“Clearly,” Maleeva interjected. She’d been relegated to a corner with her daughters after both of them were denied a place in line. As such, all three women found comfort in sarcasm. “If you’d been at all competent in handling Cinderella’s case, the royal family wouldn’t have needed to make up for your deficiencies.”
Ignoring them, Jon made a dramatically confused face. “I fail to see what your internal matter has to do with the scene you were making in town, and I assure you I will require a far more complete explanation before I allow it to continue.” He granted her his most brilliant smile. “Until then, you can oversee the shoe-fitting. I know the practice has fallen somewhat out of use these days, but my family has always been a firm believer in tradition. It’s unthinkable that the royal heir would take a bride without it.”
He looked over at his parents, who were overseeing the proceedings from their respective thrones. They looked remarkably dignified and royal for the moment, and the queen lifted her eyebrows at her son’s cue. “Of course. It is the way I gained the crown, and I would expect nothing less from my future daughter-in-law.” The king, grateful not to have been given a line, merely offered a noble smile.
Bubbles blinked once, lips pressing together for a moment as she rallied. “Normally, the prince is supposed to go out among his subjects for a shoe-fitting,” she said tightly. “If you’d like, my men and I can take you to the home of the girl I’m certain will fit your glass slipper.”
“No need. Bringing them here is far more efficient.” He turned, heading back to Lawton and the next young woman in line to have proven not to fit the shoe. “We kept careful records of every woman who attended the ball that night. One of them will undoubtedly fit the glass slipper that my mysterious beauty left behind, and I’ll find the woman whom I’m destined to spend the rest of my life with.”
When Lawton stood to hand over the shoe, he leaned in close to Jon’s ear. “Careful not to let the drama of the moment run away with you,” he murmured.
“You’re just annoyed you’re not getting all the best lines.”
Lawton’s flashed a grin. “True.”
Then it was back to the plan, and Jon knelt before the next woman to go through the same routine with the glass slipper. This one was an aspiring actress, and sobbed dramatically enough one of the guards was inspired to give her a consoling pat on the shoulder as she went by. The next woman stepped up to take her place, and Rellie moved ahead to the waiting area at the base of the stairs. She was hiding behind a large fan so her identity wouldn’t be given away too early, but now that she was close enough, Rellie gave Jon a quick wave when no one else was watching.
The woman ahead of her hurried through the fitting so fast she barely touched her toes to the inside of the shoe before yanking her foot out and hurrying to the opposite side of the ballroom. Rellie walked up to Jon much more slowly, snapping the fan closed and exposing her identity only when she was standing right in front of him.
The second everyone saw Rellie’s face, Bubbles made a face and started toward her with such obvious intent the guards had to move in to block her way. Jon raised his head to look at Bubbles, lifting an eyebrow. “You wished to say something?” he asked mildly.
Bubbles opened her mouth, then seemed to rethink whatever she was about to say and closed it again. “No, you may continue.” One of her hands lifted slightly, as if reaching for her wand, but before she could get to it the nearest guard clamped her wrist in a firm grip. Outraged, Bubbles tried to yank her hand away. “Unhand me, you cretin,” she demanded.
The guard glanced at Jon, who nodded. “You may release her, Corporal.” As Bubbles pulled her hand away with a triumphant expression, he added, “And now you may confiscate her wand.”
Her glare snapped back around to Jon. The guard wisely took advantage of her distracting anger and lifted the wand out of her belt. “You have no right! If I am here in a professional capacity, I have every right to utilize the registered tools of my trade.”
“Unless,” Jon corrected, “they’re used to intimidate the citizenry.” He turned to Rellie. “Did you feel threatened? I certainly did.”
Rellie shivered dramatically. “She’s creepy.”
“Oh, for—” As if appalled at her near outburst, Bubbles forced down her anger, her jaw tightened as she took a step back. “She’ll fit the shoe, Your Highness. Though I can’t release the details of her particular case due to the internal issue I mentioned earlier, you have the word of Fairy Godmothers, Inc. that she is the young woman who danced with you at the ball.”
Over in the corner, Lucinda stood and flung a trembling finger in Rellie’s direction. “You have no right to fit that shoe, Cinderella! I’m the one who should be marrying the prince!”
Jon raised his eyebrows in mock surprise. “Clearly, there’s some question as to whether or not you’re correct.” He bent forward as Rellie lifted her foot, slipping the shoe on so slowly Lawton had to cough back a chuckle. When the shoe was technically fitted in Rellie’s foot, he pulled his hand away so Rellie could lift her foot higher.
The glass slipper dangled off the end of Rellie’s toes, swinging gently in midair.
Bubbles went pale with horror, and Jon grinned inwardly as Rellie curled her toes downward and dropped the shoe off her foot entirely. He caught it before it hit the ground. Rellie shrugged and looked over at Bubbles. “Sorry,” she said brightly, bounding down the stairs to go stand by the other women.
All Bubbles could do was stare, moving back and forth between the shoe and the completely unrepentant Rellie before settling a glare at Jon again. “That’s not possible,” she said flatly. “I received several reports of the prince dancing with a young blond woman matching her description the night of the ball. I suspect Katharine Harris has something to do with this. If you’ve seen her, I insist you let me know immediately.”
The queen rose to her feet, her face full of majestic fury. “The shoe-fitting is about romantic destiny, not reports,” she said scornfully. “As a Fairy Godmother, you should know that better than anyone!”
Maleeva, shushing both her daughters, stood up. “I agree completely, Your Majesty. This is obviously a sign that Fairy Godmothers, Inc. isn’t to be trusted, and that both my daughters should immediately take their place in line.”
Jon, ignoring Rellie’s family again, shook his head sadly at Bubbles. “It’s not going to be good for business for people to hear that Fairy Godmothers, Inc. is arguing against romantic tradition.” When the horror flashed across Bubbles’ visage again, he smiled. “And I assure you, I know a good number of people who would be happy to tell.”
Jon kept part of his attention on the line of women and saw a cloaked figure move from behind a column to slip into a spot near the front of the line.
Bubbles, who gave no sign of noticing, was busy attempting to marshal together an argument of some kind. “Fairy Godmothers, Inc. has a copyright on glass slippers, and since the girl was the only client of ours at your ball, that means she was the only one who could have been wearing them,” she maintained. “Which means you danced with the girl, or whoever you did dance with couldn’t have left a shoe behind. I insist that you try it on her again.”
The queen raised an eyebrow, clearly enjoying herself. “You have no authority to insist that we do anything, peasant.”
Jon listened in fascination, surprised Bubbles hadn’t yet tried to claim there was a binding contract at stake. Perhaps the company lawyers had prepped her—though any noble who hired the company was legally bound to whatever agreement had been reached; the fact that the intended’s family was never even informed as to what was happening left Fairy Godmothers, Inc. on far shakier ground. Their strength, apparently, had been in making certain that things moved along so traditionally the other family never even questioned it.
Rellie wasn’t nearly so interested. “Romantic destiny isn’t supposed to have all this arguing,” she called out, causing a few of the women still waiting in line t
o giggle. “Get back to the good part.”
Belzie scowled. “Shut up, you little idiot.”
Jon bowed in Rellie’s direction. “Actually, I agree with the young woman’s suggestion.” He turned to his mother, willing to extend her moment in the sunlight. “If I may?”
She lifted her chin haughtily. “Of course.” Beside her, the king nodded.
Jon knelt back down, continuing the pretense of fitting each woman in line with the shoe. The ladies went through the routine beautifully, each adding their own little flourish as they showed it didn’t fit and went down the stairs to join the other women. As the last woman left, Jon shifted so the shoe was briefly hidden by his body. When he moved it into view again a moment later, the brief swirl of magic from Ned’s spell had faded almost entirely.
Then, finally, the woman wearing the cloak stood in front of him.
Back in the corner, Belzie threw her hands up. “Of course, it’s going to be the mysterious woman in the cloak! It always is!” She turned to her mother. “Can we finally go get some dinner now?”
Maleeva slapped her. “Shut up,” she hissed.
Bubbles, still ringed by the palace guards, continued to glower at both Jon and the cloaked woman as if the heat of her anger could somehow physically hurt them.
Jon looked into Kate’s eyes, safely hidden beneath the edge of her hood. He imagined her wings were stiff after being squashed even this long, but she gave him a smile that made his chest warm with pleasure. He kept his voice blandly pleasant as he held up the shoe. “Your foot, ma’am?”
Resting a hand on Lawton’s shoulder for support, Kate lifted her foot into position. Just as slowly as it had with everyone else, Jon slid the shoe onto Kate’s foot.
It fit perfectly.
Finally able to show off his grin, Jon let Kate lower her foot to the floor before clasping her hand in his. “My love,” he whispered, able to see the emotion shimmering in her eyes as he placed a gentle kiss against her knuckles.
The crowd cheered.
Maleeva stood, yanking her daughters upright with her. “What a ludicrous waste of time,” she announced, voice barely heard above everyone else’s enthusiasm. The three swept toward the exit, and after a discreet nod from Lawton the guards stepped aside to let them pass.
The queen watched Kate with a speculative expression. “You do already have him looking slightly dazed, which is a promising sign.” She gave an impatient wave. “Take that hood off and let me have a proper look at you. I need to know what my future grandchildren will look like.”
Kate glanced at Jon, a final flash of worry in her eyes. Jon squeezed her hand, offering support, and she slowly lifted her other hand and pushed the cloak off completely.
Bubbles’ eyes lit in triumph as she jabbed an accusing finger at Kate. “I demand that you arrest her immediately!”
TWENTY-SIX
Heroes and Fairy Godmothers
Even though she knew it was coming, Kate couldn’t help but tense at the word “arrest.” No matter how much she trusted Jon, she hadn’t left him a lot to work with.
The queen, however, was having none of it. She shot up from her throne, face blazing with royal fury. “How dare you speak that way of a princess-to-be? You’re the one who should be arrested!”
Bubbles swung a sharp look at the queen, dipping into a low bow as her instincts for dealing with upper management finally started to take over. “You don’t want this woman as a daughter-in-law, Your Majesty. She’s an employee of Fairy Godmothers, Inc. who has stolen valuable company property.” She glanced at Kate, rage flickering in the depths of her eyes. “She’s nothing more than a common thief.”
“A thief?” The queen’s brow lowered as she looked at her son. “Worse, a common one? I know that ridiculous Lady Marian ran off with some sort of highwayman, but a prince certainly can’t indulge in such nonsense.”
“I certainly can.” Jon’s voice was easy, but pitched to catch the crowd’s attention. When they turned to him, he stepped forward and gently tugged Kate with him. “Her true love was being tormented by the effects of a wicked spell, and she stole the item needed to set me free. It’s a nearly textbook definition of a quest, and as such, everything Kate did in the last forty-eight hours is covered by questing law. She’s a hero, not a thief.” He smiled, absolutely certain, and Kate tried valiantly to look as relaxed and confident as he was. “The fact that the shoe fit merely confirms that she is, indeed, my true love.”
Bubbles’ expression remained triumphant. “That’s a lovely story, Your Highness, but Fairy Godmothers are exempt from questing law. Since she was legally employed by the company during the commission of her crime, that particular argument is useless.”
Jon’s eyes narrowed as he gripped Kate’s hand tighter. “You’re lying.”
“I’m not. It’s stated quite plainly on page three hundred and eighty-seven of the Fairy Godmothers, Inc. employee contract.” Bubbles’ smile was evil. “You were told to read the entire document before you signed it, Kate. Apparently, your unwillingness to follow simple instruction is finally coming back to haunt you.”
Both the king and queen were now staring at Jon with lowered brows. “Why didn’t you tell me you were under a wicked spell?” the queen asked, warning in her voice. She turned to her husband. “Did he tell you he was under a wicked spell?”
“There. Was. No. Wicked. Spell,” Bubbles insisted, glaring at Jon’s parents as if she could make them agree with her by sheer force of will. “It was merely a misunder—”
The queen’s righteous indignation swelled as she glared right back at Bubbles. “I should think my son can be trusted to know whether or not he was under a wicked spell!”
“Thankfully, that’s not the issue we’re dealing with at present.” Bubbles gritted her teeth, a muscle visibly working in her jaw by the time she turned back to Jon. “I’m tired of playing games. Even if you stop my security force from taking her away, I can call the city police to arrest her. I have mirror video of her committing the crime, which is sufficient evidence to convince them. You have no legal right to stop me.”
Lawton moved forward to stand next to Kate. “My dear,” he murmured low enough for Bubbles not to overhear, “we really do have to teach you how to be a better thief.”
She could tell he was trying to be comforting, but it wouldn’t work this time. Jon’s jaw was tense with fury, but Kate recognized that terrible lost look in his eyes from the night of the ball. She was leaving him again, and for once, he couldn’t rewrite reality fast enough to stop it.
“I can have my lawyer file a motion of delay,” Jon said, glaring at Bubbles. “That way, you can’t arrest her until they’ve had time to review the case.”
“And how long will that buy her? Hours? Maybe a day at most? If you start the legal game, Your Highness, rest assured that Fairy Godmothers, Inc. will finish it.” Bubbles turned to Kate. “You’ve lost. Let him go now, or I’ll drag his name through the mud right along with yours.”
Kate’s heart clenched. No matter how much she hated it, Bubbles was right. Grandstanding now would only ending up hurting the people she wanted to protect. “It’s okay, Jon,” she said quietly, deliberately turning away from the other woman. “Let her call the police. I’ve never been arrested before, but it will probably be easier if I go quietly.”
“No.” Jon’s attention snapped to Kate, anger and desperation in his eyes. “I don’t care what they do. I’m not letting you go.”
“Sadly, I agree with Katharine.” Lawton’s voice was low. “You know we’ll get her out, Jon, even if we have to plan a brilliantly complicated jailbreak to do it.”
“No jailbreaks.” Kate gave Lawton a firm look, then focused on Jon. It wasn’t exactly a happy ending, but saving him had been enough. She could take whatever else came.
At least she didn’t have to deal with it all on her own. “Just take care of everyone for me, and please get me a good lawyer.” Kate didn’t mention Ned’s name, knowing
that Bubbles had enough evidence to get him arrested, too. Hopefully, he had the good sense to stay out of sight. “I’ll be fine. I promise.”
“I won’t be.” Jon’s grip was tight enough now to cut off circulation. “Let me do this, Kate.”
“I stole those patches so Fairy Godmothers, Inc. would stop hurting you. I’m not about to start doing things differently now.” Throat tightening, Kate touched his face. A love potion couldn’t even begin to duplicate everything she was feeling right now. “I’m not leaving you, Jon. I’m just going to be busy for a little while.”
“We’ll get you out,” Jon vowed, kissing her hand. The desperation hadn’t left his eyes, and Kate suspected her “no jailbreaks” edict was going to be overruled.
“They can try,” Bubbles cut in, sounding so pleased with herself Kate was surprised she wasn’t cackling. “While you were having your little moment, I used my mirror to call the police. And once they have you, rest assured Fairy Godmothers, Inc. will bury you so deeply you’ll never see sunlight again.”
The words snapped something inside Kate. Bubbles had dictated her life for so long, but Kate refused to let the woman think she had the power to touch what really mattered. “You know what? I don’t care.” She turned back to Bubbles, letting go of Jon’s hand and stalking toward the other woman. “I spent my whole career keeping my head down while I tried to do the best I could in a bad situation. Even when the rules weren’t right, I pretended to follow them because what else was I supposed to do? That stupid job was all I had.”
The guards, who had a decent sense of the dramatic, moved aside so Kate could stand almost nose-to-nose with Bubbles. “But people are more important than rules, and I would steal a dragon’s hoard if it would keep these people safe. I would certainly go to jail to keep them safe. If I had to, I would bring the entire company down around your ears to keep them safe.”
Fairy Godmothers, Inc. Page 25
