The Twelve Dancing Princesses (Faerie Tale Collection) (2 page)

CHAPTER TWO

PRINCESS CASCADIA WALKED INTO the castle and quickly made her way up the stairs to the large room she shared with her sisters. It had at one point been a small ballroom on the second floor before her father added the east wing and with it, a much larger and grander ballroom. The new addition also had three stories above it, full of bedrooms for the visiting guests and relatives who came to their luxurious events.

Even though there were twelve girls who shared this room, it was more than large enough to accommodate them. With no fewer than four ornate fireplaces and ten pretty chandeliers that the girls had insisted stay with the room, it was always warm and bright enough.

The long room was divided, with six beds on one wall and six along the other. They shared eight wardrobes between them. One would have thought there would be a larger age gap between the girls, but with two sets of twins, they surprisingly were just eleven years apart from oldest to youngest. Casey was the third eldest, at nineteen. Abigail was twenty-one, Beatrice twenty, Damalis and Eunice seventeen. Francine, Gemma, and Henrietta were sixteen, fifteen, and almost fourteen. Ilene and Jocelyn, the second set of twins, were nearly thirteen, and then Kymberlia came in last at ten.

It was mostly fun to have all twelve of them together, but then there were days like yesterday when it became almost perilous to one’s health. Damalis and Eunice were arguing and Henrietta would not stop singing, while poor Kimberlia spilled all of her trinkets upon the floor and several were stepped upon and broken by Gemma, who was attempting to outrace Francine, who would not give back her favorite hair ribbons.

A life of all girls could not be perfect always.

However, today was nicely quiet, and thankfully, a small miracle had occurred because Casey found the room entirely to herself. She sighed as she walked over to the small dresser near her bed. She placed her parasol upon it and looked up at the portrait of her mother. Each girl got to choose a painting of their choice from around the castle to have above their beds. Casey chose this one. It was painted when the departed queen was just sixteen years old. Queen Lilith’s beautiful pearl-colored satin gown gleamed from the oils of the canvas. Abigail and Damalis looked the most like her, with their long ginger curls and pretty green eyes.

The queen had died just over two years ago. There were days when the sting of her death felt as new and as awful as it had then. Friends had said the pain would wear away eventually and become a numb place in her heart, but for Casey, that had not happened yet. She needed her mother sometimes. Needed her laughter and wisdom and kindness.

How the queen had loved her daughters. Even though there were so many of them, Queen Lilith had been determined to make a special time for each of her girls every day. That one-on-one time taught Casey more about life and love than anything else had.

She wished she could speak to her mother this moment and share her new feelings for the gardener. Mother would have known what to say and how best to react to such a thing. She would tell her if it was, indeed, something to pursue, or folly on both their parts. But, Casey believed most of all, she would have listened and genuinely pondered such an idea. The family jest was that there were simply too many daughters to find wealthy princes for them all, and so they must learn to cope with any mere farmer who could be found.

Even though it was meant as a great lark and always brought a laugh when her father bellowed such things, Casey was willing to take it seriously now.

Perhaps.

Her father was a good man, but she doubted even he would tolerate one of his girls becoming interested in the hired staff. Of course, if they did not solve the riddle of the tattered shoes soon, none of the girls would be fit for anything
but
the hired staff.

She walked to the foot of her bed and pulled the worn dancing slippers from beneath it. Every morning it was the same. Holes and tears and frayed ribbons. And every day her father would order new shoes to be made. What was happening to the girls? She knew her sisters’ shoes were all in a similar state.

She sat upon the bed and slipped off her short walking boots. Rolling down her stockings, she frowned at the blister on her smallest toe. It was definitely new from the night before. Colleen, the lady’s maid, applied ointment to their feet every morning, and each time, she tsked at the foolishness of the girls, scolding them gently for lying to their father and treating him in such a way.

Dread began to fill her heart. They were not lying, nor attempting to hide anything from their father. What was happening? Though she tried to remain calm and treat this occurrence as if it were nothing, it was fearsome. Dearly so. Something had been happening every night for the past two months, something they could not explain, and it was time it stopped.

She was grateful her father was finally listening and trusting their word that there was a mystery here. And they were not actually sneaking about, but sleeping when it occurred. It took several hours over many days of Abigail, Beatrice, and herself coaxing him to believe them before he finally caved in and agreed to see if he could call in help. This was the only reason he was having the proclamation announced to the surrounding lands—he could not bear to see his daughters’ fear, if indeed something was really going on.

Not only was it costing him quite a bit of the palace funds to supply them with shoes every day, but their feet were becoming more unsightly and grotesque each morning. Already great calluses had begun to form upon them all. But if, her sisters pointed out, they were aware of the experience of dancing and just whom—or what—they were dancing with, and where, such feet would be worth having. However, since there was no recollection of any kind, it simply was not fair!

Casey wiggled her red feet before rolling her stockings back up her legs and putting her walking boots on. Her hands shook slightly as she walked over and placed the worn slippers into the bin. In about thirty minutes, the cobbler would be there to fit them all with new shoes. And then tonight, she would fall asleep all over again, and find herself with sore feet and ruined slippers in the morning. No matter how hard she tried, she could not stay awake to find out what happened; none of them were able to. It was as if they were cursed to dance or something.

Yet, who would do such a thing to them? And why?

CHAPTER THREE

“YOU FOOL BOY! ARE you mad?” Mr. Smoot, the head gardener, asked Aleck after supper that evening. He had pulled Aleck back and pinned him against the wall when Aleck was on his way up to his room above the stables. The gardener’s large hand clutched a fistful of Aleck’s shirt. “You will get us all dismissed with your actions, and yet you continue to smile in your smug way.”

There was no doubt in Aleck’s mind of what he was speaking. It was obvious he still remembered the exchange with Princess Cascadia that morning. “She approached me. What would you have me do, ignore her?”

“You should not have been walking with her upon your arm like that, as you well know! What would the king say?”

Aleck had no desire to find out. “She was distraught and asking for my help.”

“Sounds to me like she needs to be asking for aid from her own kind and leaving my workers alone!”

“Leave off the lad, Smoot. Or I will turn you in for disorderly conduct,” said the stable manager, Hallen, as he rounded the corner.

“M—me?” sputtered Mr. Smoot, releasing Aleck’s shirt. “You would turn me in when clearly this boy’s flirtations could be the ruin of us all?”

Hallen shrugged. “What does it signify if the girl is sweet on him? We have all seen the way she looks at him. There is nothing any of us can do about it if she continues to pursue him like this. It is the way of the world. The lad can no more ignore her than you could, lest he be removed from his station.” Hallen looked Aleck over from head to toe. “A fine specimen of a man he is, and all. Why, any young lady would turn sweet on the lad.”

Aleck nodded his head as a thank-you gesture, but wanted to be anywhere than where he was right then. He stepped back and said, “I have spoken with her. She knows that I felt it was improper to be walking with her. But …” He suddenly trailed off, not willing to say the rest.

“But you like her?” guessed Hallen.

“Of course, the fool boy likes her!” Smoot threw his hands in the air. “To have a princess flaunting about him would turn any young man’s head.”

“She does not flaunt about me.”

Hallen laughed.

“She does not. Besides, she had a specific request of me to fulfill, and I will attempt to do so.”

“And what is this?” asked Smoot. “Will it interfere with your gardening duties?”

He had not thought of that. “If it does, I will work doubly hard and make them up.”

“You see that you do, or you will be sent packing.”

“Smoot.” Hallen folded his arms. “I know you will not do anything without just cause, now, would you?”

Aleck tried to hide the dread he felt building up within him at the thought of losing his place as a gardener. How would his mother cope without his wages? He cleared his throat, trying to dispel the tightness that had come up. “May I go to my room now? Or was there more you wished to say?” he asked Smoot.

Hallen dismissed him. “You may go, lad. Smoot and I need to discuss some other matters anyhow.”

“He is still under my charge!” Smoot snarled. “I would kindly like you to remember that fact.”

“Oh, I do. Often.” Hallen nodded his head at Aleck as if to tell him to leave.

Aleck did not need another incentive. He quickly turned on his heel and rushed up the stairs. Once in his small, sparse room, he paced the floor a few times and allowed his thoughts to mull over his mother and his five little brothers and sisters still at home. All had been well before Pa caught the influenza while working abroad two years before and eventually died.

Prior to his father’s death, Aleck’s meager earnings were not anything to concern himself over. They allowed him to purchase a few gifts for his family, a sweet every now and then, and possibly some new clothes or boots for himself every couple of months. Now that money could not be spent on such frivolous items as sweets or gifts; now it was a good chunk of his mother’s income to support his family.

Rebecca, the next eldest sister, was a lady’s maid from time to time for the wives of some of the wealthier landowners, and she even had some odd jobs doing cleaning. But her pay was not near as fine as the few coins a month Aleck was able to send home by working here at the castle.

Aleck looked at the small wooden bed. Its blue quilt had nearly faded to white. It was threadbare and worn, but served its purpose of keeping him warm at night. He had no use for another blanket when he knew there were nights when his siblings would huddle two or three together to share the heat under their blankets as they slept.

His eyes drifted toward the window, from which he could see the garden below his room, the same garden he and the princess were walking toward earlier. He sighed and sat down upon the bed. Placing his elbows upon his knees, he rubbed his face with his hands for a bit.

No matter how stunning the princess was, he simply could not risk his family’s livelihood chasing her mysteries for her. He was a fool even to believe it was a possibility. Especially with these young princes who would come and no doubt solve the matter in a heartbeat, allowing one of them to wed her.

How would he even be able to attempt such a thing? What did he know about castle life, or enchantments such as she was most likely under? Nothing. Smoot was right. It was not worth the risk. Princess Cascadia may have a pretty face, but he simply could not jeopardize the livelihood of all those he loved to come to her aid.

But when he was around her, his soul felt alive. And her eyes sparkled like none he had ever seen before. Was it true? Was he as handsome as Hallen believed him to be? Is that what drew her to him?

He shook his head. Did it matter? Did any of this matter?

No.

He stood up and began to pace again, going from the old trunk at the foot of his bed to the small window and back. He needed to find a gracious way to decline the princess’s quest for him. It was not wise at all. No matter how much Hallen may protest, the fact remained that Smoot was his superior, and he was angry. There was no guarantee he could solve anything for Casey. However, it was guaranteed he would lose his job. To be turned away from the castle for improper conduct or neglectful duties was the same as chiseling out your own tombstone. No one would dare hire a man who was not wanted by the palace.

He stopped at the window and looked out at the large castle across the way. He would find a way to tell her no on the morrow—a way that ensured she was not offended or put off.

If she truly cared for him, she would not wish anything ill to happen.

He turned away and sat back down upon the bed.
Please, oh please, let her be reasonable and not upset. Let her see it simply cannot be done. And let her understand there are some things in this world that will never mix properly.
Royalty and servants were one of them.

CHAPTER FOUR

THE NEXT MORNING, BEFORE the sun had risen, Aleck was up and rushing for an early cup of tea with his mother prior to his daily chores at the castle. He liked to visit her once a week and check in, making sure the family was well. He removed the small box from under his bed and dumped the few shillings he had earned the last sennight into his palm. He also pulled out a kerchief wrapped around pieces of fruit and some rolls he had saved from his meals, as well as some tarts for the children. It had been a long while since he had tasted his own tarts; he always tucked them into his pocket for his siblings.

He also had a few bulbs he had rescued from the compost heap earlier that week. The daffodils had quite overgrown a section of the garden earlier that year, and so several had to be dug up and tossed. Since his mother had had a fondness for daffodils, he was eager to bring the bulbs to her so she could begin her own flower garden.