“Don’t expect to leave this house for the foreseeable future,” she said, a sneer twisting her face as she dropped my arm and left the kitchen in a huff. “If anyone saw you at the market accepting handouts from men, we’ll be ruined.”
Lady Catherine’s voice faded as she moved away from the kitchen. I waited for a few minutes after I could no longer hear her footsteps before I started putting the rest of the groceries away. My motions were rote, perfected by a year of routine. I hardly had to think about what I was doing. In fact, I tried very hard not to think of anything at all. It wasn’t until I saw the oranges resting at the bottom of the basket that all the worries of the day came rushing back.
Scooping the three oranges into my arms, I scurried from the kitchen, up the three flights of stairs to my attic bedchamber. The darkness and quiet of my room were soothing, and the sweet scent of Marius’s lilies reminded me of our secret picnic last night. A gentle evening breeze blew through the little window, cooling the air considerably. I plopped down on my bed, the oranges still cradled in my arms, and squeezed my eyes shut. If only I could wish away my argument with Lady Catherine. If only I could wish her, and Severine, and even Alexandre away and put Papa in their place. If only . . .
My cheek ached, a dull throb that radiated down into my jaw. I buried my face in my pillow and took a few deep breaths, letting the breeze wash over me. Lady Catherine had never hit me before. I almost couldn’t believe it.
There was nothing left for me here. Lady Catherine had control over Papa’s money. She wasn’t paying me for the work I did around the château, and she was barely paying Elodie a pittance for her labor. If I didn’t receive my true inheritance, I had nothing beyond my dresses and Maman’s mirror and rocking chair. And these silly pieces of fruit given to me by a stranger who got me into all this mess. I hoped I never saw him again. Worse, I hadn’t seen or heard from Lady Françoise in a year. My godmother had abandoned me. She had been the closest thing I had to family besides Papa. My mother’s sister had been dead for many years, and Papa was an only child. There was no one else.
As soon as I could sneak away, Elodie and I were going to apply for the seamstress and maid positions that had opened up and make sure Marius was hired as the stable boy as well. I wanted desperately to leave, but even though I was a servant now, I was born a lady. All I knew was that we couldn’t stay here any longer. With Lady Catherine’s temper only getting worse as the days passed, it wasn’t safe. I had to figure something out, and fast.
Chapter Fourteen
“Cendrillon! You’ll never guess what happened at court today!”
Alexandre burst into the laundry room while I was scrubbing at one of Lady Catherine’s dresses in the big wooden tub in an attempt to get out a large red sauce stain. My fingers were shriveled prunes, while the stain was just as large and red as it had been fifteen minutes ago. I welcomed the distraction.
“What happened?” I asked as I clambered to my feet, my shins sore from all the kneeling.
“You have to come listen,” she said, grabbing my hand and immediately dropping it.
“Why are your sleeves all wet?”
I had to fight back the urge to roll my eyes. “I’m doing the washing,” I said, gesturing to the giant tub of soapy water that Alexandre was standing next to.
“Oh. Well, just follow me, then. And hurry up!”
Alexandre beamed at me so widely, it looked uncomfortable. Her eyes were positively sparkling. She even sprinted back out of the room, hauling her skirts up into her arms so high, it was nearly indecent. What could possibly have happened at court to make Alexandre, who sulked through breakfast and refused to eat even one bite of her eggs just this morning, happier than I’d seen her in over a week?
I followed her into the sitting room, where I found Lady Catherine and Severine clasping hands and giggling. Giggling. Lady Catherine’s blue eyes were warm for once, and Severine’s smile was an actual smile, not a sneer or a pout. I’d never seen them like this before. It was actually a little frightening.
“What’s going on?” I asked, making my way tentatively into the room. “Did something interesting happen at court?”
“The most interesting thing to happen at court in ages!” declared Severine.
Alexandre flopped down on the sofa with a sigh. Severine laughed and sat down next to her, their brief feud from a few days ago seemingly over.
“The Grand Dauphin’s eighteenth birthday is coming up, and the king is throwing him a series of balls and festivals in celebration,” Severine said.
She was talking to me like I was an actual person and not a burden to be gotten rid of. These balls must really be special.
“And why are we excited about these balls?” I asked.
Severine made a dismissive gesture with her hand, as if I was too tiresome to be tolerated. That was much more normal.
“Every highborn maiden in the country is invited to attend. Aristocrats are descending on Versailles. The who’s who of the French nobility, all congregating at the palace for the first ball in three days’ time. Cendrillon, do you know what that could do for our status, to make such important friends?”
“Wealthy and important friends,” Lady Catherine said, her gaze hazy and faraway. “No one who is anyone in France would dare miss the dauphin’s birthday celebration.”
I wasn’t really listening to that last bit. My mind caught on what Severine said about every maiden in the country being invited. Might Lady Françoise be there? With her position at court and former relationship to the king, she would have to be. I was still terribly sad that she disappeared when I needed her most, but my feelings didn’t change the fact that I still needed help reclaiming the life I was born into. If I asked her to help get me away from Lady Catherine, would she? If I’d been asked that question a year ago, I would have said yes. I wasn’t so sure anymore.
If I could find Lady Françoise and she wanted to help, Elodie and I wouldn’t have to apply for the servant positions. And if I couldn’t find her, or if she no longer cared about me, the positions in town would still be there in three days’ time. Marius had assured me that they were still open and that the family hadn’t yet been able to find any prospective candidates. I just had to persuade Lady Catherine to let me attend the ball.
“Just think of it! Wearing beautiful dresses, dancing in the Hall of Mirrors, watching fountains in the gardens under the stars, tables as far as the eye can see filled with all manner of delectable treats,” Severine said, tossing an arm across her eyes and sinking dramatically against the sofa cushion behind her.
“Hordes of young, handsome, wealthy noblemen,” Alexandre teased, poking her sister.
Lady Catherine gave her a sharp look.