chimed
midnight in the far distance.
CHAPTER
NINE
Cinderella hugged the neck of
the horse as it galloped through the forest. She'd lost hold of the
reins and now she clutched its neck for dear life. She wasn't
confident that her body was shaking as a result of the horse alone.
Cinderella forced herself to take calming breathes. As they flew
past the oak tree she turned her face to the other side as to avoid
the memories that had been created there. As her arms struggled to
keep hold of the horse she couldn't keep from remembering the look
of abject shock on the Princes' face. When she'd cleared the
forest, she slowed the horse down to a trot. Entering through the
back garden, she pulled on the reins until the horse stopped.
Sliding down, she only realised as she touched the ground that she
was missing a shoe. She pulled up the dress and looked sadly down
at her feet. She shook her head to clear away the thoughts, tied
the horse to a tree just outside the garden and crept in through
the back door. She took the stairs two at a time, keeping care to
be as quiet as possible. Opening her room slowly to avoid the
creaks, she breathed a sigh of relief and was immediately caught by
her stepmother.
"Dressed in such fine clothes
for your chores." She stood from the bed, her height and expression
formidable. "Tell me Cinderella, how stupid do you think I am? That
I wouldn't notice my very own burden at the ball, dancing with the
Prince." Cinderella was speechless, her heart caught in her throat.
"Did you lie to him? Tell him that you were a part of our family,
that you aren't filth." She spat the word. Walking casually over to
Cinderella's dressing table, picking up things, glancing at them
and slamming them forcefully back down on the table.
"I-" she twisted abruptly to
glare at Cinderella.
"Yes? Please explain how you
duped the Prince into a dance when my two beautiful entitled
daughters barely managed a return smile."
"I did not dupe him!"
"So you deny presenting him a
false image of yourself?"
Cinderella pushed her shoulders
back, trying to match her stepmothers posture, "Yes."
"And I suppose that dress that
you're wearing is yours? You stole it didn't you? Don't deny it,
how else could you afford such a fine dress."
"It was a gift." A slow
sickening smile slithered onto her face.
"Ah, I see now. You've taken
after your mother. Enjoy your presents Cinderella." She pushed past
Cinderella, walking to the door where she turned back to her with a
sneer. "If you so much as attempt to contact the Prince again I
will expose the truth of your birth, I will not have the daughter
of a common whore upstaging my daughters." She slammed the door
behind herself, Cinderella ran to the door when she heard a faint
metallic click, but by then it was too late. It had only taken a
moment for her stepmother to turn the key and lock Cinderella's
room from the outside. Indefinitely.
The Prince sat in his study, his
chin resting on the antique desk, his eyes resting on the shoe. He
was baffled, every time he recounted last night's events one
particular thing kept nudging at him. She'd been about to walk
away. She'd known it was him and turned away. Every time he thought
about the way she'd acted towards him, how she'd seemed genuinely
frightened at the end of the night, he couldn't help his pulse
jumping, his heart beating faster. He smoothed a hand over his
brow, why had he given his horse to someone he'd thought was a
perfect stranger? It could not have been her beauty alone that had
persuaded him to lead her into the stables, give her a horse and
let her gallop away. He groaned. Hopelessly in love but without
hope, is what she'd said. Why was she without hope? Royalty
marrying a lower class was rare but it wasn't unheard of-
"There you are, I have been
looking absolutely everywhere for you," his mother called from
behind him. He didn't move, still staring at that small perfect
slipper. She came closer, watching over his shoulder. "My,
midnight in the far distance.
CHAPTER
NINE
Cinderella hugged the neck of
the horse as it galloped through the forest. She'd lost hold of the
reins and now she clutched its neck for dear life. She wasn't
confident that her body was shaking as a result of the horse alone.
Cinderella forced herself to take calming breathes. As they flew
past the oak tree she turned her face to the other side as to avoid
the memories that had been created there. As her arms struggled to
keep hold of the horse she couldn't keep from remembering the look
of abject shock on the Princes' face. When she'd cleared the
forest, she slowed the horse down to a trot. Entering through the
back garden, she pulled on the reins until the horse stopped.
Sliding down, she only realised as she touched the ground that she
was missing a shoe. She pulled up the dress and looked sadly down
at her feet. She shook her head to clear away the thoughts, tied
the horse to a tree just outside the garden and crept in through
the back door. She took the stairs two at a time, keeping care to
be as quiet as possible. Opening her room slowly to avoid the
creaks, she breathed a sigh of relief and was immediately caught by
her stepmother.
"Dressed in such fine clothes
for your chores." She stood from the bed, her height and expression
formidable. "Tell me Cinderella, how stupid do you think I am? That
I wouldn't notice my very own burden at the ball, dancing with the
Prince." Cinderella was speechless, her heart caught in her throat.
"Did you lie to him? Tell him that you were a part of our family,
that you aren't filth." She spat the word. Walking casually over to
Cinderella's dressing table, picking up things, glancing at them
and slamming them forcefully back down on the table.
"I-" she twisted abruptly to
glare at Cinderella.
"Yes? Please explain how you
duped the Prince into a dance when my two beautiful entitled
daughters barely managed a return smile."
"I did not dupe him!"
"So you deny presenting him a
false image of yourself?"
Cinderella pushed her shoulders
back, trying to match her stepmothers posture, "Yes."
"And I suppose that dress that
you're wearing is yours? You stole it didn't you? Don't deny it,
how else could you afford such a fine dress."
"It was a gift." A slow
sickening smile slithered onto her face.
"Ah, I see now. You've taken
after your mother. Enjoy your presents Cinderella." She pushed past
Cinderella, walking to the door where she turned back to her with a
sneer. "If you so much as attempt to contact the Prince again I
will expose the truth of your birth, I will not have the daughter
of a common whore upstaging my daughters." She slammed the door
behind herself, Cinderella ran to the door when she heard a faint
metallic click, but by then it was too late. It had only taken a
moment for her stepmother to turn the key and lock Cinderella's
room from the outside. Indefinitely.
The Prince sat in his study, his
chin resting on the antique desk, his eyes resting on the shoe. He
was baffled, every time he recounted last night's events one
particular thing kept nudging at him. She'd been about to walk
away. She'd known it was him and turned away. Every time he thought
about the way she'd acted towards him, how she'd seemed genuinely
frightened at the end of the night, he couldn't help his pulse
jumping, his heart beating faster. He smoothed a hand over his
brow, why had he given his horse to someone he'd thought was a
perfect stranger? It could not have been her beauty alone that had
persuaded him to lead her into the stables, give her a horse and
let her gallop away. He groaned. Hopelessly in love but without
hope, is what she'd said. Why was she without hope? Royalty
marrying a lower class was rare but it wasn't unheard of-
"There you are, I have been
looking absolutely everywhere for you," his mother called from
behind him. He didn't move, still staring at that small perfect
slipper. She came closer, watching over his shoulder. "My,
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