Charm by Sarah Pinborough

. .’ his eyes had been locked on Rose, but now he glanced down at Cinderella. It was enough. The end of the sentence drained away. He held his hand out to her. ‘I don’t believe we’ve danced this evening. I would have remembered.’
    ‘We haven’t.’
    ‘Then we should rectify that.’ Without taking his eyes from hers, he pulled her close, much closer than he’d danced with the last girl. His arm was strong around her waist, and every inch of her skin tingled at his touch. Her face was inches from his neck and she could smell his scented warmth. She looked up at him and their lips almost brushed.
    ‘Who are you?’ he whispered.
    ‘I’m . . .’ She thought of Rose and her step-mother somewhere close by and she thought of her father, the secretary, and in the end she said all she could think of to escape discovery. ‘Names can wait until later. Just dance with me.’
    ‘As you wish, mystery girl,’ he said and when he smiled she thought that all the beauty in the world was caught up in that expression. She melted into his embrace and let him whirl her around the floor, their feet in perfect harmony against the marble. She didn’t care if Rose or her step-mother saw her. She didn’t even look for them. As far as Cinderella was concerned no one else existed. It was just her, her handsome prince and the music. She had no concept of time passing; she was simply caught up in a moment she wanted to last forever. Eventually, the musicians paused for a rest, and the prince led Cinderella to a seat at the side of the room, the two of them sharing a velvet bench, his courtiers ensuring the rest of the guests allowed them some privacy. Cinderella still turned her head sideways and tilted her face down in case her step-mother or Rose should stare at her too hard.
    ‘I’ve dreamed of meeting you,’ she said, the words blurting out before she could stop them. She blushed slightly. ‘I know that sounds stupid.’
    ‘It’s uncanny,’ the prince murmured. ‘I feel as if I know you and I don’t even know your name. From the moment I saw you, my heart, well . . .’ He leaned forward and touched her hand. ‘Everyone else faded . . . I just knew .’
    His hand was warm against hers and as he stroked the back of her hand gently with his thumb, she could feel her breath getting quicker. His face was thoughtful as his eyes searched hers.
    ‘I’d given up on love, you know. True love.’ He had leaned in closer to her and their lips were almost touching as they spoke. Cinderella longed to touch his face, to feel his hands on her. Her heart thumped in her chest. This was everything she’d dreamed of since she’d been a little girl. She’d never seen such a beautiful man, and here he was, and he wanted her.
    ‘So much isn’t as it seems, don’t you think?’ he said. ‘But this, it’s magical.’
    ‘Love at first sight,’ she said. She ignored the faintly unsettled feeling the mention of magic gave her.
    ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘I do believe it is.’
    ‘Shall we dance again?’ she said. She wanted to feel his body against hers and wrap her arms around his neck and move freely. Break away from the formality of the set pieces. More than anything, she wanted to kiss him.
    ‘Your wish is my command,’ he said.
    She felt as if she was floating when she got to her feet, and it was only when she glanced at the clock as they passed it, that she came crashing back to earth. It was quarter past eleven. It couldn’t be. Her heart raced. Leave by midnight or be home by midnight? What had the fairy godmother said? She couldn’t take the chance of being late. Of having the second night stolen from her. The night when the prince would choose .
    ‘Would you excuse me for a moment?’ she looked up at him, and let her eyes absorb the perfection of his face, storing it in memory. ‘I must . . .’ she wasn’t quite sure how to finish the sentence. Thankfully, he simply nodded.
    ‘Hurry back, my love.’
    She tore