The Search for Cinderella

Chapter 22

Jade dreamt of her long deceased father at night. They sat peacefully in front of the fireplace and played a lazy game of chess. They were silent for most of it because they did not need to converse to understand why the other made their move. As the game drew to a tie Jade looked up to see her father gazing at her with the deepest affection.

At quarter past three the girl roused from her slumber with silent tears running down her face. The acute misery in her bosom weighed down on her as if a physical lashing. Her mind raced through her father's illness and death in a self flagellating fashion once again trying to pick apart any way she could have prevented it.

Before she knew it, her feet were on the warm, carpeted floor and she padded, barefoot towards her dressing room, knowing there would be no more rest to be had. The cool water washed away her frown and nearly dissipated the remnants of the dream. By the time she was fully dressed she had all but forgotten the dream.

A quick round to the Prince's chambers revealed her employer too had abandoned his bed a long while ago for the company of his horses. The secretary quickly forged her path to the stables outside.

Jade felt her breath catch as she caught sight of the Prince's built form from afar. Dawn was upon them but the dense, grey, rolling clouds allowed only dim light to pass. This left her vision muddied but she could see him grooming his Hanoverian mare the closer she got.

The serenity on his well proportioned face in comparison to his outburst just a day back was remarkable. It was as if the wild energy and ardent declaration of love had never occured at all.

Emma's words from yesterday had echoed loud and clear in her head, giving her a throbbing headache right before she went to bed. The thought of falling in love with the Prince was not new. His pleasant face and disposition made him an easy target for her affections. It was only the constant reminders of the impossibility of it was what chaffed her.

He was a Prince and utterly unattainable even if she was in her female form. She had never taken the opportunity to be presented in court, enjoying a debut in her own home instead. If he had seen her at her debut he would have found her unpolished, unpractised demeanor utterly forgettable. No one would have stood to watch as she made her entrance down a staircase. None of the jewels in her mother's closet could have made her shine as the mysterious girl.

And now, if he discovered her true identity he would cast her out of sight without a second thought. There would be no softening in his heart for her deceit. Their friendship would mean nothing to him.

She tried to banish her ridiculous thoughts but they haunted her when she least expected it. The closer she walked on the gravel path towards Luke the more distant he felt.

She suddenly wished she had taken up a less significant vocation. A life as a clerk did not seem too dreadful she lied to herself. It would at least mean her heart was safe but it would leave the Prince unprotected and that was unacceptable.

Jade's meandering thoughts vanished as she realised what the scene before her meant, "Wait, Sire, why are you saddling up your horse?"

"We shall ride down to the capital on horseback," The Prince nodded as he replied, as if it were a fact.

"Absolutely not, your Highness! I have ordered for the carriage already. It will rain soon and I refuse to let us drown in torrential downpour while riding down steep mountain slopes," Jade disabused him of that notion. She motioned for a stable boy to take away the horse.

"Worried the rouge will wipe off your lips in the rain, little girl?" Luke taunted with a mischievous grin. He let the stable boy walk his horse away conceeding defeat without a fight. He already knew his attempt at wresting control would be taken poorly. His new secretary was even worse than Elliot's meddling.