Happily Never After Read online

  The innkeeper led them up the stairs to a suite of rooms near the top of the inn. Three bedrooms adjoined a small living room with a small fireplace, a silk-covered couch, and two large overstuffed chairs. A small desk sat in front of a large window that looked out on the courtyard below.

  Evangeline insisted on cleaning up and then resuming Ella’s training. Ella groaned at the thought of spending an afternoon fencing. Jarret pulled a book from a nearby bookshelf, propped his feet up on a footstool, and settled in to read.

  Ella met Evangeline out in a small, clear area the innkeeper said they could use.

  “Let’s begin.” Evangeline held up her blade.

  Ella sighed, knowing that arguing or complaining would be pointless. She had agreed to let Evangeline train her, and that meant following directions. They worked on parrying, reposting, footwork, and basic point work for several hours. Ella was hot, sweaty, and irritable in no time. A small crowd had gathered to watch them, calling out suggestions whenever she made a mistake. Ella blushed furiously every time someone offered advice. The onlookers were well-meaning, but it made Ella feel clumsy and uncoordinated every time her blade flew out of her hand or she tripped over her own feet.

  ***

  Evangeline insisted they change clothes and clean up before dinner, and Ella wholeheartedly agreed. She didn’t see how fencing was going to make her into a Lady, but she did notice that even after two lessons her posture was improving. A quick bath brightened her mood as the dirt and sweat from the day washed down the drain. Evangeline greeted her in the living room, holding up a simple but lovely blue gown and matching slippers, that thankfully did not have heels.

  “Change into these, Ella,” she insisted. “We are going out tonight, and you will want to look your best.”

  Ella took the gown and shoes, and disappeared back into her room. She changed into them, admiring the feel of the soft silk against her skin. She glanced in the mirror that hung on the wall and was surprised by how the blue brought out the blue of her eyes. She stepped back out into the living room and twirled so Evangeline could get a look at her.

  “Oh, very nice,” Evangeline stated. “Now come have a seat over here, and we’ll talk about makeup.”

  “Makeup?” Ella repeated.

  “Makeup,” Evangeline stated firmly. She patted the seat next to her on the couch. Various bottles, brushes, and containers lay spread out on the table in front of her. A small mirror on a stand was tipped to get a better look at her face. Evangeline raised a brush to her cheek and gently stroked it, leaving behind a faint trace of blush.

  “Where’s Jarret?” Ella asked, watching in fascination as Evangeline transformed herself from beautiful to gorgeous with a few strokes of a brush.

  “He agreed to give us a little girl-bonding time. He’ll be back later to escort us to dinner.” She smiled as she turned and began to apply makeup to Ella’s face. “Normally you would have a Lady’s maid to help you with this, but I think it is important for you to understand the basics so you can do it yourself in a pinch.” Evangeline explained what the various creams, powders and brushes were for, applying a small amount of makeup to Ella’s eyes, cheeks, and lips. “The idea is to enhance and highlight your natural beauty. This means that less is more. You should never apply your makeup so that you look like you are wearing makeup.” She turned Ella’s face to the mirror. “See?”

  Ella stared in fascination at her face. Her eyes looked wider, the blue more intense. Her cheeks held the hint of a blush, and her lips looked fuller with just a touch of color. She smiled, holding a hand up to her cheek. “Wow, I never thought I could look like this.”

  Evangeline chuckled. “Trust me. We are just getting started.”

  11 – WHAT A TROLL LIKES FOR BREAKFAST

  Violet paced in front of the troll cave, her mind working frantically over how to fix her misfired spell. She sighed nervously. Lavender should have been there waiting for her, but there was no sign of her.

  “Crumb crackers,” she muttered to herself as she paced, keeping one eye on the cave.

  Sounds of ragged snoring echoed in the darkness inside, indicating that the troll was still in its bed sound, asleep. Trolls were notoriously lazy, which made it fun to pull pranks on the dimwitted creatures. Unfortunately, if a troll caught a fairy it meant becoming the next meal. Trolls were disgusting that way.

  “There you are.” Lavender’s sickly sweet voice came from behind Violet’s shoulder causing her to jump several inches in the air.

  Violet spun around, her hand at her throat, trying to calm her frayed nerves. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

  Lavender shook her head, giggling. “No.”

  Violet sat down on a rock, her knees unsteady from her fright. “What was your plan?”

  Lavender stared at her for a long minute. “Well, the plan was to sprinkle sneezing powder on the troll’s handkerchief and then tickle his nose with a feather to get him to sneeze.”

  Violet stared at her in wonder. “Why would you want to do that?”

  “I wanted to see how many times he would blow his nose with the handkerchief before realizing it was what was making him sneeze, silly.” Lavender grinned. “But we can’t do that now.”

  “Why not?” Violet asked in confusion.

  “Because you have been a very naughty fairy godmother,” Lavender stated, seating herself nearby.

  Violet felt the blood drain from her face. “What do you mean?” she whispered.

  Lavender tsked. “You cast a spell that went wrong.”

  Violet smoothed her skirts carefully. “What makes you think I did that?”

  Lavender cocked her head to one side, raising an eyebrow. “Rose told me to watch you. Did you really think pretending to give up would get me to believe that you had?”

  Violet hung her head in shame. “Yes,” she whispered.

  “Humph.” Lavender snorted. “Rose is on her way here right now. If you’re lucky she’ll just feed you to the troll.”

  Violet paled even more. “And if I’m not lucky?”

  “She’ll take your wand and wings and exile you.”

  Violet felt herself start to shake, tears filling her eyes. Becoming a troll’s breakfast was definitely the lesser of the two punishments.

  Chimes filled the air, announcing Rose’s arrival. Fairy godmothers came in all shapes and sizes, ranging from short and frumpy to tall and elegant. Violet was an average fairy godmother, and Lavender was small and childlike in appearance. Rose put every other fairy godmother to shame. She was willowy, graceful, and refined, everything that Violet wished she could be.

  Rose surveyed the scene with a neutral expression, taking in Violet’s tear-streaked face and Lavender’s calm demeanor. “It would appear we have a problem,” she stated as she stood before Violet, arching a perfect, strawberry-blonde eyebrow.

  “Yes ma’am.” Violet sniffled, pulled out a handkerchief, and wiped her eyes.

  “You were told to leave Ella alone, and you failed to obey.” Rose said coolly. Violet peeked at her through downcast eyes, envying how her hair curled perfectly atop her head.

  “Yes,” Violet agreed quietly, hoping Rose would let her off easy. “I was just trying to make things right.” She glanced up at Rose, pleading with her eyes.

  Rose held up a slender finger to silence her, her emerald eyes hard as agates. “I know what you were doing. The problem is that you – ” Rose pointed a delicate finger at her – “do not know what you are doing.”

  Violet swallowed, nervous about what her fate was going to be.

  Rose sighed, seating herself nearby on a rock, straightening her deep-green silk dress. “I have a very large problem. I’m not at all certain what to do with you.”

  Violet stared at her feet, hesitant to say anything that would get her in any more trouble.

  “You are a powerful fairy godmother, Violet, but you do not listen.” Rose narrowed her eyes, tapping a finger on her lips as she observed her. “I
cannot even begin to list the number of ways you have hurt your charges. Poor Ella. First you cursed her father with that evil woman, which in turn resulted in his dying of a broken heart. Then you got Ella kicked out of her home…. Granted she is better off where she is now, but I had plans to remedy the situation before you started interfering with that stupid ball.”

  Violet started to protest, but Rose cut her off. “Violet, you have truly made a mess of this. Fairy godmothers are meant to help their charges not destroy their lives in the process.”

  Violet flushed with shame, mortified tears crept down her cheeks. She had never thought of what she had done as cursing anyone, but hearing Rose’s version it sounded perfectly horrid. “I am so sorry.” She choked back a sob.

  “I know you are.” Rose reached over and patted her hand. “The problem is that now you have made an even bigger mess of things. You have included more lives in your mischief.”

  “What are you going to do to me?” Violet shuddered at the thought.

  “First, Lavender is going to take over watching Ella and now Evangeline. Second, you will accompany me back to the Leandres’ estate where you will apologize to Alastair and the Prince. Then Alastair will work with me to come up with a way to fix this.” She turned to Lavender. “Watch the girls. If anything goes amiss, come to me or Alastair right away.”

  Violet watched Lavender disappear in a flash. “Why would you want Alastair’s help?”

  Rose smiled. “Alastair is a very clever man. He has been of great service in fixing the mistakes of my fairy godmothers who go astray.”

  “I don’t understand,” Violet stated quietly.

  “He listens. It is his greatest trait. That is why he has made so many happily ever afters.” Rose watched Violet’s discomfort. “I could always feed you to the troll.” she quipped, her mouth curling with a hint of a smile.

  “No, no.” Violet shook her head in protest. “I’ll do whatever you want.”

  “Good. Now follow me. We have a mess to clean up.” Rose raised her wand, gesturing to Violet to stand. Violet complied, unsure of whether or not her legs would hold her up, then she and Rose disappeared with a flash, leaving behind a shimmer of fairy dust.

  12 – TRUE LOVE’S KISS

  Ella stared in the mirror, in awe of the transformation Evangeline had wrought on her appearance. She normally kept her dark brown hair pulled back in a simple braid that fell down past her shoulders. Evangeline had twisted the sides up and held them in place with pearl combs, leaving the rest to flow down her back.

  The door opened behind her, revealing Jarret’s reflection in the mirror. He was dressed for an evening out in an amethyst silk waistcoat and black breeches. He looked very handsome. She turned around slowly, watching his reaction to Evangeline’s makeover.

  His eyes widened, his jaw dropping slightly. “Ella,” he stuttered. “You look absolutely amazing.”

  She giggled at his reaction; feeling for the first time like Evangeline really could turn her into a Lady.

  Evangeline laughed at her cousin’s response to Ella. “Jarret, close your mouth before you swallow a fly.”

  Jarret crossed the room, holding a hand out to Ella. She took it and he spun her around admiring her. “I mean it. You look lovely,” he declared.

  Ella blushed. “Thank you. What are we doing tonight?”

  “Dinner first and then some dancing.” Jarret bowed to her. “Will you allow me to escort you, my Lady?”

  Ella smiled and nodded, suddenly feeling shy.

  Evangeline rolled her eyes at Jarret’s gallantry. “Come, cousin, we have reservations, and we don’t want to be late.”

  “How did we get reservations?” Ella asked in confusion.

  “What do you think I was doing while you were fencing with Evangeline?” Jarret helped her with her soft, blue cloak.

  “Reading,” Ella said as she fiddled with the intricate silver clasp.

  Jarret gently took it from her, fastening it and smoothing the cloak out around her shoulders. “Yes, and I made reservations for dinner and dancing.”

  “Hurry up, you two, or we will be late,” Evangeline huffed as she straightened out her own cloak out.

  Jarret offered Ella his arm and led her downstairs and into the street. The evening was clear and warm with just a hint of a breeze. Stars peeked out one at a time, twinkling like little gems set high up in the ebony sky. The sweet scent of roses drifted down the street, reminding Ella of her mother’s rose garden before her stepmother had destroyed it. Ella inhaled deeply, enjoying the pleasant evening.

  “Why do they call it the Golden City?” she asked as they wandered down the quiet street.

  “Tomorrow I will show you.” Jarret grinned down at her. “The sunrise turns the city into gold.”

  Ella nodded, bemused by the thought. “That would be wonderful.”

  The building Jarret led them to rose like a giant wave cresting out over the street. Inside, a raised dance floor took up the center of the room with tables arranged around it and an orchestra set against the wall. Each table was covered with a fine linen tablecloth, shining silver ware, and an intricate crystal that twisted around itself, glowing with soft light. Servers moved between the tables, taking orders and delivering plates of delicious-smelling food. Ella’s stomach growled as soon as she caught a whiff of the fine odors.

  Jarret chuckled, leaning over to whisper in her ear. “You didn’t eat lunch, did you?”

  Ella shook her head, blushing because he had heard her stomach’s complaint.

  A server led them over to their table and offered them menus. Ella stared at the list of food, overwhelmed by the number of choices. “What should I order?” she asked quietly.

  Jarret grinned, shrugging. “Order whatever you want.”

  Ella sighed. There were just too many choices. She settled for ordering a simple meal of stuffed fish. She was amazed when it came. The fish looked as though it swam in a stream of vegetables. She was almost afraid to eat it. They spent the meal eating and watching as couples took to the dance floor.

  When they were finished, Jarret stood and offered Ella his hand. “Would you care to dance?” he asked, giving her a little bow.

  Ella swallowed nervously. “Um.…I’ve never really danced before. Only the once at the ball, and I don’t remember how I did it.”

  Jarret smiled at her, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “That’s okay. I’ll lead and you follow. It’s very simple.”

  Ella nodded, taking his hand and letting him escort her to the dance floor. He spun her around, talking her through the footwork. By the third song, she had started to catch on to the movements and allowed him to lead her through more-complex patterns. Ella glanced over and saw Evangeline dancing with a tall and dashing-looking elf.

  “Who is that?” she whispered to Jarret.

  Jarret followed her gaze, nearly dancing her into another couple. “Oops. Sorry,” he murmured as he stared at his cousin, wide-eyed. “That is Prince Ellander.”

  Ella watched in amazement as the Prince led Evangeline through a series of elaborate moves. The song crescendoed to its conclusion as the Prince spun Evangeline into a deep dip. He stared into her eyes for a long moment before kissing her.

  Ella gasped, pulling Jarret to a stop. “What’s he doing?” she whispered.

  “It would appear he is kissing her.” Jarret stared in amazement.

  The Prince pulled back, staring into Evangeline’s eyes once more. Evangeline appeared flustered and confused, a deep blush turning her cheeks crimson. He stood her back up, keeping his arms around her.

  “I…ah…what? What are you doing? What just happened?” Evangeline stuttered.

  “Yes, what are you doing?” a female voice demanded from behind them.

  Jarret and Ella watched in fascinated horror as a tall, elfin woman stepped onto the dance floor. Her regal bearing and refined appearance marked her as royalty. The other couples cleared the floor, making themselves scarce. Ella noticed
that the building was clearing quickly, leaving only the five of them standing on the raised platform. Even the orchestra members disappeared, leaving the room silent.

  “I am not sure,” Prince Ellander stated. “I came here for dinner and saw this fair Lady sitting there alone.” He stared down into Evangeline’s eyes. “I asked her to dance, and something just came over me.”

  Evangeline swallowed nervously, trying unsuccessfully to remove herself from the Prince’s embrace. “Please, Your Highness. Please let go of me.”

  He continued to gaze at her, his arms refusing to budge. “I just cannot seem to bear the thought of letting you go. I know that sounds crazy.”

  The woman stared at the two of them, watching Evangeline’s discomfort with interest. “I sense magic here. Are you a sorceress?”

  Evangeline shook her head emphatically. “Nooo.” Her eyes widened in horror as she drew out the word.

  The woman nodded, noticing Jarret and Ella standing off to the side. “And who are you?”

  “I am Jarret Leandres, and this is Ella Winslow.” Jarret motioned to his cousin. “That is the Lady Evangeline, my cousin.”

  The woman looked between them, her eyes narrowed in thought. “It would appear we have a problem here.”

  Evangeline huffed, rolling her eyes in exasperation. “You think?” she muttered.

  “I do not see a problem,” Prince Ellander grumbled, tightening his hold on Evangeline.

  “I really don’t understand what is going on here,” Evangeline protested. “There has to be some mistake.”

  Ella tugged at Jarret’s sleeve. “Who is she?” she asked quietly, motioning to the elfin woman.

  “She’s the Queen,” Jarret whispered back.

  Ella gasped in understanding. “What’s that?” she pointed to a faint light in the corner of the room that began to expand until a small, dainty woman appeared.