Princess Charming

Chapter 8: Charmaine

After the mysterious guest's disappearance, Charmaine had spent the rest of the evening sat on the dais beside her mother, her eyes trained on the door.

Elliot had not arrived.

Other suitors had approached the dais, but an icy glare had sent them scurrying across the ballroom, their invitation to dance left unspoken.

At the end of the night, Charmaine had stalked from the door back to her private chambers. It had taken a small army of servants until the early hours of the morning to clear the debris she left in her wake.

By the following morning, her mood had grown more reflective. She assumed the intriguing suitor had been employed by her parents; he must have been briefed on what to say and do to capture her attention. No one else knew her that well - not even Snowdon and Erica. Well, no one but Elliot.

But the stranger last night hadn't looked anything like Elliot. Charmaine could still picture him with crystal clarity.

No. The boy last night had acted like Elliot, but it wasn't him. Maybe there was some reason why Elliot couldn't come to the ball, so he had sent someone else in his place to lure her out. Maybe she'd been supposed to follow Cinder - or whatever his real name was - at midnight.

Or maybe she was getting ahead of herself again. Losing another tolerable suitor by setting him against an impossible, Elliot-shaped benchmark.

Charmaine rubbed her temples. She was developing a headache.

The chatter in the queen's room wasn't helping. Too much gossipping and high-pitched peals of laughter. Too much heavy perfume. The ladies of the court lounged their days away in luxury, stuffing their faces and never moving further than the bathroom to reapply their makeup.

She usually avoided this room whenever she was home, but it was the only place she could host the meeting she had arranged for that morning. Right on queue, the doors to the room opened and a page boy announced "Lady Selene Lebroski."

Selene was beautiful in a way that wealth and privilege were often able to supply: her mauve dress was in the very latest cut and complimented the purple eyeshadow she'd applied expertly. Her entire face was concealed between a centimetre thick coating of foundation and contours. The effect was stunning, but Charmaine instinctively wondered what would happen if Selene found a cup of water thrown over her face, or was pushed into the swimming pool, or was...

"Your highness," Selene simpered with a low curtsy, putting an end to Charmaine's daydream. "It is an honour to have been invited to take tea with you."

Charmaine forced a smile then waved a hand at the chair she'd had placed beside her ready for Selene. A quick glance towards the nearest servant sent them scurrying from the room in search of tea and cakes.

"I saw you and your twin brother at the ball last night, but I didn't get the opportunity to speak with you. Balls can be so busy, you feel like you've seen everyone and no one. I thought now might be a more appropriate time for the questions I wanted to ask you."

"Questions?" Selene sounded confused. Surely she hadn't thought that she'd been invited as a show of friendship? That out of all the maidens in the land, Charmaine had decided to pick her out to be her confidant? Charmaine rolled her eyes. There was no point letting the girl continue with her delusions.

"About your step-brother. Elliot. I must admit, I was surprised that I didn't see him at the dance last night."

"Oh," Selene's pretty features were crestfallen.

"I was expecting to him with you and the rest of your family last night. We didn't end our friendship on the best of terms, but I thought he would come, even so."