Happily Never After Read online

  Ella smiled, reliving the glorious evening when the Prince spent several hours devoted only to her. Prince Charmaine was very handsome, with curly blonde hair and sapphire-blue eyes. He was every maiden’s dream come true. “I had a wonderful time. But I could never fit in there. Not really.”

  Jarret grinned. “By the time we get done with you, the Prince won’t know that you’ve spent the last twelve years serving your evil stepmother.”

  “Why would he care? We only danced for one night.” Ella stared into the fire, watching it dance over the wood. It crackled merrily as it wound its way across the logs.

  “Haven’t you heard? The Prince has issued a hefty reward for anyone with information on the Lady he danced with at the ball.” Jarret poked her in the shoulder with a finger. “I do believe you are the one he is looking for.”

  Ella’s jaw dropped in amazement. “It was just a few dances.”

  Jarret grinned. “You didn’t see yourself. You were easily the most beautiful woman at the ball.”

  Ella rolled her eyes and shook her head. “So?” she sneered, thinking of her stepsisters and their attempts to capture the interest of wealthy potential husbands. “I don’t want to be just another pretty piece of jewelry for a handsome Prince. He doesn’t even know me.”

  “Then what do you want?” Jarret pried.

  Ella thought for a minute, carefully considering all of her choices. “I want to know what I really want. I’ve never had anything, at least not since my father died. I don’t even know where to start looking. I want to try new things and see new places and read when I want to and not have to do laundry or scrub floors. I want to explore the Great Forest, visit the mermaid beaches, and see the Pixie Falls on a full moon. I – ” She stopped, breathless, as she realized she was rambling.

  Jarret’s eyes sparkled with amusement, his shoulders bouncing as he tried to hold in his laughter. “Oh, Ella,” he gasped as he laughed aloud. “You are going to fit in just fine around here.” He picked up a second cup of tea, holding it up in a toast. “Here’s to stupid fairy godmothers and breaking their stupid curses.”

  She grinned, clinking her cup to his. “So where do we start?”

  “We start with dinner.” He grabbed her hand as he stood and pulled her to her feet. He gave an elaborate bow and offered her his arm. “Come, my Lady, dinner is waiting.”

  3 – BIBBITY-BOBBITY-BOOM

  Violet flapped her gossamer wings in frustration, creating an audible buzz that echoed the anger she felt. Silly Ella had gotten herself mixed up with the Leandres men, who had made it their personal mission in life to interfere with fairy godmothers everywhere. She stamped her foot as she watched Ella and Jarret leave the room.

  “Hi, Vi. What’cha doing?” a singsong voice said behind her .

  She jumped, startled by the interruption and spun around brandishing her wand at whoever had snuck up on her. Her eyes narrowed peevishly as she recognized Lavender, who had graduated from fairy godmother training at the same time as her, but instead of going out into the world to grant wishes she ran errands for the head fairy godmother, Rose.

  “I am watching Ella to make sure she doesn’t get into any trouble.” Violet tucked her wand back up her sleeve, glaring at the petite fairy godmother in front of her.

  Lavender giggled, her amethyst eyes sparkling with barely contained amusement. “Has she gotten her happily ever after yet?”

  Violet snorted, rolling her eyes. “No, and she never will now that she’s hooked up Jarret and Alastair Leandres.”

  “Rose says the Leandres are just as good at granting happily ever afters as we are.” Lavender settled herself on the edge of the table, straightening her lilac skirts.

  Violet rolled her eyes again, annoyed at Lavender for bothering her. “Bah,” she spat. “They don’t know anything. They’re just a couple of interfering, trumped-up snake-oil salesmen.”

  “Now Vi, you know getting angry doesn’t do any good. Rose says the Leandres get it right because they figure out what the wish makers really want.”

  “Rose says, Rose says,” Violet mocked. “The Leandres don’t get it right. Ella made her wish. She went to the ball and met the Prince who just happens to like her very much. That is her happily ever after. It’s not my fault she stayed at the ball until the very last minute so that her coach turned back into a pumpkin on her way home. It’s not my fault that her stepmother saw her at the ball and threw her out. She screwed up her happily ever after all by herself.”

  “Well, technically it is your fault that her stepmother saw her. Because it was a masked ball, and you forgot to give her a mask.” Lavender stood, brushing off her dress and cocking her head to the side as she watched Violet.

  “Pish.” Violet folded her arms and glared at Lavender. “How was I supposed to know it was a masked ball? What are you doing here anyway?”

  Lavender sighed at Violet’s obvious hostility. “Rose doesn’t want you to interfere with Ella anymore. No more wishes for her, and she specifically insists that you leave Jarret and Alastair alone. No bibbety-bobbety-boom, if you know what I mean.” Lavender leveled a very direct gaze at Violet. “Those were Rose’s exact words.”

  Violet felt a blush creep up into her cheeks. It wasn’t her fault that her wand had backfired the last time she tried to fix something the Leandres men did. It had taken three months to repair the damage to fairy magic.

  “Fine,” she huffed, crossing her arms and tapping her foot in annoyance. “But I’m still going to keep an eye on Ella. I am her fairy godmother after all.”

  Lavender shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s your wand and wings if you get caught.” She faded out and disappeared with a little pop and a sprinkle of fairy dust.

  Violet kicked at a sugar cube in disgust, stubbing her toe in the process. She grabbed her foot, hopping up and down, cursing until her toe stopped throbbing. She sat down, pulled off her slipper, and rubbed her toe. She was going to have to be extra sneaky if she didn’t want Lavender to get her in trouble. Rose had declared the Leandres men off limits since the disaster. How was she supposed to know that once the Leandres gave a wish maker a happily ever after the magic would backfire if the fairy godmother tried to give them their original wish? Rose was obviously keeping a close eye on her and using Violet’s nemesis to do it. Violet put her slipper back on. She stood and faded out, but she did not disappear. She flitted out the door, following after Ella to see what kind of trouble Jarret and Alastair were going to make

  4 – THE MAKING OF A LADY

  Ella stumbled on the edge of the carpet, feeling the book that sat on top of her head slide precariously to the side. She adjusted her balance and carefully turned, but this time the high heels of her boots tangled in her dress, causing her to fall flat on her bottom. She grunted in disgust as she tried to pick herself up off the floor.

  “Well, that won’t do.” Alastair chuckled as she managed to stand up and readjust the heavy skirts. “We can’t have you tripping and falling every time you need to walk across the room.” They were in Alastair’s study, warm sunlight streaming through the open window, bringing with it the sweet scent of spring.

  “This is impossible.” Ella tugged at her dress, trying to put it back in order after her fall. “I’ve never worn heels before, and I’ve never had to wear skirts this long.”

  “Nothing is impossible, dear.” Alastair crossed to her and helped her put the dress back to rights. “It just takes practice.” He grinned at her, his wild salt-and-pepper hair giving him the look of a crazed lion.

  “I’m never going to get the hang of this.” She pouted as she plopped onto a nearby chair, tossing its extra cushion to the floor next to her. It was hard to get used to her lavish surroundings; every chair was upholstered in velvet or silk, with extra pillows and cushions. Expensive tapestries and artwork covered the walls and a sparkling crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling in every room. The opulence left her feeling dowdy in spite of the fact that she was dressed in luxurious
fabrics. “It’s been a week, and I still don’t understand why I have to learn to be a Lady.”

  Alastair patted her hand gently and took a nearby seat. “Your father wanted you to learn to be a Lady. Knowing how to walk and talk like a Lady will open all kinds of doors for you.”

  Ella sighed. “When do I get to start writing my own happily ever after?”

  Alastair chuckled. “Be patient, dear. We’ll get there.”

  The door to the parlor banged open, interrupting them. Ella jumped, cowering in her chair and waiting for her stepmother’s harsh words and the slap that usually accompanied such an entrance. Her heart raced, and her breath constricted. It took a few seconds for her to realize that the blow she anticipated was not going to happen. She blushed in shame at her reaction.

  “Ella, what’s wrong?” Jarret’s voice was filled with concern as he noted her cowering in her chair.

  “Jarret, you are such an idiot,” a woman said, following him into the parlor. “I suspect she thinks you are going to beat her.”

  Jarret’s eyes widened as the realization struck that she was right. “I am so sorry, Ella. I meant for this to be a good surprise.” He knelt in front of her and took her hands gently. “Will you forgive me?”

  Ella nodded, still fighting the fear that had roared up. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I just.…” She faltered, not sure how to continue and uncertain what exactly she was apologizing for.

  “A Lady never apologizes.” The woman smiled at her over Jarret’s shoulders. She slapped Jarret playfully with her riding gloves. “This dolt never thinks ahead of time. I am Lady Evangeline.”

  Ella took in Evangeline’s perfect appearance from her proper attire to her artfully coifed hair. Evangeline was the epitome of a Lady, standing tall and poised, perfection with blonde hair and sweet blue eyes.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Ella tried to stand so she could offer a curtsy, but her skirts once again tangled around her feet, causing her to fall onto Jarret, knocking him to the ground. Ella blushed, completely embarrassed by her lack of coordination.

  “Oh dear,” Evangeline muttered as she watched Jarret and Ella trying to untangle themselves from her dress and uncooperative limbs.

  Alastair laughed openly, tears streaming down his face. Each attempt that Ella made to stand resulted in her getting more tangled in the layers of her dress, which led to her to repeatedly falling back into Jarret.

  He finally wrapped his arms around her, stopping her from moving. “Hang on, Ella,” he said as he slid himself out from under her. Standing, he offered her a hand, helped her to her feet, and then knelt and unwrapped the dress from around her legs.

  Evangeline sat in a chair, watching the proceedings with her lips curled into a small smile. “Alastair, don’t tell me you stuffed her in a dress and heels already,” she chided.

  Alastair, still overcome with laughter, nodded. “How else is she going to learn?”

  Evangeline rolled her eyes. “That is precisely why I am here.”

  “What do you think?” Jarret seated himself in the chair that Ella had just fallen out of, leaving her to stand awkwardly in the center of the room. “Can you make her into a Lady?”

  “Oh please,” Evangeline scoffed, waving her hand dismissively. “Give me a real challenge. I’ll have her turned into a Lady by the end of the month.”

  Ella felt heat creep up into her face, tears threatening to spill out and anger boiling under the surface. She had never felt more humiliated. The night her stepmother had thrown her out was nothing compared to standing in a room full of supposed friends, and having them talk about her as if she weren’t there. “I am standing right here you know,” Ella said through gritted teeth.

  Alastair, Jarret, and Evangeline stared at her, surprise written on all of their faces. Evangeline smiled at her, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “Jarret was right. You do have a backbone. Good, we can use that.”

  Ella felt the anger burn a little bit hotter. “Who are you?”

  Evangeline smiled gently. “Ella, I’m here to help you. I think we will be great friends if you’ll allow it.”

  Ella stared at her, hardly mollified by her words. “I’m not a doll to be dressed up and played with, you know.” She gave Alastair a hard look. “I’m grateful for your help, but I’ve had enough.” She hiked her skirts up as high as she could and walked out of the room with as much dignity as she could muster on wobbly high heels.

  Evangeline chuckled. “We are going to get along just fine.”

  ***

  Ella made her way back to her room using the wall for support. It was slow going, and she got strange looks from the servants, but it kept her from another disastrous fall. She arrived without incident, breathing a sigh of relief as she closed the door. She wobbled over to the bell pull, gave it a yank to summon help to get her out of the ridiculous dress. Anna appeared a few seconds later and helped her undo the myriad of buttons, ties, and ribbons that held the ludicrous garment in place.

  Evangeline swept in as Anna pulled the heavy fabric over her head. “Alastair always rushes into things. Put this on.” She tossed a box on the bed. “Meet me outside when you’re dressed, and get rid of those stupid heels. You’ll need some good, sensible boots and some slippers for later.”

  Ella opened her mouth to protest but was never given a chance. Evangeline left as soon as she finished issuing orders. “Who does she think she is?” Ella growled.

  “Pardon me, milady.” Anna hung the dress gently over the back of a chair. “She is one of the best teachers you could have.”

  “Does she have to be so…so…?” Ella couldn’t even think of a word to describe her.

  Anna giggled. “You’ll get used to it. She really is one of the sweetest ladies you’ll ever meet.”

  Ella moved over to the box on the bed, dreading what she would find. To her surprise it contained a pair of simple leather breeches, a soft linen shirt, and a leather vest. She held them up to Anna, quizzically raising her eyebrow.

  Anna shrugged. “I’m not sure. Every Lady that Evangeline trains goes through different lessons.”

  Ella grimaced. “I take it I’m not the first then.”

  Anna shook her head and helped Ella dress in the new clothes, finishing the outfit off with a pair of soft, knee-high leather boots and a belt cinched around her waist. Ella stretched, sighing in relief at the change from the confining dress to comfortable clothes.

  “Thank you for your help, Anna,” she stated as she steeled herself to face Evangeline.

  “It is my pleasure, milady.” Anna curtsied as Ella left the room.

  ***

  Ella stepped out onto the white marble steps, squinting as the sun glinted off the glistening stone stairway. The manicured lawns stretched out in front of her, wrapping around the castle. Gardens filled with flowers, statuary, fountains, and sculpted hedges dotted the green landscape, enticing her to ignore Evangeline’s summons and go exploring instead.

  “Pardon me, milady.” A servant bowed to her, stopping nearby. “The Lady Evangeline requests your presence. If you will be so kind as to follow me – ” He politely motioned for her to follow. Ella sighed in resolve.

  It was difficult for her to get used to servants waiting on her and calling her “milady”. She had spent the last twelve years waiting on her stepmother and stepsisters; they had referred to as Cinder Ella in mockery of the soot and dirt that smeared her face as a result of her chores. The servant led her down a stone walkway past several gardens filled with sweet-smelling roses. Lady slippers peeked out from behind lush green leaves, their vibrant white and burgundy flowers glowing against the verdant background. Ella paused, watching as butterflies flitted from flower to flower, sipping at the nectar, their brightly patterned wings adding to the colorful feast of the gardens. The servant waited patiently down the path as she hurried to catch up.

  He led her to a wide-open practice area covered in soft sand, spread smooth and kept free of rocks and
debris. Evangeline stood in the center, dressed in a similar fashion to Ella. Jarret leaned against a weapons rack set up on one edge of the open area, swinging a practice blade lazily. Ella looked around in confusion. What did this have to do with becoming a Lady?

  “There you are. Come on over here.” Evangeline motioned Ella over to where she stood.

  Ella moved hesitantly, uncertain how to deal with Evangeline and unsure of what to expect. She hated surprises, and she had certainly had enough unpleasant ones to last a lifetime.

  Evangeline smiled encouragingly at her, waving her over. “I think we got off on the wrong foot.” She offered Ella her hand. “I really do want to help you. Friends?”

  Ella hesitated for a second. Jarret and Alastair trusted Evangeline, and Ella trusted them. She took Evangeline’s hand. “Friends,” she agreed.

  Evangeline smiled pleasantly. “That wasn’t so hard. Jare has told me all about you.”

  Ella looked at Jarret, cocking an eyebrow at his childhood nickname. She turned back to Evangeline. “You said you were here to help me.”

  Evangeline grinned. “We’ll get to that. First I want you to know that I am very sorry for what has happened. Uncle Alastair wants to help you, and after hearing your story I am more than happy to help.” She wrapped an arm around Ella’s shoulders. “See, being a Lady is not about wearing fancy dresses and knowing when to curtsy or how to walk in high heels. Being a Lady is about having the confidence to face the world and laugh at everything it throws at you.”

  Ella stared at her, wondering at how Evangeline’s philosophy worked. “I don’t understand,” she mumbled.

  “Jarret told me you used to be fearless. You used to try any crazy scheme he could come up with. I’m guessing everything changed when your stepmother came.” Evangeline led her over to the weapons rack. “Your stepmother owes you a debt she will never be able to repay. She took so much from you. But” – she shook her finger at Ella – “this is not about getting revenge or being bitter about what you lost. Instead we are going to work on rebuilding that fearless attitude you used to have.”