Ella Unmasked by Cherie Denis

Author:Cherie Denis
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: fairy tale, cinderella, royal romance, masked ball, glass slipper, sexy fairy tale, magic lands, other realms, one night stand, stepmother
Publisher: Meankitty Publishing
Published: 2018-11-20T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

As usual, Ella was lucky. Her coachman whipped up the horses and delivered her to the bottom of the castle steps as the clock in the tower struck midnight.

Cate was waiting at the castle’s front entrance.

The coach skidded to a stop and Ella leaped out and ran up the steps.

Cate gestured for her to hurry. “Quick, quick. Your father will be coming out of his study any minute.”

Ella ran past Cate and threw her hooded cape. Still wearing only the silk skirt, she rushed past her father’s study, up the steps, and then the second set of stairs. She flew into her room untying her skirt as she skidded across the carpets. She hurled her skirt, mask, crown, and shoes into the cupboard. Ella grabbed her night clothes out of the storage drawer at the bottom of the cupboard and tossed it over her head. She slithered into her bed and pulled the covers up. She was panting, trying to take deep breaths to calm down.

There was a tap at the door.

“Yes, come in.” Did she still sound breathless?

It was her father, and behind him was Cate carrying a tray with Ella’s cup of bedtime tea. Cate winked at her behind Papa’s back.

“Good evening, Papa.” She blinked up at him as if she’d been asleep for an hour and not breaking curfew. Not that she should have a curfew at her age, but she would have one until she ran her own household. Yet another reason to move out. “Did you miss me?”

“Well, yes, until your stepmother came home with the girls.” Her father pulled up a brocade chair and sat. Ella wished he would say goodnight and leave. She had a lot to think about. “When did you get home?”

“A while ago,” she said with her fingers crossed. To distract him, for she rarely lied and was very bad at it, she said, “What happened to mother and the girls?”

“I understand through all their yapping and crying that they were forbidden entrance to the gala.” He leaned back in the chair and sighed. “I warned Lily, but she wouldn’t listen. Now she’s angry and is blaming me.”

“I’m sorry. I saw the excitement at the doorway. She tried to yell at me, but the man guarding the door picked her up and put her and the girls outside before slamming the door. They caused a very ugly scene. But nobody is a stump, Papa. It’s all good.” There was no reason to tell her father how she’d hidden when her stepmother and sisters had entered the hall. Nor would she tell him how Prince Berich really felt about doing business with him because of the rest of his family—possibly including her.

Her father rubbed his forehead. “I love her, but she is so stubborn. I swear she will be the death of me yet.”

Cate sat Ella’s tea on the table next to the bed. “May I get you some tea, your lordship?”

Gerwin stood and pushed the chair back to its usual spot.

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