Cinderella and the Lady (15 page)

Finally, Diana exhaled loudly and lifted her face. She clutched Ellie’s hands in her own. Her eyes glistened and a flag of red flared on her cheeks.

“Now you’re the one who looks sad. What if we lie back—”

“If I don’t do this now, I never will and you’ll end up hating me.”

“Should I be scared?’ She tried to remove her hand from Diana’s grip in order to push away the hair falling into Diana’s eyes. Diana wouldn’t let her.

“I’m about to admit something I kept from you for far too long.” Diana closed her eyes and dipped her head, her hair blanketing their hands and Ellie’s lap.

She squeezed Diana’s hands in a support gesture. “I can handle whatever you tell me.”
I hope…

Diana groaned and lifted her head. Fear lurked in her eyes and Ellie’s stomach jumped.

“You deserve to know my true identity.”

Ellie licked her dry lips. “Your identity?”

“Yes. Diana isn’t the name I answer to. It is one of my names. I wasn’t lying about that.”

“How many names do you have?” Ellie teased, trying to ease the strain coming from Diana.

“Three in total.” Diana lifted their joined hands up to her mouth.

When Diana didn’t elaborate further, she gave Diana’s hands another squeeze.

Diana opened her mouth, then shut it. She dropped Ellie’s hands and rose to her feet. She crossed her arms and shifted from one leg to another.

Ellie had never seen her so agitated and it made her feel the same. Diana suddenly stopped fidgeting and dropped her arms to her side. Her breasts jiggled from the way her chest moved and her nipples a moment ago that were pointed and perfect to nibble on now lay flat. Ellie’s mouth watered for a taste of her lover’s nipples again, but first she had to hear what Diana planned on disclosing.

“I fear the desire in your eyes will turn to loathing once you know truth.”

She finished studying Diana’s wondrous bosom and brought her attention up to her face. “Are you married, or perhaps you’re the secret love child of the duke?” she asked in an airy manner, hoping inside she was completely wrong.

“You’re closer than you know.” Diana closed her eyes. “My full name is Kristina Diana Perrault.”

The silence that soon followed was deafening. A loud buzzing filled her ears. Ellie shook her head to dislodge the sound. Diana couldn’t be who she was saying she was!

She dug her fingers into the mattress. “Isn’t that the name of his grace’s daughter?”

The woman in front of her gave her a stilted nod and opened her eyes. Grim despair floated in them. “I’m their daughter and not a friend of the family, as I led you to believe.”

She covered her trembling mouth with her hand and rose from the bed. “You lied to me.”

“You weren’t honest either. You still won’t divulge where you work or who your mistress is.” Diana—
no
—Kristina moved toward her.

Ellie lifted the sheet up to cover her front and shifted to the side. “Divulge? What does that word…oh, why didn’t you tell me who you were from the start? Was this a game for you, to have fun at my expense?” Her voice cracked and she wiped her eyes that had become wet with angry tears. “Was it your plan to seduce me because you were some bored, rich lady who had nothing else to do?”

Kristina reached out to grab her, but Ellie darted away and ran over to where her chemise and gown lay. She grabbed her garments, keeping a close eye on this woman who just turned her entire world upside down.

“I won’t let you leave without hearing me out first,” Kristina said and blocked the door.

Ellie hands trembled as she threw on her chemise and pulled on her dress. Diana—
no
—Kristina watched her with a fixed stare.

“You’ll have to let me go sometime. What would your parents say if they found a strange, half-naked woman here with you? They would both faint.” She jutted her chin out, daring Kristina to argue.

Kristina’s shoulders drooped. “They would be appalled and end up disowning me if they knew we were lovers.”

“Why? Because you’re having a sexual relationship with another woman?” she spat and fisted her hands together.

“Why ask the question when you already know the answer?”

She shook her head in disgust. She had to leave before she broke down in tears in front of this woman who made her look like a fool for her own sick fun. Again she had been the subject of ridicule.

When Kristina took a step toward her, she backed away, holding up her hands to ward her off. “Stay where you are. If you don’t I’ll—”

“You’ll what,
Eleanor
? Scream. No one will be able to hear you. Everyone is drunk or close to it, engaged in their own entertainment.” Kristina said softly. “I have a way we can be together and no one would question it.”

“Together? You think I would want to be with you after all your lies?” She seethed in anger and yanked back her hair and ribbons falling over her eyes. She wanted to tear out the ribbons and fling them at Kristina’s face, or shove them down her lying throat.

“I understand why you’re furious with me. I would be also, but what we shared together wasn’t something I consider lightly. I didn’t seduce you for my own cruel enjoyment. I care for you deeply and want to keep you in my life.” Kristina lifted her hand in a plea. “You can work here as my maid.”

“Maid? You think I’ll agree to this and work for you while you diddle me in secret?” Her voice caught in her throat. Kristina had used her. She’d been such a fool! A blind, dimwitted fool like everyone thought her to be.

The sounds of cheers and music came from down below. The clock struck one and let off a soft ding.

Kristina said her name and took another step closer to her. Ellie shook her head and backed away until she met the French doors leading out to the balcony. Kristina’s face lit up in triumph, and as she stalked, she picked up her chemise from the floor and put it on. Ellie fumbled for the door knob and turned it. Breathing a sigh of relief when the doors behind her opened, she darted outside.

Kristina rushed after her. Ellie slammed the doors shut, slapping her palms against them. Kristina banged on the doors, yelling for her to let go.

She searched around for an escape. The branches of an elm tree hung low over the corner of the balcony. She turned around and leaned against the door while she untangled one of her ribbons from her hair. Kristina kept banging on the door, pleading to be let out.

She knotted the ribbon around both door handles and tied it tight. This would give her enough time to climb down the tree before Kristina could stop her. When the ribbon was adequately tied, she stared straight at Kristina’s tear-stricken face.

“I’m sorry,”
Kristina mouthed through her tears.

Ellie refused to cry. She would later when she was alone.

“You’re sorry because you got caught,” she said and hurried over to the tree.

The doors behind her rattled and Kristina yelled her name. Ellie boosted up on the ledge of the balcony and swung her leg over the branch. She slowly moved back toward the base of the tree to place her foot on another branch under her.

“Ellie, come back here!” Kristina shouted and curses left her mouth.

Ellie’s vision grew blurry from her tears, and she flinched when a sharp piece of the bark jabbed into the heel of her foot. She didn’t stop to investigate the cut and descended. She moved as fast as she could. She had to reach the ground before Kristina gave chase.

Kristina’s voice had died down and the only sounds were the ones of celebration and the hooting of an owl or some unknown bird. A shaky breath left Ellie when she landed on solid ground. Lifting up her skirt, she ran around the side of the building, wincing from the throbbing and cramping in her feet and legs.

An indent in the ground made her twist her ankle and she landed face first on the grass. Tears drenched her face and she whimpered in pain. She got to one knee and started to stand, but a sharp, shooting pain ran up her leg.

“Eleanor? Dear God, what has happened to you?

She couldn’t answer. She was crying too hard. Hands lifted her up and she groaned in anguish. Swiping away her tears, she stared up into Lord Robert’s face. The countess rushed to her side. She hid her face into the countess’s chest and sobbed.

“She may need a doctor. It looks like she’s been assaulted,” Lord Robert said.

“No…no doctor. Want to leave. Need to…” She hiccupped and cleaved onto the countess.

“Robbie, she’s hysterical. I have no clue why she would be in tears with her dress torn and in bare feet, but we need to take her away from here. I’m afraid of what Geraldine will do,” the countess said over Ellie’s head.

Ellie wailed upon hearing her stepmother’s name. If Geraldine found her, she would be beaten and locked in the basement, or worse.

“Want to go home with you.” She suddenly grew lightheaded. Her legs gave out and she crumpled to the ground.

She was lifted back up. Her stomach rolled and she hung her head over the person’s arm, ready to be sick.

Soft hands brushed over her face and soon she was deposited inside a carriage. She rolled into a ball in the corner and didn’t react when the countess patted her hips, saying everything would be all right from now on.

The carriage moved and she closed her eyes. Lord Robert and the countess spoke in low voices. They talked about her as if she wasn’t there, not that it mattered.

She was dead inside. She no longer cared about anything.

Ellie sat on the couch, holding a large glass filled with brandy. Her feet had been cleaned by one of the countess’s maids. She shivered and pulled the blanket tighter around her, staring at the dark amber liquid that reminded her of Kristina’s eyes. The countess stood over her, watching in concern. Lord Robert sat near the window with his own drink. He also stared down into his glass with a serious look on his face.

“May I join you?” the countess asked.

She nodded, allowing the countess to wrap an arm around her shoulders.

“Are you feeling better now? Can you tell us what happened to you at the ball? It was a surprise to see you there in the first place, wearing such an expensive and beautiful dress and your hair styled with ribbons,” the countess said.

Ellie took a sip of her drink. “You must have found it odd I was missing stockings and slippers.”

“That also.”

“What time is it?” she asked, finishing off her drink.

Lord Robert took out his pocket watch. “It’s almost three.”

She nibbled her lip. By now the ball would be ending and Geraldine and Mina would return home. When she wasn’t there to receive them, Geraldine would go into a rage.

She released her chapped lip and placed her glass down on the floor. “Stepmother is going to be very angry with me for not being home when she returns. I’ll never be able to explain the way I look.” She lifted her bandaged foot.

The countess tapped her chin. “Did Geraldine approach you with my offer?”

“Yes. She mentioned it to me before the ball.”

“Good.” The countess patted her knee. “This might be the perfect time for you to accept. You don’t have to confide in me just yet how you snuck into the ball or found a stylish dress and hair ribbons. Eventually I expect you to tell me the hows and whys, including why you were rolling around in tears on the duke’s lawn. Seeing you like that broke my heart. I care for you. I always have even when you were a little girl. At times, I might have been too aggressive, which I apologize for. I would love nothing more than to take you far away and show you all the world has to offer. Please say yes.”

Lord Robert walked over to sit on the arm of the settee. “I’ve wronged you also. I allowed your stepmother to abuse you without stopping it. We both would like to make it up to you. Come stay with us in London. You can rest assured you’ll be well taken care of.”

Ellie glanced between the two siblings. “I’m not comfortable with people I don’t know or big crowds—”

“Eleanor, dear, I’ll bring you out of your shell.” The countess ran a finger down the side of her face. “There’s so much I want to show you…to teach you.”

The unwavering look in the countess’s eyes made Ellie’s breath hitch. When she didn’t response, the countess and Lord Robert shared a look she couldn’t decipher.

“If you will excuse me, it’s getting late. I will leave you with Yvonne.” Lord Robert stood and bowed.

“We’ll be up shortly.” The countess waved him away.

Lord Robert left the room, but kept the door open.

“Now that Robbie is gone, I can be honest.” The countess twisted her hands and lowered her eyes. “Did Geraldine ever tell you how she came to me for a loan to pay off your father’s doctor bills and the other outstanding bills, such as the mortgage on your house?”

Ellie shook her head in disbelief. “You’re mistaken. Papa had money saved—”

The countess laughed. “Oh my dear, how truly clueless you are! Geraldine spent all your father’s savings. She thought when she married your father she would live a life of luxury. She was in for a rude awakening because he didn’t have a fortune and was cut off from his family because he married your mother, a commoner.”

Ellie’s stomach turned. She wanted to pull the blanket over her head and hide. But the countess wouldn’t let her and herded her into a tight embrace.

“Tonight has been full of shocks for you. I hate to add more to your burdens, but your stepmother is in dire straits. As her good friend, I kept her creditors at bay. But she took advantage of our friendship and spent my money on frivolous things like dresses and unnecessary baubles.” The countess sighed. “And the fact she never took care of you and treated you poorly has upset me immensely.”

“You’re never going to get your money back,” Ellie said weakly. She wished the countess would just come out and say what she wanted from her.

“I came to that conclusion a long time ago. I would hate to have to go to the authorities and have Geraldine thrown into prison, all to prove a point, but it won’t come down to that,” The countess cupped Ellie’s cheek. “Unless—”

“Unless I come live with you and be your…companion,” Ellie said.

“Yes. I’ll forget the debt owed as long as if you leave everything behind and start a new life with me.” The countess kissed her forehead, her wet lips leaving a brand on Ellie’s skin.

Her eyes stung from her tears. What other choice did she have? She couldn’t live with the guilt if Geraldine was arrested and Mina thrown out on the street. No one would come to their defense or lend aid like the countess had. Ellie owned nothing of value and even her two pets didn’t really belong to her. Leaving behind August and Jack would pain her the most. Also poor Clement and Egan would be beside themselves, not knowing where she’d gone off to. But then again it was probably for the best if she disappeared.

Kristina’s face popped into her head and Ellie bit down hard on her lip to stop from crying out. The pain of Kristina’s deceit was still too fresh. There was no way now she could stay in Aulnory, knowing they could come in contact again. She was sick of being the subject of constant ridicule, and the way Kristina had treated her was the last straw.

The countess brushed her finger across Ellie’s lip. “If you keep that up, your lip will be bloody mess.”

She flinched. Kristina had said that exact same thing in jest. The pain in her chest intensified again. She didn’t want to feel anything, not joy, sadness, or even hate. She wanted to be numb.

She sat back and pulled her hands through her hair. She caught a ribbon and gave it a sharp tug. The burn overpowered her sick stomach and her aching heart.

“Eleanor, I need an answer.”

She twined a ribbon around her finger and gave the countess a hard smile. “There’s nothing keeping me here. It’s for the best if I join you in London. It should be a grand adventure,” she said with fake cheer.

The countess’s face lit up. “You’ve made me very happy.”

At least one of us is.
“When can we leave?”

“As soon as you want.”

“Would now be too much to ask?” she was more than ready to start their journey.

The countess pursed her lips, her eyes roaming over Ellie. The heat of her stare didn’t concern her like it had done in the past. She no longer cared if the countess wanted her for something more than just companionship.

“We can leave before noon. First we’ll catch a few hours of sleep and then pack up our belongings. We should be in London by nightfall.”

Ellie nodded in agreement, and when the countess nuzzled her cheek, she allowed herself to be carried away on a sea of frozen numbness.