Cinderella and The Shape Shifting Mice

Chapter Thirty

ELLA

I was ready. I was dressed, my hair was pinned up in a bun and my necklace and earrings were all in place. I was alone, sitting on the edge of my bed staring at my small little suitcase sitting in the corner and I got a pang of homesickness which confused me. I guessed I just missed the familiarity of my home, the creak of the floorboards and the breeze that would always come through my window. I missed the way the morning light would make the house glow and the sound of the chickens from the kitchen as I cooked. I missed my father, and I even missed the damn cat Lucifer. He was evil, but at least he was consistent.

Mary, Drizella, and Anastasia would all be here tonight. I found out after receiving an actually decent letter from Drizella telling me they'd be here, and that maybe I could find a nice gentlemen to hook her up with because Mary wasn't getting off her ass about not having a date because Anastasia had at least ten callers every day. I chuckled at this and wrote back a simple reply that I would try. They were both nasty, but I suppose if I truly reflected Drizella was the least horrid of the three. Still pretty awful though.

My thoughts wandered again to the ball tonight and I was pondering what I would do. Would I say no? Mary would expose me to everyone in an instant if I did, but at least it would save Georgie. But if I said yes, I'd have him. He would be mine and I would be his but it wouldn't be happy. Mary and her accomplice would do something awful and I would have no one to blame but myself.

There was a knock at the door and a guard walked in and I stood and smoothed my dress. I took his arm and he lead me down the hallway and I resolved to myself that I would say no, no matter the consequences because that's what you do when you're in love. You put the other person first.

THE PRINCE

I waited with Jonathan and my father on the stage just like we had for the first ball. Everyone was inside the ballroom waiting for the seven contestants left to enter the room. They'd come in alphabetically right down the middle of the room to stand in front of the stage, and then the party would start. What they didn't know was that there would be an announcement for everyone to clear the floor but them, they'd line up around the room and get blindfolded, and would dance with me as their last task. I was looking forward to it, but my stomach couldn't stop turning and my hands wouldn't stay still.

"Announcing the first contestant, Nicole Anders!" the doors opened and the first girl walked in and I smiled. At least these introductions wouldn't be as long.

The girls floated in all dressed in different colors and styles of dresses until they got to the last one. "And last, Ella Tremaine!" Ella walked through on the arm of a guard and I had to do a double take. She looked stunning. She looked so familiar and I couldn't place why, but the dress was the most beautiful shade of blue I had ever seen.
Ella walked forward, said goodbye to the guard with a smile, and stood in the middle of the line of seven, facing out to the crowd. I cleared my throat and dismissed them and they went to mingle with their friends and family.

ELLA

I walked towards Drizella who for some reason wasn't with Mary or Anastasia, and smiled.
"You look lovely in purple," I told her and gave her a hug which she returned lightly.
"I know," she answered and then looked at the ground. "Blue is... Nice on you too."
I laughed. "Thank you. Now, in regards to your letter, I met the nicest guard this afternoon and seemed rather smitten when I was telling him about you."
She looked up at me, shocked I had actually done what she had asked me to do. To be honest I was also surprised with myself but when I looked through my emails it was only her who had bothered to reach out to me. I figured I owed her one. I took her hand and pulled her across the room to the guard, Clarence, who had walked me down here.
"Clarence, this is my sister, Drizella. Drizella, this is Clarence," I pulled her up next to me and she smiled nervously. Clarence gave her one look and his cheeks turned pink and he smiled back at her.
"Hello Lady Drizella. It's a pleasure," he took her hand and kissed the top of it and I knew that she would be just fine in his company for the rest of the evening.

I walked away when I heard someone softly calling my name from behind the curtain at the refreshments table.
"Hello?" I whispered, picking up a cup to make it look less obvious I was conversing with the wall.
"Ella, it's me. Down here," I looked down and Jack was sitting at my feet disguised as a cat. I bent down and pet him. "We figured out what's going on, I'm sorry it took us so long to get to you."
"You did? Oh please tell me."
"It's someone you've been spending the whole competition with. He's been watching you and rigging almost the whole thing in your favor and the Prince has no idea. He's been calling Mary and scheming with her and we need to get you out of here before-"
"Ladies and gentlemen! Please clear the dance floor except for our seven contestants," Sam called on the microphone and my eyes widened.
Oh my god it was Sam wasn't it. He'd been pulling for me since I got here, he even put me in the room next to Georgie.
"C'mon Ella," I looked up and the Duke had grabbed me by the arm and was pulling me towards the dance floor rather forcefully. I looked at him and frowned. Or was it the Duke who'd been leading this whole competition?
I looked around wildly for Jack but the cat was no where to be seen, and neither was his person. I panicked, looking around wildly, but then someone came up behind me and placed a blindfold over my eyes and everything went dark.

THE PRINCE

I started clockwise in the ballroom, which meant the last person I would dance with would be Ella. While
I was dancing with one girl, the instructors from this afternoon would be dancing with the others who were waiting. All the ladies were wonderful dancers,  some a little more clumsy than others, miss stepping or accidentally  stepping on my toes. What I was really looking for was a smooth grace across the floor, and the hand that fit perfectly in mine; E was a perfect dancing partner and I knew as soon as I danced with her I would know.

    The music stopped, I thanked my partner with a hand squeeze, and walked over to Ella who was standing as still as a statue, arms limp by her side. I took her hand and it was as if she grew stiffer which I wasn't sure was possible. I squeezed her hand and we got into frame.

The music started.

We began moving, floating across the floor. She moved perfectly in time with me, and I lost myself in the music. I twirled her, she followed. I did moves she wouldn't have been taught in her lessons and she followed without missing a beat.  The song seemed to stretch forever until I realized it was coming to a  close and we stopped.

   "It's you isn't it," she whispered. "No one taught me those turns yesterday Georgie."
     "I think that was supposed to be my line," I took off her blind fold and she looked up at me, the emotions on her face not what I was expecting at all. She looked terrified and on the verge of tears. "It's you isn't it."
    She didn't say anything. Everyone was staring at us and the room was silent. My heart was pounding and I smiled at her but all she did was look down and I lead her up to the stage. Her hand was shaking violently in mine and I squeezed it to calm her nerves down.

"Ladies and gentlemen this has been a wonderful experience, getting to know so many of the fine women in this country and using this ball to not only chose a winner but to raise money for the orphanages and children's networks as well. Thank you all for coming out tonight." There was a polite applause and I looked down and noticed Ella's family had made their way to the front of the crown. Ella was still looking at the ground and her whole body was shaking.
"It's been a harrowing few weeks but after long nights thinking and heavy debate, I believe I have found my bride," I turned to Ella who looked at me, tears actually in her eyes this time threatening to spill onto her cheeks. "Ella Tremaine, you are the one I've been looking for all this time. The one I danced all night with and would love to continue to do so until our legs don't work anymore. You are perfect in every way. The sunset to my horizon. Will you marry me?"
I got down on my knee and pulled out the little black box that held my mothers engagement ring from my father. Ella burst into tears and covered her face with her hands. She was shaking so hard I stood and placed my hand gently on her arm and she took a step away.
"I can't," she mumbled.
"What?" I asked and she pulled her hands away from her face, stepping away from me and I saw the deepest pain in her eyes as she shook her head.
"I can't," she gasped. "I'm so sorry. You'll understand one day but I just... I can't."

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