Cinderella: A Retelling of an Old Classic

Walking on Eggshells - Chapter 9

The next month Adela would remember for the rest of her days. She spent every waking hour walking on tiptoe trying her very utmost not to disturb her stepmother or stepsisters.

Francesca and Jeanine did not keep up their chores or any pretense of doing them so they all fell on the back on their stepsister. The washing and ironing, the cleaning and dusting and even serving meals was now the sole occupation of their 'dear' Adela.

"What are we going to do Becca?" Adela asked the cook one day as they were preparing the evening meal.

"About what deary?" grunted Rebecca. She was smashing the meat for the cutlets and using a rather heavy meat hammer to do it.

"I mean," Adela replied. "what are we going to do about our finances? Just yesterday while I was out buying the meat the butcher told me he wouldn't take anymore produce on account without paying off what we already owe him and the interest. We don't have that kind of money and the lady at the vegetable market was giving me trouble as well. Soon, we won't be able to eat without paying off our debts first."

"Well dear," Rebecca said in between swinging her mace. "your stepmother is going to have to come up with something. I know what you mean, the millers son told me the same thing yesterday when I went to buy the flour and it was all I could do to get him to allow me the bag we have now."

"I suppose I should talk to stepmother." Adela said with a sigh.

"I will pray for you while you try and reason with that she-demon." the cook said wryly.

Adela smiled tiredly and walked up the stairs into the dining hall. She knew her stepmother and stepsisters would be in the sun room but she wanted to take the longest route. She didn't know how she would broach the subject with Regina and she didn't even want to think about the atomic reaction that would be sure to follow.

When she arrived she saw her stepmother lounging on the settee languidly staring at the orchard through the enormous floor-length windows. The sun was streaming in and cast the room in a warm glow conflicting with the icy look in Regina's eyes.

"What?" she asked simply when Adela walked quietly into the room. "Is there something you wanted?"

"Yes mistress."

"Well, what is it?" her stepmother asked impatiently.

Adela moved closer to the settee and stood there awkwardly. "It seems our debts are increasing and the grocers are unwilling to allow us any more produce on credit."

"How is that any concern of mine?" Regina asked watching Adela coldly.

"Stepmother, if we do not pay off these debts we will not be able to buy any more food. The miller will not give us flour and the grocers will not sell us fresh produce, even the milliner has become unwilling to credit any more cloth for Francesca and Jeanine. We must do something."

Adela was trying her best to speak calmly and rationally in hopes her stepmother would see reason but it was all in vain.

"How dare you speak to me so?!" Regina stood at her full height towering over Adela's petite frame. "As if I have any hold over the peasants in the village. Whether or not they wish to have our business is for them to decide. If they will not give us what we need the solution is simple. Find some other place to frequent."

"Stepmother....mistress, we cannot simply leave our debts behind and start anew. That would be dishonest and I cannot think father would approve. When he comes home I am sure he will settle the debts but for now we should think of economizing."

Regina looked as though she was about to faint. With her hand on her heart and a look of the highest disdain on her face she cried, "Economize? You must be joking. It may be alright for you to live in squalor among ashes and soot but I will never subject my daughters to such a life. They will have the best life can offer them and more and we will never speak of such vulgar things again."

"Mistress we would not have to live in squalor or any such thing. I am merely suggesting we do without little luxuries that are unnecessary. I am sure there are many things we could do without and still live quite comfortably." Adela attempted to reason with her stepmother once more.

"Listen to me Adela, I know you were never brought up properly, living with a man your entire life and never having the delicacies of a mother to train you in the intricacies of being a lady. But do not think for one moment that I will allow you to speak to me as though I were your equal. I do not care if your father comes home now or ever as long as my daughters and I are financially secure. Since we are not at the moment you will have to do what is necessary."

Adela didn't like where this was going. She knew her stepmother did not love her father but she had thought there was at the very least an aspect of fondness in the relationship. Apparently she had been very much mistaken.

"What am I to do then Mistress?" she asked inwardly cringing from the words her stepmother would say next.

"You must sell some of these ridiculous foreign objects of your fathers. There is really no place for them in this house and I find I cannot abide them any longer. I do not care what you do with them but listen to me dear," her stepmother continued relentlessly. "If I ever hear the words debt, economize, or money come from that pretty little mouth you will be out on the streets before you can blink. Is that understood?"

Adela was in shock. Sell her father's precious things? He had spent so much of his life carefully polishing the artifacts and treasures he had brought back for his young wife and babe to enjoy. It was his joy to bring back trinkets for his daughters perusal and Adela could not imagine parting with even one of them.

What was she to do? She would never survive on the streets and she did not want to leave her stepmother to auction off her precious childhood home and memories piece by piece to save her from financial ruin.

Adela tried her best to keep her tears at bay. She knew crying in front of her stepmother would be a grave mistake. Seeing weakness in others was Regina's pride and joy and Adela knew she would never hear the end of it if she broke now.

"Mistress, is there anything else we could..." she began but was silenced immediately by a sharp slap across her cheek. Adela stared at her stepmother in dismay. Her father and mother had never lain a hand on her and to have been so unfairly punished was inconceivable to her.

"You will not speak unless I speak to you. I have been far to lenient with you in the past Adela, well no more. I never wish to see you above stairs again unless you are doing housework do I make myself clear? You have no right to live in this house another minute and it is only out of the goodness of my heart that I allow you to stay. Now get out of my sight."

With that Regina turned her back on Adela and stared outside once more.

Adela walked out of the room her head reeling. What had started out as a simple discussion had become something from her nightmares. She tried to make sense of what had happened but for the moment she only knew two things.

The first was that she was no longer a member of the household and had been stripped of whatever rights she had to be there and the second was that whether her father returned or no, nothing would ever be the same again.