Once Upon a Romance 01 - Before the Midnight Bells (30 page)

“
But I could lessen the…”

Ella sighed. “You could.”

“
Then
why
would you help me leave?”

Ella thought for a moment, then looked Vivienne in the eye. “Because, this isn’t your fault. And someone should have a happy ending.”

Both women blinked hard. Then the princess called to her maid.

“
Lottie! I need you!”

The serving woman came bustling in with Vivienne’s riding habit draped over her arm, while the princess started untying her dressing gown. “Max, face the wall if you would.” When Lottie stepped forward to help the princess with her riding habit, Ella took it from her.

“
Here, I can do that. You go fetch the rest of her highness’s things.”

The maid looked at Ella. “You’re a good one, aren’t you? A shame you went and fell for that dunderhead.” She nodded at Max as she went and grabbed a small satchel from the corner.

“
I can hear you, you know.” Max spoke wryly to Lottie.

“
Really, Max, is this any time to be defending yourself?” Vivienne’s voice was muffled as she pulled the thin woolen blouse over her head. “You have been monumentally stupid. We all agree. Get over it.” Ella helped her into the jacket, quilted for warmth and lined with lamb’s wool. “Don’t button me up just yet, I’ll swelter until I’m out in the open air. Lottie…”

The maid waved her silent. “I know, Highness. Once you’re gone I should lock the door and claim you’ve given orders not to be disturbed. When they find you’re gone I should be just as shocked as anyone.” She looked at the princess fondly. “I’ll be fine. You just be careful, and come home when you’ve solved your mystery. Now scoot,
before those bells start ringing.
”

Vivienne kissed her cheek and then took a deep breath. “Alright then, I guess this is it. Max, lead the way to the stables. And for goodness sake, don’t be seen.”

All three guards nodded as they passed through the doorway.

“
Your highness, aren’t they coming with you?” Ella was confused.

“
They’ll be staying here until the change of the guard, then they’ll ride out to meet me. This way everyone will think I’m in my room.”

Ella saw the sense in that, but she thought it would have been easier to make their way through the palace with more lookouts.
At each juncture in the
corridors
Max checked for people strolling the hallways of the palace. Ella and Vivienne darted behind him, trying to stay in easy reach of a hiding place in case Max saw anyone. They had no choice when it came to the Hall of Portraits—there were no alcoves or shadowed corners, and they had to pass through. All three sprinted down the long corridor, praying their luck would hold. They made it to the far end and tumbled out the door, but Max immediately turned and shoved both the ladies back into the hall and shut the door behind them.

“
Wellesley! What are you doing in this wing?”

Ella looked quizzically at Vivienne. The princess mouthed quietly, “Lord Fartreth. He’s drunk.”

“
I was looking for you, my lord.”

“
For me? Why ever would you be looking for me?” Lord Fartreth and Max were both muted by the door, but Ella could hear them clearly.

“
The king wished for your presence, my lord, but had no page handy. I volunteered to look for you.”

“
Good of you, man.”

Ella saw the knob on the door turn, and heard Vivienne gasp. They both crowded away from the door, but there was nowhere for them to hide.

“
Not that way!” Max’s voice was strangled.

“
What are you saying, Wellesley? The ballroom’s this way.”

“
Yes, my lord, but…” Ella and Vivienne held their breath, hoping Max could convince him. “But the king wishes to meet you on the croquet lawn.”

“
What? Why?”

“
He said something about a midnight game.”

“
Frightfully clever man, our monarch. That will be splendid.”

“
So, you see, you wouldn’t want to go through the Hall of Portraits.”

“
Indeed. Be a silly way to go. Thanks very much, Wellesley.”

His footsteps tromped off, and then Max opened the door again.

“
He’s going to be wandering the croquet lawn for hours, looking for the king. Let’s go.”

Moments later they slipped into the stable door, leaving it cracked behind them. Ella kept a lookout by the open door while Max loaded up the saddle bags and checked over the tack. At the last moment Vivienne dug a piece of paper out of the bottom of her bag, and scratched a hasty note on it. Handing it to Max she gave him one final glower. Then she threw her arms around him and squeezed. Hard.

“
Max, you are an idiot, but I do love you. Try to stay out of trouble. Give the note to my father when they realize I’m gone; it might help.”

Max held his oldest friend. “I’m sorry I almost ruined everything. You’re right, I’ve always been an idiot. I don’t know what I’m going to do without you around to tell me so.”

Vivienne whispered. “Perhaps you can find someone else who’s interested in the job.” They both looked over at Ella.

“
I don’t know, Vivi, I may have ruined that, as well.”

“
You give up too easily.”

“
Go on, your Royal Meddlesome-ness; just go. I’ll have to figure out my own mistakes, from now on.”

Vivienne dashed tears from her eyes, then turned. “Ella,” she looked for a moment at the seamstress, and then hugged her, too, although more gently, “thank you. I wish I could help in some way.”

Ella wiped her own eyes, and gave a small smile. “Write me a letter sometime. Tell me about your life of freedom and adventure.”

“
I will.”

Vivienne mounted up, and when Max gave the all
-
clear she rode out of the stable. Max and Ella watched her head for the riding paths that led towards the northern hunting grounds, and then the darkness swallowed her up. The bells began to sound, ringing
the midnight hour out across the city, and f
or a moment they were both silent, listening. Then Max looked at Ella.

“
Don’t.” She hadn’t even glanced at him sideways, and her tone was hard.

“
Ella…”

“
No. I mean it Max, don’t. Don’t say a word. I can’t believe…” She abruptly stopped and pressed her lips together, as though a torrent of words would come pouring out, if only she would let them. Max held his breath and waited. Finally she spoke again.

“
I don’t ever want to see you again.”

Then she, too, strode off into the darkness.

CHAPTER TWENTY-
ONE

Ella sat at her counter, pillowing her head on her forearms. The past two weeks had been a misery. In the Gothic romances she read, girls died from broken hearts, but her heart just kept right on beating, with no sign of the slightest pause. She hadn’t fainted, or taken to her bed, or even lost her appetite. No, she was a robust working girl, and her days continued on like always.

Except, of course, for the enormous pain in her chest she felt every waking minute. It was as though someone had come along and taken every good feeling she had ever had and removed it, leaving behind a great awful nothingness. Even when she managed to think of something else for a short while, the gaping hole in her heart always reminded her of its presence before long. So she sat at her counter, thinking wistfully how nice it would be to have the vapors, just so she could do something other than sit there and ache inside.

The bell above her door tinkled. Ella didn’t lift her head. She knew who it was. No one had been to her shop in the whole interval since the ball. Rumor spread viciously fast. She could admit, in a tiny little part of her mind, that the only reason she kept coming in was that she had been waiting for him to show up.

Because she had a few things she wanted to say.

“
I hope you’ve come to settle your bill.”

Silence.

“
As you can tell, from the lack of work that I’m doing, I don’t
have
any work right now. My shop has been totally devoid of customers since word got out that I drove the princess from the kingdom.”

Still not a word.

“
Luckily for me the rent on this place was paid until the end of the month. That gives me at least another week to sell the stock that I keep here. I can probably pay the butcher then.”

Soft footsteps, coming closer.

“
Of course, paying the butcher is really such a minor thing, when you consider there’s no way that I’ll ever be able to make the payments on our mortgage now that I have no income.”

The steps paused.

“
Millicent and Prudence are both engaged now, but the weddings are being put off until I can safely appear in public without being pelted with rotten fruit. I suppose they can always go live in their fiancés’ houses until the ceremony, and my Godmother has offered me a place. But I’d very much like to pay all the merchants who have given us things on credit these past months.”

“
Ella…” at last he spoke, but Ella was in no mood to listen.

“
So you can see,” she lifted her head off the counter, and glared at him with all the rage and pain she had felt over the past two weeks, “it would be really helpful if you had come to settle accounts,
Max.”

“
Ella…
” His voice was anguished, “please don’t do this.”

“
Do
what
, Max? Force you to see what your actions have wrought? Blame you for it? Be angry at the wreck of all I’ve worked for? What, exactly, would you have me
not
do, my
l
ord?”

“
Don’t push me away. Let me help.”

“
Help?
Help?
Listen to this, Max.” Ella ran to the door and flung it open. In the street were the same children that had been playing there every day this week. And they were skipping rope, as always. One little girl was doing very well in the center, while all around, the children chanted in singsong voices: