Cinderella

The Invitation

A few days were enough for Mrs Bragg to assume that the prince's strange behaviour, as he had rushed into her house at such an unexpected moment, had been caused by him being so enthralled by Breanne that he had felt a desperate need of seeing her. And since he had not received an invitation, it had been the best idea to play a role that had not demanded it, therefore he had burst into the manor and asked the most absurd question he had been able to come up with, pretending that he had not been even glancing at his chosen one.

That was how Mrs Bragg explained that to herself. She got even more certain that she was right when she received a letter addressed to her and her daughters. The seal was right, and the elegant handwriting indicated that the prince must have calligraphed their names by himself.

The envelope, as it soon turned out, carried an invitation to a ball that was to take place three days after the one in the Assembly Rooms. This fact made Mrs Bragg's cheeks colour a lot. If that was not the proof of the supposed feelings the prince had for her oldest daughter, then what was it?

That day, Mrs Bragg took both her daughters to the town to buy new gowns for them. She could not imagine, after all, that either of them could go in an old attire to the ball during which – quite probably – an engagement between Gerard and Breanne would be announced – and even if not so, a new gown had to cause the prince to make such a decision.

Deirdre was glad that the house was completely silent as always when all the Bragg ladies left the estate. The rest of the servants used those moments to play the cards or exchange rumours, but Deirdre had never been let into any of those secret gatherings – perhaps because they were afraid that she, being the heiresses' personal maid, was certainly their spy, therefore she was to be avoided.

Truth be told, Deirdre had never regretted that. It did not mean that she disliked the other servants, because she did have some kind of liking for them, but never had she solicited their favourableness.

Therefore, as always when the Bragg ladies left, she busied herself with her duties, which were hard to fulfil when the young ladies came up with more and more new ideas. And there were plenty of those duties, considering the fact the servants neglected them, knowing no-one really paid much attention to them. Well, yes, there was a butler who should have been doing that, but as he was not supervised by anyone, he had allowed his subordinates to get out of his – and anyone else's – hand.

Perhaps Mr Bragg did know what was happening in his house but he never tried to change that. Maybe it was caused by the fact that he spent the majority of the time alone in his study, and whatever occurred outside, behind the closed door, really did not concern him much.

Deirdre was in the summer sitting room, tidying, when she heard the steps. Surprised, she looked up, as she was not quite sure who it might have been. Perhaps one of the servants had come to senses and decided to help her?

"Deirdre, come here for a moment," she heard the voice, not of the butler but Mr Bragg himself. Knowing already that she was probably in trouble, she put the feather duster and nervously brushed down her already smooth apron. She swallowed and not even having enough courage to look at her master, she approached him as quickly as her trembling legs let her.

"I am listening, sir," she said quietly, curtseying.

For a moment, there was silence, so finally, quite tentatively, she glanced up to look at Mr Bragg. He was staring at her in astonishment, or maybe curiosity; this glance caused the girl to blush hard.

"Do not look at me so terrified, I am not here to beat you!" growled the man impatiently. "No... I am here to ask you about something as I have got a letter this morning. A letter about you."