Seraphina surprised Cinderella by reaching for her hand and clasping it tightly. She was surprised at the coldness of Seraphina’s touch and how it seeped into her. She imagined it rising up her arm until it ensnared her heart and froze it solid. Even though Seraphina was a poor excuse for a mother, she felt a grain of sympathy for her … now that she was on the verge of losing everything. She fleetingly wondered what would happen to Seraphina and Josselyn when all of this was over. Seraphina had never worked a day in her life. How privileged she was, sitting there in her crimson gown, her dark hair coifed and piled high on her head. Perhaps she would marry a wealthy nobleman that would pay her debts. Her features were too sharp to be considered pretty, but there was something commanding about her near-black eyes and thick lashes. Cinderella’s gaze lingered on the gold locket hanging around Seraphina’s neck. It was her only adornment, and she wore it always. It contained a picture of Seraphina’s late husband—Cinderella’s father, The Duke of Welmington. Their love for him was the only thing she and her stepmother had in common. For so long Cinderella had yearned for Seraphina’s approval. Dreamed about what it would be like to be part of a real family. Even now, after all that had happened, there was a part of Cinderella that still longed for Seraphina’s approval—an unsettling thought considering what Seraphina was asking her to do. She reached for Seraphina’s arm. “I prithee! Convince them to release Rushton. He would never do the things they are accusing him of. His only crime is loving me.”
Seraphina put a warning finger to her lips and cast a furtive glance at Millicent who was fluffing pillows on the bed, intent on catching every word of the conversation. “My poor daughter has been through much,” she said, her voice carrying across the room. “See how pale and weary she is. Methinks a glass of water would do her some good.”
The last thing Cinderella wanted was a glass of water. She started to protest until she saw the warning look in Seraphina’s eyes. A lifetime of experience had taught her that contradicting Seraphina in the presence of others was sure to bring a dragon’s wrath of fire raining down on her head.
Forever dutiful, Millicent’s response was immediate. “I will get thee water, mi’ lady.”
“Just water,” Cinderella said eyeing Millicent and Seraphina. “I know you have been putting something in my tea to make me sleep.”
Seraphina looked surprised. “‘Twas only a little something to help thee relax,” she soothed.
“Well, I do not want it. What I need is something to help me think,” she finished under her breath.
Seraphina shifted on the red velvet chair, trying to find a more comfortable spot. “Will you also bring us some bread, butter, and cheese?”
Millicent nodded.
“And whatever meats you can find?”
The smallest hint of annoyance crossed Millicent’s face, but she was fast at masking it. She gave Seraphina a slight curtsy as she left the room.
Seraphina reached up and tucked a loose curl back into place. She then stood and closed the door. “That should keep that insufferable woman busy for a while. She has been hanging on our every word.”
Cinderella nodded. It was comforting to know that she wasn’t the only one who disliked Millicent.
“I cannot comprehend why Queen Loreena insists on keeping Millicent. Why she would make her thy lady in waiting is beyond me.”
“So Millicent can report everything back to her.”
A wise smile spread over Seraphina’s face. She gave Cinderella an appraising look. “What a smart little princess you are.” She paused, thinking. “Now that we know that juicy little tidbit, we can use it to our advantage. We will tell Millicent only what we want the queen to know.” She sat down beside Cinderella. “Let us talk while we can … before she comes back.” She took a deep breath before plunging in. “Despite what you think, I do appreciate the sacrifices that you have been making for the family. I know you are under the delusion that you love that peasant boy.”
“Rushton is not a peasant, he is a squire in line to become a knight!”
The comment was dismissed with a flick of Seraphina’s hand. “Aye, dearest, of course he is. The point is that if you do not go along with my plan, both you and the boy will die.”
Cinderella’s breath caught and her heart began to pound.
“Listen to me.” She clutched Cinderella’s arm. “‘Tis simple. All you have to do is admit that Rushton cast a love spell over thee. A spell that made thee powerless to resist him. A vial was found on his person, and there are rumors that his mother practices witchcraft. No one will question it.”
“How can you say that?” Blood rushed to Cinderella’s face, and her head felt as if it would burst. “If I tell them that Rushton cast a spell over me, he will die!”
Fire flashed in Seraphina’s eyes. “If you tell them he did not, you will both die! Do not be a fool!”
Tears flooded her eyes, and she couldn’t hold them back. They trailed from her eyes and splashed onto her gown, making streaks across the silk. “I have made such a mess of things. I tried to stay away from Rushton. Oh, how I tried! I just couldn’t.” She looked at Seraphina. “I love him, I really do.”
“Love has nothing to do with this,” Seraphina snapped.
A cold blackness settled over Cinderella. She shook her head. “You are wrong. Love has everything to do with it.”
“Cinderella, look at me,” Seraphina said.
She looked away.
“Look at me!” she commanded.
She lifted her eyes.
“Josselyn and I are your only family. If you die, then we lose everything—the land, the manor, thy father’s armor and swords. We’ll be done for.” Tears formed in Seraphina’s eyes. “Do you want that to happen?”
“Nay,” she sniffed. The ramifications of Seraphina’s words were as impenetrable as the stone walls around them. She was right. This was larger than her and Rushton. The wellbeing of her family rested on her shoulders. She was finally being given a way to right the wrong her father had unintentionally caused. But why did it have to be at the expense of her love? Her heart was being stomped out one piece at a time, and she was powerless to stop it. “I know not what to do.” She put her head in her hands and began to sob.
“You do not see it now, but you will. This is for the best,” Seraphina said, rubbing circles on Cinderella’s back. “If that peasant—squire—has any love for thee at all, then he won’t stand by and see thee executed. He will want thee to live … for both of thy sakes.”
After the tears dried, Cinderella sat, staring unseeingly at the fireplace that in the light of day, devoid of fire, was as cold and empty as she felt.
“All you have to do is admit that he cast a love spell over you—a spell so powerful that you were unable to resist. That is why you met him in the forest that night. We have the letter he wrote you as proof.”
This jolted Cinderella out of her stupor. “What?”
“Keep thy voice down. Do you want the whole castle to hear?”
“How did you get the letter?”
“That is not important. What is important is that we have it … as proof.”
A blaring anger surfaced. Cinderella’s thoughts were a jumble, and she tried to sort through them to make sense of things. “How did the guards know that I was in the forest with Rushton?”
Seraphina shook her head. “I do not know.”
“How can you not know?”
“Queen Loreena sent a messenger to the manor the day after you were—um, arrested, apprising me of the situation. I came here immediately to look after thee.”
“I am sure Queen Loreena was thrilled to learn of my … treachery. She detests me and does not think I am good enough for Edward.”
“Nay, thou art mistaken. The Queen summoned me here, so that I can help you. In fact, she told me that she was going to try and convince Edward that you were under the influence of a spell.”
“What?” If Seraphina had announced that the moat around
the castle had suddenly dried up, she wouldn’t have been more surprised. “Queen Loreena does not approve of me. She has made her feelings quite clear.”
Seraphina shrugged. “I can only tell thee what she told me.”
Cinderella looked down at the floor, dreading the next question she had to ask. “How does Edward feel … about me?”
“He is understandably hurt.” Seraphina gave her a withering look. “He did, after all, find you in the arms of another man.”
“A man that I knew long before Edward came along. A man that has stood by me, defended me—”
“There is no easy answer here, Cinderella. I am not trying to hurt you even more, but you must understand that Rushton is going to be executed. You cannot change that. You do, however, have control over what happens to you … what happens to us. It is senseless to think that two people have to die.” Tears formed in her eyes. “I do not want to lose thee. You are all that I have left of thy father.”
Cinderella felt an unexpected rush of tenderness for her stepmother. She was a hard woman to love—all thorns and no roses. Seraphina had always favored Josselyn over her. It hurt to be second best, and a part of her would always resent the fact that Seraphina had made her take over the servants’ duties when they could no longer afford to pay them. But she couldn’t help but feel somewhat loyal to Seraphina. After all, she’d taken her in and raised her when no one else would. “How much time do I have to make a decision?”
Seraphina looked shocked that Cinderella would dare ask such a question. Perhaps she thought the decision was already made. “The trial begins in three days.”
Cinderella’s sharp intake of breath was audible. “There is to be a trial?” Panic fluttered in her breast. How was she going to look Rushton in the eye and testify against him? There was no way she could do that!
“Of course there will be a trial,” Seraphina continued. “The Grimm Laws are very clear on that account. There are to be no executions unless there is proof of guilt. No one, not even the King himself is exempt from the law.”
“I need to speak to Rushton.”
“What?” Seraphina’s eyes went wide. “Have ye gone mad? You must have no further contact with him. Not ever!”
“I will only agree to thy plan if I can see him once more.” She clenched her fists. “I need to see him. I owe him that much.” She looked Seraphina in the eye. “That is my condition,” she said firmly.
Seraphina’s jaw clenched. “Very well,” she finally said. “I will see what I can arrange. ‘Twill have to be done in secret. If Prince Edward finds out, there will be no hope of a reconciliation.” She lifted an eyebrow. “‘Tis time to grow up and put aside these foolish notions of romance. You are extremely lucky. Prince Edward chose thee.”
“As opposed to Josselyn.” The comment was spiteful, but she couldn’t help herself. She felt only a slight twinge of guilt when she saw Seraphina’s face fall.
“Aye. I had hoped at one time that he might favor Josselyn, but I suppose that things have worked out as the fates have decreed. Josselyn is witty, she will find another.” She touched a lock of Cinderella’s hair. “My Josselyn is many things, but …” She forced a smile. “Who notices the beauty of the moon when the sun is shining so brightly?” Cinderella thought she detected a flicker of resentment in her eyes, but it vanished as suddenly as it had come. “I will arrange for thy meeting with Rushton, but you must promise to put aside this nonsense. You are destined to be a princess. Never take that responsibility lightly.” She stood and made a point of looking Cinderella up and down. “Clean thyself up,” she said crisply. “‘Tis critical for thee to look thy best perchance Edward pays thee a visit.” She paused. “Wear something blue. He won’t be able to resist thee anymore than Rushton could.”
* * *
When the doorbell rang again a few minutes later, Elle knew it was Rush this time. Her heart was hammering in her chest, and she closed her eyes for a second, willing herself to remain calm. She opened the door. “Hey,” she said casually, motioning with her head, “come in.”
His eyes flickered over her, causing warmth to blanket around her. She thought she caught a blip of affection in his gaze before he masked it with those hooded eyes that were a shade darker today because they picked up the gray in the v-necked sweater he was wearing. She bit back a smile. Maybe Rae was right. He did still have feelings for her … hopefully. He looked good. No, she corrected herself, he looked like an Abercrombie Finch poster with those windswept curls and chiseled jaw. How anyone could look that good in a sweater and jeans was beyond her. She allowed herself one glance at the way his dark hair curled on his neck before shoving her hands in her pockets, so she wouldn’t be tempted to reach out and touch them.
“How’s it going?” she asked, trying to find something to break the tension. She gave him a slight smile. “I halfway expected you to come by way of the roof.”
He ignored the comment and instead jerked his thumb in the direction of the stairs. “Are we headed up to your room?”
She squelched the irritation that surfaced. “Yep, we are,” she said tersely. Two could play that game.
As they were going up the stairs, Josselyn and Huntsden were coming down. She instinctively leaned into Rush in an attempt to stay as far away from Huntsden as possible. Huntsden made a point of openly gazing over her with those predatory eyes that held a restless hunger in them. A pit formed in her stomach, and she felt Rush’s arm go around her. She welcomed the protectiveness of it and then realized that he was eyeing Huntsden with open hostility. The air around them grew taut enough to snap. She had the impression that Rush was protecting his territory—he was protecting her. Before she could dissect what that meant, they moved past them and out the front door. The air seemed to breathe easier with them gone. Elle and Rush just stood there, and then Rush realized that he had his arm around her waist. When she gave him a questioning look, he quickly removed it. A smile stole across her lips as she remembered something that Rush once told her when she inadvertently snuggled up against him on his bike. “You know, if you want to go out on a date, all you have to do is ask.”
He rocked back, stunned, and then he scowled, but she saw a hint of amusement in his eyes.
When they entered her room, he placed his backpack on the bed and then turned to her. “What was that about?”
“Huntsden?”
He nodded.
She shook her head. “I dunno.”
“I don’t like the way he was looking at you. How long has that been going on?”
“A few weeks,” she admitted.
A furious look swept over his features. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
She let out a half laugh and sat down on the bed. “Because you and I aren’t together.” The accusation of the words settled between them as he sat down in the rose chair.
His jaw tightened. “I see.”
Okay, she’d not meant for that comment to build another wall between them. The goal was to mend things, not make them worse! She gave him a tentative look, her eyelashes lowering against her cheeks. “What I meant is that I figured you were too into Lynessa to pay attention to my problems.” She spoke the words innocently enough and could tell they had the desired effect when he started to squirm.
Conflicting emotions twisted on his face until he finally spoke. “I don’t like that guy!”
Her heart dropped a notch. He’d evaded the topic of Lynessa. Was that because he was really into her? He’d not denied that they were a couple. She forced herself to go back to the topic at hand. “Huntsden?”
“Yeah.”
She scowled. “He’s a thug!” An involuntary shiver ran down her spine. “He gives me the creeps!”
“I’ll keep an eye on him. You let me know if he tries to mess with you.” He caught her eyes. “I mean it.”
She nodded as a thrill ran over her. He cared. That counted for something, didn’t it?
Rush relaxed and pointed. “Would you hand me my backpack?
We need to get started on the essay.”
“Sure.” She handed it to him and then grabbed her notebook.
He unzipped his backpack. “What’s he been doing …exactly?”
“Huntsden?”
He nodded. She told him how he tried to give her a ride when she was walking home from cheerleading practice, how he stalked her with his eyes every time he came near her at school, and how he came into The Chocolate Fountain and had words with Adele. She ended by telling him how Huntsden had whispered the threat to her as he came into the house to see Josselyn.
He swore under his breath, and the murderous expression on his face unsettled her. She didn’t want him to do something stupid on her behalf. Without thinking, she touched his arm. “Hey.” His eyes connected with hers, sending a bolt of adrenaline punching through her. “I’ll be okay. I’ve done a pretty good job of avoiding him so far. I can keep doing it.” She could tell from the look on his face that he was unconvinced. “Really,” she assured him. He gave her a curt nod. Then, he looked down at her hand, which was still on his arm. Heat flooded her face as she removed it. It was his turn to be amused as she nervously cleared her throat. “Okay, the essay.”
“Trust,” he murmured, his eyes never leaving hers.
Her throat went dry. “What?” she croaked.
A ghost of a smile went over his lips. “The topic of the essay.”
“Oh … yeah.” She could feel her face, blaring like a neon sign. He knew the effect he was having on her, and he was thoroughly enjoying it. “Which characters do we want to focus on?”
“Let’s do Gatsby and Daisy.”
“Okay … I’m good with that.” As she wrote it down, she could feel his eyes, scrutinizing her. She gave him a questioning look.
“Gatsby trusted Daisy—covered for her, but where did that get him?”
“Um …” She moistened her lips, trying to come up with a response that wouldn’t totally incriminate her.
“Killed,” he said flatly. “It got him killed. Daisy was too weak to stand by him in the end.” There was a condemning expression on his face.
Love Spell: Book 2 of The Grimm Laws Page 11