The Wronged Princess - Book I (16 page)

Both tears and a soft giggle escaped her
. 
Her father had shaken his head after reading the story, and said, “Silly man never had a chance.
”
A self-deprecating smile had touched his lips, when he’d added, “I’m sure your blessed
mamá
did quite the same to me.
”

Cinderella dashed
away
the tears with the back of her hand
. 
Rarely had she allowed the memories to saturate her as they did now
. 
But for once she allowed herself to indulge in their warmth and comfort.

A deep voice from behind her sounded
. 
She spun in surprise but turned
quickly
away
. She felt an odd
ting
le in the atmosphere surrounding
them
. 
She, hardly dared
to breathe.

“
His arrows came in two types, you know: One, golden with dove feathers which aroused love
. 
The other had leaden arrows and owl feathers
. 
Instilled indifference.
”

The sonance in his voice struck her
. 
Soothing, as strong and deep as a bass instru
ment, just as she’d remembered
.

Her heart pounded in fear
. 
Did he recognize her in this ugly gown
?
La! And
,
w
ith the ashes of cinder on her cheeks? Av
oid
ing
h
is
eyes, she maintained a steadfast gaze on the statue before her
. 
Throwing all caution to the winds, she professed in a
conspiratorial
reply, “Described as "bittersweet" and "cruel" to his victims; he was also known as unscrupulous, mischievous and, best of all, charismatic
.
”
S
he recited the text
she saw
in her mind’s eye
and
let out a dramatic sigh for effect
. 
Mayhap, her stepsisters were not the only consummate actresses.

Her pulse pounded as his hands landed on her shoulder and he turned her to fully face him.

*****

With a quick glance about Prince
sauntered
forward from his hidden shelter in the trees
, f
ascinated by the odd duckling whose gaze appeared thunderstruck by a statue
. 
He’d always thought it somewhat silly how a god could erringly stab himself with an arrow.

But Prince could not deny his curiosity with the chit who was oblivious to everything around, but for the frivolous stonework before her
. 
Keeping his voice light so as not to frighten her he sidled along side
. 
Matching her drama, the merriment of the moment chased away thoughts of his unfortunate predicament, if only for a short time. “The
personification of love in all its manifestations
. 
It included physical passion at its strongest.
”
He grinned at her sudden pink cheeks, then dropped his voice
. 
“Tender, romantic love
. 
And playful, sportive love.
”
Her quick gasp delighted him.

Despite the pink cheeks, her soft laugh burst through
. 
’
Tis, then he’d seen the tears
. 
But to his delight she continued in the spirit of the moment though her voice
raised
not much above a whisper. “Believed to be one the oldest of the gods
. 
Born from Chaos
, h
e represented creative power and harmony.”

Laughter rumbled from Prince
. 
Before he could stop himself he’d put his hands on slender shoulder
s
and spun this dust c
overed gem to face him
. 
“What’s
this? Tears, my
fair
lady?
”
He reached up
and
brush
ed
one away
. 
When she froze in shock, he took her hand gently in his, and gave a short gallant bow
. 
“I do not
believe I have had the pleasure
?
”
He knew he should let go
,
but found himself quite unable lest she panic and bolt in fear
. 

“Cinderella, my lord.
”
A voice full of velvet softness sounded husky and low
. 
And mayhap, familiar
?
Non,
impossible
.
She gave a quick nervous curtsey
. 
Her step back did not go unnoticed, yet he still held her hand captive.

That
name
…it
struck a c
h
ord of familiarity
. 
H
e lowered his lips to brush her hand
. 
“Cinderella? I’ve heard your name spoken before, have I not?
”
A
shift
in the air tingled about
. 
He would not faint again
, he vowed
. 
The very idea
,
preposterous
, set him on edge
.

The warmth of her hand surprised him and he forced a
calming
breath. He could not seem to let go
. 
This strange power she wielded
,
held him enthralled
,
was both disturbing and compelling
. 
Prince
leaned forward and touched his lips to hers
. 
Just a whisper of a kiss, really
. 
A sense of unfulfilled promise swept through him
. 
S
lender fingers trembled beneath his
, and he stood back to look at her
. 
Relief touched her eyes
.

“
M
y lord,” she
whispered
. “
I—
”

A
shout sounded from the path
, interrupting her
. 
Panic replaced the relief as she tried to snatch her hand from his
. 
Cinderella stiffened and whipped her head around
. 
His gaze followed hers to see the batty-eyed Edwina racing toward them in a breathless unladylike pace
. 
He was charmed in spite of himself.

Disappointment coursed through him, retreat his only option
. 
With a
short squeeze and
sigh of reluctance he let her hand slide from his
. 
“Until later,” he promised, and melted into the trees to witness the drama enfold.

From his vantage point at the edge of the forest, Prince observed the interchange between the two young women with interest
. 
Cinderella’s
gray cloak and
drab brown skirt
were
covered in patches that spelled a history of mending
. 
Waist-length hair fell down her back, in a rich mass of dark brown
,
unfashionably straight
. 
The top of her head
was
covered by a
frayed
scarf fastened at the nape of her neck
. 
She had a lovely profile, he allowed
. 
What had she been about to say
?

An odd infusion of light lit the morn dispelling the notion.

He studied the large, dark eyes that could only be described as doe-like
. 
How
haunted
they
look
ed
. 
The light laugh she’d been unable to hide held him transfixed
. 
It spoke in signs of intelligence, warmth, loyalty that literally radiated from her
. 

And something else he could or would not define unfurled
through
him
, stirring
the sudden ache to find his mysterious princess once more
. 
He was desperate, indeed, if his emotions were swayed by the likes of a servant stirring him so
. 
Which, of course, called to mind
,
the looming disaster ahead
. 

Eyes narrowed, he considered Elvina
. 
D
ressed this morn in a muslin day gown of muted green
, her
full skirt, complete with petticoats was fashionable by all accounts as current style dictated
. 
He was too far and away to determine the color of her eyes
. 
That would no doubt forever remain a mystery due to the nervous flapping that seemed to take possession whenever he drew nearby
. 

He was male enough to admit surprise at the tresses of soft copper natural curls topping her head
. 
She was actually quite attractive when her eyes were not batting like the wings of a hummingbird—in an understated sort of way, of course
. 
Nothing like his princess.

His position from the trees disallowed outright eavesdropping
. 
Instinct
told him
the
two knew each other well
. 
The concern on Ester’s face was telling as she conveyed herself with admiral animation
. 
She dropped to her arms to her sides and they stood staring at one another, at a loss as to what to do
. 
’T
was
o
nly a second later the conspirators dashed toward the castle without so much as a fleeting glance his way
. 
He grinned at their retreating figures
. 
It was not often Prince Charming found himself forgotten.

Prince leaned one shoulder a
gainst the tree, ankles crossed
. 
He fingered a blade of grass watching their flight
. 
At first glance, Cinderella resembled the servant he thought her to be
. 
But then why would Endina show Cinderella so much concern if that were the case
?

He frowned
. 
Except when his thoughts centered on his future mother-in-law, it did not require much effort to conclude the certainty that it had to do with her
. 
A shudder touched his spine
. 
What a beastly woman
. 
Enough to scare away any potential suitor
. 
He suddenly felt an overwhelming sympathy to Eimear and her sister, Pricilla.

The rising sun glinted off the glass door as it closed behind
the two mysterious
young women
. 
He cast one last quick look toward the statue in the pond and dropped the blade of grass, and smiled
. 
Cinderella displayed an interesting base of knowledge regarding Eros, making him wonder if she knew as much about Eros’ mother Aphrodite, the
goddess
of love
. 
Now there would be a conversation worth having
. 
He looked forward to the possibility
. 
His lips throbbed with the thought of a deeper, more satisfying kiss
. 

Shaking off his silly thoughts, he mounted his horse and made for the open countryside
. 
There was much to do.

Chapter
11

In her customary high-backed, nicely-padded chair, conjured up from an old abandoned chamber pot, Faustine, aka Fairy Godmother, sat in quiet observation while Thomasi
ne’s lips pursed together in con
templation
. 
“You know,” Thomasine drawled
. 
“Hilda is quite ambitious for her two daughters.
”
She drummed her fingers on a serviceable wood table, in an annoying steady beat
. 
“The child that looks like a servant is actually her
step
daughter?
”
Astonishment colored her tone
. 
“She is quite attractive,
non
?
My son certainl
y has excellent taste
!
And I am
wont to admit, I am somewhat relieved.”