So This is Love (Disney Twisted Tales) - Elizabeth Lim Page 0,60
the duchess is not even close. She can be difficult, but her heart is in the right place. Besides, she likes Bruno, and since adopting him, she’s been kind to me.”
“Maybe, but I think there’s more to it than Bruno,” determined Louisa. “You just seem so cheerful, Cinderella—cheerful yet sad. I don’t know how to explain it, but I bet people find it difficult being angry with you. I wonder if that’s why the duchess likes you so much. Even Aunt Irmina does, even if she won’t admit it.”
“I find that hard to believe,” said Cinderella dryly. The trousers were finished and she held them up, checking her handiwork. She had reason to be proud, and she moved on to the next garment. A rack of coats stood by one of the windows, and Cinderella wondered whether any of them might be the prince’s.
What was he doing now, she wondered. Preparing for the ball—and a new bride?
“You mentioned that most of the nobles busy themselves with gossip and balls,” she said, in as casual a tone as she could muster. “Is the prince like them?”
“Prince Charles? Oh, no, no, he’s nothing like that.”
“What . . . what do you know about him?”
Louisa dipped her needle into the sleeve she was working on, then tied a finishing knot. “Not much. He’s been away at the Royal University for years. All I know is he wasn’t happy about the ball.”
“Why not?”
“It’s all rumors, of course. But the king threw the ball the night the prince returned and invited every eligible maiden to attend. The prince didn’t have an inkling that it was happening until the night of, and everyone said he yawned during the introductions. I wouldn’t blame him—he must have been so tired from his journey home! A couple of the girls slipped out for half an hour to watch—they think he was about to leave entirely until he met the runaway princess.”
Cinderella wished everyone would stop calling her a princess. “Did you see her?”
“Only at a glance.” Louisa laughed. “My fingers were sore from all that sewing for the ball, so I left just as she arrived. I thought she was just a tardy noble. I could kick myself for missing all the fun.” She gave Cinderella sidelong glance. “But I’m going to stay longer this time.”
“What about what your aunt said?”
“I’ll be careful, and I’m not the only one who’s sneaking out. After two parties in quick succession, who knows when the next one will be?” Louisa rifled through the basket Madame Irmina had left and fished out a dress. It wasn’t as sumptuous as the gown with the pearl trimming she’d danced with earlier, but the color matched her hazel eyes. “Look, the perfect gown just happened to land at my feet.”
“It’s beautiful,” Cinderella breathed.
Pressing the dress against herself, Louisa grinned. “You heard my aunt: this basket’s for next week. No one will miss it.” She tilted her head thoughtfully. “If I tuck in the bodice a little, and add some lace to the sleeves . . . it’ll be just right for the ball. Will you come with me? It’ll be more fun if we go together.”
“Oh, I couldn’t. I can’t risk it . . . I need this job.” Cinderella trained her gaze on the sleeve she was repairing. “I don’t have an aunt who’ll protect me if I get in trouble.”
“Just for an hour?” Louisa pleaded. “Everyone’s invited, technically. Even us. Madame Irmina can’t fire us for that, no matter how much she wants to. She didn’t fire the girls who slipped out last time.”
“But . . .”
How could she tell Louisa that she was the mysterious princess? A part of her did want to go to the ball, even if the prince didn’t recognize her—just to spend time with her new friends.
But a part of her also worried that her stepmother would be there.
“My stepmother,” Cinderella finally admitted. “You asked if I had a home to go back to. I don’t, but I do have a family.” She stared at her hands. “My stepmother . . . she’ll be looking for me.”
Sensing something was wrong, Louisa set down her work and sat beside Cinderella. “You sound afraid of her.”
“She wasn’t good to me.” Cinderella swallowed, remembering. “My papa was lucky in his work and made a small fortune as a merchant. When he first married my stepmother, he helped her pay off her first husband’s debts. After he died, she took over the household,