Cinderella and The Shape Shifting Mice

Chapter Eighteen

Ella

I was working outback on the rose garden when Mary and the sisters came home. I was covered in dirt and pretty sweaty as I pulled weeds and trimmed down the bushes so they looked a little more presentable. I mean, not that anybody really came over unless something was broken or I had a job to do. Er, but most of the time I guess those clients didn't really pay attention to the house. Or to me.

  "Ella!" Mary shouted from inside the house. I stood up slowly and stretched out my aching back from being bent over for so long, and made my way into the kitchen, taking off my floppy straw hat I used to block the sun.

  "Yes ma'am?" I asked, grabbing a glass of water and chugging it quickly. Mary looked flushed and was rushing around everywhere, actually trying to put things away. "Wow are you cleaning? Does this mean I'm fired and free to go?" I asked sarcastically.

She stopped halfway across the kitchen where she was going to put a cookbook away and glared at me. "There are people coming over and I need you to make this house look immaculate."

  "Why, is the King coming or something?" I snorted, refilling my glass. 

  "As the matter of fact, the Prince will be."

I almost spit my water out all over Mary but I covered my hand with my mouth and coughed violently. "He's what?!"

  "Yes! Now clean! Go, go, go! We only have a few hours!" She swatted me away and resumed her cleaning of the kitchen.

I grabbed the vacuum and the mop and the rest of my cleaning supplies from the closet in the hall and started with the front of the house, never working so fast in my life. I finished the entire first floor in about two hours and was about to start on the second when Mary told me not to bother, they wouldn't be going on a grand tour. Instead, she instructed me to take care of the front yard and tame the "wild and out-of-control plants I let you keep growing in that damn yard." I shrugged and opened the garage, plugging out the weedwacker and then the hedge trimmers, sweeping all the debris into plastic bags and then using the leaf blower to get rid of the rest of the stray leaves. Afterwords I power washed the cobblestones and managed to make the lawn look not so dead before I ran inside and jumped in the shower with maybe twenty minutes to spare.

After I got out I ran to my closet and looked frantically through all my clothes before pulling out a pale blue sundress and slipping that on. I toweled my hair and braided it to the side and slipped on some flats. I came downstairs and started preparing some finger sandwiches and lemonade to serve, as well as fresh fruit and cookies.

"Ella are you done?" Mary shouted from the living room.
"Yes." I called back, piling everything onto a silver tray and carrying it carefully into the living room, setting it on the coffee table.
"Good because they should be here any-" DING DONG.
She looked at me and then shooed me. "Go, quickly!"
I ran out of the room and on my way there I unbraided my hair and arranged it so it covered most of my face. Clearing my throat and hoping the blush on my cheeks didn't make me look like a tomato, I opened the door to a tall man in a blue suit with a spectacle in one eye.
"Hello dear. Is this the home of Madame Tremaine?"
"It is. How can I help you?" I asked, trying to keep my voice from shaking. I didn't see the Prince, but there was someone getting out of the car behind the spectacle man. Actually two someone's.
"I am his Royal Highness's Grand Duke, come to announce to the Tremaine family a splendid event in our countries history." He said with flourish, gesturing his hands about.
"Oh, well then please, come in. The living room is the first entry on you right." I moved aside and opened the door wider as the Grand Duke, another smaller man with a stack of papers, Georgie, and his body guard Sam came walking through the door. They all followed the Duke and I was grateful they didn't look around and have their eyes land on me.

Once they were all in the living room I stood in the parlor weighing my options. Go in there and face uncertain doom? Stay out here and face Mary's wrath later? Stand in the doorway and figure out what was going on? I settled for the third option and quietly made my way over to the arched doorway. Inside the sitting room, Mary, Drizella, and Anastasia were sitting on one couch, and Duke, Georgie, and the man with the papers sat on the one opposite. Sam stood behind the couch, a somewhat bored look on his face, glancing around the room.
"Please help yourselves to some food. Would you like a glass of lemonade?" Mary asked, politeness and poise filling her voice.
"If you wouldn't mind. It's dreadfully hot outside," the Duke said. Mary gave a subtle nudge to Anastasia who poured four glasses of lemonade, almost emptying the pitcher. She spilled almost as much lemonade on the tray as what got in the glasses.
"Darling! Come in here a second!" Mary called, looking straight at me in the doorway.
Shit. What was I going to do? I walked in, hair covering my face, and grabbed the pitcher. "And be a dear and grab the cookies from the top shelf." She handed me the plate of now-empty cookies and I quickly walked out of the room, head down. As I was walking out I could feel Georgie and Sam's eyes on my back, following me until I turned the corner and out of view.
As I made more lemonade and grabbed the cookies, I turned on the intercom to hear what they were saying.
"-It's going to be a splendid opportunity. Your daughter will get to move into the palace and experience life as a royal, all while meeting the Prince and his royal family. Of course, there will be some challenges and such to see who could face the toils of royalty. After the month is up, there will be a grand charity ball held in the girls honor where Prince George here will choose his bride," the Duke said. I could just picture Georgie's uncomfortable face mentioning the word "bride". It seemed to make him so uncomfortable, and I could understand why. He was a young guy, with a sick father, and expected to marry and take over the country while also taking care of his family and raising his brother. It was a lot to ask of one guy, I don't know how he managed to stay sane. I turned the intercom off and made my way back to the living room.
"Why that's marvelous!" Mary exclaimed. "All three of my girls will be going?" she asked, and I realized she had included me in that sentence. Something was wrong if she was acknowledging my existence to guests and calling me her daughter.
I set the pitcher and cookies down and was making my way out of the room when the Duke said, "Unfortunately only she may go. The Prince is determined to find the girl who went missing from the ball, and all he knows about her is her blonde hair and physique."
I stopped cold, my back still to them. What did he just say?
"Ella did you hear that?" Mary asked, and I turned around slowly and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. Georgie's eyes blazed but he kept his composure so well no one in the room expected a thing. Well, except for Sam who had a small smile and a raised eyebrow.
"Yes..." She gave me a look and I cleared my throat. "Mother. I would be delighted."
I smiled at her then at Georgie and the Duke, before retreating from the room.
"Great! Now we just need you to fill out this paperwork." I heard rustling and papers were exchanged across the table and I had a strange sense that I was being sold. Mary didn't care for me and only did things that benefited to her personal game, so what was this all about? Why was she sending me and not bleaching and dying one of her daughters hair?
"Excuse me a moment, I need to use the restroom," I heard Georgie say and I looked around frantically for a place to hide but the next thing I know his hand is on my shoulder.
"Ella what in the world? I had no idea." He whispered, turning me around to face him.

I shrugged. "I never told you where I lived or who I lived with. I'd be surprised if you did know."
He shook his head. "So why do you spend all your time-"

"Alright! Thank you and we will see you Saturday morning bright and early. Prince George! We're leaving now." The Duke and his pose came from around the corner and I took a large step backwards.
"A pleasure meeting you." I gave a short curtsy and I thought I saw Sam laugh before they walked out the door and back into the car.

I closed the door and turned around to see a smiling Mary and two frowning step-sisters. "Okay Mary, you have some explaining to do." I snapped.

She waved her hand at me, still smiling. "All in good time my dear, for now you have to go finish your chores. I think the fountain needs scrubbing."