“Cendrillon, please come help. I can’t get my sleeve to stay on,” Alexandre said, a note of panic in her voice as she burst into Severine’s room.
I turned to see Alexandre holding one lace sleeve in her outstretched hand. I sighed, grabbed a few more pins, and followed her back to her chambers. There was always another problem with these two. At least Alexandre made requests instead of demands. That was something that distinguished her from her sister, even if her clothing didn’t.
“Don’t get upset. It just needs a few pins and . . . there. All better.”
Alexandre’s sleeve was now firmly attached to her dress. The lace floated down her upper arm, ending just at her elbow.
I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride in all I’d done to get my stepsisters ready for the ball. I’d laced both girls into their corsets, curled and piled their hair into fontanges, and squeezed them into their dresses. They both looked beautiful. I just had to put the finishing touches on their makeup.
Before she was sent away, Claudine had helped me dress. I’d never done it on my own before, and I had to figure it out myself after she was gone, since Elodie was always working while I dressed. Surveying the work done on Alexandre, I thought I’d come rather far.
“Thank you,” Alexandre said with a grateful smile. “I painted my face and powdered my hair already. Do you mind helping me with the rouge? And my lips? My hands are shaking.”
I grabbed the little silver pots of rouge and vermilion paint from Alexandre’s toilette and sat her down on a chair. It would be easier to work while she wasn’t towering over me in her heels.
“Why are you so nervous?” I asked while I daubed a bit of paint on her lips. “You’ve been to balls before.”
“I know. But this is different. Maman wants me to impress the dauphin. What if I do impress him and he wants to marry me?”
“Would that be such a bad thing? You would be queen one day.”
Alexandre shivered. “I don’t want to be queen. Severine wants that. I never have. All those responsibilities, the pressure, the public ceremonies . . . It would be overwhelming.”
Alexandre paused while I twisted open the pot of rouge. I smeared a bit on my fingers and began to pat the pigment onto her cheeks. “And, of course, there is Elodie to consider,” she said tentatively.
My fingers stilled for just a moment on her cheek. Was Alexandre going to bring up Elodie with me? Both girls avoided the topic of the other whenever I tried to discuss their relationship. The shove I witnessed still upset me, but I was willing to listen to what Alexandre had to say.
“If I was to marry the dauphin, Elodie and I . . . It would be over.”
“What would be over?”
Alexandre put her hands on her hips. “Don’t pretend you don’t know what’s going on. You’re not stupid. Even if Elodie hasn’t said anything specifically, you can see how we are with each other.”
“I know that I saw you push Elodie away when your mother called for you.”
Alexandre winced and shot me a guilty look. “I didn’t realize you saw that.”
Sufficiently satisfied with the circle of rouge on her right cheek, I moved on to her left, dabbing it on with perhaps more force than necessary. “I was coming back from the market and saw it all. You know, I think you really hurt her feelings. There’s never been a time that Elodie hasn’t wanted to talk to me when she was upset. Except for now.”
“I didn’t mean to hurt her,” Alexandre said, her eyes locked on the mirror behind me. “I could hear Maman’s footsteps coming toward the door, and I panicked. I care about Elodie more than you know. But Maman would never approve. And if she’d caught us . . .”
I had a fairly clear idea of what Lady Catherine’s reaction would have been had she caught Elodie and Alexandre together. Most of my anger abated. Could I really blame Alexandre for being frightened of her mother? Maybe I could before Lady Catherine slapped me, but after watching how fast her rage grew just because a young man paid for my groceries, I didn’t want to imagine how furious she would be if she found out that her daughter was in love with a servant. And a girl at that.
“I’m finished,” I said, stepping back from Alexandre so she could look in the mirror. “You’re gorgeous.”
“Really?” she asked, a small smile lighting up her face. “Do you think so?”
“Really. You’ll be one of the prettiest girls at the ball. I’m sure of it.”
Alexandre pulled me into a quick hug. “Thank you, Cendrillon. I would have been lost without you.”
“I never would have guessed.”
I dodged out of the way of Alexandre’s playful shove. We dissolved into a giggling fit.
“What are you two doing in there?” Severine yelled from her chambers. “Cendrillon was supposed to be helping me, Alexandre, not laughing with you.”
“I’m sorry, Severine. I’ll be right there,” I said as I tried to swallow my laughter.
“Don’t bother. I finished the makeup myself. Completely useless.”
I could hear Severine stomp her way out of her chambers and down the stairs, her shoes thudding loudly on the parquet flooring. As soon as her footsteps faded into the distance, Alexandre and I burst into laughter again.
“Alexandre, we have to go!” Lady Catherine called up the stairs. “Get down here this minute.”
Sobering immediately, Alexandre brushed past me and hurried downstairs. I followed right behind. We couldn’t be leaving yet. I wasn’t ready.
“There you are,” Lady Catherine said when we made it to the bottom of the stairs. “Alexandre, your sister is already in the carriage. Get moving. We don’t want to be late.”
Alexandre frowned at me worriedly but obeyed her mother and rushed out to the carriage. Lady Catherine made as if to follow, but I stepped in front of her, blocking her path.
“Lady Catherine, I haven’t had a chance to get dressed. I spent the last few hours helping Alexandre and Severine. You said I could come with you to the ball.”
I flinched when Lady Catherine reached for me, but all she did was pat me gently on the cheek. “I know, chérie. I appreciate all your help. But we’ll be late if we don’t leave immediately. The girls need to be precisely on time if they want to impress the royal family. King Louis prides punctuality.”
I clasped my hands behind my back to hide their trembling. My stepmother couldn’t leave me behind. I would jump into the carriage in my stained dress and apron if I had to.
“How about I take the girls over now, then send the carriage back for you? It won’t matter if you’re a little late, and then you’ll have enough time to get dressed. How does that sound?”