Hey guys, I'm so pleased that so many of you have been reading my story. I'm going to assume you have been enjoying it because no one has reviewed it yet :( I suppose I will labour under that misconception until someone disabused me of it. Enjoy this new chapter.
Hattie forgot about me in my room until past dinner time. My stomach was growling loudly and I felt sick with hunger by the time she let me out with a curt "You can leave now". I ran past Hattie and immediately went in search of Mandy and found her setting the kitchen to rights with all of her gear from our home. She gave me a bone crushing hug and swiftly set about making me an omelette.
I told her about spending time with Char during the wedding but left out the part about our more intimate activities. I told her that he had come to see me today and that Hattie had made me stay in my room. She listened patiently and when I was done she held me close and petted my hair, saying soothing things. I didn't tell her that I was in love with Char or that he had asked me to marry him, I couldn't say it without crying and I had cried enough today. I managed to stuff some omelette in my mouth before Hattie caught up with me and found me there. She made me leave my meal unfinished and come into the drawing room.
Mum Olga and Olive were waiting in the drawing room for me, seated on the ornate, high backed Chesterfields that littered the room. I came in trailing Hattie behind me and sat down opposite them in an overstuffed wing chair.
Mum Olga looked at me with her huge eyes bugging out slightly and screeched, "I did not invite you to sit!" I calmly looked at her and stayed where i was.
Hattie came up behind my chair and sweetly purred, "Stand up in mother's presence, Ella." I fought it, I fought it so hard my nails dug into the padded arms of the chair and I broke out into a cold sweat but moments later I was standing.
Mum Olga looked thunderstruck. "Ella will be very obedient." Hattie crooned coming out from behind my chair and flopping into it. "Tell mother how obedient you are, Ella," she said with cloying sweetness.
"Very obedient," I growled, glaring daggers at all of them.
"I have discovered that Ella is always obedient," Hattie smirked from her seat in my former chair.
"Why is that?" Mum Olga asked narrowing her eyes at us in speculation.
"You mean she will obey anyone?" Olive yelled in outrage, "Ella, why did you obey Hattie and not me?" She wailed.
"Olive, don't be silly, of course she obeys you too," Hattie scolded in an exasperated tone, "you must order her and not ask and she will obey." Turning to her mother she said, "I have no idea why she does it."
"Ella, I called you here because it is time you began earning your way." Mum Olga stood and paced towards me. "I didn't want to upset my dear husband but you simply cannot live in this household without contributing." She wandered around me, appraising me from several angles. "You have no dowry so I can't simply marry you off, you will have to earn your keep here." She wandered past me and settled herself back on the couch pulling on an ornate bell rope to summon a servant.
"Please ask all the staff here immediately," she told the maid who appeared a moment later. Within minutes the whole household was in the drawing room lining the walls and standing stiffly and formally for their mistress. I made a sidelong glance at them all trying to pick Mandy out of the crowd.
"This is Ella, she is our newest member of service, who will be responsible for her?" She looked around the room expectantly. A large woman in a sweat stained dress with arms like a blacksmith stepped forward.
"I can always use more help in the laundry." I watched as a crew of equally sweat stained young woman cringed back from her, one had the bright red beginnings of an impressive black eye. I thrust out my chin, if this was my fate then so be it, I wasn't afraid of some bully. From the back of the room I heard a familiar voice.
"I'll take her on, mistress." Some of the servants in the front cleared a space for Mandy to come through. "She is as stubborn as a mule but I will make you a capable servant of her." My heart was full of love for Mandy as she deftly manipulated me into her kitchen and out of harm's way. She barely ruffled a single feather but made it clear that she would brook no arguments nor would she allow me to be openly abused. I was newly in awe of her; whether she used her fairy powers or not, she was formidable.
Mum Olga swiftly dismissed most of the staff back to their tasks except for two brawny manservants who she asked to move my belongings into the servant's quarters. Even though I had been expecting this it was difficult not to despair as they led me into darker and narrower parts of the house, up back stairs and through small, lightless corridors. We eventually reached my new room, which was cold and only barely large enough for the pallet and wardrobe it housed. With my trunk added, it was positively claustrophobic.
Unable to bear the thought of curling up in that dark hole, still hungry and alone, I went and found Mandy's quarters off of the kitchen. She was curled up in bed, a few crates still half packed around her room. I knocked on the open door, she looked up from her book at me then motioned for me to come in. We didn't speak about that night's events, instead we thought up delicious menus for the next week and planned our cooking around teaching me new skills. When we began to doze she scooted over in the bed and made room for me, snuffing the lamp. In the dark all my hurt and anguish came back like a deep dark wave and swamped me. I wept silently, feeling very sorry for myself and Mandy rubbed my back until we both fell asleep.
In the morning I awoke in Mandy's bed, she had long since gone to work from the smell of bread baking. I hauled myself back to my room and washed up. I pulled on my simplest dress and tied my hair back in a kerchief then made my way back to the kitchen. The house staff was stirring despite the early hour and I was soon engaged in preparing breakfast for an army of maids, laundresses, stable hands and staff of all kinds. The laundress with the bruised eye was there and it had turned from angry red to purple-black in the night. I thanked all my lucky stars for Mandy's intervention.
As the sun came up and the breakfast crowd began to thin out Mandy sent me to be mentored by the housekeeping staff. She said that she had plenty of folk to take care of dishes and I should expand my knowledge as much as possible, handing be a fresh buttered roll for my own breakfast. In my mind I think she was hoping Char would see me if he came back today. He would never notice me if I was hidden away in the kitchen. Even if I couldn't marry him, perhaps he could find me a way out of this particular abusive situation. One of the maids leant me an apron and we went through the house cleaning out fireplaces and laying new fires. Her name was Gerda and she was kind enough and incredibly competent. I had never known there was such an art to fire laying. I learned quickly because Gerda, though gentle, used a lot of orders in her teaching.
"Never let the soot get on the floor, that is what the drop cloth is for." or "Always set the kindling like this. You won't get as many sparks this way." By the end of the task each grate held a crackling new fire and all of the dust and detritus was cleared out, the fixtures polished and shining. My knees hurt and I was filthy. We trouped back to the kitchen, tools and ash bucket in hand. When we entered the kitchen Mandy had me wash up and put on a clean apron before helping her prepare breakfast for my step family. Once the service staff had taken over and started serving Mandy and I were able to sit down and eat as well. The roll she had given me, though delicious, had not stood up to the rigours of my morning and I was ravenous. Tearing into fresh bread and perfectly cooked eggs I listened as she spoke about the servants from the old house and how they were getting on and other unimportant things. Most of them had had no trouble finding positions in other households and several of the younger servants had decided to get married and settle down instead of finding a new position. Mandy predicted a crop of babies in the summer. As we were enjoying our breakfast some of the stable hands ran in from outside.
"What's afoot," called Mandy after them as they trotted by.
"The prince is back," he told her over his shoulder as he ran up the stairs.
My bread and egg fell out of my suddenly paralyzed hands. Mandy looked at me and said, "Get under my bed, we have to hide you from that miserable little harridan." I ran to obey and Mandy swiftly cleared our plates from the table and began clearing up. Moments later Hattie came storming into the kitchen.
"Where is Ella," she demanded of Mandy.
"I'm not sure milady, she was setting fires this morning and I haven't seen her in some time," Mandy lied easily. Hattie stomped her foot and ran out of the room. We waited, listening carefully. Until we could hear her stomping gait carry her upstairs and away. Mandy called the all clear and I struggled out from under her bed. "Better get out the back before she comes back," Mandy grabbed her own cloak of the pag and handed it to me. "Maybe you can talk to him on his way out." I gave her a swift hug and ran out the back door.
The stables and the gardens were on this side of the house but the prince's conveyance would be at the front. Stealthily I walked as close to the house as I could so Hattie couldn't see me out a window and crept up the side. A small, understated carriage was standing in the drive with two matching horses still tethered to it steaming in the frigid air. A footman and a driver were standing to the rear of the carriage sharing something from a flask. Staying close to the house I crept up beside the front staircase, the front edge of which got very near to the carriage. Silently, I sidled up to the side of the carriage opposite the driver and the footman and very carefully opened the door. How was I going to get in without the whole thing swaying and alerting the servants? I stood there uncertainly for a moment then very slowly crawled into the carriage on my hands and knees. I did my best to keep my weight evenly distributed to all corners of the carriage as I crawled in ever so gently. The carriage was immaculately maintained and none of the springs creaked or shifted with my weight. Once I was all the way into the carriage I turned slowly and pulled the door closed behind me. Very carefully I stood up in the very center of the foot space and sat gingerly on the bench.
I could hear the footman and the driver talking from my seat and listened intently.
"I wonder how long he will wait in there this time?"
"Who can say, I'm glad you brought a nip, I thought I would perish from cold yesterday."
"Forethought." One of them chuckled and I heard a satisfied belch from the other.
"Who is this girl he's after? Have you heard anything about her?"
"I think it was supposed to be Sir Peter's daughter."
"Ella? The girl from the ogre hunt?"
"You heard that story too? I thought it was made up at first."
"Yeah, I heard it. The soldiers from that mission were in the Arm and Pheasant the other day and they swear the whole thing is true. Can you imagine, an ogre taming girl." More laughter.
"I wonder if the cook will let us come stand in the back."
"I bet she would, the prince probably won't come out of there for hours."
I heard the crunch of gravel and their voices receded. I hoped, ironically, that Char gave up on me earlier than he had yesterday. I snuggled into the padded seat and promptly fell asleep.
I don't know how long I slept but the next thing I knew I heard masculine voices and the coach swayed as people jumped up onto it. The door opened and Char was there, he was head and shoulders into the coach before he saw me in the gloom of the interior. I beckoned him in, holding my hand up in a shushing gesture. He got in and swiftly pulled the door closed behind him.
"What are you doing in here," he whispered sitting down on the bench next to me.
"I needed to see you and I couldn't do it in there."
"Why? What has happened? Why didn't I see you yesterday?" He looked so confused and hurt. The coach lurched as it started driving.
"My family was very angry with me that I wasn't at the wedding and confined me to my room. I'm so sorry you had to wait so long…" I was cut off abruptly by his fervent kiss. One strong hand cupped my cheek and the other strayed to my waist, pulling me to him.
"You are frozen! How long have you been out here?" He asked when we finally broke apart.
"I don't know, I fell asleep." I looked at my lap sheepishly and he laughed. He banged on the roof and leaned out the door.
"Pull off the road and go stand away from the carriage." He yelled to his men. They obeyed with alacrity, the carriage swaying alarmingly as we pulled onto the verge of the road and they hopped off.
"Is something amiss your highness?" The driver asked after hopping down.
"No, I just need some time to think before we go home. Please walk down the road aways, I just need some time to myself." He waited until they were out of sight of the carriage and turned back to me. Dark desire shot between us like an arrow and suddenly he was atop me, pressing me into the cushions. He was kissing my neck, stroking my thigh and I was kissing him back, winding my leg around him and pulling him close. I pulled the shirt out of the back of his pants and slid my icy hands up his back and he gasped in surprise then laughed. He knelt down on the floor of the carriage between my knees pulling me to the edge of the seat and wrapped his arms around me.
"Oh, Ella." he laid his head on my bosom and held me close. I ran my fingers through his hair and held him near to me. "I talked to my father," he began then stopped and gave a great sigh.
"What is it?" I looked down at him, his beautiful face gazed back up at me, his freckles standing out starkly in the weak light from the window.
"I am leaving for Ayortha tomorrow," he looked miserable. I felt miserable.
"How long?"
"A….a year." His eyes searched mine, looking for my reaction but I was too busy thinking to react. With a year away from me perhaps he would meet someone else and be happy and I would never have to break his heart after all. My heart would still be broken but it was broken already and I couldn't do anything about it. I was never going to be able to marry him, maybe anyone.
"Father has said that if I still want to wed you in a year then I have his blessing but he will not forgo this incredibly important diplomatic tradition for the sake of a year between two young people." He said this last in a gruff voice that wasn't his own, imitating his father I supposed.
"Alright," I said, surprising us both. "I love you Char and I will always love you. A year is no time at all." His face broke into a beautiful smile and he gave a laugh, pulling me closer to him.
"How did I find such a wonderful woman as you?" He asked gazing at me with love. I kissed him right on his beautiful, smiling mouth. He slid his hand under the hem of my dress and ran his hand slowly up my leg, still kissing me fiercely. He got to the top of my stocking and his hand continued its journey past my knee and slowly up my thigh. I could feel the warmth of his hand through the thin material of my bloomers and it made me shiver with pleasure. He broke our kiss and giving me a mischievous grin he threw my skirts up over his head.
Muffled through the material of my skirts I heard him say, "I guess I will have to give you something to remember me by,"
"What are you doing under there," I giggled, slightly mortified and he pulled one stocking down then the other. I felt him kiss the inside of my knee as he untied the bow on my bloomers. Both of his hands were on my knees now and he slowly ran them up my thighs, warmth and tingling sensation spread in their wake as all of my hair tried to stand up at once. I felt the urge to close my legs but my knees just hit him in the ribs. I felt that expectant ache deep inside and I could feel beads of moisture running down the inside of my thighs. His hands reached the top of their long slow trip up my thighs and one finger ran across the damp spot on my bloomers, pressing the damp material against me and teasing me. I could feel my pulse there in my heated skin beat against his finger as he slid it up and down the wet spot. A different sensation now as hot breath collided with the wetness there. I wriggled, panting and laughing and moaning and he attacked my slit with his tongue, pressing at me and making me writhe.
He fought his way free of my skirts, his face sweaty and pink but smiling.
"It is hard to breathe under there," he laughed. "Lean back." I obeyed of course and he pulled my bloomers straight off of me. He rolled my skirt up over top of me and gently gave my naked slit a slow lick before pressing a finger into it very, very slowly. I gasped, the sensation was unbelievable and I screwed my eyes tight shut concentrating on the feelings thrumming through my body at every touch. "Tell me what you like," he said running his finger slowly in and out of me.
Blushing bright red over my whole body I mumbled, "Lick it again," he laughed and complied, running his tongue over my swollen flesh as he continued to move his finger in and out of me. I was sweating in the cold air of the carriage and completely taken over by the pleasure he was evoking in me.
"Tell me what you want," he said. This time I was slightly less mortified as my desires tumbled out of my mouth.
"I want two fingers," he obliged, introducing his middle finger slowly. As he did his forefinger crooked inside me and I shuddered in pleasure. "Do that again!"
"This?" he crooked his two fingers up and electric molten pleasure ripped through me, tides of goose flesh running up and down my skin.
"Yes," I panted and he continued to tease my insides with his questing fingers.
"Ella, you are going to make my pants burst." I giggled and he laughed too.
"Take them off then," I said boldly, flattening my skirts so that I could see his face. He carefully pulled his fingers from me, eliciting another shudder of pleasure and swiftly stood up. He began to fumble at the ties to his breeches. "Wait," I said and he looked at me questioningly, "let me do it." I steeled myself and put my trembling fingers to his fly. I managed to untie his pants freeing him to the cold air of the carriage. He seemed monstrously large at such close range.
"I never knew you were so adventurous," he said looking down at me.
"I am an ogre tamer remember," I looked up at him through my lashes. "What would you like?"
"Put it in your mouth." he whispered as if he was holding his breath. I looked up at him and wrapped my shaking fingers around him and slowly put my lips around the end, pulling more of it into my mouth as I watched his face. His mouth was open and he was barely breathing. I put as much of it in my mouth as I could, gently sucking then pulled it back out, sliding my lips and tongue down the length of him. Firmly I pushed him back in my mouth as far as it would go and slid my lips down the length again. He groaned as I pushed it in my mouth again and as I pulled it out of my mouth he grunted, "stop, I can't take much more of that." I freed him and looked up at him. He sat on the opposite bench, "come here." I stood and went over to him, "do you want me to put it inside you?"
"Yes," my thighs were already slick with the wetness of my arousal and the thought of his slick length inside me made my knees shake.
"Sit on it then," he leaned forward and lifted my skirt and I knelt on the bench on either side of his thighs. He grabbed himself so that he was pointing straight up and I slowly sank onto him. The feeling of him gradually filling me up was mind boggling. I sat for a moment on his lap, completely impaled on him and just felt the fullness. He groaned and I felt him twitch inside me. Grabbing me around the waist with his big, strong hands he lifted me slightly before dropping me back down. It felt so good, I pushed myself up with my thighs and my hands on his shoulders and came down again, shoving him back inside me. He began to buck his hips and lift me, we found a rhythm. On we strove, pushing each other higher and higher, we were rocking the coach so hard that I was sure the servants would come running at any moment but I just didn't care. We were both gasping and sweating.
"Get up and turn around," he said and I obeyed, lifting myself off of him and turning to face the other seat. He stood up behind me and whispered in my ear, "bend over."
I leaned forward and placed my forearms on the other seat, behind me Char picked up my skirts and ran his warm hands down my thighs. He pushed into me once more, pressing straight to my core. I reached behind me and grasped his thighs, pulling him further into me, I could hear his ragged breathing picking up again as he began to move inside me. My legs were trembling slightly and slick wetness coated my thighs. Char pushed himself into me again and again.
"Keep going," I urged him, my voice high and breathless in my own ears. I blushed again to hear myself sound so wanton. I pushed backwards into him, increasing his pace and focused on that most sensitive part of myself as it was stroked by his striving. I felt the urge to touch myself and moved my hand to feel my hardened nipples through my blouse. One of my hands strayed to my core where he pounded into me and my fingers elicited more pleasure as I touched and caressed my feverish flesh. I felt a tightening in my middle and around him as my legs and loins began to quiver.
Char was panting my name, "Ella, oh, Ella…" and then he stiffened, thrusting himself deeper into me still. My quaking continued, shuddering around his hard, filling length for a moment after he stopped moving. He leaned against me for a moment and I enjoyed our contact then he sighed with contentment and pulled himself free. I felt suddenly as if I had wet myself, my shaking had coalesced into a deep shudder and when he pulled out juices ran freely down my legs.
My chest constricted and I had to fight an overwhelming urge to begin laughing and weeping at once. I suppressed both urges with an effort and turned to look at him.
The carriage was not meant to stand in and Char was particularly tall so he was hunched over oddly, his breeches pooled around his ankle and his legs pale and bare. My urge to laugh won out upon looking at him and I flopped down on the seat and giggled. He gave me a lopsided grin and gathered his pants back up, tying them back in place.
"No blood this time," he said it straight but looked at me questioningly.
"No, I suppose not," I said looking at my hand still glistening with goo from its adventures. I wiped it on the inside hem of my skirt where it was still damp from dragging on the ground.
"I suppose I have sullied your virtue," he said shyly looking up at me with concern on his face.
"Do you think so?" I said, anxiously. "I think you can't sully my virtue if you are going to marry me."
"I thought virtue had something to do with children," he said uncertainly.
"Oh, that," I scoffed, relaxing. "I know that people can't have children unless they are wed." He seemed unconvinced so I elaborated, "once you marry someone than you are able to have children, it doesn't happen before then."
"Do you think so? Because I have seen some farm animals in the spring do something like what we just did…" he stopped because I was laughing, "what?"
"Have you ever been to a horse's wedding?" I giggle some more, "or for a sheep?" His uncertainty and concern slowly faded and he smiled at me.
"I suppose I would be invited to see my horse wed, wouldn't I?" I laughed again. He came and sat down next to me, gathering me close to him. He looked down at my face and smiled, "Your face is covered in cinders, did you fall in your fireplace this morning?" I laughed, lighthearted despite the memory of my ongoing slavery to my step-family.
"No, I was reminded of our adventures looking for secret tunnels at the old palace and thought perhaps there would be a passage out of my room to escape and come see you."
"And there was?" He asked, thunderstruck.
"No, of course not, I sneaked out the kitchen." He laughed then.
"And you left the cinders in for decoration?"
"Yes, I thought you would enjoy them."
"My little Cinder-Ella," he said fondly before kissing me again. "Shall I have my men drive you back to your house?"
"Oh, no. I will walk, the longer I'm gone, the less I will have to put up with Hattie."
He grimaced at me, "she is...singular," he said politely.
I began to gather up my discarded clothes, restoring my stockings and bloomers before slipping on my shoes.
"You will write to me while I'm away?"
"Of course I will."
"You won't entertain any other suitors?"
"None of them could compare to you, of course not. You will have to tell me of all of your adventures in Ayortha because I can't be there with you."
"I will. I will think of you every day." He kissed me lingeringly before I opened the carriage door and hopped out.
I sneaked out the back of the carriage as he went out the side facing the road to go retrieve his men. I set out through the woods surrounding Mum Olga's estate and made good time back to the house. By the time I got there the light was beginning to fade, I must have slept longer than I thought, my Prince had been very determined to see me after all. I quashed that line of thought before I could become too melancholy and sneaked in the kitchen door. I hung Mandy's coat from the peg and turned around in time to see Olive come in through the kitchen door.
