Cinderella leaned over the stone railing. The party was in full swing and the sweet sounds of the orchestra filled the air. The colors in the ballroom were breathtaking and time passed quickly as she admired the fabulous gowns and hairstyles of the dancing guests. So much time had passed that she started to wish she’d mentioned her curfew to Ty. If he didn’t come up here soon, she’d have to leave to get home to save Max.
Remembering the heat of his hand on her waist and his kisses, she shuddered at the thought of never experiencing that feeling again. It was time to take matters into her own hands and find him.
There were only two parts of the ballroom she had trouble seeing: the area directly below her, and the area where the prince was dancing with his female suitors. The girls were so tightly packed in a small circle around him, she’d barely caught a few glimpses of his crown.
How insulting to her gender that the girls were practically begging for a turn. Her life was pretty horrible as horrible went, but she couldn’t imagine sinking so low. Did these girls have no pride? And they were increasingly restless. Even from up on the balcony, the sound of rustling taffeta and tulle was deafening.
Suddenly the tight ring around the prince parted, and a collective sigh of disappointment fell over the girls. Either the prince had picked his bride, or he was taking a break.
In spite of herself, Cinderella watched as the end of the circle burst, and the crowd continued to shift to form a kind of funnel for the prince to walk through.
She saw the prince. Dressed in rich, dark purples, his blond hair was pulled back and tightly tied with a black bow low on his neck and held down on top by a crown—a simple ring of gold encrusted with small jewels. He reached the edge of the dance floor and looked up.
It was Ty. Her breath caught in her chest. What was he doing?
He smiled up at her and waved, and she looked back at him with questioning eyes. If he was impersonating the prince, he’d be caught and jailed when the real prince showed up.
Except . . . she raised her hand to her mouth. How could he impersonate the prince at the royal ball? Could he actually be the prince? All the horrible assumptions she’d made about the prince and the royal family raced through her mind. When she’d said those things, he hadn’t seemed offended, but that mischievous look he’d sported . . .
His eyes still on her, he blew her a kiss, and a collective gasp rose from the crowd. He couldn’t possibly have fooled all these people. He had to be the prince.
Every eye in the room looked up toward her, and she blushed. She wasn’t used to being under anyone’s scrutiny except her stepmother’s, and that scrutiny always held more coldness than curiosity.
Her stepmother. Panicked, she let her eyes drift from Ty to search the crowd, but then she looked back to Ty and calmed down. She was silly to be so scared. Even her stepmother wouldn’t use black magic at the ball, not in front of all of these people.
Ty gestured for her to come down, but she shook her head and pinched the shoulder of her ninja outfit to remind him of her attire.
He nodded and continued forward, the crowd parting for him until he’d moved nearly under the balcony. She hoped he was headed for the stairs, and leaned forward over the railing so she could watch him as long as possible, still not convinced her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her. Her Ty was Prince Tiberius? The thought had never crossed her mind.
Ty disappeared from sight and she was about to step back down when someone grabbed her leg from behind and tipped her forward.
Headed straight for the ballroom floor many feet below, she grabbed for the pillars under the railing, but the stone stung her hands.
In shock, she let go and saw her stepmother backing away, the most evil grin she’d ever sported dressing her face.
Below her, everyone shrieked, and Cinderella tried to tap into her magic to slow herself down. But it was no use.
She landed in Ty’s arms.
“Now, that’s an entrance,” he said. “Are you hurt?”
She’d lost her wind, but shook her head as the crowd pressed in around them.
His thumb caressed her back as he held her. “You must have slowed yourself. You landed as light as a feather.”
“Oh, I doubt that.” But she felt so safe and warm in his arms, she didn’t want to let go. Her hands laced together behind his neck, near where his curls were constrained by the black ribbon.
“What happened up there?” he asked.
She bit her lip. “Why didn’t you tell me you were the prince?”
“Are you angry?” His eyebrows rose.
“Not angry, just surprised.” He’d misled her, but she realized that if he’d been honest from the start, they’d never have had a chance to get to know one another.
“That’s good.” His face softened in relief. “Because I have something very important to ask.”
“What do we have here?”
Cinderella stiffened at the sound of her stepmother’s voice.
Ty tightened his hold on her, but she pushed against him and he let her feet slip to the ground, keeping her close by his side.
“Your Highness.” Her stepmother curtsied.“I am so sorry that you’ve been bothered by this lowly servant girl.”
“Madam, I am not bothered by Cinderella in the least.” Ty laced his fingers through Cinderella’s. “In fact, I’m enchanted.” He raised her fingers to his lips, pressed the lightest kiss onto her knuckles, and Cinderella nearly burst with joy.
“You are too kind,” her stepmother said, glaring at Cinderella. “For surely this servant girl nearly killed you with her clumsy fall.” She grabbed for Cinderella’s other hand. “Allow me to escort her from the ballroom. Certainly she took a wrong turn to arrive here.”
“Madam, I assure you there is no need.” Ty tightened his grip on Cinderella’s hand.
“Then at least let me find her a suitable gown.” Her stepmother’s fingernails dug into Cinderella’s flesh as the woman tugged on her arm. The crowds pushed in, eager to see the scene.
“Wait,” Cinderella said. “You will tear me in two.”
“I wouldn’t want that.” Ty dropped her hand.
With that, her stepmother yanked her away, and Cinderella looked over her shoulder toward Ty, but the crowd had already filled in.
“What is the prince thinking, wasting time with a servant?” Her stepmother threw her voice, so the words sounded as though they were coming from several feet away.
“Yes, why dance with her, when our daughters have yet to meet him?” This time, her stepmother threw her voice in the opposite direction. “Scandalous! Where did that urchin come from? How did she get in here?” Her stepmother continued to throw her voice, creating the illusion that many women shared the idea that Cinderella should be thrown from the room.
Soon, other mothers joined in with cries of dismay and forced their daughters toward Ty, making it impossible for him to break through the crowd without physically knocking some of the young women and their mothers aside. Soon, Cinderella couldn’t even locate him among the huge pack of taffeta, tulle, and tenacity.
Her stepmother continued to drag her out of the room. “You stupid, presumptuous girl.” She glared so hard that Cinderella feared she might burst into flames from the hatred. “How did you break my spell to get here?” She lunged forward and took Cinderella’s chin in her hand, squeezing hard. “You inherited your mother’s magic, didn’t you? I knew I should have killed you years ago. But no, I had to be kind, had to let myself worry what my real daughters might think.”
Cinderella pulled out of her grip and resisted the urge to rub her jaw where her stepmother had gripped her. “Oh, please. You just kept me alive hoping I knew where my mother’s wand was.”
“Where is it?” her stepmother demanded.
“I’ll never tell you. And yes, I do have magic skills. In fact, the royal wizard wants to train me, and he’ll find out about your black magic and—” Panting, she realized she’d shown too much of her hand.
“You ungrateful, horrible child.” Her stepmother spun Cinderella and threw her up against the wall just outside the entrance to the ballroom.
Shards of terror crept up and down Cinderella’s spine.
“You need to be punished for ingratitude and disobedience. Let’s see . . .” Her stepmother pressed the end of her wand into her cheek. “Oh, I have a good idea.” She flicked her wand back through the open doors to the ballroom and a blanket of gray sparks spread over the room and fell onto the crowd.
Cinderella didn’t see anything happen. “What have you done?” She’d been sure her stepmother wouldn’t risk black magic in front of so many people, but she appeared to have been wrong.
“Just cleaning up your mess.” Her stepmother stepped forward, pressing Cinderella into the stone wall behind her. “No one. Not one person. Not even the royal wizard will remember meeting you today. Not one of them will even remember you exist. And I put in a little extra for the prince.”
Cinderella crumpled under the weight of her stepmother’s words.
When she’d woken this morning, all she’d cared about was winning the lessons so she could escape, but now the thought that Ty might forget her was too much to bear. She pushed off the wall past her stepmother and ran into the crowd, looking for Ty, surprised her stepmother didn’t stop her.
“How rude,” a woman dressed in emerald said as she brushed by.
“Who let you in?” a man said in disgust, grabbing her shoulder.
She struggled in the man’s grasp as she called, “Ty! Over here!” Heads turned toward her, and the crowd parted to reveal Ty at its center, another girl in his arms.
He stepped forward, wondering who’d called him.
She smiled, but he looked straight through her. It was as if he didn’t see her, couldn’t see her. She froze in her tracks, trying to process what was happening.
The man pushed her toward the edge of the room, where her stepmother was standing, her arms folded over her chest.
“Thank you, Sir,” she said to the man. “I’ll take her from here.”
“No, you won’t.” Cinderella broke free from the man. All she needed was some time to talk to Ty. Even if he didn’t remember their past conversations, she’d start from the beginning. He liked her—the real her. He might even love her, and no matter what kind of forgetfulness spell her stepmother had cast, it hadn’t changed who he was, who she was. She just needed some time.
She looked up at the huge clock at the end of the ballroom and her heart sank. It was eleven thirty. If she stayed, even if she could fight off all the other girls and their mothers seeking Ty’s attention, it would mean the end of Max. Staying and trying to win back Ty’s affections would be selfish. She had no choice.
Her stepmother laughed, and rage bubbled up inside Cinderella, but this was a battle she didn’t have time to fight. Not if she was going to get home in time to save Max. She turned from her stepmother and started along the side of the room toward the door.
Her stepmother landed in front of her. “Do you plan to walk home? We can’t have that.”
Cinderella stepped around her, but her stepmother kept in stride beside her. “It’s very dangerous out there. Especially at night. If you go into those woods, the wolves will surely eat you.”
Cinderella kept her jaw firm. Getting through the forest at night was not without dangers, that was true, but she’d proved today she could withstand more than she’d ever imagined. Right now, facing her stepmother seemed more dangerous than encountering any wolf or thief in the woods.
“I’ve done my best to protect you, Cinderella.”
She was only twenty feet from the front entrance. Once through, she’d break into a run, and surely her stepmother would let her go. Surely her stepmother would be happy if she were eaten by wolves.
“But clearly,” her stepmother continued, “I won’t have done my motherly duty if I let you out tonight into that dangerous forest.” She tapped her wand against her palm. “I must get you safely home.”
Cinderella stepped out the doorway and turned to her stepmother. “You’ve done enough. I can outrun the wolves and thieves and whatever other dangers are in those woods tonight. Please. Just let me go.”
“Not a chance I’ll risk it. You’re too valuable. You need some transportation.” Cinderella realized her stepmother was worried she wouldn’t go home. Her stepmother had no idea she needed to be back by midnight, and thought she planned to escape for good.
“I’ll not only send you home,” her stepmother added. “ To keep you safe, I’ll make sure you never risk this sort of escapade again.”
Cinderella tried to run, but her feet wouldn’t move. Someone . . . some spell . . . had nailed them to the floor. She tugged on her limbs, but her efforts were useless.
Max. If she didn’t get away soon, she wouldn’t get home in time.
“I have an idea,” her stepmother said. “One that will keep you out of trouble. From now on, whenever you are outside our home, your tongue will be tied.”
Cinderella opened her mouth to object, but it felt as if it had been stuffed full of cotton. Then a huge flash of light blinded her and she was lifted off the ground. Air rushed around her as if she were being pulled through a long, windy tunnel. She tumbled, spun around, and flailed against her will.
She landed on her bottom with a thud, on something hard. The light around her cleared and her eyesight returned.
“Cinderella? Are you okay?” a male voice said, and then a careful hand fell onto her shoulder.
The world came back into focus—she was in her cellar room—and she stood up slowly. When she turned around and saw Max, she let out a cry of joy and threw herself into his arms.
Over the next five minutes, Cinderella told Max everything that had happened. When she got to the tongue-tying part, a look of fear rose in Max’s normally reassuring eyes.“Quickly,” Max said as he took her hand and pulled her toward the cellar door.“Let’s get outside before midnight, and I need your mother’s wand.”
“What will happen at midnight?” She held back.
Max stared down at the floor. “Just come with me, before it’s too late for us to talk.” He flung the door open and she raced to keep up with him as he dashed outside and then turned toward her. “Try to talk to me,” Max said, nodding his encouragement.
Cinderella opened her mouth to talk but nothing came out. Her tongue felt like lead. All she could do was make strange, unintelligible noises. She put her hand in her mouth and, though it didn’t seem possible, her tongue was actually tied in a knot.
She looked up at Max, fear coursing through her body like a flame through kindling.
He held out his hand and said, “Give me the wand.” He cast a spell, but Cinderella’s tongue remained tied. This time her stepmother’s magic was too strong for Max to undo.
“Go back inside,” Max said, “before she gets home.” He checked his pocket watch. “I’ll stay out here.”
She grabbed his arm and shook her head.
“Cinderella,” he said softly, “at midnight I’ll turn back into a cat. That was the cost.”
No! She tried to yell, but only a garbled sound came out. Max was turning back into a cat? That didn’t seem fair. Nothing that had happened in the past hour seemed fair. Just as she’d thought all her problems were solved, they’d all landed back on her in a huge, messy heap.
In the distance, Cinderella heard the tower clock at the palace begin to strike midnight. Worse, she heard her stepmother’s carriage coming down the path.
“Go inside—now!” Max put the wand in his mouth and ran across the garden. At the final stroke of midnight, Max leaped into the forest, his human form changing to a cat in midair. He landed behind a tree on his soft paws, making not even the slightest noise, and disappeared from view.
Her knees crumpled and she dropped to the ground. The cost had been too high. Max had sacrificed his human form for nothing. She hadn’t won her freedom, and she’d lost Ty.
At least Max had the wand. She hoped he could find a way to use it on his own and turn himself back into a man.
“Who was she?” Gwendolyn slowly and methodically stirred her porridge as Cinderella slumped against the back of a dining-room chair, patiently waiting for her sisters to finish so she might eat a few bites of their leftovers.
“Who was who?” Agatha asked.
“The girl.” Gwendolyn threw her spoon, splattering spots of porridge and cream across the table before it clattered onto the wooden floor. “The little peasant girl the prince saved. They say she cast some sort of a spell on him.”
“I feel certain I saw her,” Agatha said.“But I can’t remember what she looked like.”
Cinderella gripped the seat of her chair.
“Well?” Gwendolyn said. “Well? Well?”
Cinderella jumped, realizing that Gwen was addressing her. “You’re asking me? Why would you think I know anything about her?”
“Fool.” Gwen pursed her lips and shook her head. “The spoon. Are you going to pick up that spoon?”
Cinderella picked up the spoon and slowly handed it to her stepsister, who threw it back at her. It bounced off of her chest and clattered onto the floor.
“Get me a new one, you imbecile. I’m not about to eat with a spoon that’s been on the floor. I’m not a little piggy like you. Some of us have manners.” Gwen snickered and looked to Agatha for a reaction, but her younger sister kept her eyes on her porridge.
“Why are you so mean?” Cinderella said softly.
“I beg your pardon?” Gwen raised her clean white linen napkin to her lips.
“What have I ever done to you? I don’t understand why you hate me so much.”
“Nonsense.” Gwen turned to her sister for a moment, then back to Cinderella. “I don’t hate you. How can one hate a gnat?” She giggled and turned to Agatha again, but Agatha remained silent, spots of bright, rosy color rising in her cheeks.
Cinderella reached out her hand and retrieved a spoon from the sideboard using magic.
Gwendolyn’s eyes opened wide.“Big mistake, Cinderella. Big mistake. Our mother will be very interested to hear you’re using magic inside this house. Very interested.” She turned back to Agatha. “You never answered. Did you see her?”
“Who?” Agatha’s voice was small and soft, as if she were scared.
“The piece of trash who enchanted the prince. They say it’s her fault he didn’t announce his choice for bride last night.”
Cinderella’s insides woke up, as if they’d been asleep for days. Ty hadn’t chosen his bride at the ball? She clasped her hands in front of her apron.
“He did act strangely for the rest of the evening, that is true.” Agatha pushed her barely touched bowl of porridge forward. “I only wish I’d had a chance to dance with him.”
“Don’t be silly, Agatha. He was never going to choose you. Did you see the way he looked at me when we danced? I feel sure that if that little mouse hadn’t caused such a commotion, Prince Tiberius and I would be engaged right now.”
The door to the dining room burst open and her stepmother entered. Cinderella resisted the urge to back up into the corner and hide, but instead kept her feet planted solidly on the floor.
“Fabulous news, girls! Fabulous!” Dressed in a deep brown gown embellished with ivory ribbon trim, her stepmother strode to the end of the long table.
“What is it, Mother?” Gwen bounced up to her feet and her hand came down on the spoon handle sticking out of her bowl. Sticky porridge flew everywhere.
If Gwen had cleaned up even once in her life, thought Cinderella, she wouldn’t be so careless.
“The prince is coming to visit.” Her stepmother ran her hands down the bodice of her dress, and if Cinderella didn’t know the woman better, didn’t know she was incapable of real human emotion, she’d almost swear her stepmother was excited.
“He chose me, didn’t he?” Gwen threw herself toward her mother, who patted her awkwardly on the back.
Her stepmother brushed a stray tendril of dark hair off her daughter’s face and then held Gwen at arm’s length, studying her. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, my dear.”
Agatha jumped up. “It’s me?”
“His choice hasn’t been announced.” She shook her head. “It sounds as if the poor lad is confused.” She chuckled. “According to the announcement sent to all the households in the kingdom this morning, he’s convinced that a girl he met last night”—she paused to pull a scroll of paper out of her pocket and unroll it—“ ‘has a place for his heart.’ ” She shook her head.“The poor boy is daft, but we can work with daft as long as he’s rich and powerful.”
Gwendolyn giggled, but Agatha just looked confused.
“Come, girls. Let’s make sure each of you can show him a spectacular place for his heart.”
The stepsisters dashed toward the door, but before her stepmother left, she spun back toward Cinderella.“And don’t you get any ideas about talking to the prince.” Her eyes narrowed as her smile widened. “Since it’s such a special day, I think I’ll allow you outside in the sunshine. We can’t have you inside the house when the prince comes. Can’t have you talking his ear off now, can we?”
Cinderella’s heart sank. She hadn’t thought it possible for it to sink any lower. In the house she could talk, but outside she couldn’t. At least she’d be free from the cellar, and she could make sure Ty saw her. Perhaps that would spark his memories.
“And clean up this disgusting mess.” Her stepmother gestured toward the porridge-spattered table. “Really, after all I’ve done for you. You are such a lazy girl.”