“Is that why you hate me?”
“I don’t hate you. I just despise what you stand for – my insanity. Plus, Agnes doesn’t like you, and neither do her daughters.”
“That is no reason to treat me poorly. Is it?”
“I don’t know. As far as I know, you might not be my daughter or even a noble. Until someone proves differently, I have no choice but to trust Agnes’ judgment. Surely, she is not addled, so I look to her for guidance.”
“How could you do such a thing?”
“How could I not? If I am declared incompetent of ruling my demesne, it will all be taken from me. I look to Agnes for my strength and also my decisions.”
“Hubert, there you are.” Agnes came marching into the room with Beatrice and Greta right behind her. She held the travel bag in her hands. “Did you know that Cinderella is deliberately trying to keep the girls from attending the ball?”
“That’s not true.” Ella’s eyes shot over to the baron.
“Why would you say that, my love?”
“She was supposed to have Greta and Beatrice’s shoes fixed at the cordwainer’s shop yesterday.”
“I did,” Ella protested.
“You did, did you? Did you think this was a funny jest? Because we don’t.” Agnes held up two pairs of shoes. They were so large that one of the soldiers could have worn them as boots.
Ella’s mouth fell open in shock.
The baron chuckled.
“It isn’t funny, Father,” cried Beatrice.
“We’re not going to be able to go to the ball, and it is all Cinderella’s fault.” Greta stormed out of the room with her younger sister right on her heels.
“You will take these back to the cordwainer’s shop after you clean up the mess in this room,” snapped Agnes. “But not before you tend to the chickens, clean out the stables, and fill the horse troughs in the barn.”
“But those are jobs for servants,” said Cinderella.
“Agnes, that does seem a little harsh,” said the baron, coming to Ella’s defense.
“Hubert, the trouble with you is that you are not harsh enough. For example, did you find the culprit yet who stole your tax money and replaced it with stones?”
“I’m working on it,” he said.
“Don’t bother. I did a little investigating and found out some information from one of my spies. The same man who stole your coins was in town again last night. It was dark, and they couldn’t be sure, but my man told me the culprit was loitering in the cordwainer’s shop. Did you happen to see anyone suspicious while you were there, Cinderella?”
“Me?” Ella’s thoughts flashed to William. He was the only one in the shop besides the cordwainer. Plus, William had been lurking in the shadows the night the tax money was stolen. Aye, she was sure he had something to do with it. “Nay, I saw no one,” she lied, looking at the ground.
“What did you do to your pallet?” asked the woman, storming across the room, brushing away feathers that were still lingering in the air. “Oh, there are mice!” she screamed. “You will sleep out in the barn, Cinderella, until this rodent problem is handled.”
“In the barn?” she asked, glancing to the baron for help. He shook his head and looked the other way. “Yes, Stepmother,” she said, feeling a mouse cross over her foot. Aye, there were going to be many mice in the barn where she slept tonight.
Chapter 10
“Brother, did you really tell the girl you don’t remember her right after you kissed her?” asked Terris riding on horseback as he accompanied William to town. Lucio was with them, and so was Troy. The de Bar brothers left this morning to be with their wives. Lucio told them he’d get them if they were needed, but that they should stay with the women they loved and protect them for now.
“I didn’t want to lie to her,” said William, already regretting his decision. Had he known it would turn Ella away from him, he would have reconsidered. “Terris, I really don’t remember Ella from my past. Do you?”
Terris held his finger in the air, but stopped and looked as if he were thinking. Then he shook his head, dropping his hand to his side. “Nay, Brother. I thought I did, but I guess I don’t.”
“Neither do I,” said Troy.
“You all know Ella from the past, but Hecuba’s curse has caused you to forget,” explained Lucio. “I am afraid this is getting worse every day.”
“I’ll say it is,” agreed William. “Now, Ella said she never wants to see me again and that I shouldn’t tell anyone about our kiss.”
“She’ll change her mind,” said Lucio with a chuckle. “But it might take another meeting or two with her and possibly a few more kisses first. I remember how enamored she used to be with you.” Lucio smiled as he remembered the past. “You have been friends with my sons for a long time, William. You were almost like one of the family. Cinderella never told anyone how much she fancied you, but my wife saw it in her eyes and was the one who pointed it out to me. Ella is in love with you, but she just doesn’t remember. Unfortunately, I had to break your betrothal because of your actions with a milkmaid.”
“Ah, the randy milkmaid in the barn,” said William.
“You remember the milkmaid?” asked Lucio.
“I do. And I swear to you, Lord Lucio, that the woman was out to ruin me. I never had any intentions of doing a thing with her. She was the one who even initiated the kiss.”
“I believe you now, William, although I didn’t at the time. I am sorry I stopped you and Ella from being betrothed. I wanted the best for my daughter and had to be sure.”
“Tell me again, why are we going to town at night?” asked Terris.
“Because it will give William another chance to talk to Ella,” said Lucio with a smile.
“How can we be sure she will be there?” asked Troy.
“She will be there,” said Lucio sounding very certain. “I made sure of it when I slipped the shoes into her travel bag last night.”
Once again, Ella rode into town at dusk, hating the fact she had to come back every night alone. She also despised the fact she would be sleeping in the barn tonight because she failed to stand up to her stepmother.
Ella, as far as she remembered, was not a confrontational person. She liked peace and didn’t want to be the one to cause a fight. Mayhap she was naught more than a mouse, after all, like Medea told her. Ella couldn’t see it before, but now that she’d seen the baron at the mercy of his wife, she realized how important it was to stand up for what one believed. If only she could remember her past, she could be more confident with her actions and decisions. But since she didn’t know her past, it was hard to act on her future.
She rode up to the cordwainer’s shop, noticing the crowd of drunkards standing outside the tavern tonight. Several whores were with them. Dismounting her horse, she tried not to make eye contact. She was tying up her horse when three men stepped out of the shadows, followed by a couple of whores.
“Is this the girl you told us about?” asked one of the men.
“It’s her,” spat one of the women. “She’s been here every night and is taking our business.”
“Nay, you’re wrong,” Ella protested, hearing her heart pounding in her ears. Her horse sensed trouble and pulled at the reins, making them slip out of Ella’s hand. Then, to her horror, the skittish animal took off at a run. Now she was stranded, in trouble, and didn’t even have a means of escape.
“I think I’d like to sample the girl’s goods before we send her off. She looks young and perky.” One of the drunken men reached for his waist belt while the other two grabbed her arms.
“We’ll hold her for you, and you do the same for us,” said another drunkard.
“Let’s go,” snapped one whore to the other. “It’s getting hard to make a living around here.”
“Wait,” cried Cinderella, hoping to call the women back to help her.
“Throw her down on the ground,” said the first man, dropping his breeches to his knees.
; She struggled against their holds, trying to break free. The men threw her to the ground and pulled her gown up, grabbing for her undergarments. And just when she thought she was about to be violated, four men stepped out of the darkness to help her.
“Let go of her, you bastards.” It was William. He drew his sword and grabbed the man who had his pants down, holding his sword to the man’s neck.
Sir William’s squire threw a few punches, fighting off one of the men who held her. Another man she recognized as the guard named Lucio did something that frightened her. A blast of light came from his hand sending the third man flying through the air and landing on his back in the middle of the street.
“I should kill you right here for even thinking of touching the girl,” snarled William, drawing blood from the man’s throat.
“Please, let me go,” begged the man.
“If you don’t kill him, I will,” said Lucio.
“Sir William, the man isn’t even armed,” the squire reminded him.
William seemed to consider the situation for a second before responding. “Get the hell out of here, all of you!” William shoved the man. The drunkard stumbled, pulling up his breeches as he ran off with the other two men right behind him. “And next time, I swear you won’t be so lucky.”
“There had better not be a next time,” Lucio called after them.
William put away his sword. He reached out and helped Ella to her feet. The warmth of his hand against hers comforted her immediately.
“Sir William, what are you doing here?” she asked.
“The question is what are you doing here?” he rallied.
“My stepmother sent me back to town. Somehow the cordwainer made the shoes much too large for my stepsisters’ feet.”
“I’m afraid I’m to blame for that,” said Lucio. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to put you in danger.”
“I don’t understand,” she said. “And who are you?”
“Ella, this man is Lucio de Bar,” William told her.
“You are Medea’s father, aren’t you?” she asked. “You have magic just like her.”
Lucio’s brows rose in surprise. “You know my daughter, Medea?”
“She said she is my sister and that you are my father, too. Are you?”
William exchanged glances with Lucio, his heart going out to the man. Hecuba stated that no one could tell Ella who she really was, or the curse would never be broken. If Lucio admitted he was Ella’s father, it could mean her memory would never return.
“Give me the shoes, I’ll fix them,” said Lucio, taking the bag from her. With a wave of his hand, the travel bag lit up and glowed. Then the glow subsided and he handed the bag back to her. “The shoes are fixed, now get back to the manor anon and don’t come to town again.”
Shouting was heard, and William looked up to see some of the baron’s men hauling his brother, Terris, to a cart that had a cage atop it.
“I didn’t take your tax money, let me go,” shouted Terris.
“Let’s help him,” said William to the others, lifting his sword and starting toward his brother.
“Wait, Sir William. I’d like a word with you first,” Lucio said, stopping him.
“God’s eyes, not now, Lord Lucio. Can’t you see my brother is in trouble?”
Lucio pulled him to the side and out of earshot of Ella. Troy followed. “Let them take him,” he said.
“You are out of your mind, old man. That is my brother. And we both know he isn’t the guilty one.”
“If you fight the baron’s men, they will see it is you. It will make you an enemy, and then Ella will never come to your ball.”
“She is not coming anyway, so what does it matter? I’m going to save Terris. Come on, Troy.”
He turned to go and bumped into Lucio who magically appeared in front of him. “I can’t let you do it, William. I have a feeling the ball is where the curse will be broken. If you fight the baron’s men, my daughter might never regain her memory. Neither will you or anyone else where she is concerned.”
“He’s right, Sir William,” agreed Troy. “It might be our only chance. Perhaps we can break Terris out of the dungeon later.”
“No need to,” said, Lucio.
“Are you going to use your magic to help Terris?” asked William.
“Nay. I believe my daughter already has that covered.” He smiled and pointed across the street. Ella screamed, waving her hands over her head, taking the attention of the guards. “Yes, she is a de Bar in every sense,” he said, a smile of pride and satisfaction showing on his face.
There were only four guards, and when their attention was taken by Ella’s screaming, Terris managed to break out of their grips. He looked as if he were going to stay and fight. Lucio shook his head. “Bad move, boy. Get going.” He sighed and flicked his hand in the air, sending two of the guards barreling back into the wagon as the other two ran to help Ella.
“I thought you weren’t going to help,” said William in a low voice.
“That fool brother of yours needs all the help he can get. Sir William, stay hidden with your squire. And make sure Terris stays hidden until the guards leave with Ella.”
“She forgot the bag with the shoes,” Troy pointed out.
“Ella will be punished when she returns without them,” stated William.
“She’ll have them.” The bag disappeared and showed up slung over Ella’s shoulder. She felt the weight of it and turned and looked back at them, giving a nod of thanks. Ella smiled at William. He nodded, hiding in a shadow as the guards turned around.
A flash of a memory coursed through William and he was transported to another time and place.
“William, you are naughty,” said Ella, pressed up against him as he kissed her in the barn. His hands roamed to her bottom end. He squeezed her pear-shaped rear, pushing his hardened length against her.
“I want you, Ella, and cannot wait until the wedding night to couple with you.”
“I am a lady, and cannot succumb to that idea.” Her bright, violet eyes lit up with excitement, telling him she wanted him to coax her. If so, they’d be naked in the hay in a matter of minutes. She batted her long, lush lashes, teasing him as she waited and watched with curious eyes that begged him to continue.
“Nay, you are right,” he said, removing his hands from her rump, being the chivalrous knight he thought he should be. “We will wait to make love until we are married.”
“Sir William,” said his squire, dragging him back to reality. He stood dazed for a moment, blinking, watching the wagon pull away with Ella on it. “Sir William, are you all right?” asked Troy.
“I remember!” he said ecstatically. “I had a memory of kissing Ella in the barn.”
“Yes, Ella liked horses and used to spend quite some time in the barn when she should have been sewing in the ladies solar,” said Lucio.
“Damn, I can’t let her go.” William took a step forward but was stopped by Lucio’s hand on his arm.
“Where the hell were you, Brother?” Terris ran up, looking very disturbed by the fact William hadn’t come to help him. “All of you stood in the shadows, watching as I was almost captured and imprisoned for something I didn’t do.”
“Sorry about that,” said William, his thoughts still on Ella. “If you’ll all excuse me, I have to leave now.”
“Don’t do anything stupid, Fremont,” Lucio called out as William found and mounted his horse.
“It’s too late for that,” William mumbled under his breath, thinking how stupid he’d been in the past for not making love to Ella when he knew she wanted it as much as he had. Well, he wasn’t about to make that mistake again.
Chapter 11
Ella stood in the barn with a blanket in one hand and a lantern in the other. She had returned to Inglewood Manor that night, trying to tell her stepmother about how she was almost accosted. The woman didn’t care. All she cared about were the shoes. Then she shoved the blanket into Ella’s hands, gave her a
lantern and banned her to the barn for the night.
The baron had been there but did nothing to help her. She thought of how the man named Lucio had used magic to help her. That was the action of a true father – of a man who loved his daughter. She started wondering if, mayhap, Medea was telling the truth and that Lucio was her father after all.
Standing in the doorway, a shiver ran up her spine. She had never slept in a barn in the hay before. Or at least, she didn’t think so. Ella ran her hand over the nose of a horse and found an empty stall. She had just settled herself on the blanket when she heard a squeaking noise. Mice, at least a dozen of them ran up and down the wall and disappeared into the hay. She screamed and jumped to her feet, clutching the blanket to her chest.
It was her fault, she decided. She should have told her stepmother she was going to sleep in her own room – but she hadn’t. Tomorrow, she would do something about all this, because she couldn’t live this way any longer. With her back against the wall of the stall, she clung to the blanket wrapped around her. This was going to be a very long night.
“My lord, do you think it wise to sneak into Inglewood Manor so late at night?” Troy yawned as he sat atop his steed next to William, staring at the manor. It was like a small castle, but with no drawbridge or gatehouse, and with much less protection.
“I need to see Ella,” said William, not able to get the girl off his mind.
“Wouldn’t it be easier to wait until the morning and then announce that you are there and wish to see her?”
“Nay. I don’t want anyone to know I came to see her. Besides, by the sound of things, her stepmother would send me away. They treat her like a servant.”
“What about the baron? Approach him instead.”
“After what happened tonight and Terris almost being captured, I think the baron might be on to me. I don’t want to see him if he knows I had something to do with the missing tax money.”
“You’re not a thief, my lord. The baron is the thief, demanding more taxes of the townspeople than they even have.”
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