The Step Sister vs. Cinderella

Chapter 21

            Paige strolled beside Axton, enjoying the perfume of the nearby gardens while sneaking the occasional look at him. She knew he was still bothered about who she was. The crease that still hadn’t left his forehead and the fact he’d only given her a half-smile so far telling her that. She repressed a sigh and glanced around for something to lighten the mood.

            She didn’t have to look long. A ready-made distraction turned the corner and she frowned as she took in the half familiar faces in front of her. Axton noticed them too, stopping and frowning as he stared. The ladies stopped at well, whispering to each other behind their fans. That along with their hair colours gave her the clues she needed to identify them. “Ah!” she cried, pointing. “It’s you!”

            Their glances slid to her, eyes widening as they got a proper look at her. One of them, one of the brunettes, dropped her fan and shook her head. “Lady Joy? Is that you?”

            Paige laughed. “Well it’s me though I don’t know about the name Lady Joy.”

            The group of them exchanged glances before hurrying over to surround her. “It has been too long,” the blonde girl said. “I cannot remember the last time we spoke.”

            She grinned. “Well that’s probably because I’ve been away for a year. My sister sent me home and forbade me from returning until then. But the year’s up and here I am. How are you? I’m sorry we never got to hang out again.”

            “We are well,” the black haired girl, whose name Paige couldn’t remember if she’d ever known it, said.

            “I see you are still…familiar with Sir…Axton,” the first girl said, her fan fluttering in front of her face.

            “Yeah, he’s-” Piage glanced around and noticed him standing a few feet away, staring. She rolled her eyes and bounded over to him. “Stop hiding over here. You’re giving people the wrong idea,” she said, dragging him back. “Sorry, he’s a bit shy.”

            He shook his head. “My –”

            She cut him off, hands on her hips. “Don’t you dare start my ladying me again!”

            He frowned at her until she poked him between his eyebrows. “And that’s been there all day. I’ve told you before, you need to smile more or you’re going to get wrinkles.”

            Their eyes met and held for a long moment before his face finally relaxed into a smile. She grinned in return. “See, it’s not hard. Keep it up and people will stop calling you Sir Stone all the time.”

            The other girls stared, fans slipping from loose grasps and mouths dropping open. “L-Lady Joy?” the first brunette whispered, eyes stuck to Axton. “Are you sure that’s wise?”

            She laughed. “Axton’s a great guy. Just too serious. I’ve never met anyone who takes chivalry as seriously as he does and I’ve spent time with Erramun. He just needs someone to remind him to relax, isn’t that right?”

            He shook his head, lips still turned up in a smile. “I believe there are times when you are relaxed enough for both of us.”

            She stuck her tongue out at him, smiling. “And you’re serious enough for both of us so it evens out,” she replied before turning to the ladies. “So, what are you girls up to? Anything exciting?”

            Axton put a hand on her shoulder and nodded at the young women. “Please forgive her, but her idea of excitement often ends with us forced into flight.”

            Paige made a face. “Oh come on, that only happened like three times, max.”

            He smiled and patted her head. “Of course, my lady.”

            She ducked away from his hand and whirled to face him. “When did you learn to tease?”

            He chuckled. “I learned from a book while you were gone.”

            She frowned but their conversation was interrupted by the little cough coming from the lady with black hair. Paige winced. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to ignore you like that.”

            She nodded. “It is quite alright. While it has been wonderful renewing our acquaintance with you, we must be going. We have our embroidery circle to join.”

            Paige shuddered. “Good luck with that. I’ll see you around.”

            The ladies curtseyed and hurried along the path, giggling and whispering to each other behind their fans. She shook her head, watching them disappear before turning back to Axton. “Well that was fun. Now, you have to tell me what book you were reading that you figured out how to tease,” she said, chin up thought her eyes were dancing.

            Axton smiled. “I read a few of the books you had mentioned reading before.”

            She blinked for a moment. “The books I mentioned? Wait, you don’t mean the books I told you about last year? Those terrible court romances and the few that Valerie managed to bring over and hide from Darren? You actually read those?”

            “Is that a problem?” he asked, frowning.

            “No but…you really read them?”

            He nodded. “They were informative.”

            “In-Oh god! Please don’t take anything in those seriously. They’re not realistic in the least. They’re basically girl smut. Vally has a thing for the bodice ripper variety too,” she replied, nose wrinkling. “Just, you know, be careful. And don’t try any of those lines on me. I’ve gotten enough of that from stupid boys at home.”

            He caught her hand and brought it to his lips, brushing the back of it with a feather light kiss. “I understand. Will you tell me about these boys?”

            She went scarlet and her eyes dropped to the ground. “Nothing to tell. Just the usual idiocy of a couple of guys at school thinking they’re way hotter than they are. Only one ever reacted stupidly when I shot him down. Most of the boys just shrug it off and try someone else.”

            He let her hand fall away from his face though he kept his hold on it. “If any man attempts to dishonour you…”

            She ducked her head then winked at him. “Then I’ll kick his ass myself. And if I couldn’t, for whatever reason, I don’t think there’d be much left after my sister, brother-in-law, and my adoptive uncles got through with him. I’m the youngest in an overprotective family. Messing with me is like kicking a beehive.”

            Axton nodded, smile disappearing. “I will keep that in mind.”

            Paige fought down another sigh. He’d remembered who her family was and was back to brooding about it. She looked around, trying to find another distraction as they continued their walk through the gardens.