Cinderella: A Retelling of an Old Classic

Dirt and Punishment - Chapter 7

"Father is gone, father is gone, father is gone....." Her mind seemed to forever repeat this endless circle of words until she felt her mind would burst. It had been several weeks since her father had left in the wagon with John. They hadn't heard from them since and things were only getting worse in the house.

It seemed her stepmother was desperate to hear from her father and her stepsisters were no better. Normally she would be happy for such a display of apparent affection but this time she was disgusted. Apparently there was a shortage of new dresses in her stepsisters closets and they were waiting to hear whether they had money enough to buy new ones or not. At least they were waiting to buy the dresses. Recently her stepmother had not been very flippant with their money and the situation being what it was the debts that were piling up were beginning to be a concern.

Adela now helped in the kitchens permanently. Her stepmother had told her that since money was so tight everyone was expected to help out around the manor-house. The interesting thing was that while Adela worked from sunup far beyond sundown her stepsisters lazed the day away sewing new dresses with costly fabric, gossiping about the latest town dinner parties or in general being a nuisance to herself and the cook.

"If I have to make those ridiculous puffy pastry things for the mistress again I may go mad!" Rebecca hissed one afternoon. She was rolling out the dough for another batch or what Adela's stepmother called, delicate wafers. They were basically thin crusty flakes of dough held together with minute dabs of jam. They were terrible delicious but at the same time took Adela and the Rebecca half the day to prepare.

"Just bear with it Rebecca, I'm sure she won't ask for them today. I know we just had the puffs a few days ago. There should be some left that we could serve at tea time instead of making new ones."
"That won't work dear, the pastry will be soft instead of crisp."

"Well what would happen if we spread the told layer of pastry with a bit of butter and cooked them for a few moments before serving. Wouldn't that toast the pastry?"
Rebecca though about this for a moment and then answered doubtfully, "It might work but even so the only part of the puffy menaces that would be crisp would be the top."
"Oh dear," Adela sighed. "I am so sorry Becca."

Rebecca looked up from what she was doing and her eyes softened. She wiped her hands and hugged her young lady to her rather large self.

"Now don't you worry little Ella, I am sure your father will be home any day now and he will soon set everything to rights. He can't be away forever you know?"

"Who can't?" came the demanding tones of the mistress. Adela looked startled and then busily set herself to cleaning the kitchen.

"I was just saying mistress that master couldn't be far from home and would be back any day now." Rebecca replied calmly.

"Hmmmmmm, well he should be. My beautiful girls are worn out from all the undue fatigue he has put them through. I am quite sure they will make themselves ill from all this worry."

'More than likely from the amount of sweets they consume,' Adela thought to herself as she swept the fireplace clean of ash.

"Goodness child what are you doing?!" Her stepmother asked fanning her face.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I was only cleaning out the grate in the fireplace. If there is too much ash the logs will not burn or they will smoke."
"I asked what you were doing nothing more.... You have gotten ash and soot on my dress."

"I'm sorry stepmother..."Adela answered hanging her head. She didn't mention that there was not a speck of dust to be seen on her dress or that the crumbs she was pointing at were from her special breakfast wafers.

"Don't worry, no harm done. You will simply have to remedy your mistake won't you?" her stepmother answered in a voice sickeningly sweet.

"Yes ma'am."
"Oh don't call me ma'am dear, mistress is much more suitable don't you think?"
When Adela said nothing she raised her voice slightly and reiterated, "Don't you?"
"Yes Mistress."

"See? That was so much more appropriate given our relationship. Now, when you are done with the ash I want you to come upstairs to Francesca's room. And hurry..."

With that said she left the kitchen her skirts swishing as she sashayed up the stairs.

"Well I wonder what that was all about." Rebecca said looking at Adela.

"I have no idea."

The fireplace was swept, the ashes were disposed of and Adela made her way up the stairs and into her stepsisters room. It had been lavishly and garishly painted red and pink with gold hangings and dark wood furnishings. Apparently, nothing was too good for her stepmother's little darlings and the manor's treasury became more and more aware of it as time went on.
She nearly gasped as she saw the mess in the middle of the floor. Possibly every dress Francesca and Jeanine owned was piled up in what looked like an overgrown rat's nest of many colors. Ribbons were strewn all over the floor and the jewelry and beautifying powers were laying haphazardly around the room some upright others spilling out onto the expensive carpet on their sides.

"What happened here?" Adela asked speaking more to herself than to anyone.

"What do you mean?" asked Francesca scornfully. Adela had not seen her standing behind the mountain of dresses from the door.

Her stepmother was their also and looking most displeased.

"Adela, you took far too long to clean a few paltry little ashes. I will not have you defying me in any way. What would your father say if I wrote him and told him about his stubborn and defiant daughter?"

"Forgive me step....I mean mistress." Adela answered with her head down. Inwardly she raged but she was not nearly angry enough to bring the wrath of her stepmother down by informing her of the fact.

"My darling Francesca is doing a bit of spring cleaning and since she couldn't possibly do it on her own I knew you would want to help her." Her stepmother looked at her and then smiled sweetly. "Wouldn't you?"
"Yes mistress."

"Oh well, since you are so willing I will allow you to help Jeanine as well. These clothes are in desperate need of laundering before they are packed away until next winter. Take them and have them done by morning. If there are any rips, stains of tears you will be held accountable and I will not be as lenient in your punishments as I have been today."
"You are so kind mother," Francesca simpered pathetically."

"I know it my pet, it was always a weakness." she said sighing. "Now, get to work Adela and don't forget, not a single rip on those dresses."

Adela watched as they left the room and then stared at the mound of clothing before her. The dresses were of course made of lace and trimmed with furs and silks of the highest quality. Each dress would have to be washed individually and then looked over the any damage. Afterwards sewing the tears that were bound to happen to the delicate fabric without any seams being visible was another long job.

'I don't have any idea how I am supposed to get this done by morning? I haven't prepared to wash clothes and the next laundry day is in a few days! Oh, why couldn't they have waited until then to have me do all these?"
She sighed and knelt on the floor picking up the heavy dresses and carrying them downstairs to the basement where the washing was usually done.

On her fifth haul up the stairs and back down into the basement Rebecca met her on the stairs.

"What in heaven's name are you doing child? You are climbing up and down these stairs so many times my ears have lost count."
"Oh Rebecca...." Adela nearly sobbed. She had realized how impossible her job was at that moment and couldn't contain herself any longer.

"Now now, it will be alright. Just trust old Becca and she will make it right trust me." Becca took a hold of Ella's face and wiped her tears with her rough thumbs. "Show me what that she-devil put you up to this time."