Don't Call Me Cinderella

Chapter Two: Mary

Ella successfully finished her first month of work, leaving only 119 more.

She sighed and sat up for a moment from her crouched position. Scrubbing the floors was her least favorite chore, but apparently, she did it the best. That's why she's currently rubbing her aching back and cracking her sore neck.

Ella groaned and dumped the brush back into the bucket before pulling it out and pushing it along the stone flooring. She was about to repeat my movements when Amelia, a girl her age who works here, came running up to her.

"Have you seen Mary anywhere?" Ella stared at her in confusion for a moment.

"Who's Mary?" She groaned and looked around frantically.

"The Lord's niece. She escaped from her lessons again."

Again?

"Would you like some help? Just tell me how old she is and I can help find her." She looked as if she was going to deny her assistance, but remembered that Ella knew this place better than anyone else.

"She's nine."

Ella nodded and moved her bucket and brush aside. She stood up and brushed off her dress before walking off. "I'll look for her in the gardens." Amelia nodded and ran off in the other direction.

"Let's see." She began when she stood in the entryway. "When I was nine and wanted to hide away," She paused and looked at her surroundings to see how they have changed. "I'd hide somewhere comfortable, yet well hidden."

Ella spotted a large bush growing next to a tall tree. She studied it for a moment, just barely able to catch the movement of fabric through an empty patch in the leaves.

As carefully as she could, she walked over and peered into the bush. A young girl, no older than ten, was curled up and staring at Ella with large scared eyes. "Please don't take me back! I don't want to go back! She's going to hurt me and-"

"Ella! Have you found her yet?" Ella's eyes didn't move from Mary's to look at Amelia's far away form. In fact, she didn't move at all for fear of revealing the girl's presence.

"No! I'm still looking!" Mary sighed and leaning back against the tree in relief. "May I join you?"

Mary was weary of the adult but nodded her head nonetheless. Ella climbed in and sat down next to her, allowing the leaves to cover them up. They two sat in silence for a while, choosing to study their surroundings over starting a conversation.

"Who's trying to hurt you?" Ella couldn't help but ask after a full minute of silence. Mary's eyes drifted over to her, too frightened to answer. Ella realized that she wasn't going to get an answer very easily.

"May I guess?" The small girl nodded her head but didn't dare open her mouth. "The Lord?" She shook her head immediately, denying so fervently that Ella felt that the suggestion was stupid.

Ella decided to put some real thought into it now, not wanting to come off as rude. "Is it someone that works here?" Slowly, Mary nodded, her body shrinking closer to the tree. She pulled her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around them.

Ella leaned back as well, trying to get the girl to relax. "Is it a male?" To her relief, Mary shook her head. "So a female here is threatening to hurt you?" The blonde nodded and allowed her eyes to meet Ella's.

Ella was awestruck at the beautiful grey color of her eyes. "It can't be a maid then." Mary silently agreed with her before flicking her eyes to look through the leaves. Ella followed her gaze to see an angry woman looking around the garden.

"Is that her?" She finally managed to whisper but refused to move her gaze. She already knew the answer. Mary shrunk further back into the tree, doing her best to hide behind Ella.

They were trapped. There was only a tree beside them, and the fence around the garden a few feet away. The only thing separating them from the cruel tutor was the very convenient bush.

Ella silently thought of different curse words that her father would say. She wouldn't dare say them out loud; she wouldn't dare give away their position. She turned her gaze to Mary to see the child squishing herself as close to the tree as possible.

Pity. That was all she could feel.

Then hate. She hated any human being that could do that to a child.

Next came love. She would protect this child with her own life if she had to.

Finally, there was hope. When the Lord walked into the garden she felt as if they would be safe.

Ella herself began to fear the power of the woman before her. "And why did my niece run away this time?" The woman put on a charming smile, but Ella did not doubt the fear that Mary had.

This woman was a liar.

"Mary," She quietly called out to her, slowly raising her hand to brush some hair out of the girl's face. "You need to tell your Uncle, otherwise nothing will change." The girl nodded but didn't move.

Ella smiled and chuckled. "Now would be preferable." Mary seemed to take the hint and slowly stood up from her hiding place, catching the attention of the other two adults.

"Mary!" The Lord was most certainly pleased to see her, but the tutor gave her a sick look that screamed warnings.

Don't you dare tell him.

Mary lost her nerve and backed into Ella, with a scared look. "There you are! You had me worried sick!" The fake smile came back. The tutor went back to her façade.

Ella planned to stay still and not do anything, but when she saw the lady grab Mary and dig her nails into the young girl's shoulders, she couldn't stay quiet. Before the tutor could comprehend what was happening, Ella sprung up and took Mary in her arms.

"Don't you dare touch her!"

All was silent as Ella glared into the lady's soul. Mary, surprisingly, clung tightly to Ella, even burying her head in the dirty skirts and apron. "What is going on here!"

If the Lord wasn't mad enough that his niece ran off, he was most certainly beyond furious now. "I promise you, my Lord, that-"

"Shut up!" The tutor's words were stopped from the small muffled voice. Ella may not have condoned such language, but it worked its magic.

"Why! How dare you! Have you not learned a single thing! Children are to be seen, not heard!" Mary became even more frightened, which was made obvious to Ella.

"No. How dare you?! I came here to search for a lost child, only to find her fearful because you have threatened to hurt her!" Ella stood tall before the taller woman, not taking any heed to the Lord that stood off to the side processing what they were saying. Yet again everything was quiet until Mary tugged on the older woman's skirts.

"She didn't threaten to hurt me." Ella was worried now, hoping that she didn't just assume the wrong thing. Mary reached back and started to untie the back of her dress, shocking everyone there.

"What are you-" Before her Uncle could finish, she lowered the back of her dress down to her waist and showed them her bruised shoulders. Ella covered her mouth with a gasp, unable to comprehend what the poor child had to endure.

"I-I-I-" The tutor glanced at everyone while backing away slowly.

"Did you do that?" It wasn't a question. The Lord's eyes glared at the now frightened tutor, walking towards her like a predator to prey.

She turned to run, but some nearby guards that heard the commotion blocked her path. "Jail. Now." They watched as the men took her away, not caring about the endless kicking and screaming.

"Is she coming back?" Ella kneeled to Mary's height and shook her head.

"No sweetie. She's gone now." There was a pause between the three of them, nothing could be said. "Let me fix your dress."

She nodded and turned, allowing Ella to fix up the laces properly. After she finished she quietly played with her hair, waiting on orders from the Lord. "Thank you, Lady Ella."

His voice was strained from keeping in his anger. She simply nodded and stood. "I'll return to work now." He nodded, not removing his gaze from the ground.

Ella walked past him, knowing he needed to talk to his niece alone.