Broken Glass

Chapter Two

"Ella? Are you even listening to me?" Annie whined. She'd taken up her normal position at Ella's elbow while the older girl worked at the balls of dough arranged along the wide counter. Annie's cheeks were still red from the biting cold that had pushed its way in through the window. They were no match for her thick red hair that she kept piled on her head in a mess of curls.

"There's only so many ways you can hint at me about what kind of cake you'd like," Ella teased. Sweat dripped down the back of her neck. They went cold before they even had a chance to be absorbed by her thin dress's collar. No matter how many times she'd done it, the rolling and kneading never failed to tire her out. She'd gotten up especially early today to put together the loaves for the next few days. It was one of the rare weeks where that particular chore overlapped with her trip to town.

A second heat blossomed in her chest. Over the week, the daydreams she escaped to had featured the strange man more and more. In her wildest fantasies he arrived in a gilded carriage to take her away to somewhere beautiful. They were silly dreams and normally she was able to push them away for a cold slap of reality. Maybe it was the anticipation of seeing him again that was warping her perception.

Annie sighed and brushed her pale pink dress free of flour. "I just want it to be better that Drizella's. She always has the best of everything," she grumbled.

"Not everything," Ella whispered as she leaned in closer to Annie. "You have the better heart by far." For all the hardships her stepfamily had brought her, Ella could never hold anger towards Annie for long if at all. She'd only been seven when their parents had married, younger when her father had died. Ella still saw her as the shy girl who'd stumbled into her room in the middle of a thunderstorm looking for a safe harbor.

The door to the kitchen swung open to crash against the wall. Marchioness Vivienne Fletcher, Ella's stepmother, stood in the doorway framed by the early morning sunlight streaming in through the door. Unlike her daughter, she would never lower herself enough to step into the kitchen. She didn't even have the key to unlock the door. That had gone to Ella when she'd suspected the servants had been stealing from them. When they'd still had servants.

"Anastasia, what have I told you about interrupting Ella when she's meant to be working?" The frost in her tone could have sent them back into the depths of winter.

"Sorry mama," Annie mumbled. She scurried out without so much as a parting glance at Ella.

"You'll be leaving soon?" Vivienne asked.

"Yes. Was there anything I needed to add to the list? I've collected the eggs and the dresses to be altered," Ella rattled off her list of tasks. She made sure to stress the mention of altering the dresses.

For the last two years, the Fletcher household had resorted to altering their clothes rather than buying anything new. Annie's birthday gown was the only exception to the rule. They weren't the only family to do the same thing but it bothered Vivienne more than anyone. Ella was particularly aware of this and mentioned it whenever she could to get under her stepmother's skin.

"No, that will be all. Be sure to see me before you leave," she all but hissed at Ella. Her departure was like a storm rolling out. The air immediately felt lighter.

That was their standard for every trip Ella made. Rather than warnings to be safe and hurry home, it was reminders to know her place and do as she was told. The goods were checked along with her pockets and off she went.

Less than a mile away, Ella paused to unearth a small cairn. She'd been there just the night before to hide away a small basket of her own goods to sell. Four delicately embroidered handkerchiefs lined the bottom and cushioned the two goose eggs. Her heart sang seeing them in tact. There was always a risk in keeping them out like this but it was the only way to keep them out of Vivienne's sight.