The Ugly Stepsister (Unfinished Fairy Tales Book 1) by Aya Ling Read Free Book Online Page B

To get her out of the room as soon as possible, I shrug and tell her I need to practice the presentation before Pierre arrives.
    The mystery of Elle’s parentage bothers me. I can’t find the godmother unless I can ascertain who her parents are. There is this adaptation of Cinderella where the godmother is a family friend, only she hides her magic so humans won’t bother her. Yeah, right. I should go to everyone in the household and ask if one of them is a fairy in disguise.
    It’s too risky. Suppose the fairy godmother is still out there somewhere? I can’t be sure she will automatically pop up before the ball. If there is a ball. I still have to work on that. From what Claire and Bianca said of the prince yesterday, I’m not optimistic. Apparently he isn’t keen on marrying, and even if he is, he’s expected to marry another aristocrat.
    Oh God, what can I do?
     
    Two hours later, I’m in the hansom, a two-seated buggy half the size of our carriage. I don’t know how I did it—maybe I finally had a bit of luck, because I’d had none so far. I just tell the coachman, Van, that I want to find Elle. He seems reluctant to drive me. Turns out he’s concerned about driving me around the city alone.
    “You ought not be going out unchaperoned, Miss Katriona,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck. “It ain’t proper.”
    Unchaperoned, my foot. Next thing I’ll be donning a veil and keeping my head covered.
    In the end, I manage to bribe him with a lock of Bianca’s hair. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out Van is in luuurve with her. Unless Van turns out to be the missing heir to some kingdom, Bianca will continue to treat him like dirt.
    Lady Bradshaw has taken Bianca shopping (as if she hasn’t enough clothes already! I’m the ignored sister, and my wardrobe is enough for three girls) and won’t be back until lunch. Without their bossy presences, the servants are in good moods, and who can blame them?
    So this is how I find myself clutching my bonnet (Martha was adamant that I not leave the house without it) in the wind and drinking in the sight of the city. For a moment I forget my worries. Everything is so real, yet surreal at the same time. The houses, the people, the streets. I still cannot believe I am living in a world that resembles a Jane Austen adaptation.
    The hansom comes to a stop. Schoolchildren dressed in blue-and-white uniforms are meandering across the street. Several of them are happily eating cotton candy. One small girl holds a rag doll tightly. Two boys are tossing a rubber ball between them. Two middle-aged women, wearing fancy hats with feathers, are herding the children along like mother hens. In fact, they don’t look much different from fancy prep–school children in movies.
    Then we’re off again. Gradually, we enter a part of the city that doesn’t look as nice. From the well-worn clothing of passersby and the stink of human waste and garbage to the run-down look of the houses, it almost seems a different world. A few children, barefoot and in rags, run past us. One stops and stares, but when I meet his eye, he scampers off like a frightened rabbit.
    We approach a tiny, dilapidated house—uh—hut. It smells horrible: rotten meat, soured milk, animal dung, and smells I can’t identify. I rub my hands against my dress and try to keep my head down. What if someone tries to rob me?
    “We’re here,” Van says.
    I stare at the house before me, trying to ready my nerves. I don’t feel like going in. But then the door is thrown open and a young woman rushes out, nearly colliding with me. I throw out my hands and steady her shoulders.
    “Miss Katriona!” Elle gasps. “What’re you doing here?”
    Before I can answer, she spies Van and catches my arm. “Oh miss, can you let me borrow the vehicle just once? Please, I beg you!”
    “Huh?”
    “My mother’s awfully sick, and I need to have a physician for her.” Tears course down Elle’s face. “It’ll be so much