Princess Charming

Chapter 16: Charmaine

Charmaine waited three days. Three days of endless lines of hopelessly deluded young men - and a few women - who thought all they had to do was appear at the castle, put a shoe on their foot, and they'd be made royalty.

But the shoe's behaviour was as curious as its appearance; it seemed to shrink or expand depending on the size of the foot being presented, so that it was too big for a seven foot courtier who looked as though he could bench press the palace, while being too small for the tiny street urchin who came to try his luck behind him.

It was as if the shoe was mocking her for wasting its time. But Charmaine refused to give up. She continued to wait. And wait. And wait.

Eventually, the line of hopefuls outside the palace gates dwindled. Soon, there was no one left to see at all.

"But that can't be everyone in the kingdom," Charmaine protested to the footman who told her there were no more visitors to send in.

She hadn't really expected Elliot to come. But she had expected Helios and had planned to detain him in the palace long enough to get to the bottom of what was going on. His absence was far more frustrating.

With a sigh, Charmaine raised herself up out of her chair and picked up the shoe from the velvet cushion it had been resting on. If the Lebroskis weren't going to come to her, she would have to go to them.

"See that my horse is saddled and ready for me in ten minutes," she told the footman.

She hadn't been riding since her attempt to catch up with Elliot after the second ball. This time she travelled at a more dignified pace - determined not to arrive at the Lebroski residence in a state of complete disarray. When she confronted Elliot and his step-family, she would do so looking like a princess, not a wild woman.

She couldn't help but speed up as the tarnished gates of the family manor came into view. It had been years since she had last been here. When had it fallen into such disrepair? The gardens that had once bloomed beautifully with iridescent flowers in a rainbow pallet were overgrown and choked with thorns. Weeds grew with abandon; inky bulbous buds blooming from thick stems snaking through the undergrowth.

What had happened to Tolban, the gardener who had chased Charmaine and Elliot out of his vegetable patch more times than she could count? He'd once spent a full hour chastising her after he caught her climbing his prize apple tree.

The path, at least, was swept clear for frequent use. The house itself, when it came into view, was tired but not derelict. Paint curled from the edges of the window frames. Mortar cracked between the brickwork. But the glass in the windows shone bright and clean, and smoke puffed merrily from the chimney.

She left her horse in the care of her footman beside a wizened pear tree and approached the door, feeling a twinge of nerves for the first time. The front door was still a deep, scarlet red, though it was a little more faded than the last time she had been here.

Before knocking, she glanced back at the small group of hangers on who had insisted on accompanying her to the Lebroski household. Most were here to satisfy their own curiosity rather than out of concern for her safety. Six of them in total: two guards, both trying - and failing - to appear disinterested in what she was about to say; three of the women who were accustomed to following her mother around, probably sent along with her on her mother's orders; and her footman, who was looking disappointed that he would have to stay outside with the horses. Charmaine took a deep breath in, smoothed down her plaited hair, and knocked.

Seconds dragged by, stretching out into minutes which felt like hours as Charmaine's anxiety began to simmer into frustration. She could hear the restless rustling of the crowd waiting behind her. Had the entire family left? Had they taken Elliot and moved away to avoid facing her? Did they really think they could get away-