Dennan kissed the top of my head. “Why did you run away?”
Because that’s what I do. I run away from everything.
“Please don’t leave me,” he said.
I didn’t make him any promises, but I did reach up and give him a kiss.
Just one kiss, I thought. Just one very long, very magical kiss.
Chapter 24
Cinderella
Germany, 1812
“Listen,” said the mother secretly. ‘Take this knife, and if the slipper is too tight, just cut off part of your foot. It will hurt a little, but what harm is that? The pain will soon pass, and then one of you will be queen.” Then the oldest one went to her bedroom and tried on the slipper. The front of her foot went in, but her heel was too large, so she took the knife and cut part of it off, so she could force her foot into the slipper. Then she went out to the prince, and when he saw that she was wearing the slipper, he said that she was to be his bride. He escorted her to his carriage and was going to drive away with her. When he arrived at the gate, the two pigeons were perched above, and they called out:
Rook di goo, rook di goo!
There’s blood in the shoe.
The shoe is too tight,
This bride is not right!
The prince bent over and looked at the slipper. Blood was streaming from it. He saw that he had been deceived, and he took the false bride back.
Did you read that? The evil stepmother told her daughter to cut part of her heel off so the slipper would fit. How gross is that? The mother said the pain would soon pass and her daughter would be queen. In other words she was saying, “The reward is worth any sacrifice.”
If you ask me, the Brothers Grimm had a sick twisted sense of what a fairy tale should be.
Days 18 and 19
You know that feeling you get when someone is watching you? Well, even in an empty room, I could feel eyes all around me. I could even hear voices sometimes. Sensing that someone was behind me, I’d turn around to find nobody there.
Tuesday night, another strange thing happened. Not only was I unable to find the hairbrush I always placed near my wash bowl, but I could have sworn I saw the shadow of a person when I entered my bedroom that night. When I looked again, the shadow was gone.
Because of these weird events, I decided Wednesday was the day I would find out what was in the secret passageway. Dennan had told me to wait for him before I did anything, but I couldn’t stand around waiting for more creepy things to happen.
Just past noon on Wednesday, I gathered my courage. After making sure Lady Catherine had left in the carriage with William, I went to the foyer and stood in the spot where I’d seen her three nights before. I mimicked how she held her hands on the wall, one above the head and slightly to the right, and the other hand straight out. I gave a little push and the wall moved to reveal a narrow spiral staircase. Before I could think twice, I stepped into the secret hallway and onto the first step. The wall closed behind me, but I kept moving. There was no turning back now.
When I reached the fourth floor, I opened the door. The room was large but crowded with books and glass jars. Thick books lay on the floor, overflowed from bookshelves, and were piled high on a table in the middle of the room. I had to step around stacks of books and dozens of glass jars to get to the giant table.
At first glance, the books looked like dictionaries, but I soon realized they were medical books. The pages described and illustrated various medical procedures from the past, like purging, cold bathing, and bloodletting—things modern doctors would never try.
Why would Lady Catherine have a bunch of medical books?
The jars in the room were filled with powder, some dark gray and some white. I picked up a jar that sat by my foot. I removed the lid and took a sniff of the powder, but couldn’t detect a scent. What was it they said about poison? Did it have a scent or not?
Remind me to never leave my drink unattended again. Lady Catherine will probably slip something in it.
I continued to roam around the room, flipping through pages of books that lay open on the floor. Maybe Lady Catherine was studying medicine, or was already a practicing physician. Since female doctors would’ve been scorned and rejected in this era, she would’ve been required to practice in private. She probably left at noon every day to visit patients.
Yeah. Uh-huh. You just keep on thinking that, Brinlee.
Since Lady Catherine was usually gone for about an hour, I left the tower a little before 1:00. I hurried down the stairs and placed my left hand high on the wall and my right hand straight out to my side, mirroring the spots on the other side of the wall. The wall shifted and allowed me back into the foyer, then closed behind me.
As I headed toward the kitchen, I heard the carriage wheels crunching on the gravel, signaling Lady Catherine’s return. Just for kicks, I sneaked up to the attic and peeked through the spy hole behind the tapestries. I watched as Catherine entered the foyer and went straight to the secret door. William joined her, and they both passed through the secret door and climbed the steps to the tower.
Tomorrow I would find out where they went every day when they left the manor. Tomorrow I would solve this mystery. This is where the story gets good. As my grandmother always said, “Buckle your seat belts and grab some good snacks, because the plot just thickened.”
Day 20
Dennan returned Thursday an hour before noon and met me outside the kitchen door as planned. I wore my pink sweatpants, white T-shirt, and purple slippers, which were still dirty from my run on my first day there. I knew our mission could be dangerous, and I didn’t want a long dress to get in my way.
On a side note, I had a hard time getting my modern clothes. I couldn’t tell Katie what I was up to because she would try to stop me, so I threatened to tell Krys about the poems she’d written about him. That worked, and she found my clothes hidden in a closet in one of the spare rooms. Sneaky girl. Now, back to the real story . . .
Dennan gave me the once-over. “Why are you wearing those clothes?”
“Why aren’t you wearing your mask?” I retorted. Even though I loved to see his handsome face, I had missed the mystery of the highwayman.
“Touché.” He grinned. “I remember the first time we met. I couldn’t understand why you dressed so funny.”
I shrugged. “We dress a little differently where I come from.”
He folded his arms across his chest, studying me. “It suits you.”
I looked away bashfully. “Thanks for coming.”
“Why wouldn’t I come?”
“I don’t know. It’s still hard for me to believe you really exist, let alone you wanting to help me.”
“I’ll always be here for you, Brinlee.” He reached for my hand. “You know that, right?”
I threaded my fingers through his. “Yes.”
Dennan came closer to bow his head to mine. “I know you don’t feel the same, but I want you to know how much I care about you.”
No, don’t say it.
His forehead touched mine. “I love you, Brinlee. I’ll stand up with you forever.”
I began to move away, but he held my hands firmly to halt my retreat. “What’s wrong?”
“I need to go home. Too many things are wrong where I am concerned.
“What do you mean?”.
“I need to solve the mysteries of Sherwood Manor, and then maybe I’ll be able to go home.”
“Why can’t you go home whenever you want?”
I shook my head. “I just need to figure out what’s going on.”
“Okay,” Dennan said hesitantly.
“You probably think I’m crazy, but I promise there are strange things that don’t make sense in this house.”
“I don’t think you’re crazy.”
He gently touched my face.
“Things have started to disappear from my room. Little things like my hairbrush, and I always feel like I’m being watched. During the night I’ll wake up feeling like someone is in my room, but nobody is there.”
He cursed under his breath. “I can’t let you stay here if you are in danger.”
“I don’t think I’m in danger. It’s more like someone is trying to scare me.”
“Why would someone want to scare you?”
“Maybe they’re trying to scare me away from finding the truth.”
“You shouldn’t stay here anymore, regardless,” Dennan said. “With what you have told me, it can’t be safe.”
“But I have to stay! I’m so close to finding the answers. That’s why I wanted you to come with me today. I need your help.”
Dennan frowned but said, “Of course I’ll help you. Where do we start?”
“I went up to the fourth-floor tower.”
“I thought I told you not to do anything foolish.” His voice was serious but his face was teasing.
“I was careful, and I went while Lady Catherine was gone.”
“What did you find?”
“A bunch of medical books, and jars filled with some kind of powder.”
“What kind of powder? What did it look like?”
“I don’t know. It looked like dirty flour.”
“What time did you say Lady Catherine leaves?” Dennan asked.
“At noon.”
He looked up into the sky. “It’s just about noon.”
I had an idea. “Come with me.” I pulled on his hand.
“Where are we going?”
“Lady Catherine always goes to the tower before she leaves.” I talked over my shoulder as I led him to the front of the house where there were no servants. “We’re going to watch her from the attic.”
Cautiously, we entered the foyer and quickly climbed the steps to the attic. If someone saw the prince in the house, things would go from bad to worse.
When we reached the attic, I showed him the tapestry and the small peephole hidden behind it.
He stepped closer to the hole. “We have some leper’s squints at the castle.”
“What do you call them?”
“Leper’s squints. Many old houses, including the castle, have them. There’s even one in my bedroom.”
“That’s a little creepy.”
“The squints come in handy. If the king becomes ill, he can still wander through the back halls and observe the business of the house by peering through these squints.”
“Maybe that’s why I always feel someone’s watching me,” I said. “There’s probably a leper’s squint in my bedroom.”
“The castle has a secret passageway like this house, only it leads to an old chapel. The history is that lepers couldn’t come into the castle—they could only enter through the leper door and look through the squint overlooking the chapel.”
Fascinating. “You’re quite the expert.”
He smiled. “There’s more. Most castles had a priest’s hole. It was a secret room, and priests used it whenever they or someone in the royal family needed to hide.”
“Let me guess. You were skilled at hide-and-seek when you were a kid.”
He laughed. “Yes, I was a very curious kid.”
I stepped up to the leper’s squint and peered down into the foyer. Dennan had moved right behind me to peek over my shoulder.
“Do you see Lady Catherine?” he asked softly.
“Not yet.” My body tingled at his closeness.
“What do you think she carries in the parcel?” His voice was right by my ear.
“Probably something poisonous.”
Dennan wrapped one arm around my waist. “I’ll help you get to the bottom of this. Here, let me see.”
With his arm still around me, he leaned his head close to mine so he could see out of the peephole. Out of the corner of my eye, I stared at the handsome man who stood so close to me. I watched his long eyelashes lower as he squinted to see through the hole. It felt incredible to be so near to him and to be held by him. I didn’t want the moment to end.
“Do you see her?” I asked.
“She’s coming!” Dennan whispered. After several seconds of anticipation, he added, “She’s going through the secret door.”
“William should be coming.”
I leaned my head closer, and Dennan tilted his head so I could take a turn looking through the squint. With him so close, it was difficult to concentrate.
I saw William walk across the marble floor and stand next to the secret door in the foyer below us. He waited as if guarding the entrance.
“There he is.” I moved so Dennan could see.
“Is he the man who kissed you?” Dennan asked with disgust.
“Do you mean the one who kissed me before you did?” I teased.
“I want you to stay away from him.” Dennan looked straight at me, clearly not in the mood for teasing. “From what you’ve told me, I don’t like him.”
“Don’t worry, I stay as far away from him as possible.”
Dennan peered through the squint again. “Here comes Lady Catherine.”
I turned and pulled on his arm. “Hurry, let’s follow them.”
Thankfully no one saw us leave the manor, and Dennan’s horse was waiting for us near the pond. Once we mounted him, we easily caught up with Lady Catherine’s carriage. Using Dennan’s knowledge of the back roads, we kept hidden in the trees as we followed.
I was riding behind Dennan with my arms wrapped securely around his waist. “So, how did the peace gathering go?” I asked. It was a little off subject, but I had to get my mind off how nice his abs felt under my hands.
“It went fairly well. I explained to King Edwin why I cannot marry his daughter, and we discussed other options to manage peace between our kingdoms.”
“That’s what the meeting was about?”
I could feel the kingdom’s scowling eyes on me—after all, I was the reason for any concern for Fenmore Falls’ safety because of the broken engagement. I felt awful.
Dennan placed his hand on mine. “It was inevitable, Brinlee. The engagement was never made public. It was only an alternative.”
I was touched that he would change his future for me, but I couldn’t let him keep thinking our relationship could go any further.
“Dennan—” I began.
“Look,” he interrupted, pointing to Lady Catherine’s carriage.
I watched as they turned left onto a path that was concealed by vegetation. “Where does that road go?” I whispered.
“I don’t know. I’ve never come across it before.”
I shivered and gripped the front of Dennan’s shirt. He placed his hand over my clenched fists.
“I won’t let anything happen to you.”
I rested my chin on his shoulder. “I know.”
We rode a little farther, and then he said, “It looks like the trees are starting to open up.”
We rounded a bend in the trail, and sure enough there was a clearing. Dennan steered his horse farther into the trees so we could remain unseen.
Seeing a tall, run-down house in the middle of the pasture, I asked. “What is that?”
The house leaned to one side and looked as if it would blow over with a slight breeze. Each wall of the building was made from a different color of wood, and each wall inclined inward. There were gaps between some of the boards.
Two other carriages sat in front of the old house. One driver was slumped in his seat, but I could see no one in or near the other vehicle. Dennan and I watched William park Lady Catherine’s carriage next to the others and help her out. The two of them stepp
ed toward the house.
I could feel adrenaline pumping through my veins. “What are they doing? And what do we do now?”
“We just wait,” Dennan replied.
“We can’t wait. We might not get this chance again. We have to see what they’re up to.”
“We don’t know what’s in that house yet. Remember, I promised to keep you safe.”
“Please, Dennan. I have to find out what’s going on.”
He sighed. “All right then, here’s the plan. Stay close to me. If at any moment I think it is dangerous, we leave. Agreed?”
“Agreed.” I held up my right hand as if swearing an oath.
We got off his horse and quietly approached the side door of the house. We kept out of sight of the lone driver, who looked asleep.
As Dennan pushed the creaky door open, I held my breath and hung tightly to his hand. We stepped into a wall of cobwebs and onto a floor blanketed with dust.
There was shuffling on the floor just above us. Several people shouted as if arguing, but I couldn’t pick out any words. After a few minutes, it sounded like the voices were moving to another part of the house, so Dennan led me by the hand and we quietly climbed the stairs to the second floor.
We carefully walked down the hall and into a room lit by open windows. Two tables were pushed up against the wall, each covered with medical instruments. There were syringes, tweezers, bowls, rags, and bottles of liquid. Then I saw a basin of blood collecting the drops that fell from a cloth hanging over the edge of the table. I gasped and covered my mouth.
At the same time, I heard a moan from the room next to us.
“We should get out of here,” Dennan said.
I'm Not Cinderella (The Princess Chronicles) Page 19