A Different Cinderella

“Sit, sit.” Madam Vivian gestured to a chair next to a desk piled with papers. A tea set was resting on the top with a plate of cookies. Freda set her bag on her lap and accepted a cup of tea. Madam Vivian fixed her own cup and sat down. “Lily tells me you and the prince had words over Princess Thea’s dress. You then spent a whole month making it because of what he said. I like someone with spirit.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

“Now, as for the reason I called you here today.” Madam Vivian sipped her tea and slid a piece of parchment over. Freda stared at the drawing and looked up at the older seamstress. “I made the dress you wore to the ball. I made it some time ago as a pet project. I was more than happy to see it go to someone who had use for it.”

“Mrs. Webber said it was a canceled order.”

“I told her to say that. You wouldn’t have worn it so easily if she’d told you it was from me, now would you?”

“Well, I thank you. It certainly added some fun to the whole event.”

Madam Vivian chuckled. “I certainly hoped it would. But that’s not why I asked you here today. Well, not completely.” She set her cup of tea on her work desk. “I have seen the dress you made for the princess and heard many good things from Mrs. Webber. You’re a talented girl and I would love to have your talent here at the palace.”

Freda blinked. “Me?” Madam Vivian nodded. This was a dream come true. She could study under the actual Royal Seamstress; the top person in the kingdom! She had to be dreaming. Freda pinched her arm through her sleeve, wincing at the pain. No. She wasn’t dreaming. She paused, focusing on Madam Vivian again. “This isn’t a joke, is it?”

The seamstress laughed good-naturedly. “No, my dear. This is an official offer to come live in the palace and work with me. All you have to do is accept or decline. It is your choice.” She smiled softly. “But I do hope you accept. The place could do with some new blood. And I could certainly have another person on my side when it comes to Caelen.”

“The prince?”

Madam Vivian smiled and leaned back in her chair. “I’ve known Caelen since he was small from when he started working under me and I’ve had the pleasure of seeing him grow into the man he has become. He still has more growing to do, though. Keeping his ego from inflating too much is a big job. But I think the two of us can handle it, don’t you?”

Freda set her cup down. “I don’t see how I can help. I’ve only fought with him once and everything else after that was civil interactions. Well, besides the dance at the ball.”

“He needs people to be real with him. Both he and the princess have been raised in an environment of secrets and masks. The only real part of their lives is their family. Finding someone who can treat them as something besides royals is good and very rare. I believe your friend Elliot will be good for Thea, as she is for him. You and Caelen will do very nicely together. Professionally speaking.” Freda had a feeling Madam Vivian would have liked to have speak her opinion of the two on a personal level. “But,” the seamstress added, “the job offer is yours because of your skills. If you come here, I will teach you everything I know. I will help you polish your craft and you’ll be able to have your designs seen by all who come to the palace.”

Freda opened her mouth to accept but paused. She should talk this over with Mrs. Webber. This might be her dream, but she owed so much to the older woman. Would she be betraying her trust if she accepted? “Could I give it some thought? I would love to accept but…I would like to talk about it with Mrs. Webber.”

Madam Vivian nodded, not in the least offended. “Of course. This is a big step in your life and I wouldn’t want you to jump into it too quickly. Tell Lily I say hello, would you?”

Freda nodded and stood, silently leaving the workroom. She didn’t run into anyone on the way out of the palace, for which she as grateful. Her thoughts were racing and she wasn’t sure if she could properly greet anyone if they were to pass by her. Her trek home took a lot longer than she thought, but she was grinning when she pushed the shop door open, the bell ringing her arrival.

“How did everything go?” Mrs. Webber asked as she looked up from Mary’s attempt at evening out a skirt hem.

Freda set her bag on the counter. “Madam Vivian says hello and she offered me a position in her workroom.”

“That’s wonderful. I hope you’re considering it.”

“I am. But are you all right with it? I don’t want you to think I’m abandoning you or-”

“Freda, I want only the best for you and your future. Don’t think I’ll object or feel hurt if you decide to accept a position with Vivian.” The older woman grinned. “I’m sure if anyone can give her a run for her money, it’s you. Go and make this shop proud with your success.”

Freda laughed slightly. “How long have you been preparing that speech?”

Mrs. Webber shrugged. “Since Vivian told me she was going to ask you to work for her. Was it too much?”

“It was just the right amount of motivation behind it.” Freda looked at Mary’s work. “You’ve improved quite a bit.”

The little girl grinned. “Thank you, Miss Freda.”

The bell rang and Marigold strolled in as if she owned the place. Elliot followed her, his frown turning into a pleasant smile when he saw his friend.

“Good afternoon, ladies,” he said with a bow. Mrs. Webber smiled while Mary blushed. Freda rolled her eyes.

“Oh, stop embarrassing yourself,” Marigold snipped. She turned to Mrs. Webber, raising her nose slightly as if to look down on her. Freda thought it made her look like a rooster. “I need a new dress for the prince’s upcoming ball. It has to be absolutely perfect for when he asks me to marry him.”

Freda raised an eyebrow at the news. “You think he’s going to propose to you?”

“Of course. When that Mystery Woman doesn’t show up, I’ll be there to comfort the prince and he’ll be so grateful that he’ll propose right then and there.”

The longer Freda stared at her, the longer she realized Marigold was being serious. No one could fault her for the snort that escaped her. Nor could they blame her for doubling over in laughter.

“You,” Freda managed when she calmed down a bit. “You honestly think that’s how it works? Oh, you poor girl. You’ve been living in a fantasy world.”

Marigold’s face grew red as she settled her glare on the laughing woman. “What would you know, you insolent little stitching girl? Your dreams of marrying Elliot are gone. He’s marrying the princess and leaving you here to rot in this little town. You’re nothing but a common working girl.”

“Maybe.” Freda leaned on the counter, her tone calm and collected as she met Marigold’s focus head on. “But I will always be happier than you.”

Marigold drew herself up higher. “Oh, really? I bet you won’t be saying that when I’m rich and you’re scrounging for work in the gutter.”

Freda’s lips twitched in amusement. “If you find that happiness can only be found in material gain, then so be it.” She came around the counter and held up her tape measurer. “Shall we begin your measurements for your dress?”

Marigold fumed and turned away with a sharp swish of her skirts. “I don’t think I want any gown made by you. You’re hardly high quality.”

“Whatever you wish, Miss Platt.”

The stepsister growled and stormed out of the shop. Once she was out of sight from the front windows, Elliot turned to his friend. “That was amazing.” He laughed, shaking his head. “I’m so glad I was here for that.”

Freda curled up her tape measurer, the smile never leaving her face. “That felt good.” She turned to Mrs. Webber. “I hope you don’t mind that I chased off a sale.”

The older woman waved her hand. “Oh, never for that one, my dear.” She smiled. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from the Royal Seamstress’ newest partner.”

“What?”

Freda turned back to Elliot, a grin splitting her face. “Madam Vivian has seen my work on Thea’s dress and she’s talked with Mrs. Webber about me. She called me to her workroom today and offered me a position.” She grabbed Elliot’s hands. “I’m going to work at the palace with the famous Madam Vivian. It’s a dream come true!”

Elliot lifted her in a hug, swinging her around with a joyful laugh. Freda returned the embrace, holding a little tighter as he set her down and the room started to spin a bit. Elliot pulled back slightly and she tilted her head back to see his grin. “This is wonderful news! Congratulations!” He pulled her in for another hug.

Mrs. Webber laughed. “All right, you two. I’m glad the two of you are celebrating and I hate to ruin your happy moods, but this is still a workday and Freda is still employed here.”

Freda stepped out of Elliot’s arms. “My work is never done, it seems.” She paused and frowned slightly as a thought came to her. “Is your stepmother going to be upset with you when you get home?”

Elliot shrugged. “Probably.”

“I’m sorry.” She didn’t want her friend to get into trouble because of her. Maybe she shouldn’t have pushed Marigold like she had.

“Don’t be. Marigold has had it coming for a long time. And I thoroughly enjoyed someone telling her off.”

“You’re going to get yelled at.”

“I know.”

“Will she reject your courtship because of this?”

“It won’t make much of a difference. I asked Thea to marry me and she said yes.”

Freda’s eyes widened. “Seriously?”

He smiled. “Seriously.”

Mrs. Webber blinked. “You asked her to marry you after two days of knowing each other?”

Elliot turned to the older woman. “She asked to court me after just meeting me.”

Freda stared and then grinned as she shook her head. “You two are crazy. And perfect for each other.”

Elliot nodded. “It seems to be working just fine for us.”

“When are you going to make the announcement?”

“Not for a while. Once we let people know, we’ll be forced to follow all propriety of a royal engagement.”

“So no alone time together or long kisses or embraces?” Elliot nodded. “Good call on holding off, then. And don’t worry about us. We’ll keep quiet.” Mrs. Webber and Mary nodded their agreement. “I hope she got you a good courting gift.”

He held up his wrist, showing the silver band and the royal crest engraved on the front. Freda smiled. Simple and meaningful. Thea chose the right gift.

Elliot slid his sleeve back down to cover the band. “I’ll marry Thea even if Stepmother rejects the suit, which I don’t think she will if she wants any kind of access to the prince. This is my life and being with Thea is what I want more than anything else in the world.”

Freda stared at her friend. She’d worried for him for years, always wanting to look after him and take him away for a chance at a happier life. But he’d managed to find himself someone who had managed to bring out the confidence and surety she’d wanted for him all along.

“So long as you invite me to the wedding, I fully support you two. You deserve some good in your life and I don’t think there’s anything more good for you than Thea.”

Elliot smiled. “Do you really think I’d forget to invite my best friend to my wedding? If Thea doesn’t make you a bridesmaid, I’ll make you my best man.”

Freda blinked. “Can you even do that?”

“I guess we’ll just have to see.” He sighed. “But I better go back and face the brewing storm.”

§∞§

Elliot gently pushed the door open, listening intently for any sign of his stepmother or stepsister. The house seemed quiet and he quickly hung his coat up before climbing the stairs. If he was lucky, he could make it to his room and not have to hear his stepmother’s lecture until the morning. Marigold had undoubtedly already told her mother about what happened in the shop.

He passed by his stepsisters’ sitting room when he heard Marigold’s voice.

“I’m past my tolerance point, Mother. That stitch girl has been nothing but rude to me the day I came to this awful place and I’m through with her treatment.”

“My dear, you can’t lose your temper just because an insignificant nobody upset you. You must maintain decorum at all times. What would the prince think?”

“What use is any of this when the prince is just going to turn around and go after that Mystery Woman? We can’t guarantee that she won’t show up to the ball. If she shows up, everything will be for nothing. At this rate, I’m going to get stuck with some stupid old duke.” There was an aggravated growl and the sound of a table hitting the floor. Elliot jumped back from the door slightly but didn’t leave. He’d rarely seen Marigold so angry. The confrontation with Freda must have really gotten to her.

“The Freda girl is a small problem. She’s hardly worth the effort of a punishment,” Stepmother’s said, though she didn’t seem too upset about her daughter’s temper tantrum. “That Mystery Woman, however, is a serious obstacle. If she didn’t have that ridiculous mask, he wouldn’t be half as interested in her. It was a clever trick and admirable attempt, but we can’t have her messing up our plans.”

“Well, what are you going to do, Mother?”

“Simple. You’ll just have to get rid of her.”

Elliot’s heart stopped for half a beat. Did she mean what he though she meant?

“Me? You want me to do work?”

“Oh, do grow up, Marigold. If you want something in this world, you have to get your hands dirty a time or two.”

“But, Mother-”

“Stop sniveling. You sound like Lottie. Sit down and listen.”

Elliot stepped closer to the door, pressing his ear near the opening crack. A frustrated huff and the crinkle of skirts came from the other room. Marigold must have done what she was told.

“The prince is holding the upcoming ball for the sole purpose of meeting that chit once more,” Stepmother said. “She knows she’s effectively ensnared the prince’s interest and she’ll be confident that she can have him without opposition. That will be her downfall.”

“But how?” Marigold didn’t seem too childish anymore. She sounded collected and even a little bit excited.

“We’ll figure something out, don’t you worry, dear. But it must be something that allows you the chance to distance yourself from the woman. If you’re too close when it happens, you become a suspect.” There was a slight smile in Stepmother’s voice as she added, “There is an art to dealing with competition. You’ll learn it all soon enough.”

Elliot stumbled back from the door and hurried down the stairs as quietly as he could. He barely remembered to grab his coat as he raced out the door and down the road. He had to get to Freda.

§∞§

Freda had started in on Thea’s dress soon after Elliot had left and was pointing out certain details to Mary, explaining how it was done. The young girl was taking everything in, asking a question here or there. But she mostly listened. She would make a good apprentice when Freda left. Mrs. Webber was sorting a few drawers but listened to the lesson with a slight smile.

Freda was just starting to explain what she was going to change when Elliot barged into the shop, his clothes covered in dust and his chest heaving for breath. She turned to her friend and drew closer. “Elliot? What happened?”

Elliot leaned on the counter, panting but managed to speak when he could manage it. “You have…to get…out of here.”

“What? Why? What’s wrong?”

Mrs. Webber rounded the counter and came closer, face drawn in concern as Mary rushed off to get some water. “Elliot?”

He sank onto a stool and accepted the water Mary gave him. He took a few sips, catching his breath. “I overheard Stepmother and Marigold… Freda… Mystery Woman…Going after.”

Freda paled. They were going to come after her? For yelling at Marigold? No, they were going after the Mystery Woman. She was in their way and those women didn’t like when anything got in their way. Her hands shook harder as Elliot recounted the conversation he’d overheard.

“We have to get the constabulary,” Mrs. Webber said, stepping to Freda’s side and squeezing her shoulder. The hand calmed her thoughts enough to respond.

“And say what? That Elliot overheard his stepmother and stepsister wishing harm on some woman who took the prince’s attention away from them? Until they do something, all we have is an overheard conversation. The law legally can’t do anything.”

“What do we do, then? I won’t have you waiting around to be attacked.”

“She’ll go to the palace,” Elliot said. He turned to Freda, his eyes serious and a little frightened for his friend. “Go to Thea and tell her what’s happened. Don’t leave anything out. She’ll be able to hide you from Stepmother for a while. She also knows the law. She might find something to fix this. Grab what you need but you have to leave now. I don’t know if they’ll try coming after you tonight as a warm up.”

Freda shook her head. “If I leave suddenly, they’ll know something is up. I wouldn’t just leave right after telling Marigold off; I won that round and would have no reason to run. They’d suspect something and might change their plans. We can’t risk them coming after the Mystery Woman with a new plan.”

“We don’t even know what this plan is,” Mrs. Webber pointed out.

“Not yet, we don’t.” Freda looked to Elliot. “Do they know if you were listening?”

“I was outside the door and quiet.”

Freda crossed her arms over her chest, rubbing her chin as she thought out loud. “They don’t know you overheard but they’ll be on their guard once they figure out a plan. Stepmother’s someone who pays attention to details and she’ll notice if anything is out of the ordinary. So anything we do has to have a reasonable explanation for her to not think it’s odd.”

“How do you do that?” Mary asked. She was holding on to Mrs. Webber’s hand, her face slightly pale. This was a lot to take in for one so young. “I don’t want you to get hurt, Miss Freda.”

Freda knelt down to her level and took the girl’s other hand. “Don’t worry about me, Mary. I’ll be all right. I won’t let those two hurt anyone. I promise.” Mary nodded slowly, starting to believe a little more but not completely comforted by the reassurance. Freda stood and frowned. “The big issue is to find out their plan.”

“The big issue is to make sure you don’t end up hurt,” Elliot said, standing as he fully recovered from his earlier sprint. “Freda, I’m-”

“Elliot, I need you to go back and keep an ear out for anything that might help us find out their plan.”

“You can’t expect me to go back and act as if everything is all right. I just overheard my stepmother and stepsister plan to kill my best friend.”

“They’re going after the Mystery Woman. No one outside those in this room, Thea, and Madam Vivian know that I’m her. I am safe as long as I am Freda. When the Mystery Woman shows up for the ball, then their plan will have to start. It’s the only time they’ll see her. In the mean time, they’ll be planning their next move. We need someone around to find out what that is. All you have to do is listen and tell Thea and me what you hear.”

“Thea?”

“We’ll have to bring her in on this. The Steps are your family and you are her intended. Whatever they do will reflect on you and then on her. She needs to be aware of what might come. Besides, she might have a solution.”

Elliot pursed his lips. He didn’t like the idea of putting his intended in any harm, just as Freda didn’t want to put her new friend in harms’ way, but Thea was a resourceful woman who had probably dealt with similar situations in the past. Honestly, Freda was at a loss of what to do. What she’d already said was about the extent of her planning skill for this problem.

“All right,” Elliot said. “I don’t like it, but we’ll ask her. But only if you go to the palace and stay out of Stepmother and Marigold’s hands.”

“Elliot-”

“You said Madam Vivian offered you a job, right? I’m assuming she’ll want you to stay at the palace, as well. We’ll spread the word that you’re moving to the palace because of that. It’s not a lie and it’ll keep you away from the danger here.” He rested his hands on her shoulders. “Please, Freda. I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you.”

The worry in his eyes tore at Freda’s heart. She never wanted him to worry about her, but it couldn’t be helped. Friends worried about one another. The least she could do is comply with his request. “All right. I’ll leave tomorrow morning. I’m sure Madam Vivian won’t mind my sudden appearance.”

“Knowing her, she’s already made up your room,” Mrs. Webber said. Her smile was comforting but a bit strained. Everything had happened very quickly today. It was a wonder that they’d remained as calm as they had.

Freda nodded. “In the meantime, you need to go back to the house.”

Elliot shook his head. “I don’t know if I can keep calm after everything.”

“If you start acting too out of the ordinary, say that you’re thinking of Thea. You’ve changed since meeting her and it’ll be an acceptable excuse.” Freda took his hands off her shoulders and squeezed them. “I’ll be all right. Don’t worry.”

Elliot pulled her into a tight hug. “I’ll come to the palace tomorrow afternoon after my chores. We’ll sit down with Thea and figure something out.”

Freda returned the embrace and nodded against his shoulder. She drew comfort from his warmth before pulling back. The two exchanged one last look before he left the shop.

Mary left Mrs. Webber’s side and grabbed Freda’s hand. Her grip was tight and shaking. Freda offered a small smile. “How about we go back to the dress?” The young girl nodded but didn’t let go of Freda’s hand for the rest of the day.