Lydia was indeed back from the summer manor, for she now sat on Elaina’s old chair, cradling something in both of her hands, a far-off look on her face. Her gown was lovelier than ever, a yellow silk that gathered at each side and was tied off with little ribbons of red. Lydia didn’t look like most of the other girls they had passed earlier on the street, however, excited beyond reason. She only stared at the object in her hands.
The chest in the corner was open, and to Elaina’s great relief she could see the glass slippers still inside. She knew she should grab the slippers and get out, but found herself unable to do so. Instead, she crept up to her cousin and peeked at what Lydia held.
It was one of her seashells. Not one that was precious or worth any amount of money. Elaina had simply kept it because she liked how smooth its spirals were. And yet Lydia stroked it as though it were the clearest gem in the world.
“Lydia! Don’t forget your mask. It’s nearly time to go.”
Elaina jumped when Charlotte called from the hall, but if she made a sound, Lydia didn’t seem to notice. Her cousin simply sighed and laid the shell back in the chest before closing it and leaving the room.
Knowing better than to tarry any longer, Elaina opened the chest again and snatched the shoes out before tucking them in her skirts and climbing back out the window. She could see her feet beginning to return as she reached the ground, and immediately felt guilty when she saw how drops of sweat had begun to run down her mother’s face.
“I’m sorry I took so long, but—”
Her mother held up her hand for silence and picked up her bags. Elaina clutched the shoes and followed her around the garden, through the corn stalks to the stable. Walking around to the back, her mother stopped and glanced around before dropping her bags and disappearing through a little door in the stable wall that Elaina couldn’t even see until it was open. She stared at the little door until her mother reappeared, an impish grin on her face.
“It’s still here, and it’s not even that dusty,” she whispered, beckoning to Elaina to bring the bags. “Climb up with me.”
Elaina coaxed Barker up the narrow steps easily. Dog was another story. But when she finally did reach the top, Elaina was surprised and delighted to find that an entire section of the stable loft had been walled off from the rest of the stables, creating its own little room. A child-sized bed sat in the corner, along with a table and two chairs beneath a single round window. The ceiling was barely high enough for Elaina to stand up in, but all in all, it was far nicer than her attic in the Winters manor had ever been.
“What is this place?” she asked.
“My father had this built for me when I was little.” Her mother grinned, looking around in obvious satisfaction. “It seems the servants still keep it decently tidy and free of mice.”
“They miss you, you know,” Elaina said, putting their bags in the corner. “Even when I was there, they spoke of you often.”
“I pray we shall soon be reunited.” She peered at Elaina. “What took you so long anyway?”
Elaina shook her head and set to unpacking their bags. “Lydia was there. But I got these.” She pulled the shoes from her skirts, where she had rolled them up.
“Where did you get those?”
Her mother looked so shocked that Elaina laughed. “King Everard gave them to me.”
“Of all people . . . But what do they do?” she asked, taking them from Elaina and examining them more closely.
“I’m not sure. Not even King Everard knew. But he said the Maker had wanted me to have them. He got the feeling I would need them one day. And last night, the stars told me to get them.” She took the shoes back and hugged them to her chest. Having them back was like a nod from the Maker himself, a promise that hers wasn’t a hopeless mission after all, painful as it might be. “So what do we do now?”
“We get to work.”
* * *
Her mother slowly circled her, and Elaina did her best not to slouch, despite having to slightly bend her head while standing upright in the small loft.
“Aren’t you coming with me?” she asked hopefully. “Can’t we do this on the way?”
“I wish, my darling, but no.”
Elaina felt her face fall, but her mother smiled and touched her cheek. “As far as the court knows, I’ve been dead for fifteen years. Having me there would bring unwanted attention. Besides,” she reached down to finger Elaina’s threadbare skirt, “I won’t just be keeping you adorned, so to speak. I’ll also be hiding you from others. That way that horrible woman and her daughters won’t recognize you.”
“What about Alastair?”
Her mother tugged on her skirts and pursed her lips thoughtfully. “I cannot say for sure. My disguise will hide you from those who might casually notice, but if someone is looking for you specifically, they might see you after all.” She sighed. “I also didn’t expect to need to hide you from your aunt and cousin. That will complicate things a bit. The more people I need to disguise you from, the thinner your disguise will be from any.”
Elaina nodded glumly. A small ridiculous part of her had considered chancing one dance with Nicholas just to see if he truly had changed. But if there was a chance he might recognize her, a dance was out of the question entirely. Then she remembered something.
“I did hear Aunt Charlotte tell Lydia to get her mask,” she said hopefully. “Wouldn’t that help?”
“It surely will help, but it won’t be enough to protect you from every prying eye. No, I will just have to stay here where I can concentrate without distraction. Now, let’s see about your transportation.”
Elaina stared at her in confusion as her mother walked over to another wall, the one the bed sat against. She felt around the seams in the wood until another compartment revealed itself, and she pried a second door open. She motioned to Elaina, and Elaina joined her at the little door as they peeked down upon the animals below.
“Oh, thank the Maker,” her mother breathed. “The main carriage has gone. That means Charlotte and Lydia are already on their way.” She climbed out into the open loft, which was filled with bales of hay.
“Where did you learn to do all of this?” Elaina asked as she followed.
“You would be amazed at how creative one gets when one isn’t living as a noble. Now then, I think this shall do nicely.”
Elaina laughed when she saw the pathetic object her mother was looking at. “Aunt would die of shame if she knew I was taking this to the palace. Paolo uses it for garden work, particularly for gathering pumpkins.”
“It won’t look like a pumpkin cart when I’m through with it.” Elaina’s mother pushed up her sleeves and pulled out her wand. “Close the stable doors so no one sees us.”
Elaina hurried to obey, but when she turned around, she couldn’t believe her eyes. The sun-bleached hay cart was popping and crackling as it swelled into the most elegant coach she had ever seen. The orange stains that had painted its insides were no longer blotchy but had colored the entire coach the subtlest shade of peach. Pearls vertically lined the ridges that had formerly been wooden planks, and the entire coach rounded out so it wasn’t rectangular in the slightest.
“Mother!” she exclaimed, creeping forward to touch it. “How did you even imagine all of this?”
Her mother gazed at her masterpiece. “Your father used to say that I saw the world with a purple sky, blue grass, and a pink sun. I daresay he was right. I suppose my gift only made sense with a mind like mine. But now we need to finish your escort. Let’s see. We’ll need a coachman, footman, and at least four horses.” She looked around, tapping her chin with her finger as she thought. Just then, the goat let out a bleat.
With two flicks of her wrist, the dog and goat had lost their tails and fur. Instead, each sported a handsome uniform of bronze over his fully human figure. Without prompting, as soon as they were steady on their two legs, each immediately took his place on the coach.
“We need some horses. Any ideas?�
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“I . . . I think some dormice used to live in the tree just outside the stable,” Elaina said, still staring in awe at the two men before them who acted as if nothing were amiss.
Without answering, her mother slipped outside and was back in less than a minute. In her hands, she held four fat rodents. With four little jabs of the wand, each dormouse lost its fine, soft fur and began to whinny as it pawed anxiously at the ground.
Elaina walked around them as if in a daze. When she turned back to her mother, she found herself being studied with a thoughtful frown.
“You can’t mean there’s more.”
“Well, I can’t have you going to the ball dressed like that. I should have found a way to hem at least one of my gowns before we left.” Her mother grimaced. “Spin.”
Unable to come up with more questions, Elaina simply obeyed. As she slowly turned, she felt the icy breeze start at the top of her head and make its way down her shoulders, chest, stomach, and legs. When she opened her eyes, she looked down to find herself swathed in a sea of pearl pink silk and lace.
“There,” her mother panted. “All done. There’s an old mirror that should be hanging on the back door of the stable. My father’s stable hand always used it to keep an eye on the front doors when he was busy in the back. Go look and tell me what you think.”
Elaina turned and made her way to the dusty old mirror, walking on her toes so the fine skirt wouldn’t be dragged through the dirt. She disliked the sensation of having dirty feet while wearing such a glamorous gown. But when she reached the mirror, all thoughts of disdain dissipated in a cloud of awe.
The gown was not only the color of a rare pink pearl, but where the bodice met the skirt was lined with dozens of actual little pink pearls. Little bits of sea glass had been woven into the bodice in crisscrosses and swirls, and when she moved at all, the whole gown shimmered in the light. Its thin shoulders hung off her own, and a delicate pearl necklace adorned her neck with a single white gem the size of a small seashell. Her hair had been pulled up on top of her head into an intricate braid, also woven with strings of pearls. Little white gems shaped like the one on her necklace hung from her ears. The most lovely and reassuring part of the whole ensemble, however, was the delicate pearl-edged mask that was perched securely on the top of her nose.
“There are only two things missing.”
Elaina turned around to see her mother holding the glass slippers.
“Do you know how long I’ve yearned to do this?” her mother asked, her voice catching at the end, brown eyes shining in the light of the stable’s torches. “All my life, I’ve wanted to give my little girl the gown she deserved. And now the Maker’s given me the chance. If I died today, I would be satisfied.”
Elaina ran into her mother’s arms and held her as tightly as she could. All too soon, however, her mother pushed her away. Kneeling down, she held out the shoes so Elaina could slip her feet inside.
As soon as she touched the glass, Elaina’s breath caught and her heart beat faster. Power, like a tidal wave, washed over her entire body, encasing her like a shell that encompassed her every move. King Everard had been right. Whatever it was that they could do, these slippers were not to be used lightly.
“I don’t know what to say.” Elaina smiled as she tried to find her voice, looking down once again at everything that had appeared out of thin air.
“You don’t need to say anything.” Her mother pulled her in for a kiss. “Just stay safe, do your job . . . and try to have some fun. Did the stars tell you yet what it is that you need to find?”
Elaina nodded and did her best to smile, but felt her spirits sink as her new footman handed her up into the coach. She didn’t dare tell her mother what it was that the stars had sent her to look for. She didn’t want to frighten her.
52
A Ball of Glimmers
Elaina struggled to don the cool mask of repose she had practiced so often on her ship. But as she stepped out of the coach, the memories came flooding back. Most poignant was Sophia’s wedding and the dream that had almost been. The realization that Elaina was later than she’d thought only made her rush of emotions stronger.
She didn’t have long to linger in the memories of what should have been, however, for the guards were opening the doors as she approached the top of the steps. Her heart skipped a beat as one of them leaned down. Would he recognize her? Was her mask too small?
It only turned out to be a bow, however, and Elaina breathed a sigh of relief as she continued on through the grand entrance unaccosted.
The pathway that led toward the ballroom was easily marked, but Elaina had no plans to follow it. Feigning a cough as a servant walked by, she stepped deftly off the long blue carpet and into the shadows. Then she waited until the servant was distracted, which didn’t take long, and took off down a darkened hall until she found the door she had been looking for.
For the first time in a long time, Elaina was thankful for all of the walks she and Nicholas had taken during his longer lessons when Master Dustin had fallen asleep, for it was during one such walk that he had shown her the secret servants’ entrance to the highest balustrade overlooking the ballroom.
“They use this particular balcony to watch the guests and make sure nothing is amiss,” he’d said as he’d opened the secret door. “It’s so high that few actually notice it from below.” Now Elaina prayed that would be the case as she crept through the darkened hallway and cautiously opened the balcony door.
The stars had said to find the Dagger of Power, whatever that was. It was in the palace, they had said, but where it would be when she arrived, they didn’t know. And though Elaina might have gone mad trying to imagine all the places a dagger might be hidden in the sprawling palace, she had a sneaking suspicion that Alastair would know exactly where to find it. She was also fairly sure that Alastair would have his sticky paws on all the goings-on at the ball.
The height nearly made her dizzy. She was higher than even her old crow’s nest had been. Elaina gripped the edges of the banister for good measure as she gazed down. Hundreds, possibly over a thousand people mingled below. Her stomach tightened as she scanned the crowd for the familiar figures of Alastair, the Winters family, and her aunt and cousin. There were too many people, though, and Elaina couldn’t identify a single one. Disappointment set in. She would have to mingle in order to find the spy. As she was turning back to the door, however, another familiar figure caught her eye.
Elaina’s breath left her as she stared down at Nicholas. The military uniform he wore, white with blue trim and dark trousers, made his shoulders look noticeably wider than they had before. A silver rope hung from his shoulder, and various military awards decorated his chest. And though she couldn’t see the details of his face, the silver circlet on his brow made him look much older than the boy she remembered.
Elaina knew that she should go, but she couldn’t tear herself away from looking at him. And despite the self-loathing she harbored for simply admitting it, a small but desperate piece of her heart longed for what she knew she couldn’t have.
Maybe you don’t have to avoid him after all. Perhaps he could help, a small voice inside her whispered. And for one brief moment, she considered it.
But no. This was her mission. Her responsibility. If the Maker had wanted him involved, the stars would have told her. And as it stood, she was already breaking the law by being back in the kingdom without his permission. Besides, once she had laid eyes on the prince, Alastair’s form was easy to spot where it hovered nearby. As long as her mother’s disguise held, she might be able to talk him into giving something away. She didn’t need to talk to Nicholas at all.
But as she turned back to the door, a hush came over the crowd. Too late, Elaina realized that one by one, they were all staring up at her.
* * *
Many pointed, and the murmurs began to buzz where loud, lighthearted laughter had dominated before.
A glimmer at the bottom of her
vision caught her eye, and Elaina looked down to see her gown shimmering as though her mother had embedded not pearls but the stars themselves into the material.
She would have to have a word with her mother about knowing when too much was too much. Too much attention. Too many people. And too much Nicholas. For as she gazed down, she briefly locked eyes with the prince.
Elaina bolted back through the servants’ door. Without waiting to see whether someone came for her, she ducked into another door in the servants’ hallway, nearly stumbling down a flight of stairs. But her glass slippers were surprisingly sturdy, and she somehow made it to the bottom in one piece.
After a long journey through a winding maze of servants’ halls, more staircases, and an extensive walk through the kitchens, Elaina finally found a side door that opened up to the ballroom. Thanking the Maker, she slipped in quietly and hid behind the throng of proud parents and ambitious, hopeful girls fluttering their fans nervously at the edge of the dance floor.
Elaina decided to use them as a shield to search for Alastair, but as she did, a whiff of raspberry pastry caught her attention. Only then did she realize how ravenously hungry she was. After all, it wouldn’t hurt to get a bite to eat while she looked. Sliding over to one of the dozens of refreshment tables, she began to fill one of the small plates set out when someone bumped her from the side.
Elaina turned to apologize but froze when she found herself face-to-face with Matilda.
“I beg your pardon,” Matilda said in a silky voice. “I didn’t see—” When she made eye contact with Elaina, however, she stopped. Her brow faintly creased, and Elaina waited for the onslaught of foul words that were sure to begin. To her surprise, however, they didn’t. Matilda only tilted her head a bit and then dropped a quick curtsy. “I didn’t see you, my lady.”
Cinders, Stars, and Glass Slippers: A Retelling of Cinderella Page 36
