Cinderella: A Retelling of an Old Classic

The Threat to Begin All - Chapter 20

The house was abnormally still with the coming of the mother. Ella and Rebecca scurried around trying to clean and dust everything before Regina could say a word. Everyone knew that the lady of the house was in a state of completely and utter irritation, though, whether or not it was because her mother was around no one had the courage to say.

"Ella did you dust vases in HER room." Rebecca asked after lunch one day.

Ella tried to remember. Well, she had shaken out the curtain in her grandmothers room, polished the shoes and sorted threw the piles, nay mountains of petticoats in her stepsister's rooms. Try as she might however, Ella could not remember dusting the vases.

Horror of horrors, if her stepmother found out! If she ran her finger across the glass exterior and found a single speck of dust her existence would be that much more difficult.
Grasping the nearest dust rag she ran up the stairs two at once completely disregarding any sense of ladylike decorum in her haste to reach THAT room.

Swiftly she entered, pulling back the heavy velvet drapes and revealing the darkly sumptuous furnishings of the room. Meant to look rich and regal the room was ornately adorned with gold and heavy tapestries of black and purple. Crossing to the mantle that hung above the fireplace Ella reached to grasp the first vase and take it from its resting place. 

Quickly she dusted the area underneath and took her rag over the top of the heavy glass ornament. Setting it atop the mantle once more she reached again and took down yet another vase. As she cleaned them she thought of her father who had traveled far and wide collecting these precious antiquities. She felt hope that her father would return and yet despair when she thought of these beautiful things being sold for money that was thrown about on the whims of her relations. 

In this reverie she did not notice the clop, clop, clop sounds of the horses as they pulled the carriage into the drive. She did not hear Rebecca answering the door, neither did she hear the squeals of her stepsisters as they entered the great hall. The one thing she would regret not hearing most was the swish, swish sound of her stepmothers brocade gown as she entered her rooms.

"ELLA!" Regina spit out.

Startled Ella jumped and as she did so dropped a china vase with gold sketching onto the hearth under her feet and in the process shattering the delicate glass to irreparable shards of nothingness.

"You clumsy girl!! How DARE you!" Regina yelled as she crossed to where her step-daughter stood. "Do you have any idea what price that would have fetched at the market?!"
Ella shook her head realizing that this was one situation she would not escape unscathed in.
"Here I am in good spirits returning to my home to enjoy the sanctity of MY rooms and what do I see here? A cinder dirtying my view and carelessly destroying what few valuable things your father left to me! Ungrateful! He would be ASHAMED of you!" 

Ella tried to apologize but the words were stuck in her throat and instead she stood still cowering in the overwhelming presence of her stepmother.
Regina, however was far from through and she ranted on.
"To think your father left you here in my care! Honestly sometimes I wonder at his sanity!"
Dramatically she fell with grace befitting a duchess in a chaise lounge and put her head in her hands. Ella dared not move. 
Regina looked up slyly and smirked cruelly, "Of course all one has to do is look at you to know why he would never have wanted to take you anywhere. I suppose thinking on it now I can sympathize with him...who would ever want to be associated with you? Look at you?? What a dirty nasty little thing you are dear...."
Ella hung her head as Regina stalked nearer and coming close she whispered. "Just you wait Cindersoot, you will pay for this glass one way or another...mark me now, one way or another....
Now GET OUT!"
Scurrying out the room Ella ran down the stairs not carrying who saw her or how loudly she was walking. Her tears blinded her to the eyes watching her thoughtfully.