Though he’d thrown out Gertrude’s name, it might not have been necessary. His mother was nodding vigorously, even before he’d finished speaking. “He’s right, Henry,” she said, looking at her husband. “You keep telling me I’m babying him, but the moment he comes to you with his mind made up, with a good idea about how to secure his future, you’re the one who treats him like a child.”
King Henry grimaced. “Elizabeth,” he said to his wife. “I am not treating him like a child. I simply asked if he had thought it through.”
“He told you he has,” Elizabeth said succinctly, as if her comment were the final word.
Henry looked at his wife, then at his son, as if debating whether he wanted to do battle with them both. He took in a breath, then nodded. “Very well, John Ashton,” he said. “You will be King one day, and you will have to decide the future of our nation. Right now, you have just made the first decision for your own future. I will send out the decree. Your ball will now be open to all the eligible maidens in the kingdom. And you may choose your bride at the ball.”
Ashton nodded and smiled. “Thank you, father.”
Chapter 25
It had been five days since Ella had seen Ashton and she missed him. She wanted to see him tonight, and she was supposed to. They had agreed, and she thought she had a good chance of escaping without Lady Kenna’s notice. All the ladies of the household had been in particularly good spirits since the potential marriage of one of the sisters to Lord Angleton’s son appeared to be a decent chance. While Lady Kenna had insisted Charles spend time with both sisters, it had become clear that Charles had no interest in Bathilda whatsoever. Lady Kenna had, on the last two of their visits, forced Bathilda to spend time admiring Lady Angleton’s knitting, leaving Mari and Charles alone. It seemed that everyone knew Marigold would be the first girl to get married, even though she were younger.
While Bathilda was incensed, she wasn’t in charge of this, and she wasn’t a good match for Charles. Maybe with Mari married off, Lady Kenna would spend her energy on finding a prospect for Bathilda. And then she wouldn’t have time to focus on what was going on with Ella.
Ella bit her lip as she cleaned the main room, sweeping the floor, her hair tied in a kerchief to keep it from getting too dirty. Ella felt happy that Marigold was likely to marry Charles. The girl could be giving and kind in the right settings. Ella was glad she’d interjected on Marigold’s behalf, giving Uncle Bart the drawing she’d done of Marigold. Uncle Bart had thanked her and told her that Charles would appreciate it. And clearly he had, though no one spoke of the drawing.
She was sure the Angleton’s wouldn’t because they knew Lady Kenna was trying to push Bathilda on them and they didn’t want her. They wouldn’t do anything to draw Lady Kenna’s ire over the situation, as she finally seemed to be willing to accept that Marigold and Charles were the match.
Ella smiled and hoped her stepsister would be as happy as she and Ash were. Then she swallowed and shook her head. That was silly. She and Ash weren’t a real couple. But Ella did want Mari to be happy. She felt happy and wanted to spread that joy to others who deserved it. If Lord Angleton was going to marry his son to a daughter of this household, then it was Marigold who deserved to leave, not Bathilda. And Charles seemed a kind soul who didn’t deserve a completely spoiled brat as a wife. Not that Marigold was perfect. She enjoyed finer things as much as her sister and she could even be spiteful at times, but her nature wasn’t cruel.
She also seemed to have compassion for others, which her mother and sister lacked. Had someone else raised Mari, she would have been a really kind human being. But that was the thing with Marigold. She seemed to know how to blend herself into any situation, to take on the tenor of those around her.
Her mother and sister were harsh and spoiled. They believed themselves to be better than others and acted accordingly. Marigold, on the other hand, took on their traits when they were around, yet she didn’t truly seem to believe herself to be that way. She seemed to be under the impression that people were who they were and you had to accept them for that. She accepted Ella. The problem was that she also accepted her mother and sister and made no effort to change them, although Ella supposed she had done that too. She had thought kindness would change Lady Kenna and Bathilda and had given it to them for years, but it had done nothing but make them humiliate her all the more.
Ella had just finished sweeping when she noticed Marigold walking down the stairs, rubbing her hands nervously in front of her. Her face was pale and she looked like she might vomit at any second.
“Mari,” Ella said. “Are you alright?”
Marigold finished walking unsteadily down the steps and came to sit on one of the upholstered wingback chairs in the room. “I’m fine, Ella. And you? You seem well, in good spirits today”
Ella looked down at the ground. She wondered if the others had noticed her better spirits lately. “It’s just that with all that’s going on with Lord Angleton, everyone has been in better spirits, and it makes it easier to do all the work when people are happier,” she said.
Marigold swallowed hard and nodded. “Has my mother returned yet?”
Ella looked at Marigold and realized the source of her worries. She knelt in front of Mari and said, “No, she hasn’t returned yet, but I’m sure she’ll be back soon.”
“I’ll just wait here, I think.”
Ella looked over toward the stairwell. She thought of Bathilda, who must be behaving terribly toward Marigold. Charles was supposed to be Bathilda’s chance at marriage, not Marigold’s. Rather than seeing Marigold’s possible marriage to Charles as an indication that she should improve her own behavior, she instead saw it as Marigold’s betrayal. Anytime Bathilda, Marigold and Charles were together, Bathilda took every opportunity to put Marigold down, and Marigold, never one to stand up to Bathilda, just took it.
However, the strategy had backfired as Charles looked at Marigold as a poor lass he could save from her evil sister. Lord Angleton looked upon Bathilda with dread every time he encountered her, and Ella tried to be as quiet as Marigold whenever there were conversations among them. On the rare occasion that Bathilda left Charles with Ella and Marigold, usually in a bid to impress Lady Angleton and show her that she would be a better match than her sister, Ella had brokered conversations between Marigold and Charles, speaking on subjects that got them both chatty. They seemed to really enjoy each other’s company.
“I’ll get you some tea, Marigold,” Ella said. “I’m very happy for you. And don’t worry about Bathilda. She’ll have other suitors.”
Ella was standing to get Marigold the tea, when the girl grabbed her arm. “Do you really think it will go well? Bathilda is the oldest, and she pitched a royal fit with mother before she left. You don’t think mother will change her mind and tell them she’ll only negotiate for a marriage to Bathilda, do you?”
“Your mother doesn’t have to be married to Bathilda. Charles does. And if he doesn't want to, there is nothing your mother can say to change his mind. I’m sure she’ll do what’s best for her family, and that is to have one daughter married off to someone who adores her. And Charles adores you, Mari. I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”
Marigold blushed. “Really?”
“Absolutely,” Ella said and nodded. Ella’s words seemed to put her stepsister’s mind at ease, so she departed to the kitchen to start the tea. Ella had just put the kettle on the fire when Lady Kenna walked into the kitchen. She glared at Ella. “Lady Kenna,” Ella said. “Would you like some tea? I was just making some for Marigold.”
Lady Kenna sneered, “Well, if it isn’t little Cinderella. Covered in dirt and cinders from cleaning, or is that coal from all your drawing? Portraits of Marigold that you secretly give to Lord Angleton.”
Ella’s mouth dropped open and she instinctively took a step back, afraid her stepmother would hit her. “He asked me to see some of my other drawings, and when he saw it, he liked it so much I said he could ke
ep it.”
Lady Kenna’s voice was saccharine. “Of course you did,” she said, walking closer to Ella. “You will pay for your deceit, for trying to turn my sweet Marigold against her sister and usurp the fiancé who was clearly meant for Bathilda.”
Lady Kenna walked out of the kitchen and into the main room without another word. Ella breathed out in relief. She heard Lady Kenna call for Bathilda to come down, as Marigold was already sitting in the room. Ella thought she heard a horse in the distance, but ignored it. She wanted to know what was being said, so she went to the door separating the kitchen from the sitting room. She wouldn’t be able to hear everything, but hoped to catch a few snippets of what Lady Kenna was saying. Just then, she heard banging on the back door.
Ella answered it. There was a man dressed in the uniform of the royal guard. He bowed his head once, then held out a piece of parchment in a sealed envelope. Ella took it and looked up at him. “What is it?”
“The King and Queen are inviting all the maidens in the land to the prince’s birthday ball tomorrow,” the man said, his voice resonating through the tiny room. Then he looked at Ella kindly and said. “‘Tis said he plans to choose a bride from amongst the guest.”
A bride? Well, that would be something different. “I thought the prince’s bride had to be royal.”
The man shrugged. “The King decreed it, so it must be alright.”
“Yes, it must,” Ella said with a laugh. The man turned to leave and she noticed how his shoulders slumped. “Wait,” she said. “Do you need water before you go, or would you like a muffin? I’ve baked some this morning.”
The man turned back and smiled at her. “That’s quite nice of you milady,” he said.
Ella fetched him an empty cup and handed it to him. She went and got the pitcher full of water, as well as a muffin. As she poured the water into the cup, she said, “Got it fresh from the well this morning.”
A moment later the kitchen door swung open and Lady Kenna walked in. “What are you doing, Ella?” she asked with such venom in her voice that the man stopped chewing and stared.
Ella curtsied for her stepmother and held out the envelope. “Lady Kenna, this is a royal page who brought tidings of the ball to celebrate the prince’s birthday. He looked weary after all his travels and I offered him a cup of drink and a bite of muffin, to make the rest of his journey more comfortable.”
Lady Kenna scowled. “I’m sure he doesn’t have time to stop and eat and drink everywhere he goes. The King and Queen expect their messages delivered.” She turned to the page, holding out her hand for the cup. “We won’t keep you from your work any longer.”
The man handed Lady Kenna the cup, then turned to Ella, giving her a look of sympathy before exiting. Lady Kenna took the envelope and left without saying a word. She didn’t even open it. Ella supposed she wanted to open it in private. She probably didn’t even intend to tell Ella of the ball. Still, a ball at the palace sounded grand. It sounded like the loveliest thing. She wondered if she would see Ashton there. She wondered what it might be like to dance with him in public just once.
She sighed and shook her head. That would never happen. Her stepmother was bound to forbid her to go. A soft hissing sound shook her from her thoughts. It was the kettle boiling. She’d forgotten all about Marigold’s tea. She added the leaves and poured the water, then set the cup on a tray and took it out to the main room. The room was empty except for Marigold, who was crumpled in her chair crying. Ella could hear Lady Kenna and Bathilda upstairs laughing.
She ran toward Marigold, setting the tray on the floor, and kneeling before the girl again. “Mari, what’s wrong?” Ella asked softly.
Marigold looked up at her with accusatory eyes. “Mother said you and I conspired to steal Lord Angleton’s son from Bathilda, and I didn’t deserve a marriage because of that.”
Ella’s mouth popped open. She was sure Lady Kenna would take the betrothal of any daughter, especially as she didn’t think Lord Angleton would ask for much by way of dowry. “She told him no?”
Marigold shook her head. “One of the King’s pages arrived with the invitations while she was negotiating. Charles’ sisters were so excited they burst in with the news. That’s when mother told Lord Angleton she was very offended by him pushing for a marriage with Marigold, when it was clear that Bathilda would make a better match. She said she needed more time to think and told him she would return in a week. What she wants is for us to go to the ball and try to woo the prince. If one of us succeeds, she will turn down Angleton’s offer. If we don’t, then I will get to marry him.”
“That’s insane,” Ella said, before she could stop herself. “You like Charles, and he likes you. Why would she jeopardize that for the prince, who will be choosing among hundreds of maidens?”
“Because she’s angry,” Marigold said. “Angry that you gave Lord Angleton that drawing of me. She wants to hurt me for it and she thinks Charles will wait, that he likes me enough to wait.” Marigold burst into tears again, and blubbered, “But Lord Angleton won’t wait, Ella. I just know he won’t. She’s ruined things for me.”
Marigold’s sobs grew louder and she was saying something else, but Ella couldn’t figure out what, as it all came out muddled by her tears. Ella decided not to speak and simply rubbed her stepsister’s back, trying to murmur words of comfort. Lady Kenna was unbelievable in her cruelty. Sometimes, Ella wondered why she ever tried with that woman. Kindness toward Lady Kenna was only ever repaid with spite.
Chapter 26
Ella had sneaked out once more to see Ashton and it was with a heavy heart. The ball was the talk of everyone. There wasn’t a single person among the kingdom who wasn’t chattering about it. However, Ella knew the night of the ball was the perfect time for her to flee. The question was whether or not to tell Ashton. She adored him, she did. But she was worried that he would try to get her to stay, that he would promise that he would help her.
Only, there was nothing he could do for her now. Nothing. There was no way to stop a parent’s betrothal of their child. As much as she hated it, Lady Kenna was her parent. She had been from the moment she married Ella’s father.
Ella decided to simply go and enjoy Ashton’s company tonight. When she arrived at the gate, Heinrich led her to the usual room and before she bid him adieu, she reached into her satchel and pulled out a small drawing she’d made for him. It was a picture of a badger. For some reason, she thought he’d like it. Once inside the room, she found Ashton sitting on the bed waiting for her. She walked over and climbed in beside him.
“You have one thing on your mind tonight,” she said.
He shook his head. “No, I just found this spot slightly more comfortable than other places.”
She nodded. Ella did wonder about the comfort of his chair, as it didn’t look terribly pleasant. It looked regal, but it wasn’t well stuffed or comfortably padded.
“So, I take it I will see you at the Prince’s ball?” he said.
Ella shook her head. “No, probably not. I’m certain my stepmother won’t let me come.”
He opened his mouth, apparently shocked. “All maidens are invited,” he said, with slight exasperation in his voice. “I hoped to dance with you there.”
Ella giggled. “Oh, I think that would be divine. Sir Ashton and Lady Ella dancing to the music, giggling and laughing like a real couple and then at midnight joining in the celebration to fete the prince as he turns 20. It would be wonderful, Ash.”
Even now, the thought of it delighted her and made her wish it were possible. “But Lady Kenna won’t let me go. She says I can, if I do all my chores and find something to wear. Only she knows I cannot overcome the hurdles of her ‘if.’ I have no gown to wear.”
“Buy one,” Ash said. “I’ve tallied your pay, exactly as promised,” he said, pointing to a sack on the table in the corner. “I’ll add more to cover the dress. Please, say you’ll buy something pretty and come. I want to dance with you.”
Ella couldn’t help but be heartened by his cheer. “Ash, it’s wonderful of you to think of everything, but what I’m saying is she won’t let me come even if I do buy a dress. It won’t be pretty enough or it will be too fancy so as to upstage her daughters. She will find some excuse why I can’t go. She sees this as an opportunity for her daughters to marry the prince.”
Ashton laughed now, a hearty rich laugh that shook his entire frame. “I thought you said her daughters were awful. How does she expect them to capture the heart of a prince?”
Ella laughed, too. “Yes, it’s ridiculous, but she’s wagered Marigold’s future on it.” Ella went on to tell him about Lord Angleton, Bathilda, Charles and the rest. She felt free with him tonight, knowing she didn’t have to keep secrets, for soon she would be gone. It was liberating, yet at the same time sad. A bittersweet evening, she supposed.
“Your stepmother really refused an offer of marriage for her daughter, on the hopes that one of them would capture the heart of the prince?”
Ella shook her head.
“Well, that’s just it, she didn’t technically refuse it. She simply deferred it in a way that might leave the possibility open of her reclaiming it. I don’t know if she really believes Bathilda can win the prince’s heart or just thinks this a clever way to punish Marigold and me. I think she fully expects to convince Lord Angleton to take Marigold if it doesn’t work out with the prince, which it won’t.
“To be fair, asking for an extension of the negotiations might not have been awful if someone had fallen ill or there were another valid reason. But her change was abrupt enough that it probably wasn’t hard to figure out what’s going on. Not to mention, it’s sure not to work.
“Charles doesn’t like Bathilda, so he’s not going to even consider her. But, Lady Kenna is so hateful, she doesn’t see it. All she sees is my betrayal, the fact that I went behind her back. And I feel awful about that.”
Cinders & Ash: A Cinderella Story (Passion-Filled Fairy Tales Book 3) Page 14