Cinderella and the Lady (5 page)

Lord Robert rubbed the back of his neck. “Um, there’s—”

“Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen. If I could have your attention, I have an important announcement to make,” Mr. Crane broadcasted near the front of the room.

“Lady Kristina, will you do me the honor of being my partner for the first dance of the evening?” Lord Robert whispered.

She accepted with the tilt of her head. Other than his freedom with his tongue on her knuckles, she couldn’t find any other fault with him. His charm broke through her initial repugnance while they chatted. As a reward, she granted him his wish.

A broad smile filled his face and his chest stuck out.

Swallowing a laugh, she focused on Mr. Crane, like everyone else in the room.

“Thank you all for coming tonight. Mrs. Crane and I welcome you to our home.” Mr. Crane preened under the smattering of applause. He waved over one of his servants, who delivered a glass of champagne to him. Soon other servants appeared, handing out flutes to the guests.

“Tonight we celebrate the wonderful and generous community we have here in Aulnory. Thirty years ago, Mrs. Crane and I moved here not knowing anyone. You have treated us with kindness, and we thank you for that. We would also like to thank the Duke and Duchess of Perrault for coming tonight and addressing us with their presence, including their son, Lord Simon, and their daughter, Lady Kristina, who has come home after five long years abroad.”

“He’s laying it on thick, don’t you think?” Kristina spoke softly into her mother’s ear. The duchess shushed her.

“Please raise a glass in honor of the citizens of Aulnory and a warm welcome to Lady Kristina.” Mr. Crane lifted his glass and cries of “cheers” filled the room.

She sipped the sweet, fizzy liquid, wishing she could roll the chilled glass across her forehead.
Perhaps I can make my excuses and—

“Lady Kristina, our waltz awaits.” Lord Robert held out his hand. The music started and couples moved into the middle of the floor.

The duchess took Kristina’s glass and gave her a soft push forward. “Go ahead, dear. I’m going to freshen up before I grab your father for a dance.”

Kristina wrapped her hand around the crook of Lord Robert’s elbow instead of taking his hand. Annoyance filled his eyes, but he quickly masked his reaction and gave her a congenial smile.

“Lord Robert, I don’t allow men to take my hand until after the second dance at least,” she quipped as they walked to the middle of the room.

He gave her a sheepish look as he faced her and bowed. “My apologies. Perhaps after our waltz, you’ll join me outside on the patio? It’s ghastly hot in here, don’t you think?” He tugged on his cravat and grimaced.

She erupted into laughter. The couple next to her gave her inquisitive stares. Lord Robert chuckled in return, and when he fixed his hand on her waist and took her other hand in his grip, she permitted him to circle her around the room.

He’s not a bad sort.
She smiled, satisfied she didn’t have to tilt her head up, for his height matched hers. When he asked about her years away, she gladly told him of her experiences, delighted he was interested.

* * * *

The open window allowed Ellie to hear the music. She leaned back against the side of the house, partially hidden behind a bush, imagining she was in the arms of a gentleman who had asked her to dance. She hummed along with the violins and what sounded like a flute.

Not just content with listening, she stuck her head out and lifted up on her toes to watch the dancers. Men and women circled around the room, smiling and talking without a care in the world. The exquisite dresses the women wore made her yearn for her own instead of her old, washed-out dress, one of three she owned. Shaking off her melancholia over her lacking wardrobe, she concentrated on the lavish people inside. Saliva pooled in her mouth as servants roamed around with trays of drink and finger foods.

Geraldine chatted with a man and woman who were the best dressed there. The man rested his hand on the woman’s back and she smiled up at him in affection.
They must be married
. Trying to search for Mina, she leapt back when Lord Robert flew by with a strikingly beautiful woman in his arms.

She gasped and crouched low. For some odd reason her knees started to shake and her head throbbed. The woman in her flowing rose-colored gown was breathtaking. Her brown eyes flashed with in merriment, and her smile was radiant. It appeared Lord Robert also thought the same. He stared at her, captivated, while his hand ran up and down her back in smooth strokes.

Ellie eyes charted the mesmerizing woman, who had made an unexpected impression on her. Who was she and why was she dancing with Lord Robert? Was he courting her?

Some of the couples left the dance floor as the music changed into something slower. Lord Robert escorted the woman over to the couple talking to Geraldine. The countess crossed the room to join them. Ellie inhaled and hunched down lower, her forehead and eyes above the sill and nothing else. She would be in deep water if she was caught lurking about.

“I should leave before I’m found out,” she whispered, reaching into her skirt pocket for Jack. Realizing she left him at home, she dropped her arms to her side. Her gaze found the alluring woman who was near her age. Her companions laughed at something she said and she did the same in return.

What’s wrong with me? What am I acting this way over a stranger? So what if she has a pleasing face and figure?
She shook her head to clear her thoughts.
It must be exhaustion. I should go home and rest for a few hours before Geraldine and Mina come…oh no, what is Mina doing?

Strolling across the room with a glass of pink liquid in hand, Mina bumped into Crane’s eldest daughter, splashing the drink on her skirt. The Crane girl jumped back and wiped at her dress, anger exploding on her face. Mina acted apologetic, wiping at the stain, but causing it to spread further.

She clapped for Mina and her outrageous daring. It was no accident, and from the enraged look Miss Crane gave her, she knew also.

The music changed to a livelier beat and people swarmed the middle of the room. Ellie lost sight of Mina and scoured the room, trying to locate her to see if Miss Crane would retaliate in some manner.

“Much cooler out here than inside.” Lord Robert’s voice resonated from overhead.

Ellie backed against the wall and peered up at the patio where Lord Robert emerged with his dance partner. He handed the woman a handkerchief to blot her face. She shifted in closer, reassured it was dark enough that the shadows from the house and the greenery surrounding it would hide her.

“Thank you for your handkerchief. If I had known it would be so warm inside, I would have brought my own. As it is, I forgot my fan.”

Ellie closed her eyes. The woman’s restrained yet melodious voice rushed over her.
What a strange accent
. Wanting a better glimpse, she spread apart the bush in front of to get a better look.

Both Lord Robert and the woman stood a few feet away from her. Lord Robert’s back was to her while the woman faced her, patting her face and neck with the handkerchief. Lord Robert folded his hands behind his back, his fingers twitching as he rocked back on his heels.

When the woman handed back his linen, he shook his head. “You keep it. I have many others. It will please me to know you have something of mine, such as a small slip of cloth, cooled your overheated flesh.”

Ellie covered her mouth to smother a laugh. Lord Robert’s courting skills were less than desirable.

The woman coughed into the handkerchief. Her shoulders shook and her eyes danced in merriment.

A twinge tickled low in Ellie’s belly. Sweat glided down into her bodice. She rolled her lips in between her teeth and pressed her palm over her jittery stomach, fighting the urge to move her hand down lower and cup herself.
What’s come over me? Am I coming down with something? I’ve never felt this way before.

Lord Robert took a step closer to the woman and captured her hand. The woman tried to move back, but Lord Robert didn’t let her go and gathered her to him.

Ellie was ready to jump on his back if she had to in order to stop him from accosting the woman, but to her surprise, the woman wagged her finger in front of his face.

“Now, Lord Robert, I’ve enjoyed dancing with you and spending this time together. I would hate for you to ruin everything if you tried something ungentlemanly and stole a kiss.
Ymmärrätkö sinä
?”

Her released her and dropped his arms. “Yamarta what?”

“It’s Finnish for, do you understand?” The woman crossed her arms and lifted an eyebrow.

Ellie wanted to get a closer look at the foreign visitor, and without realizing it, stepped down on a branch. The crack broke through the silence and her breath caught in her throat.

“What’s that noise?” The woman moved past Lord Robert and examined the bush Ellie hid behind.

Lord Robert’s hands came down on the woman’s shoulders. The woman rolled her eyes, and had just curled her hand into a fist when the sounds of glass breaking and loud screams came from inside.

“What in the world is going on?” Lord Robert asked in a testy voice and turned away.

Ellie carefully climbed out of the bush. Curious, she snuck a peek inside through the window. What she saw made her shake in silent laughter.

Miss Crane seized Mina by the hair and dragged her around the room, screaming insults and words no proper lady should say. Mina thrashed about. Soon they were surrounded, and Lord Simon looped his arms around Mina’s waist while Miss Crane’s father hauled his daughter away. The guests watched in horror, whispering to one another.

Ellie’s time here had come to an end. She checked the patio to see if it was deserted. Satisfied she was alone, she darted out from the foliage and, taking one last look over her shoulder, scurried across the lawn. A figure materialized in front of her. She cut off a scream and froze in her tracks, her heart pounding in her ears.

Standing before her was the woman Lord Robert had been trying to impress on the patio. The lady stared down at her as if she was some sort of novelty. She then blinked and her forehead knitted.

Terror-stricken, Ellie waited for the woman to accuse her of being a thief.

“It’s you.”

“Huh?” Fear stopped her from speaking correctly.

“I saw you early today. You were holding a basket with a cat covered with a red cloth of some sort.”

The woman gave her a tender smile and held out her hand. Ellie backed away, ready to flee.

“Don’t be afraid. I’m not going to rat you out. I understand how servants like to see how the upper crust lives. You are one, correct?” The woman dropped her hand and looked at her expectantly.

Ugh, what a snob
. Ellie inhaled through her nose. What was the use in arguing with the lady’s opinion? She wouldn’t believe her if she told her otherwise.

“How do you know I’m the one you spotted on the street? You could be mistaken.” Ellie stuck out her chin in a form of defiance and met the woman’s stare instead of lowering her face in supplication.

The lady didn’t act insulted or give her a talking down. Instead she appeared entertained, from the twitching of her lips. “You were unforgettable. It’s not very often I see a woman dressed in black carrying a cat in a basket down a crowded walkway. You also have the most…unusual hairstyle and hair color.”

Color? What does she mean?
Ellie fingered one of her curls and pushed it back behind her ear. The lady sounded sincere, but then again she never knew what to expect when it came to people of quality.

She tried a different tactic and curtsied. “Thank you, ma’am, but I must be going before I’m discovered.” She took a step forward. The lady’s arm shot out, blocking her flight.

“I’m not a ma’am. Don’t go yet. I enjoy talking to you,” the lady said, and when her hand landed on her arm, Ellie jerked away.

“Why are you doing this to me? Please, let me leave.” Her bottom lip trembled and she wrapped her arms around her waist. Now the beautiful lady was torturing her for her own amusement.

The lady’s mouth dropped to a straight line. “I’ll only take another minute of your time and then you can scurry back to your home. Would you be with the Cranes’ or at some other house nearby?”

Ellie gave her a half nod. “Thereabouts. I work for an older woman.”

“Does she treat you well?”

“As well as could be expected, I suppose,” she responded, glancing back at the house. The music had started up again. She needed to leave and fast. What if Geraldine and Mina left early and she wasn’t home to receive them?

“Tonight has been better than I had anticipated.” The lady looked entirely too pleased for Ellie’s taste.

“Who are you?” Ellie whispered softly.

Expecting to be chastised for her bad manners, she didn’t move away this time when the lady advanced. Their chests bumped and she swallowed. The scent of honeysuckle permeated from the woman. She stopped from taking a sniff.

“Miss?” she asked, clutching her hands together.

“I wanted to get a better look at you.” Inquiring eyes roamed over her face.

She allowed the examination and finally breathed a sigh of relief when the lady stepped back.

“From my presence here, you probably have concluded I’m a woman of means,” the lady announced, but in a way that was more fact than bravado. “I’m a guest of the Duke and Duchess of Perrault.”

“You’re a friend of Lady Kristina?” she asked, biting down on her bottom lip.

For some reason the lady’s shoulders sagged and she looked perplexed. When no answer was forthcoming, she took it as a yes.

“I’m told the duke and his family are kind,” Ellie said.

“Their two children are remarkable,” the lady said effortlessly with a wave of her hand.

The woman’s easygoing smile put Ellie at ease. She wanted to continue talking but she couldn’t take the chance. She cleared her throat. “I really must go now. Will you let me pass?”

The woman stepped off to the side. “I’ve taken up enough of your time. We wouldn’t want you to get in trouble. But before you go, may I have your name?”