So This is Love (Disney Twisted Tales) - Elizabeth Lim Page 0,32
is the capital of ennui.”
“Would Your Highness like me to fetch you some embroidery? I have a friend who works in the sewing room, and she could bring something—”
“Embroidery?” Genevieve looked up from her book. “Goodness no, what do you take me for, my mother?” Scowling, she fluttered her hands westward. “Fetch me something new from the library. No, make it two. Make sure they’re adventures—with pirates and beheadings and the lot.”
Cinderella resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow. “Yes, Your Highness.”
“If that old prig Martin is there, let him know it’s for Grinning Ginny.” In spite of her efforts to remain deadpan, the duchess disclosed the barest of smiles. She quickly repositioned her lips into a thin, stern line. “He should know what I’m looking for.”
Grinning Ginny? “Yes, Your Highness.”
“What are you standing there for? Don’t make me regret keeping you on.”
Cinderella hurried out of the duchess’s apartments. On her way to the library, she took a few wrong turns and ended up in the middle of Blooms and Looms. She decided there was no harm in quickly checking on Bruno while she was there. She and Louisa had found a hiding spot for him behind the henhouse, and they been taking turns sneaking him snacks from the kitchen. Cinderella only hoped Bruno had behaved himself and hadn’t become tempted to chase the—
“I found this mutt hunting the chickens!” Irmina said, dragging a regretful-looking brown bloodhound into the servants’ quarters.
Bruno whimpered, a thick leather leash knotted around his neck.
“He’s mine!” Cinderella exclaimed, racing to him.
“Yours?” blustered Madame Irmina, tightening her grip on Bruno’s leash. “Why am I not surprised?”
Fear spiked in Cinderella’s heart. “Please,” she pleaded. “He’s a good dog. He has no place to go.”
“There are no pets allowed in the palace. Either he goes or you both go.”
“Oh, please,” said Cinderella. “Bruno’s been with me since I was a little girl, and he—”
Irmina’s jaw tensed. “Need I repeat myself?”
Cinderella was about to plead her case again when a sharp voice from behind interrupted, “What is going on here?”
Instantly recognizing the speaker, Cinderella fell into a curtsy.
“Your Highness,” Irmina spluttered, startled by the duchess’s unexpected appearance. Behind her, Bruno growled and nipped at the hem of her dress. Irmina kicked him back, locking him into one of the pantries behind her.
She cleared her throat, her tone becoming honeyed and warm. “What an honor it is to welcome you here. My deepest apologies—I was not expecting you.”
Genevieve harrumphed. “And why should you? I do not make a habit of having my comings and goings announced.”
“To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit, Duchess?” asked Irmina, wisely changing the subject.
“I was wondering what was taking so long with my book. Imagine my displeasure when the guards informed me they spotted my attendant here instead in of the Royal Library.”
A smug sniffle escaped from Madame Irmina’s direction, and Cinderella tried not to panic.
“I apologize, Your Highness—”
“I’ll see to it that the girl’s dismissed,” cut in Madame Irmina, starting to shoo Cinderella away. “Come with me, you and your mutt, before you embarrass us—”
“No, please!” Cinderella twisted away, untangling her arm from Madame Irmina’s grip. She freed Bruno from the pantry, and as he spun toward the door, the duchess stepped on his leash.
“Halt!” she commanded, and to Cinderella’s surprise, Bruno stopped. “Now, explain yourself.”
Flustered, Cinderella saw she had no choice but to tell the truth. “I wanted to check on Bruno, my dog. You see, we’re both new here, and he had nowhere to go, so—”
“Animals are not permitted in the palace,” Madame Irmina interrupted, reaching for Cinderella’s arm again. “I must apologize for disturbing you, Your Highness. I’ll see to it that she leaves the palace straighta—”
“I said, I will take him. The mutt, the dog—Boris, whatever it is his name is.” Genevieve glared at the maids eavesdropping on the scene, and everyone hastily returned to work. “Untie that ridiculous cord from his neck.”
“Y-y-yes, Your Highness.”
“Thank you for reminding me why I prefer the company of animals to the lot of you. Servants, lords, kings—you’re all the same. Squabbling ninnies. Come, Bruno.” Genevieve gestured at the bloodhound, then fluttered a beringed hand at Cinderella. “And you, girl, get to the library and bring me my book. Chop-chop.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” Cinderella breathed. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet. It’s only out of boredom that I decided to save your mutt. My brother and nephew are hardly good company when all