Microsoft Word - Cinder-Marie_Sexton.doc by Dawn Read Free Book Online Page B

entered with Xavier. All of them wore shocked expressions, clearly wondering at the prince's familiar attitude toward a servant.
    What wasn't vague at all was the gentle firmness of his hand on my back, so similar to the night before.
    "Eldon," he said, "are you all right?"
    I finally managed to take a short breath. And then a second. "I'm fine," I gasped, although I still couldn't quite stand up straight.
    "I can't think why he bowled you over like that," he said. "He's always liked you, but still." He looked over at Milton, who was sitting by the fireplace, staring back. His wagging tail thumped against the wooden floor. It seemed unusually loud in the otherwise quiet room. My aunt and cousins were all watching us, obviously baffled and wondering how Xavier knew my name.
    I made myself stand tall, although my stomach still hurt. I turned to him and said, "Sire?" He lowered his eyebrows, glaring at me, and I knew he wanted to tell me not to call him that. I rushed on, before he could. "Perhaps you should tell us why you've honored us with a visit today?"
    He glanced away from me to take in our audience.

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    His eyes swept quickly over my aunt and my cousins, and Deidre. He looked hopefully around the room, toward the stairs.
    "I'm looking for somebody," he said. "Is there anybody else here? Upstairs, maybe?"
    "No," I said. Of course I knew who he was looking for, but it seemed he was waiting for me to say more, so I asked, "Who were you expecting?"
    He smiled at me. "A girl." He reached into his coat and pulled something from his pocket. He held it up for me to see.
    It was my lost shoe.
    "I gave it to Milton," he said, "and Milton led me here."
    He turned again to eye my cousins with unabashed
    curiosity, trying to determine if one of them was the girl he sought. He was confused, I could tell. I had looked similar to them both and yet, he seemed to not recognize them at all.
    "Perhaps Milton was confused," I said.
    Xavier didn't look at me, but he shook his head in response. "Impossible. You know he's the best tracker in the kingdom."
    Yes. So good he'd managed to track me through a
    magical sex-change.

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    Xavier held the shoe up for my cousins to see. In the bright light of day, it looked sad. Wilted. The ornate lace straps seemed wretched. "Does this belong to either of you?"
    The room was deathly silent, still as a tomb.
    Everybody was looking at the shoe.
    Penelope spoke first. "No, sire," she started to say.
    "It's not ours—"
    Jessalyn cut her off. She stepped forward. Her twin sister looked confused. Their mother looked elated. I felt my heart sink in my chest.
    She wouldn't be so low, would she? She wouldn't
    lie!
    But I knew I was being a fool.
    Of course she would.
    She smiled at the prince and said, "Yes, Highness.
    It's mine."

    Nobody moved. Xavier still held the shoe aloft as he eyed Jessalyn appraisingly.
    Something stirred in my chest—an angry rebellion.
    A hurt and jealous beast. How dare she?
    "It's not your shoe," I said.
    Xavier turned to look at me, one of his eyebrows

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    up. Jessalyn's dark eyes fixed on me as well, demanding my silence.
    "Of course it is."
    Xavier looked between us, obviously unsure how to proceed. "Perhaps," he said to Jessalyn, "if you could produce the other one?"
    She blinked at him, smiling, and whether she really was confused by his question or whether it was an act, I didn't know. "The other one?" she asked.
    "Yes," he said with seemingly infinite patience.
    "The other shoe. They usually come in pairs."
    Her face flushed. Her eyes darted from side to side.
    Could he see the cold calculation in them?
    "I lost them both, sire," she said. "I was in such a hurry to get away, I couldn't run properly."
    "Why exactly did you run?"
    "Well…" She played nervously with the necklace she wore. She bit her lip. I'd never realized what a wonderful actress she was. "I was so nervous, Your Highness. Being in