Stealing Cinderella(3)

“Thank you, Ella.” Her face softens. “I appreciate it, but you better get home now. It’s past four already.”

“Crap!” I set Alfred down, and he swishes his tail as he meows up at me.

“You know you don’t have to come here every day.” Olivia studies me with concern. “Not if it’s going to get you into trouble.”

My chest deflates, and a desperate sorrow unfurls inside me. “This is the only sanctuary I have. If I couldn’t come here—”

“I know.” She squeezes my shoulder. “And I wouldn’t ever want you to stop. But I don’t want to get you in trouble, and truthfully, I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be able to keep this up.”

“I’m still trying to get funding,” I insist. “More donations are coming in every week.”

She placates me with a smile, but deep down, I know the sanctuary is in big trouble. As it stands, we are relying on donations for food to get by from week to week. Not to mention all the other costs involved with running such a vast operation. Olivia has a kind heart, but unfortunately, there are more irresponsible pet owners in this world then there are dollars in her bank account.

When I look around this place that has become home to so many animals, the thought of it disappearing brings tears to my eyes. If we can’t take care of them, I don’t know what their futures will hold. It’s a bitter fact that many of these babies who have already had such difficult lives will likely end up in places where they’ll be euthanized.

“We’ll figure something out,” I promise, but my voice cracks. “I’ll write another letter to the royal secretary.”

“I don’t know what I would do without your help.” Olivia pulls me in for a hug, only to be interrupted by a tiny mew from below.

“Oh, Alfred.” I reach down and pat him on the head. “I wish I could take you home too. But unfortunately, our visits here will have to do for now.”

Alfred doesn’t seem to agree, opting to weave between my feet to convince me otherwise. If I had any confidence he could go undetected at the manor, I would take him. But it’s safer for him to stay here for now.

“You better get home.” Olivia nudges me. “Narcissa is probably coming unglued.”

I cringe at the very thought. “I don’t know where my head is at lately.”

“Up in the clouds,” she calls after me as I set out for the path home. “As always.”





“Where in the bloody hell have you been?” Lavinia snarls as soon as I slip into the entryway.

“Sorry, I’m late.” I toe off my muddy shoes and leave them by the door, rushing to clear the cups on the table in front of them.

“Oh, God.” Magnolia waves a hand in front of her face. “You smell like a horse’s ass.”

“I had to make my own tea!” Lavinia glares at me. “And I’m starving. I want dinner now.”

“I’ll get it started right away,” I assure them. But before I can get that far, Narcissa appears in the hallway, blocking my path.

Her eyes roam over me, cold and critical as she shakes her head. “Disappointment. That’s what I should call you. Honestly, Ella, look at you. Roaming the countryside in those rags you call clothes. Do you have no shame?”

I glance down at the faded jeans I scored from a thrift shop, hoping she doesn’t notice the hole in the knee that I still need to mend. While Narcissa is quick to criticize my wardrobe, she’s even faster in refusing assistance to correct the sad state of my clothing. She squandered every last penny of my father’s life insurance on London’s finest for her and my stepsisters while I’ve made do with scraps of fabric and my mother’s old pieces.

“I’m sorry.” My head dips under the weight of her scrutiny. There’s no point in arguing. I learned that the hard way. This life is my punishment for taking my father away. I caused his death and ruined all our lives.

“Sorry, sorry, sorry,” she mimics. “That’s all I ever hear. Do you think I don’t know where you spend all your time? On that godforsaken shamble of a farm with all those critters. You seem to have trouble performing the most basic of tasks here, and I’m starting to wonder if it’s because I’ve given you too much freedom.”

The cups in my hands wobble as I look up at her, hoping she will just dismiss me. But I’m not so lucky.

“Perhaps you need a refresher course,” she says. “Is that it? Do I need to forbid you from going there to wake you up to your obligations at home?”

“Please don’t!” I blurt.

A sinister smile curls across her lips as she watches me squirm. Realistically, we both know she can’t truly forbid me from doing anything. I’m twenty years old. But given that she spent all my father’s money and has never allowed me to work outside the manor, my options are limited. She hates me, but she isn’t willing to let me live a life free of her demands, either. To Narcissa, I have only ever been a prisoner, working my debt off with a life sentence.

“Girls, what do you think will inspire Ella to be on time?” she muses.

“We could bring back medieval punishment.” Magnolia twirls a strand of dark hair around her finger with a cruel smile.

Narcissa laughs casually as if they are discussing the weather.