by K. A. Last
“But I’m a mess. I can’t greet them looking like this.”
“You’re beautiful no matter what.”
I frown. “I’m covered in dirt. At least let me wash and change.”
“Okay. I’ll wait out here.” Ash lets go of my hand, and leads Swallow up the path.
Inside, I tuck the glass slipper away with its pair in my blanket box, then quickly freshen up and change. A brush won’t tame my messy hair, so I twist it up into a bun. I spray my wrists and neck with rosewater, slip my shoes on, then tug the door closed and walk to where Ash stands with Swallow.
“Do you want to ride her?” he asks, handing me the reins.
I grip the leather straps. “She’s bareback.”
“It’s not a problem.” Ash taps her front leg, and the horse kneels. He climbs on, and Swallow stands again. “Your turn.” Ash holds his hand out to me.
I take it, and he gently pulls me up onto Swallow’s back so I’m seated behind him. We walk up the path towards Roche Manor, and I wrap my arms around Ash’s waist, resting my cheek against his back. I concentrate on his warmth, and listen to the birds chirping in the trees.
“You may be surprised when we see your family,” Ash says. “I had a little chat with them earlier.”
“Oh.” I lift my head. “What about?”
“I came to the house this morning looking for you. When they said you hadn’t showed up for breakfast, I asked them a few questions about how you’re related to them.” He pauses. “Let’s just say, what they told me was very interesting.”
“Are you going to tell me what they said? Or make me squirm?”
“I used my ring, so I think you already know what they said.”
I smile to myself. If Ash really did use his artefact on them, Lady Roche would have told him that I have as much claim to Roche Manor as she does, if not more.
When we reach the house, Ash slides off Swallow then helps me down. Phillip holds the door open for us. Since my mother died, no one in this house has ever held the door open for me. We step through into the parlour. Lady Roche, my stepsisters, and Ash’s parents are seated around a table spread with tea and scones. It seems my family has done as Ash asked.
Lord Chethan stands to greet us. I hang back, positive he has stood for his son and not for me.
“Is this the girl you wish us to meet?” he asks.
“Yes, Father,” Ash says. “This is Eleanor. She was at the ball last night.”
I stand with my hands clasped in front of me, and stare at my feet. There is no way Lord and Lady Chethan will approve of me.
“Young lady, look at me,” Lord Chethan says.
I raise my head, and I’m surprised to see him smiling.
“Is it true this is your father’s house?” Lady Chethan asks, coming to her husband’s side.
“Yes, my lady, it is.” I grip the fingers of my left hand tightly with my right, resisting the urge to curtsey even though I should. I’m not sure why I choose this exact moment to be rebellious.
“That would mean it is also your house,” Lord Chethan says. “Presumably.” He glances at Lady Roche, and she quickly averts her gaze.
“What is my father’s is also mine,” I say. “My mother passed away three years ago.”
Lord Chethan frowns. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“And I for yours.” I offer him a sad smile.
“Father? Can we get to what we talked about?” Ash raises his eyebrows.
“Ah, yes.” Lord Chethan stands with his hands behind his back, then rocks on his feet like I’ve seen Ash do so many times. “It seems Lady Roche has been mistreating you, Eleanor.”
I don’t reply. I just wait for him to continue.
“She has made you her servant?” Lady Chethan asks. “In your own home?”
I take a deep breath, and stare at my feet again. “That seems to be what’s happened. Yes.”
“This is madness.” Drew jumps to her feet and stamps her foot. “This is our house.”
“Be quiet, child,” Lord Chethan says.
Anna rises from her chair and comes to stand beside Ash. “Ella’s father married our mother, so that makes Roche Manor ours.” She turns to Ash. “I’m sure you would rather be seen with someone like me on your arm, than someone like her.”
I look up at Anna’s remark, shocked that she is being so rude in front of Lord and Lady Chethan. Ash looks at her in a peculiar way, and then I notice the tiara Anna is wearing. She’s trying to make Ash fall in love with her. I close my eyes for a moment, because I’ve seen how the tiara works. My father is under its spell.
Ash has no hope of resisting it.
Lord Chethan chuckles. “You silly girl. Your artefact won’t work on my son.”
Ash takes Anna’s hand. Her eyes light up and she gives Lord Chethan a look that suggests she knows better.
“Anna?” Ash says. “Do you really love me?”
My heart sinks at his words, because of course she is going to say yes. It seems he is in her thrall after all.
“Of course not,” Anna blurts. “I just want your money.”
My stepsister gasps, and pulls her hand from Ash’s, covering her open mouth.
Ash smirks at her. “It seems my artefact is more powerful than yours. And the truth always prevails.”
Epilogue
I WAVE MY HAND, AND the dirty plates on the kitchen table stack themselves. With another flick of my wrist, they fly to the sink and land in the soapy water.
“Would you like anything else for lunch?” Anna asks. “Before I clear the table?”
“No, thank you,” I reply. “I’m off to the cemetery.”
Anna smiles then waves her hand, and the leftover food is packed away in the pantry and the meat safe.
“Oh, you didn’t leave anything for me to do,” Drew says.
“You can wipe the table.” Anna floats a dishcloth over to Drew, and she sets to work cleaning up the crumbs.
Since Lord and Lady Chethan came to see us after the masquerade ball, things have been a little different around Roche Manor. My stepsisters are actually behaving like civil human beings, and Lady Roche has allowed me to use magic in the house again. Which means I’m no longer a servant, and at my request, we haven’t hired one.
I suggested we all pitch in to help around the place, so it seems I’m now considered an equal to my stepsisters. I guess people will do anything under the threat of losing all their magical possessions. Lord Chethan practically ordered Lady Roche to treat me as she would her own daughters.
And the next time my father comes home, she is to tell him what she did.
I’m not yet sure if that’s a good or a bad thing. We will have to wait and see.
But I now have my own room in the manor. We converted the attic into a bedroom, and I’m finally making use of all the wonderful things my mother left me.
“Have fun,” Anna says.
“And say hi to Ash.” Drew looks up from the table where the dishcloth is moving back and forth on its own.
I smile to myself as I leave the house. I’m not stupid. I know Anna and Drew are very good at acting. It’s actually fun watching them catch themselves when they’re about to fall back into their previously horrid ways.
The sun warms my skin as I walk across the grounds of Roche Manor towards the stables. Ash said he would come and collect me today, but I told him I wanted to ride Swallow. Gerald has Swallow saddled for me, and I ride to the road to meet Ash.
“Are you ready?” he asks.
I nod, and Ash climbs up onto Swallow’s back behind me. We rock gently as she walks us to the cemetery, and I lean back into Ash’s chest. At the gate, we tether Swallow to a post then go in.
The climb up the hill to my mother’s grave is different today. It’s the first time Ash and I have done it together. I’m not sure what to expect. I have no idea why I think anything will have changed in the past week. But I’m hoping the tree will allow me to take my pendant back. Until now,
I haven’t wanted to ask for it.
When we reach the top of the hill I go immediately to my mother’s headstone and kneel on the grass. I run my finger over the golden words etched into the rock.
“Hi, Mother, how are you?” I ask. “There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”
Ash has been here several times already, and although I’ve talked about him, I’ve never actually introduced him to my mother.
He steps forward, and in a hesitant voice he says, “Hi, Lady Adaline. I’m Ashwin.”
The leaves of the willow tree stir as a gentle breeze wafts through. My heart fills with happiness, because I can feel the loving sigh of the tree pulsing through the air and the earth.
I get to my feet and take Ash’s hand. “Come on.”
We walk into the shade of the willow’s branches, and I stand at the trunk with my hand pressed against it, like I have so many times before. I have cried so many tears of sadness under this tree, and it’s a relief this time when my tears come, because they are tears of joy.
Joy for a better future.
And for finding someone special in Ashwin Chethan.
My tears fall to the dirt, and the familiar blue glow seeps into the tree. It snakes its way up the trunk and into the branches, lighting up every leaf, making the tree grow. I kick off my shoes and shimmy up the trunk to the first branch, then look down at Ash.
“You coming?” I ask.
He smiles up at me and kicks off his own shoes. Seconds later, he is perched on the branch beside me.
“Lead the way.” Ash kisses me quickly on the temple.
I giggle and climb the tree, all the way to the top, and find the crevice where I hid my pendant. I look inside at the softly pulsing glow of the blue stone. I try to reach it, but my hand is too big to fit in the nook.
“We might need some help to get it out.” I sit on the branch and let my legs swing.
Ash sits beside me. “How do we do that?”
I twirl my finger and create a tendril of magic, letting it float down into the tree’s leaves. It swirls around itself, creating my magic swallow. The bird chirps, flittering up to land on my knee.
“Could you please retrieve my pendant?” I ask the little bird.
It takes flight towards the crevice, turning to smoke the moment before it passes through the small crack. Seconds later, the smoke emerges and reforms into the swallow, the chain of my pendant held firmly in its beak. The magical bird hovers in front of me, then drops the artefact onto my palm.
“Thank you,” I say, releasing the bird.
It flies down into the tree, bursting into a flash of blue light before the magic seeps back into the leaves.
“Here, let me.” Ash takes my pendant and undoes the clasp, then fastens it around my neck.
He moves his hands to my shoulders and stares into my eyes. I hold his gaze, happy in this moment where we don’t need words to say how we feel. Ash knows me in a way I never thought anyone could. It’s as if he can see into my heart and my soul.
“Thank you,” I say.
“What for?” He runs his thumb over my cheek.
“For not letting my standing come between us.” I grin, and Ash chuckles.
“Nothing will ever come between us. Eleanor, my princess.”
He leans in, and presses his lips softly to mine. I wrap my arms around his neck, and when I fall, Ash is there to catch me.
Thank You
THANK YOU FOR TAKING the time to read Ella and Ash. As an indie author, I rely on reviews and word of mouth to help promote my books. Please consider posting a review at your place of purchase. If you would like to personally let me know what you think, you can email me at [email protected]
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Also by K. A. Last
Fiction
Sacrifice – A Fall For Me Prequel (The Tate Chronicles, #0.5)
Bound (The Tate Chronicles, #0.6)
Fall For Me (The Tate Chronicles, #1)
Fight For Me (The Tate Chronicles, #2)
Die For Me (The Tate Chronicles, #3)
Immagica
The Lovely Dark
Something (All the Things: part one)
Nothing (All the Things: part two)
Everything (All the Things: part three)
The Other Side of Me (All the Things: part four)
All the Things (Something, Nothing, Everything)
Non-fiction
The Tate Chronicles Notebook
Immagica Notebook
A Novel Idea! Colouring Journal for Writers
A Novel Idea Workbook for Writers
About the Author
K. A. LAST WAS BORN in Subiaco, Western Australia, and moved to Sydney when she was eight. Artistic and creative by nature, she studied Graphic Design and graduated with an Advanced Diploma. After marrying her high school sweetheart, she concentrated on her career before settling into family life. Blessed with a vivid imagination, K. A. Last began writing to let off creative steam, and fell in love with it. She is currently studying her Bachelor of Arts at Charles Sturt University, with a major in English, and minors in Children’s Literature, Art History, and Visual Culture. She now resides in the countryside on the mid-north coast of NSW with her family and a menagerie of animals.
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Copyright
Copyright © 2019 K. A. Last
All rights reserved.
First published in Australia 2019 by K. A. Last
The right of K. A. Last to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her under the Copyright Amendment (Moral Rights) Act 2000.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, or actual events, is purely coincidental.
This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, recorded or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
K. A. Last
[email protected]
www.kalastbooks.com.au
Cover images: © bigstockphoto.com
Formatting and cover design by KILA Designs
