
sha
ll remain inside.”

“But…but,
Stepmamá
—” The crack of
Stepmamá’s
open palm stung her cheek cutting her off mid sentence
. 
She covered her cheek
,
hot to the touch.

“
You
dare
to spar with me, child
?
”

With that, all hopes were dashed.

“To the basement with you,”
Stepmamá
commanded
. 

“But…”

“But nothing,” she spat, hand raised reinforcing her threat
. 
“Away with you. Quickly.
”
Cinderella dare not disobey
. 
Dropping her head in defeat, she turned from the window, hands clenched, swallowed choking tears and moved to the basement door
. 
Stepmamá
cast one more glare which had Cinderella running the rest of the way
. 
She slipped behind the basement door, but in a fit of rebellion perched herself on the top stair.

A knock, firm and strong, pounded the door
. 
Cinderella peered through a crack.
She watched Esmeralda pull it open with an unnatural and timid reserve, green eyes batting wildly
. 

A footman, ridged and formal, appeared very distinguished in his white pantaloons with their red stripe down the side, awed by his corresponding jacket adorned with gold tassels.
Cinderella had ne’er seen the like
. 
Stepmamá’s
preoccupied stupor and grandeur allowed Cinderella’s furtive peek to go unnoticed
. 

Without warning he bellowed
in clipped cultured tones,
as if they were not standing within
touching distance
, “Your Royal Highness to see the
maidens
of the house.
”
He clicked the heels of his shiny black boots and a offered a sharp formal bow from the waist
. 
A swift movement from another similarly dressed individual
pulled
a trumpet
to his lips
. 
The blaring sound brought everyone to attention, even she
. 
At least Cinderella had the luxury of covering her ears.

Royally formal and very loud
, s
he
could almost laugh
at their strained expressions.

Someone Cinderella could not see spoke softly
. 
It was not Prince
. 
She would have recognized his deep warm voice anywhere
. 
It had been in her dreams for a week past now
. 
“We
sha
ll conduct the business of the slipper-trying on the bench in your lovely garden,
Madám
.”

Stepmamá
flounced through the door with Esmeralda and Pricilla
trailing
like little ducklings
. 
Little
ugly
ducklings, she amended
, scowling
. 
The door shut behind them in a resounding slam
. 

Despondent, yet defiant, Cinderella darted from her post inside the basement to peer t
hrough the curtains
. 
It was a
risk
worthy of furious wrath.

She gaped in awe as Prince,
her
Prince, dismounted his horse in a graceful drop to the ground
. 
He looked just as she remembered
. 
Hand on her throat, a dreamy sigh escaped
. 
Hair, black as midnight held
at his nape by
a velvet queue, firm determined jaw, strong teeth and corded muscles
. 
Her fingers tingled remembering her hand
swallowed
in his as he’d guided her through
the ballroom
dance after dance.

“Mew.
”
Without taking her eyes from her beloved she lowered her palm for Marcel’s assent.

“Look at him, my sweet
. 
See how wide his shoulders are
?
How graceful his hands?”

Marcel peeped an agreement.

She watched an entourage of six surround
Prince
. 
Another gentleman off to one side held a wooden box
. 
He opened it with a show of spectacular theatrics—and then, she saw it
. 

She gasped
. 
H
er
glass shoe
. 

Cinderella blink
ed
away sudden tears
. 
Prince knelt on bended knee before Pricilla, sending the breath rushing from Cinderella’s body
. 
How had she ne’er
noticed
the sun’s brilliance glinting
off Pricilla’s silvery blond
locks
?
A lightheaded sensation assaulted her senses
shooting straight to her knees
. 
She had to force short small breaths to keep from fainting in despair on the spot.

Instead,
Cinderella
concentrated on the dark curl falling o
’
er
her love’s
brow
. 
The
considerable effort
it took
to not scream
squeezed the heart in her chest
as he reached for Pricilla’s foot
. 
He pulled it forward
, a bit too gently in her opinion,
and slipped the shoe on—or rather
—
tugged, shifted
, wrested
. 
Cinderel
la watched his face carefully, narrowing her eyes
. 
He seemed quite determined, she thought with pursed lips
. 
He risked a glance upward and a smile lit his face
sending
Cinderella’s heart
fluttering
.