As soon as the candles in the three rooms flickered out late that night, Ella tore off her apron and dashed into the parlor. Falling to her knees beside her little box of belongings, she whipped off the lid and withdrew her silver dress, which Kam had asked her to wear to their meeting. After shutting the parlor door, Ella slipped back into the soft gown and added the beautiful earrings. She cast a sad look at the single glass shoe nestled in the corner and slid on her worn, scratched pumps.
Once she was ready, Ella shut the little box once more and sneaked out into the corridor. She expected at any moment to encounter Missus Lawrence, who stayed after dark frequently to affirm that everything was in order for the night. However, she failed to catch so much of a glimpse of the older lady. Ella gnawed her lip anxiously as she carefully made her way through the kitchen.
All her nervousness, however, vanished when she arrived at the stables to find Kam napping on a pile of hay, little pieces of the bright yellow straws stuck in his light brown curls. Casually, Ella sidled up to him and, pulling a piece from his head, stuck it in his open mouth.
Coughing and spluttering, Kam fell off the bale with a thump and glared at her sleepily. "What the-Ellie!" His face reddened and he scrambled to his feet. "You look beautiful! I mean, you always look pretty, but-I mean-" He rolled his eyes in exasperation at her laughter. "Let's just go."
Kam took her by the hand and together they walked out of the stables. Ella took the time to look him over and was surprised-and impressed-to see his curly hair nicely combed and his clothing (mostly) devoid of dirt and hay. He caught her looking and she glanced away before she could see his expression. She spread her arms and gazed at the sky. "Everything is so peaceful," she said. "It's a nice change after the noisy ball."
For some reason this made Kam look a little nervous. "Did you not like the ball?"
"Oh, the ball was lovely," Ella said quickly. "It just got...overwhelming...very quickly." She smiled up at the sky. "Besides, right there in the heart of the city, there's so much light from candles and chandeliers that it's hard to see the stars."
Kam smiled. "Well, that won't be a problem for us."
Ella smiled back before his words sank in, chasing it away from sheer surprise. "What do you mean?"
Kam only smiled and tugged her hand, urging her to go faster.
They walked through the farmyard and toward the forest. The closer they got to the treeline, the more distinctly Ella could hear the strains of...music? She shot Kam so many questioning looks she lost count of them, and Kam brushed them off with just as many mischievous smiles.
The whole while, the sounds of a violin and happy laughter continued to crescendo.
What on earth...?
Just as Ella thought she might die of the suspense of it, Kam announced, "Welcome to your ball, milady."
He led her into a grove of trees and into a laughing throng of servants and stable boys, gardeners and kitchen girls-no wonder the house had felt so empty! A few candles were perched along the edges, and old Vincent had broken out his fiddle and was playing a folk tune Ella did know how to dance to. She looked up at Kam, dumbfounded and paralyzed with confusion, waiting for him to explain.
Kam blushed under her gaze and dropped his own to the ground. "Remember that day by the chicken coop? You told me you wanted to go to the ball. I knew that the stepfamily wouldn't let you go."
He'd been right about that. The thought sent a thrill up her spine. She'd finally done something against her stepmother's wishes! She couldn't believe she'd been crazy enough to go unaccompanied to the ball on a stallion-but for the first time since she could remember, she felt proud of herself. Like she had done something worth doing.
Kam continued, rubbing the back of his neck as he spoke. "So when you walked off that day, I couldn't get the thought out of my mind. Lately you've just looked so sad...I know you try not to show it...I noticed anyway, and I wanted to do something nice for you, since I don't know how long it's been since someone's done that." He looked at the ground, at the trees, at the sky-anywhere but her face. He looked so adorably embarrassed that Ella wanted to laugh and hug him at the same time.
"I don't know what to say," she managed instead. "Well, thank you, first of all-it's the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me. But how did you-and the dress, and the shoes-"
"The dress I received from Lawrence," Kam said, and Ella laughed, nudging him with her shoulder. "So it was you? And all along I thought it was my fairy godmother. Unless, of course, this means you are the fairy in question..."
"I didn't plan on you finding out this way," Kam said, managing to look serious for roughly three seconds before cracking a grin. "Anyway, I was planning on paying for it, but when I mentioned it was for you, he insisted on doing it free of charge." He tapped her foot with his own. "The shoes I got from Liana."
Ella bit her cheek. Liana was a servant who used to work for her family's old household-back when her mother was still alive.
Kam glanced at her nervously before continuing. "She found out what I was planning for you and gave them to me to leave with you. Told me your mother wanted you to have them on your twenty-first birthday, but Liana thought that the time was right now." He leaned his head toward hers conspiratorially, and her heart leaped a little at his closeness. "She said that they're fairy shoes. They'll only fit the girls in your bloodline." He smiled. "I've no idea if it's true, but I thought you'd like that bit."
He was right; that little detail would've normally made her grin. But panic seized her, lacerating her elation. "I-I lost one of the slippers running away from the prince and-" she stammered, wanting to pretend the awful truth didn't exist, that when she stepped back inside both parts to her mother's precious gift would be waiting for her in their little chestnut box.
To her surprise, Kam's mouth twitched into a smile. "Well, it's certainly an interesting way of losing it. Don't worry-I'm sure we can go back for it and request that it be given back. "
"But to get it back I'd have to prove my identity, and I don't want to do that."
Kam raised an eyebrow. "Why? Did you make a side trip on your way home to set someone's house ablaze?"
Ella raised her own eyebrow, mirroring his action in what she hoped was a very obnoxious fashion. "I'd rather not say." Then she sighed, feeling the desire to jest leave her in one fell swoop. "I don't want the prince to recognize me." She gazed past Kam's shoulder, focusing on the stars. "For some reason...I want to forget that it happened...but no, that's not quite right." She smiled. "I suppose you could say I simply don't want to be found by Prince Alexander Philip Duke Leonard William the III."
Kam slipped his rough, strong hands into hers and grinned. "You know, I rather agree with you on that." He bowed. "Would you care to dance?"
At the words, Vincent startled to action and plunged the clearing into another cheerful romp. Laughing, Ella followed as Kam pulled her into the circle of dancing couples. Somehow, this ball was infinitely more beautiful than the one behind the glittering castle walls.
~~~
Ella woke the next morning to the sound of pounding footsteps.
Her first thought was that Kam had sneaked in to prank her and say hello, but she quickly filed this idea under ridiculous. Kam had been in her thoughts near constantly as of late-especially the magic of last night. She couldn't help the smile that curved her mouth at the memory-a smile that evaporated as she spotted the shaft of sunlight glowing near her head.
Oh no. Ella was on her feet so fast that the world twirled about her briefly. By the time her vision had steadied, she was out the door and in the corridor.
She slammed into Anemone with the force of a runaway carriage.
Both girls reeled back and tumbled to the ground. Cursing her rotten luck, Ella rocketed to her knees and crawled over to her stepsister. "I am so sorry, Anemone, please don't tell your mother that I-Anemone?"
Anemone didn't reply. She was too busy sobbing, one arm thrown across her face as it was prone to be when she was truly upset. Her shoulders heaved in time to the sound of her sticky, shuddering intakes of breath.
Ella went into full panic mode. Had she truly hit her that hard? She quickly assessed Anemone's prostrate form for any major injuries. She saw no blood, no limbs twisted into grotesque designs. But what if she'd rattled her brain? What if that was the real reason she had her arm on her face? "Stay here," Ella told her over the roar of blood in her ears, scrambling to her feet. "I'll call for the physician."
Ella sprinted down the corridor and burst into the front room so fast that she nearly ran into someone else. Someone with dark hair. Someone with blue eyes.
Someone named Prince Alexander.