The Magic Princess Dress

by Gwyneth Rees

  ‘A sister!’ Ava still couldn’t believe it.

  ‘We don’t always get on very well,’ Dad added drily.

  ‘Where does she live? When can I meet her?’ Ava asked breathlessly.

  Dad was giving her a very sober look now, as if she was being incredibly stupid.

  And that’s when it dawned on her. ‘You don’t mean . . . you can’t mean . . . ? Dad, is Marietta your sister?’

  9

  ‘Marietta and I both grew up in that little corner house,’ Dad explained. ‘It was Marietta’s idea to turn it into a shop after our parents left.’

  Ava stared at him in amazement. ‘You mean, I had an aunt all this time and I didn’t even know!’ she blurted out.

  Her father looked apologetic. ‘I didn’t want you to find out about the magic portals, and I knew that if I let you meet Marietta she’d see to it that you did. She was meant to be going away for the whole of this summer – the shop was to be closed for a while – but at the last minute she changed her plans. Of course as soon as she heard you were coming she got all excited. I suppose I should have expected that she’d make herself known to you somehow.’ He scowled. ‘She won’t admit it, but I’m sure she deliberately used Cindy to lure you into the shop.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ Ava was confused.

  ‘Marietta happened to phone me on the day Cindy went missing so I mentioned to her that we were searching for your cat. She was very interested – asking me exactly what Cindy looked like – and I told her about the white patch on her front paw and that little nick she’s got on her right ear. I asked Marietta to keep an eye out for her and to give me a ring if she saw her. Anyway, I think Marietta did more than just keep an eye out. I think she went and hunted high and low for Cindy until she found her. But instead of letting me know, she took her back to the shop and put that notice on the door to tempt you inside.’

  Ava frowned. ‘But how could she guess I’d walk past her shop and actually see the notice? I mean, you might have walked by and seen it first!’

  ‘Oh, she knows I don’t go near her shop when you’re staying with me. And she also knows your instincts would soon take you in that direction. The portals are a bit like magnets to people who can travel through them. We sort of get drawn towards them without even being aware of it. You’ve been sensitive to the magic in the portals ever since you were tiny, Ava – that’s why I’ve always known that the travelling gift has been passed on to you. I don’t think you realize the number of times you’ve started to walk towards Marietta’s shop when you’ve visited me before – and I’ve always steered you off along another route.’

  ‘Really?’ Ava was surprised – and a little bit thrilled at the thought of being drawn towards the magic portals like that. Then she thought about her cat and frowned again. ‘But it’s not fair of Marietta to use Cindy in that way.’

  ‘I know,’ Dad said.

  ‘And then she let her disappear through a magic mirror!’ Ava exclaimed indignantly.

  Her dad nodded grimly. ‘That was very irresponsible. I’m sure she didn’t mean that to happen.’

  Ava sat very still as she let everything sink in.

  ‘Ava, I know you think I haven’t been around for you very much up till now,’ her dad said, sounding a little uncomfortable. ‘But my priority has always been for you to have what I didn’t have – a normal childhood.’

  Ava thought about all the times she had worried that it was her fault that her dad didn’t want to see her more often.

  ‘You could have come to visit me more,’ she said in a small voice. ‘Or taken me away for a holiday somewhere. Then I wouldn’t have had to come anywhere near Marietta’s shop.’

  ‘I’m sorry, Ava,’ Dad said sombrely. ‘I guess I was just afraid that the more time you spent with me the more chance there was that you’d find out my secret. It’s very difficult to keep a thing like this from people you’re close to.’

  ‘So you thought it was safer if we weren’t close?’ Ava said.

  Dad met her gaze as he replied, ‘Yes, I suppose I did.’

  ‘So how come you let me stay with you for such a long time this summer?’ Ava asked quietly.

  Dad sighed. ‘If I’m honest, I was worried about it at first, but since Marietta was meant to be going away I thought it would be all right, so long as I was careful about what you saw while you were here. I didn’t mean to leave those books on magic lying about, for one thing. By the time Marietta told me she had changed her plans, it was too late to stop you coming.’

  Ava had a sudden thought. ‘Does Mum know about Marietta?’

  Dad shook his head. ‘It was easier not to introduce them. Marietta thought I was a fool to marry your mum. She said the two of us could never be happy because of all the secret-keeping. The worst thing is that she was right.’

  ‘But why couldn’t you tell Mum?’ Ava asked. ‘She might have understood.’

  ‘Would you have understood a thing like that? Would you have even believed it was possible before you experienced it for yourself ?’

  ‘I suppose if I actually saw a person disappearing through a mirror in front of me . . .’ Ava murmured.

  ‘You’d assume it was a magician’s trick,’ Dad said. ‘Think about it, Ava. If a bright light forced you to close your eyes and then, when you opened them again, the person who’d been in front of you was gone, what would you think had happened? Would you think they had been transported through a magic mirror or would you assume a trick had been played on you?’

  Ava was beginning to see his point. ‘A trick,’ she admitted.

  ‘Exactly – and you wouldn’t rest until you found out how it had been done. Only you never would find out . . .’

  Both Ava and her dad were silent for a few moments, thinking about Ava’s mother. Then Ava said, ‘But now that I’ve found out, Dad – and now that I’ve travelled through a portal myself – I have to go back to Cinderella-land.’

  ‘That’s where you were?’

  ‘Yes. And I have to go back there to find Cindy.’

  Her dad looked solemn. ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea. Fairytale land isn’t as safe as you think, Ava. There are plenty of baddies in fairytales – and they are usually very bad indeed. Think of the wicked witch in the story of Hansel and Gretel – or the evil queen who poisoned Snow White!’

  ‘But the two ugly sisters are the baddies in Cinderella-land.’ Ava told him. ‘And although they did seem really horrible when I met them, I’m sure it will be easy enough to keep out of their way.’

  Her father looked at her sharply. ‘You’ve met the ugly sisters already?’

  Ava nodded. ‘I think they must be staying in the palace for Cinderella’s wedding.’ She frowned because there was something that was puzzling her about Astrid and Ermentrude. ‘Dad, why does everyone call them the ugly sisters? I mean, they’re not all that ugly.’

  ‘The description isn’t to do with their appearance,’ her father explained. ‘They are called that because they have very little beauty or goodness inside them. And they are extremely ugly on the inside, believe me, judging by some of their past actions.’

  ‘Like when they shut Cinderella in the cellar, you mean?’ Ava said.

  ‘That . . . and . . . well . . . it’s never been proven, but apparently many people in fairytale land don’t believe that the death of Cinderella’s father was an accident.’

  ‘What? You mean they think the ugly sisters killed him?’ Ava asked, wide-eyed. In her fairytale book there had been no details given of exactly how Cinderella’s father had died, she remembered.

  ‘So I’m told. I haven’t been to fairytale land myself for a long time, but Marietta heard that he fell down the cellar steps and broke his neck one day while the ugly sisters just happened to be alone in the house with him. They claimed to have nothing to do with it of course, and Cinderella believed them because Cinderella always believes the best about people.’ He shook his head a little impatiently. ‘I know she
can’t help the nature she’s been given, but sometimes I think Cinderella has too much goodness inside her. I mean, why on earth would she invite her stepsisters to the wedding?’

  ‘I guess she must be very forgiving,’ Ava said.

  ‘Too forgiving, if you ask me,’ her dad grunted. ‘Like I said before, none of the rumours have ever been proven – but if anyone should go back to fairytale land to fetch Cindy, it should be Marietta or myself, not you.’

  ‘No, Dad. I have to be the one to go,’ Ava insisted. ‘It’s not just to fetch Cindy. There’s a girl there whom I promised to help too! Don’t worry – I’ll be really careful to stay away from the ugly sisters. They’re scared of me now, in any case, because they think I’m a ghost!’

  ‘A ghost?’ Ava’s dad was clearly about to ask more, when the phone started ringing.

  He quickly went to answer it. ‘Hello, Marietta . . . Yes, I’ve told her . . .’ There was a long pause while he listened. ‘What? . . . Are you sure? . . . OK, OK, just keep her there. I’ll be right over . . .’

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Ava asked when he came off the phone.

  ‘Marietta has a visitor in her shop,’ he said, frowning.

  ‘What visitor?’ Ava asked curiously.

  ‘A nanny whom I met on my last visit to Victorian London. She’s a travelling person like us and she must have been watching the last time I came back through the portal because she followed me through it. And now that she’s discovered it, the daft woman seems to think she can come and go as she pleases.’

  ‘But why shouldn’t she – if she has the gift too?’ Ava asked, puzzled.

  ‘Because for her, this is the future. And it is forbidden for any of us to visit the future.’

  ‘Really? Why?’

  ‘It’s complicated. All you have to know for now is that it’s against our laws, Ava. Even when we travel back in time, we have to be careful not to give too much away about where we come from. If this nanny gets discovered here, Marietta’s shop might be closed down.’

  ‘That sounds serious.’

  ‘It is – which is why I have to go there at once.’

  ‘Can I come too?’ Ava asked, excited at the prospect of getting to meet a real nanny from Victorian times.

  But her father shook his head. ‘The less contact the nanny has with people here, the better.’

  ‘You can’t just leave me in the house on my own,’ Ava pointed out, a little sulkily.

  ‘Fine. You can come with me to the shop, but you’ll have to wait for me in the front room while Marietta and I sort this out.’

  Marietta gave Ava an excited hug when she greeted her at the door, clearly delighted that she could now be open about the fact that Ava was her niece. Ava found it difficult to suddenly think of Marietta as her aunt – but she guessed maybe that would come in time. After all, she had only just learned about Marietta, whereas Marietta had known about her ever since she’d been born.

  ‘Wait here, Ava,’ Dad said, pointing to a small, uncomfortable-looking chair in the dreary front section of the shop. ‘Hopefully this won’t take too long.’ He turned to Marietta and asked, ‘Where is she?’

  ‘Follow me.’

  After they had both disappeared through the beaded curtain, Ava got up and went to peer through it herself. They weren’t in the fairytale room on the other side, so Ava could only assume Marietta had taken Dad to a room even further back inside the shop.

  Ava quickly pushed through the curtain and went to look for a dress for Tilly. It would have been better if she could have asked Marietta’s permission before borrowing another dress, but she couldn’t do that without alerting Dad. Besides, she had a feeling Marietta would approve of what she was doing in any case.

  After several minutes of trying to make up her mind, Ava pulled out the four dresses that looked like they would fit Tilly the best. One was yellow with cream bows, one was pale blue with a lacy bodice, one was pink and quite frilly, and the fourth was cream with silk violets embroidered on to the skirt and a simple bodice that laced up at the back with violet ribbon.

  This is the prettiest, Ava thought, slipping the cream and violet one from its hanger.

  She then had to choose a dress for herself, and her eye caught a child’s ball gown that was remarkably like one that she had for her Princess Barbie doll at home. It had a long red skirt with a stiff red petticoat underneath, which made the skirt stick out without having to wear any hoops. The simple red bodice had a pretty heart-shaped neckline and was attractively decorated with shimmering gold beads.

  Excited, Ava quickly found a pair of shoes to match each dress, before disappearing into the changing cubicle. Hopefully the Victorian nanny would keep Marietta and her dad occupied long enough for her to change without being discovered. She felt slightly guilty about disobeying Dad like this – but only slightly. He didn’t always know what was best for her, she decided. It was her job to rescue Cindy and help Tilly – and besides that, Ava desperately wanted to go to the ball tonight and see Cinderella!

  Once she was ready – and she was delighted with how glamorous she looked in her new dress – she hurried up the spiral staircase and found to her relief that the music box was exactly where she had left it. Holding on tightly to Tilly’s shoes, and with the cream and violet dress draped carefully over her arm, Ava opened the lid of the box.

  Would the ball gown she was now wearing transport her through the mirror in the music box, just as the bridesmaid’s dress had done? It came from Marietta’s fairytale collection too, so surely it should. But would it matter that she was carrying with her an extra fairytale dress? Unfortunately Ava just didn’t yet know all the rules when it came to travelling through the portals – and there was nobody she could ask.

  Feeling nervous, she looked into the mirror, holding her breath as she waited for the magic reaction to start up. There was nothing left to do now but take a chance . . . and keep her fingers crossed that nothing would go wrong.

  As soon as Ava arrived back in the palace music room she heaved a huge sigh of relief. Her new red ball gown had made the magic happen just as well as the bridesmaid’s dress had done – and Tilly’s dress and shoes had also passed through the portal unharmed. But she decided that it was best to play it safe from now on, by keeping the music box in her possession. That way she knew she could return home through the portal at any time she chose.

  The clock on the wall told her that it was nearly half past six already, which meant that if she was to get Tilly’s outfit to her in time for the competition she would have to hurry.

  ‘Look who it is!’ a snide voice exclaimed as she stepped out of the music room into the corridor.

  Ava froze as she found herself face to face with Astrid and Ermentrude.

  Unfortunately they no longer looked frightened of her.

  ‘She doesn’t look much like a ghost now, does she, Ermentude?’ the blonde-haired sister sneered.

  ‘No,’ the dark one snapped. ‘It was obviously some sort of trick.’ She glared menacingly at Ava. ‘And now we’re going to make you tell us how you did it!’

  Astrid suddenly spotted the music box, half concealed by Tilly’s dress. ‘What’s that?’ she snarled, reaching out and grabbing the box before Ava could stop her. ‘Look, Ermentrude! She’s clearly a thief!’

  ‘I was only borrowing it!’ Ava protested. ‘Please give it back!’

  Ermentrude laughed nastily. ‘Let me see the box, Astrid. Is it valuable?’

  ‘I don’t know, but I’m keeping it! It will look perfect on my dressing table!’ Astrid grinned slyly at Ava. ‘If anyone notices it’s missing we’ll tell them you stole it! After all, you’ll be too scared to tell them anything by the time we’ve finished with you!’

  Ava started to feel frightened, but fortunately at that moment Ermentrude made a grab for the box herself, snarling, ‘You’re not keeping it, Astrid. I’m the older sister so I should have it!’

  Ava seized her chance to escape while they were
still bickering. She lifted up the long skirt of her gown and rushed as fast as she could away from them.

  ‘After her!’ Astrid yelled at once – but the ugly sisters weren’t very quick on their feet and Ava soon managed to outrun them.

  She headed for the sewing room, trying not to let the feelings of panic overwhelm her. The ugly sisters had the music box! And for as long as they had it she wouldn’t be able to return home again! She had to think of a way of getting it back from them – but what if she couldn’t? Did that mean she would be stuck in fairytale land forever?

  ‘Princess Ava!’ Tilly exclaimed in surprise, starting to curtsy as she opened the sewing-room door to Ava. ‘Are you all right? You look as though you’ve just had an awful shock.’

  Ava’s stomach was churning as she thought about the music box, but she couldn’t explain that to Tilly. ‘I’m fine,’ she said, doing her best to sound normal. ‘I found you another dress to wear. Look.’

  Tilly looked uncertain as Ava held up the cream and violet ball gown to show her. ‘It’s lovely, Your Highness, but I don’t know. I’ve been thinking about it. Wouldn’t it be cheating to enter a dress into the competition that isn’t my own creation?’

  Ava supposed that it probably was cheating. But after her most recent encounter with the ugly sisters – who were almost certainly the ones who had stolen Tilly’s original dress – she felt determined that they shouldn’t get to ruin everything.

  ‘Oh, but it’s only fair that you get to go to the ball after all your hard work,’ she insisted.

  Tilly was slowly inspecting the gown. ‘I would really love to go to the ball,’ she said. ‘And I suppose it can’t do any harm to wear this dress tonight if it fits me, since I’m sure it won’t actually win.’ She flushed as she added quickly, ‘It’s really pretty – but I’m sure the winning dress has got to be a bit different from normal dresses – more original, if you see what I mean. Don’t you think so, Dinah?’