Disdain: A Cinderella Retelling (Tales of Cinder Book 2)

by M. J. Haag

  I did my best to look suitably chastised as Maeve turned and left the room with Kellen in tow. On the inside, grief shredded me, and I wondered if I would ever see her again.

  “Here are the buckets, miss,” Heather said. “Put the cold ash in the empty one and use the other to wash away the soot.”

  I worked for hours cleaning the stone around the fire. Each time the water dirtied, one of the two maids would empty it and return with fresh water. When I finished, my arms ached from scrubbing, but the hearth looked as clean as I’d ever seen it. I, however, had never been filthier.

  Without a word, Catherine hauled out the tub and started filling it with water.

  Chapter Three

  “Hugh!” Maeve’s yell echoed throughout the house.

  I bolted upright from my place beside the hearth and looked at Heather and Catherine who were already quietly cooking the morning meal.

  “What’s happened?” I asked groggily.

  “I don’t know, miss,” Catherine said, wiping her hands and rushing from the room.

  While Catherine was unsure, I had no doubt what had caused Maeve’s yell. Kellen had escaped. My heart pounded with excitement, hope, and fear.

  After dinner last night, Kellen had helped me comb and braid my hair. With Maeve’s permission, she’d also made me an extra strong batch of tea to help me sleep through the night. I’d known why Kellen had wanted me to sleep soundly and had thanked my sister. However, while Kellen hoped the tea would spare me, I knew the tea wouldn’t stop what was to come.

  “Are you hungry, miss?” Heather asked. “We have oats ready.”

  “Thank you, Heather. I think I’ll use the chamber pot first.”

  I managed to empty my bladder and wash before Maeve entered the kitchen, Catherine in tow.

  “Where is she?” Maeve asked.

  I frowned and glanced at Catherine as if confused.

  “Your sister,” Catherine said.

  Maeve reached out and slapped the woman.

  “She knows very well of whom I speak. Keep your mouth closed unless I tell you to open it. Go fetch Hugh.”

  Catherine nodded and scurried for the outer door.

  “I don’t know where Kellen is,” I said before Maeve could ask again.

  Maeve stalked forward, anger lighting her gaze. I could feel the crackle of power that surrounded her.

  “Do not lie to me, child. Every word you speak to me will be the truth.”

  The amulet at her neck glowed and an unnatural warmth wrapped around me, squeezing my skin before seeping inside.

  “Now, where is your sister?” Maeve asked again.

  The power wormed through me, nesting in my throat and coating my tongue.

  “I don’t know,” I answered, relieved Kellen and I hadn’t discussed where she would go.

  Maeve’s eyes narrowed.

  “You knew she was going to run.”

  I remained silent.

  “Tell me everything you told her yesterday.”

  “I told her I was all right.”

  “Omission is a lie,” Maeve said, and her power surged again.

  I was compelled to speak but still chose my own words.

  “I told her to run. That you were using her to control me.”

  The kitchen door opened, and Hugh walked in, Catherine close at his heels. He didn’t seem to notice. His gaze locked on Maeve and never wavered.

  “I want you to hurt Eloise,” she said. “And continue hurting her until she tells me everything.”

  Before I could say I had told her everything, Hugh pivoted and hit me. Pain exploded in my face, knocking me back. Robbed of breath from the first blow, I couldn’t even make a sound when his foot connected with my already bruised thigh.

  My mouth opened in silent agony. Hugh rained down blow after blow—arms, legs, ribs—showing me that I’d barely scraped the level of hell to which my life could descend with my first beating. However, unlike the first time, I remained conscious.

  When he stopped, panting from his exertion, I lay limply on the floor. My pulse throbbed through my body, and I struggled to think beyond the agony I felt.

  “Tell me everything,” Maeve said softly. “What did you say?”

  I coughed a laugh, too hurt to care that such a move might provoke her or that it sent another wave of pain through me.

  “I said nothing. I wrote in the soot.” It hurt to form those simple words with my bruised lips. “Told her to run. You control me through her.” I shifted my gaze to look at Maeve, a slow smile curving my lips despite the pain. “Wise to chain me.”

  Rage filled Maeve’s eyes. Her face flushed, and her hands fisted as she stared at me.

  “Shall I hurt her more, Maeve?” Hugh asked.

  Unconsciousness would be a blessing. Instead, she exhaled slowly and regained control.

  “No. Our Eloise has nothing more to tell us. Go to town and find the best tracker you can. Bring him here quickly. Do not disappoint me, Hugh.”

  Hugh nodded and left.

  “Look after Eloise,” Maeve said. “If any ill fate claims her because of her punishment, the same will befall you.”

  As soon as she swept out of the room, Catherine and Heather both moved with speed. Heather ran outside, and Catherine grabbed the tub. I closed my eyes and drifted for a bit until strong arms gripped me.

  “This will hurt, miss,” Catherine said.

  Suddenly I was lowered into a frigid bath. I groaned weakly and tried to lift myself out.

  “Not yet, miss,” Heather said. “Take a breath and go under. Let the water ease your pain.”

  I blinked at her, wondering if she was encouraging me to drown myself.

  “Big breath,” Catherine said.

  I only had a moment to breathe shallowly before she pushed me under. The cold water soothed my throbbing face. Submerged, I realized most of my aches were benefiting from the treatment.

  Hands tugged at me, and I emerged from the water gasping.

  “Another big breath,” Catherine said a moment before she eased me back under.

  My vision swirled as I looked up from the water. Flames danced with shadows and faces above me. It was quiet and peaceful where I was, and I tiredly wished I could stay. The cold welcomed me, and the small inhale I’d taken escaped on a sigh.

  They pulled me up quickly, and I feebly inhaled. Closing my eyes, I waited for whatever would come next, no longer caring.

  “She can’t rest on the stone,” one of the pair said.

  “I’ll fetch my mattress,” the other said.

  Arms pulled me from the tub and back onto the floor. Each move sent more waves of pain through me, but I began to feel disconnected from it. Darkness bled through my vision, closing around me in a comforting embrace of nothingness. I welcomed it.

  A pungent smell pierced my nose and jerked me back into awareness.

  “You cannot sleep, Eloise,” a voice said. “I know you’re tired, but you must focus.”

  I blinked, unsure if I wanted to do what was asked of me. The beat of my heart echoed in my swollen face, aching arms, and bruised legs. Focusing meant acknowledging there wasn’t a part of my body that didn’t hurt.

  “Think of your sister,” another voice said softly. “She needs you.”

  The image of Kellen’s face swam in my mind. My promise never to leave her had me trying to look around. The fire. The tub. Catherine and Heather’s worried expressions as they hovered over me. I remembered it all.

  “Yes,” I said. “Kellen.”

  “That’s a good girl,” Heather said. “We need to sit you up and fill you with some tea. It’s something I made. It will keep you awake and help with the pain.”

  I gave the barest nod, wincing with the movement.

  Heather slid her arm under my shoulders, leveraging me up as Catherine pressed a cup to my lips. I drank everything, each swallow more painful than the last. My stomach wanted to rebel, and I clasped Heather’s arm when she would have lowered me. She
moved behind me, letting me rest against her, and smoothed her hand over the top of my head.

  “Fate can be fickle and cruel,” she said softly. “But it’s up to you whether to fight or accept what it hands you.”

  I thought of what it had handed me. Death. Brutality. Captivity. I refused to accept that would be the remainder of my life. Kellen had escaped. She would come for me and I needed to be ready.

  “I’ll fight,” I said raggedly.

  Catherine watched me from her place on the stool. I could see the fear in her eyes that I wouldn’t have the strength to continue to live. Fear that she and Heather would be doomed to a fate similar to mine.

  “Run,” I said. “Like Kellen. Before you die.”

  Catherine looked at Heather. Heather’s hand stilled on my head for only a moment before continuing.

  “We’ve been in positions like this before, with clients who liked to hurt us. It will pass,” Heather said softly.

  I reached up and gripped her arm.

  “It won’t.”

  “It will. Kellen won’t leave you here. She’ll bring help,” Catherine said. “We’ll be fine until then.”

  I closed my eyes and sighed. My insides tingled oddly, and I realized some of the pain was fading. It made breathing easier.

  “Feeling better?” Heather asked.

  “Yes.” The fire was warming my feet, but I shivered lightly in my wet shift. “Can I have dry clothes?”

  “Not yet. You need to go back into the cold bath again. It will help the bruising and the pain. Ready to sit up?”

  The bath was more shocking the second time. I shivered in the water and dunked down when told. When I reemerged, Heather had a towel waiting for me. I rubbed away what moisture I could and sat on the stool, wincing as the wood pressed against the bruised backs of my legs.

  Catherine stood behind me, combing through my hair with gentle strokes.

  Before my hair fully dried, the thunder of horse hooves rang out in the yard. Catherine and Heather, who had started fixing the midday meal, halted. It wasn’t until that moment that I recalled Hugh had gone to town for a tracker. I thought of my sister and her inability to recognize an animal print in the dirt. Would she know to walk on firm ground? Would she know not to break branches? I frowned further, wondering if she would know to disguise herself while in town.

  We listened to Hugh call out in the main entry.

  “Continue cooking,” I said to Heather and Catherine. “Whatever happens, Maeve will still expect a meal.”

  They started moving again but continued casting nervous glances at the door separating the kitchen from the dining room.

  We didn’t have to wait long before Maeve swept in with a man following her. He was large and well-muscled, his skin weathered from the outdoors. The dirty cap sat askew on his head with deep-brown unwashed hair poking out haphazardly.

  His dark eyes swept over the room, barely hesitating on me or the manacle chaining me to the fireplace. The corners of his mouth turned down slightly though, and that gave me hope. Perhaps he would—

  “This is Kellen’s sister, Eloise,” Maeve said. “When you find Kellen, be sure to describe in detail how Eloise appears now.”

  “Do you know where the girl might be headed?” the man asked, killing my hope.

  Maeve glanced at me before shaking her head. Hugh, who’d entered behind the man, stepped forward.

  “I suspect she will go to town. They know nothing else but this estate and Towdown.”

  Hugh’s betrayal hurt even though I knew his willingness to help Maeve was due to a spell.

  “We need Kellen found quickly and returned,” Maeve said.

  “There are many places to hide in Towdown,” the tracker said.

  “I have the means to help you find her.” She withdrew a ribbon from her pocket. The vibrant red color was unmistakable. Kellen’s ribbon.

  “Heather, empty one of the spice boxes.”

  Heather turned to the shelves beyond the block and plucked a large spice box from the shelf. It held one of the more common herbs from our garden, which she dumped onto the block.

  I watched Heather hand the small chest to Maeve and wondered what Maeve meant to do. The amulet around her neck began to glow as she opened the box and placed the ribbon inside.

  “Treasure divided. Treasure made whole. Let what’s lost be found. Let what’s taken be returned.”

  A hum filled the air, and the wooden box began to pulse with a faint light. The glow from the necklace grew brighter with each word.

  “If you should lose Kellen’s trail, hold the box in your hands and command it to show you the way to Kellen. Its magic will guide you but at a cost. Each time you use it, you will age a year.”

  His gaze flicked to the box, but there was no fear, only curiosity.

  “It shouldn’t take me long then. I’ll return with her soon.”

  “You will be rewarded if you do,” she said. “But before returning, check the ribbon in the box. If the ribbon is whole, bring the girl to me alive.”

  “Unharmed?” he asked.

  Maeve’s gaze flicked to me.

  “A few bruises will not concern me.”

  The man nodded his understanding.

  “And if the ribbon does not stay whole?” he asked.

  Maeve’s lips curled into a smile that made my insides shiver.

  “If the ribbon withers and fades into dust, cut the girl’s heart out of her breast and place it in the box. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, My Lady.”

  He bowed his head and left the room. Maeve looked at Hugh.

  “Go back into town and extend an invitation to my partners. Let them know they can bring a friend if they so choose.” Hugh nodded and quietly let himself out.

  Maeve came to me, bending down so we were level. The pendant swung freely, now a dull green.

  “I control whether the ribbon remains whole or turns to dust. If you cause trouble, the tracker will kill your sister. Do you understand, Eloise?”

  I nodded, and the manacle around my wrist fell free.

  “Help Heather and Catherine in the kitchen. If the meal is not ready on time, they will suffer the next beating. Do you understand, Eloise?” she repeated.

  My loathing for the woman deepened.

  “And do you know what will happen if you try to run?” she said softly.

  “I will kill them all slowly, draining them of life as the blood leaves their bodies from a thousand small cuts. And when I find you again, you will bathe in it.”

  Unable to help myself, I shivered because I believed every word.

  “I understand,” I said, my voice rough.

  “Good. And hope, for the sake of all the innocent people of Towdown, that Kellen hasn’t done something to cause me ill fortune.” She straightened and looked at the maids. “You can thank Kellen and Eloise for tonight’s gathering and the power I need to replenish. Prepare the meal for fifteen guests,” she said before sweeping out of the room.

  I looked at Catherine and Heather in horror, understanding what Kellen and I had condemned them to. They shared a look, and Catherine sighed.

  “I’m so sorry,” I rasped.

  “Don’t be. There are worse things than making fancy dinners and sucking on weathered old cocks.”

  “Really?” That sounded pretty horrible to me.

  “Swallowing a bit of cum ain’t so bad,” Heather said. “Better than a busted rib.”

  I nodded and slowly stood, too afraid to ask what cum was.

  “How can I help?” I took a step toward the block and almost collapsed. Although the pain was better, my strength had vanished.

  “Sit on the mattress and rest,” Catherine said.

  Not arguing, I gingerly lowered myself to the soft bed. Exhaustion tugged at me, but my eyes refused to close. Instead of resting, I watched the pair move around the kitchen. Soon, the aroma of cooking meat filled the air. Heather brought me a bowl of mash which I slowly ate.

>   After that, I lounged on the mattress and thought of where Kellen might be and the magic box Maeve had given the tracker. With such a tool in his hands, the man was sure to find Kellen quickly. And, despite Maeve’s words, I hoped that Kellen had already spoken to many people and found help. I didn’t want anyone to die, but neither did I want to perish myself. Perhaps if enough people knew, Maeve would be forced to end her game—whatever it might be—before attaining her goal. I deeply feared what goal would drive a person to the depths of wickedness to which Maeve had descended.

  The carriages started arriving just after dark.

  Men’s voices rose from the dining room, a jolly gathering, for they knew what awaited them this time. Heather and Catherine hurried to serve the dishes then returned to the kitchen to clean up what they could. When they finished, they stripped out of their gowns and waited near the door.

  Anger tore at me. Self-loathing for being able to do nothing. Fury that Maeve was forcing Catherine and Heather to do what they’d come here to cease doing.

  “I will find a way to stop her, I promise,” I said softly.

  “You mustn’t speak like that,” Catherine said quickly, looking upset.

  “Especially not to us. Do you understand?”

  I studied their worried expressions and nodded. Too well, I remembered the compulsion to tell Maeve everything.

  “You’re right. It’s best to accept my place in life,” I said. “I’ll rest and heal so I can help you in the kitchen as best as I can.”

  Maeve called their names, and Catherine gave me a fleeting smile before they walked out the door. With the tea still numbing me from the pain and keeping me wide awake, I slowly moved around the kitchen. I couldn’t do much. My strength eluded me, and I knew that running wouldn’t be an option even if I wasn’t concerned about Kellen, Catherine, and Heather.

  In the dining room, the laughter became more subdued, replaced with the growing sound of groaning and panting. I returned to my bed and covered my ears, laying thusly for what seemed like half the night before things quieted.

  When the kitchen door opened, Heather and Catherine shuffled in. They looked tired as they carried dishes to the wash bin. I sat up, feeling the aches and bruises more acutely now.