The Wronged Princess - Book I (23 page)

But Pricilla marched on
,
recounting how the air shimmered with sparkles. The full sharpness of her wit sunk Cinderella. The more she talked the lower she fell
. 
Fortunately, nothing was said regarding their uncontrollable giggles that had them sounding like
a
gaggle of geese
. 
Small mercy, that
,
under
Stepmamá’s
fierce perusal.

The king bellowed.
“And, you son
?
How did you and Arnald spend your day?
”
His voice startled her in its blast
. 
The library was just not large enough for a sound such as his, she decided
. 
Apparently, he knew only one volume
. 

From the corner of her eye, Cinderella could see both Essie and Pricilla struggling to contain sudden grins
. 
Surely they would not burst into fits of giggles now.

“Arnald and I supervised repairs on the western perimeter wall,” Prince answered
. 
When it became apparent that Prince and his cousin struggled in their efforts to hide grins too, Cinderella sat very still
, fought
to remain invisible
. 

“Tomorrow, my dears, we shall host a picnic on the northern reaches of the estate
. 
There is a small lake, a lovely area.
”
Without so much as a blink of her eye, Queen Thomasine also added, “Prince shall be accompanying the entourage as well
. 
New guests arrived from Torino, Italy this afternoon
. 
Conte de Marco Lecce and his sons, Alessandro and Niccolò will also join the outing.”

“Conte de Lecce is here
?
In Chalmers?
”
Prince’s sharp tone had Cinderella’s quick notice.

“I regret they were unable to attend supper this evening due to the length of their journey
. 
Suffice to say, they should be as good as new on the morrow,”
the queen
smiled.

Cinderella detected a slight tightening of Prince’s lips, though he managed his signature smile, nonetheless
. 
Stepmamá
practically twittered in her seat at the mention of an Italian Conte
. 
She supposed
Stepmamá
would now be hoping for a fine match for Pricilla since Prince was
thus
betrothed to Essie
. 
The situation became more unbearable by the moment
. 

To make matters worse,
Stepmamá
announced that young women indeed needed their beauty sleep
. 
Prickles rose along
Cinderella’s
skin
,
heightening her
alarm.

“If you’ll excuse us, your majesties?”
Stepmamá
said and stood.

Prince, Arnald and
the k
ing stood
, bowing
their acceptance.

“Come along girls
. 
You too, Cinderella.
”
The sweetness of
Stepmamá’s
tone might have well been poison.

Her stomach dropped
. 

Cinderella
had no recourse
. 
What
else was she to
do but follow
?
A palace such as this had eyes everywhere, she reassured herself
. 
Surely
Stepmamá
would dare not convey her displeasure with physicality where someone might see
. 
It was far too risky.

Cinderella lagged behind Essie and Pricilla into the foyer with just the sound of their rustling skirts echoing though the great hallway
. 
Stepmamá
moved with a purposed stride toward the west wing
. 
At the fork they would separate
. 
Only a few steps more
to
safety
. 
Head down, Cinderella dare not draw the slightest amount of attention, dare not make a sound.

Luck was not with her, however
. 

They rounded the corner and
Stepmamá
whipped about, fury writhing from her
. 
Gray eyes so similar to Pricilla’s glittered with something maniacal and dangerous.

Cinderella
stilled
, terrified at the revulsion in her glare. The path between them
parted
. 
Cinderella took an
allotted
step back, fear threatening to buckle her knees
. 
If she collapsed, all was lost
. 
Stepmamá
would stomp her into oblivion
. 
She had to keep her head
…
literally.

Fleeting thoughts as the dream day of a lifetime
,
possibly her last,
passed through her mind
. 
Panic clogged her throat
. 
Palms damp, and heart pounding furiously, a sudden calm came over her
. 
She lifted her chin
. 
Let
Stepmamá
turn this into a nightmare, she could not steal what was in her heart.

“
Mamá
,” Pricilla smiled
,
stepping between them
. 
“We did not tell you how the prince
happened
by our carriage this afternoon
. 
It was really quite exciting,” she gushed
. 
Pricilla did not gush.

Stepmamá
looked at Pricilla as if surprised to see her
. 
Cinderella had a
n
inclination her
own
expression matched
. 
“It was?”
Stepmamá
asked
. 
Confusion tinted her voice
.

Pricilla encircled
Stepmamá
’s arm sashaying her expertly down the great hall
. 
Cinderella
,
too terrified to move, felt faint
. 

Essie darted over and snagged her arm as well, nudging her into motion
. 
“Breathe,
Cinde
,” she hissed
. 
“Breathe.”

Cinderella licked dry lips
. 
If she was not mistaken, Pricilla had just saved her a very violent thrashing
. 

*****

Prince watched the foursome disappear through the door with narrowed eyes
. 
He did not have a good feeling about the situation
. 
His future mother-in-law struck him as a ruthless monster
. 
’T
was
obvious
she cared naught for Cinderella
. 
He directed a gaze toward his mother who met his eyes
. 
He could see at once her thoughts mirrored his
. 
It was there in the worried frown drawn across her brow.

“
Mamán
,
Papá
. 
If you will excuse me for the evening?”

“Of course, dear.
”
The spark of relief in her expression confirmed his suspicions
. 
But of course it was gone before it could register.

“By the by,
Mamán
, thank you for the invitation to the lake.
”
He could not resist the jab. And by her pained expression it met its mark
. 
He nodded to an efficient servant who managed to beat him to the door and slipped through
. 
Arnald followed fast on his heels.

“Do you foresee a problem?” Arnald asked, softly.

“I am not certain.
”
Prince stopped in the large hallway and cocked an ear but all he heard were soft murmurings from round the corner
. 
On stealthy steps they made their way to the turn.

His worry must have been for naught for all he could make out was Pricilla’s amusing rendition of he and Arnald’s untimely intrusion from the late afternoon
. 
He peered in time to see Eutilla loop her arm through Cinderella’s
. 
In time to catch a wary glance pass between them
. 
Her clasp on Cinderella’s arm suggested one of protection.

A flurry of shimmers hung in the air as his eyes followed Cinderella’s slender form down the corridor
. 
Apparently, he was not the only one whose protective bone showed itself when she was about
. 
Something lessened the restriction in his chest
. 
It brought out an attractive side of Elsela….er…Esmeralda
. 
While it did not change his tune regarding their upcoming nuptials, it did, however, raise her up in his eyes
. 

Prince smiled at fancying himself as Cinderella’s shield
. 
Something most familiar about her touched him, something that remained just out of conscious reach
. 

He shook the rambling thoughts from his head
. 
Were there not enough problems with this impending marriage
?
And now his mother proposing a betrothal ball to introduce
Eutullie
to all of Chalmers
?
Again, the thought struck him s
he
had something
up her magic
ian
-nistic sleeve
. 
The
picnic with Alessandro Lecce
bore the proof
. 
He smelled a rat
. 
A very clever rat
. 
It was past time to come up with a plan
. 

Too bad all his mind could draw was
a
huge resounding blank.

Chapter
17

“What an evil wicked woman. She is a disgrace to the gender
.
”
Thomasine shuddered
and
shook her head
. 
“Regardless…”

“Sit down, Thomasine
. 
You are making me as jittery as a pot of crabs
readied for their drop
in boiling water.
”

Thomasine dropped into a wooden chair
sending a puffed
cloud of dust
airborne
at the sudden onslaught
. 

“The Conte de Lecce has arrived?
”
Faustine demanded.

“
Oui, oui
. 
Marco Lecce and his sons appeared early this afternoon
. 
They requested supper in their chambers to rest after their long journey.”

“Ah, very good, then
. 
What have you for tomorrow planned?”

“We shall begin with a luncheon picnic.
”
Unable to remain still, Thomasine rose
,
stalk
ed
the room with an impatience that gave credence to her fraying nerves
. 

“This had better work, Faustine
. 
So help me…”

“Of course it will work,” she snapped. “And quit calling me that infernal name.”

“I am deeply concerned for Cinderella
. 
Did you see that monster’s reaction when I mentioned the Conte’s son
?
She is a dreadful woman
. 
Keep your eye on her, Faustine
. 
I mean it
. 
She has nefarious plans for her stepdaughter, I can feel it.”

Faustine glared at her sister
. 
It was a rare occasion when the two sisters were at odds
. 
And they were not at odds now
. 
How could Thomasine doubt they were on the same side? It made it all the more frustrating
. 
“Or you will what, may I ask?”