Collapsing on a stool, Lacey blinked at the mound of laundry before her as she tried to decide if God was punishing her. Nearby, Ella was humming quietly to herself as she held up a nightgown, waltzing around in small circles with it. At this sickening display, Lacey sank over onto the table before her, buried her face in her arms and groaned.
Four hours. Four measly hours of sleep in over forty eight hours. Lacey's entire body was sluggish, her mind was barely functional and her mood dismal. And here was Ella, dancing around the room with a piece of laundry.
"I despise you," Lacey told her without moving her head up. "Stop being perky."
The humming paused, a guilty giggle coming from the usually mature woman. Lacey lifted her head up so she could peer over her arms at the maid. Ella smiled fondly down at the gown before she folded it and put it away. She caught Lacey's glare and grimaced apologetically over at her. "Sorry, Belle," she murmured, looking appropriately guilty. "Why don't you go lay back down for a bit? I can finish the rest."
Lacey sighed, pushing herself back up to stare at the large mounds of laundry surrounding them. Chemises, slips, ball gowns, day dresses, cloaks, stockings and god knew what else were strewn around the room, organized into piles depending on how to best wash them. Upstairs, the stepmonsters were all fast asleep, not having arrived home until sunrise. They had stumbled into the house, yawning and calling for the maids to help them undress for bed.
Ella had to shake Lacey for almost a minute before she had consented to getting up this morning. Half asleep, she had managed to help undo the stays and loops of the corsets and hoops of the stepsisters, thankfully having learned earlier when Ella helped her undo her own when they had gotten home from from the ball. It hadn't taken long, but there was no time to go back to bed. There was much to be done before the ladies woke up, demanding food and attention and providing even more chores.
"No," Lacey decided, pushing herself back on her feet. "Let's get it done. Maybe I'll get to sleep when I'm dead." Ella didn't reply to this dramatic statement, but aimed a balled up shirt that hit Lacey square in the face, causing them both to burst into laughter.
"Having fun, are we?"
Lady Tremaine stood in the doorway, blocking the incoming afternoon light as she stared down at them from the top of the stairs. She wore a rich brocade dressing gown, hair immaculate. They had not heard her in their moment of light-hearted levity.
"Stepmother," Ella greeted, giving a small courtesy. "I didn't know you were awake."
"Apparently."
"Can I get you something to eat?" Ella inquired, moving towards the doorway.
Lady Tremaine held up her hand, shaking her head as she motioned for Ella to return to the laundry pile. "That won't be necessary. I simply wanted to tell you dinner will be at five tonight."
"So early?" Ella asked. "But-"
"The girls were quite a sensation at the ball last night," Lady Tremaine lied smoothly. It was masterfully done. If Lacey hadn't known the girls were unattractive in both looks and personality, and that Ella had captivated the prince's attention all night, she would have almost believed her. "We will be leaving early this evening, to ensure more time socializing."
Lacey turned to her pile of clothes, hiding her expression. More likely, the girls had stood to the sides all night, and hoped to get there earlier in an attempt to have a better opportunity to dance with the prince. Ella continued to speak with her stepmother, finalizing the dinner menu.
"You, there," Lady Tremaine called out and Lacey turned to find her peering down at her.
"Yes, my lady?" Lacey replied innocently.
"Anastasia informs me that you were quite proficient if somewhat slow with helping her get ready last night. Ella is more than capable of handling the girls; tonight, you'll assist me."
"As you wish, my lady," Lacey curtsied, waiting until the footsteps receded away before straightening. She rolled her eyes at the lady's retreating back.
"Belle, I'm so sorry," Ella whispered as she moved back to the clothes. A tub of warm water stood by, waiting for them to start. "You're a princess and here we are making you wash clothes!"
"You aren't making me do anything, Ella," Lacey assured her. The Imp on the other hand... "I'm more than happy to help you after what you did for us. Hansel and Gretel are safely headed to their father. I have a place to sleep and food to eat-"
"But why not just stay at the palace?" Ella pointed out. She looked concerned. Clearly, she had been thinking about this all morning. "As a princess, you'd be treated as a visiting dignitary-"
"Ella, drop it," Lacey stressed. "I'm staying here with you, all right?"
Ella nodded morosely. For the rest of the early morning, Lacey kept catching her shooting her curious glances. Scrubbing harder, her fingers already prunes, Lacey ignored it. She focused on the one thing that was getting her through this. She was going to kill the Imp when she got her hands on him.
With dinner done and the last few rays of daylight disappearing from the sky, Lacey stood at the top of the stairs, staring at the imposing master bedroom. Ella, in her sooty shoes and wrinkled dress, stood beside her, one hand resting encouragingly on Lacey's shoulder. "Remember," Ella whispered. "Don't speak unless spoken to, don't touch anything and keep your eyes down."
"Why do I have to-"
"Just trust me," Ella replied with a shudder. "I have to go if we're going to get them out of the house on time."
Lacey nodded as Ella moved off down the hall. Shooting her one more sympathetic glance, Ella opened her stepsister's door to a loud burst of annoyed voices before it clicked shut behind her. Downstairs, the grandfather clock in the hall, rang out the time and Lacey knocked, right on cue.
"Enter."
Turning the knob gently, Lacey found herself surrounded by dark oak wood, deep reds and heavy wooden accents making the room feel significantly smaller than she had anticipated. At the far end, Lady Tremaine was sitting in her dressing robe, eyes cutting to Lacey's in the vanity mirror.
"Come here, girl," she ordered, returning to her own reflection. Lacey made her way through the maze of settees and end tables, noticing that not a single personal item was on display in this room. When she arrived at the vanity, Lady Tremaine wordlessly handed her a brush, and a small ornate box full of pins.
Taking the offered objects, Lacey tucked the pins in her pocket. The Blind Witch's dreadlock still lay at the bottom of her pocket, as she was unwilling to risk losing it. Her other secrets, Emma's tiara and Ella's glass slippers were carefully hidden in a tightly wrapped sack buried in the soot of the fireplace. In silence, Lacey took down the elder woman's ornate updo, combing out the snags gently, being no stranger to long hair and its twists and tangles.
Enjoying the silence, Lacey had nearly finished when Lady Tremaine spoke. "How do you like it here so far?" she inquired pointedly, shrewd eyes staring back at Lacey in the mirror.
"Quite well, thank you," Lacey responded neutrally. She moved the brush to her other pocket, starting to gather Lady Tremaine's hair in sections. She had seen a hairstyle the night before that had appeared easy, mostly fishtail braiding which Lacey had done often when she was younger.
Careful not to tug on the woman's scalp, Lacey made quick work of the hair, checking for loose strands or uneven lumps before she swept the entire braid into a knot at the base of Lady Tremaine's skull, pinning it neatly before covering it with what Ella called a snood, but looked more like a cafeteria lady's hair net.
"Suitable," Lady Tremaine declared as she admired the handiwork with the use of a hand mirror. Lacey nodded, taking the mirror away as Lady Tremaine stood and moved towards the bed. A huge four poster with heavy velvet curtains, it reminded Lacey of her bed back in the Dark Castle, but this had a more masculine energy, too large for the tall but slight woman before her. A fat gray cat lay in the shadows there, blank eyes staring at Lacey as she approached.
"Shoo, Lucifer," Lady Tremaine ordered. The cat stretched out languidly, turning on his heel and disappearing onto the floor as if it was his idea. Before Lacey could watch where he disappeared to, Lady Tremaine had shed her dressing gown and stood stoically before her in nothing but her chemise and calf length drawers underneath.
Locating the corset on the bed, Lacey placed it on Lady Tremaine, careful to bring it down as low as possible before hooking the last hook. Inhaling deeply, Lady Tremaine tugged it down lower as Lacey quickly moved to fasten the front elastics. Within moments, she had managed to expertly pull the strings downwards and began the laborious process of lacing it up.
"Where were you before here?" Lady Tremaine asked her, face turned away from her.
Having prepared this with Ella earlier just in case, Lacey was ready with a reply. "The Strong family in the next land. Master Strong died in the war and his wife moved in with their eldest daughter. I was left to the new owners but when they lost the funding, the house was empty. I had to find a new position and happened to meet one of your family's merchants. He advised me that your household was inquiring for a new maid."
"Hmm," Lady Tremaine replied thoughtfully. Lacey, careful not to jerk her as she finished lacing, tied the excess lace in the back of the corset and twisted them loosely as she tucked them into the corset. She was getting rather proficient at this. Lacey gathered the under petticoat, plain and stiffened. She drew it over Lady Tremaine, careful not to disturb her hair before tying it neatly around her narrow waist.
Nearby on the floor, lay the hoop skirt and Lady Tremaine moved over to it without prompting. Lacey drew it up, mentally cursing her own hoop skirt, which made the process of putting on someone else's fairly difficult. With a single drawstring at the back, it was quickly tied before the over petticoat was put on, the embroidered hem stark white. The small clock on the mantle showed it was almost time for the ladies to be leaving. Lacey caught Lady Tremaine glancing at it and hurried to gather the dress laying neatly across the bed.
"Belle," Lady Tremaine started warmy, causing Lacey to pause. The use of her given name was startling, most likely intended to make her feel comfortable. Instead, it made all of Lacey's warning bells go off in quick succession. "How would you like a permanent position here?"
'I'd rather die' did not seem like a suitable answer so Lacey smiled in polite confusion. "To help Ella?"
"To replace Ella," Lady Tremaine said neutrally. "You see, I'm afraid my late husband's income had been rather stretched with three daughters to raise. My two girls are bound to find themselves suitable husbands, if not during the royal ball, shortly after." Lacey, gathering the silk gauze dress with its full skirt, barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
"An offer however was recently made on Ella, my late husband's daughter," the older woman continued, standing perfectly still as Lacey helped dress her in the cream cloth, black and red stripes elongating the already tall woman. Arranging the square neck on the woman's flat chest and fluffing out the pagoda style sleeves, Lacey remained quiet. From what Ella had told her, she had not given the Prince her name, wary of the nobility's taste for gossip.
"Considering her unavoidable flaws," Lady Tremaine was saying, unaware of Lacey's growing disgust. "I found it odd and possibly even a foolish alliance on the suitor's part. However, the Sheriff is very interested in attaining a wife of nobility and I found it a perfectly suitable arrangement in that regard-"
Robin had mentioned a sheriff, Lacey dimly recalled. She wondered if it was the same one he had warned her about and grew cold. "Done, my lady," Lacey finished, stepping back as she handed over matching shoes. "Will you be needing anything else?"
"An answer," Lady Tremaine replied smoothly back. "You've done admirable work since you've arrived. The girls find you adequate for their needs and I find no reason to disagree. You would have the kitchen as your quarters, one quarter of every meal's remains, meaning food would not come out of your pay, and holidays off depending on our social calendars."
Lacey bit her cheek at this 'offer'. She would be a slave, treated possibly worse than Ella for the rest of her life in a house that was selling off the only decent person there to pay the bills. "I'm very grateful," Lacey managed, using her astonished disbelief to her advantage. "I had another offer from another family, I was writing them to accept but perhaps-"
"Take the night to think about it then," Lady Tremaine negotiated masterfully. "We'll discuss it further tomorrow."
Lacey curtsied, turning to go when she heard. "Oh and Belle?"
"Yes?" Lacey asked, hand on the doorknob, desperate to escape so she could bury her fist into something repeatedly.
"Don't say anything to Ella," Lady Tremaine murmured without looking back at her. "I wouldn't want to get her hopes up in case the Sheriff changes his mind."
Lacey nodded stiffly before turning the knob and fleeing from the room.
"Do you think he'll come back?" Ella asked, breaking the silence as they stood outside under the moonlight. Ella had her glass slippers on, her sooty ones sitting on the stairs for their return. Lacey had her tiara perched in her hair, loose curls sooty from rooting around the fireplace to find these hidden treasures. "Or-"
As the moons overheard touched, a blinding whiteness made both women raise their arms to cover their eyes, effectively answering the question. When Lacey lowered her arm, she found Ella staring down at her gown, an even more elaborate short sleeved gown with full skirts. The short sleeves had lace and trimmings that accentuated Ella's toned arms, while the cream fabric and accentuating light blue stripes brought out the undertones of Ella's skin. Small floral patterns of different colors and shapes floated down the skirts which Ella held out, her small white kid gloves glowing in the darkness.
"Fancy," Lacey said approvingly. It was not as eye catching as the dress Ella had worn the night before, this one one however was more regal. Lacey's in comparison was as simple as the one she had worn last night, pale champagne and off the shoulder. The only additional details were small tassels descending from the layered fabric that accentuated her breasts. The Imp's fashion sense was, while practical, not as aspiring as gowns the Queen had provided for her and Ariel in the Seventh Kingdom's. "I look like a potato," Lacey grumbled, plucking at the silk skirt.
"You look lovely," Ella corrected. "I particularly like your hair."
Lacey instinctively reached up to touch her hair, finding it had been braided back on the sides and then pinned in two spirals on the base of her neck. Her tiara sat quaintly in the style as if it had been placed there by her own hand. "Least there's not a snood," Lacey joked. Ella, touching her own hair curled into rolls and laced with flowers, smiled back at her as the coach rolled to a stop before them.
The angry squawk of their gooseman hurried them both inside, moving off towards the castle as the night darkened around them. Ella practically vibrated as they bounced over the rough roads, sighing occasionally before fidgeting to glance back out the window. After a few minutes, Lacey laughed. "Calm down. We'll be there any minute. Magic carriages have quite the advantage."
"I know," Ella replied, sitting back and folding her hands in her lap. "But what if Thomas doesn't remember me?"
Lacey smiled. "Considering he danced with you for over an hour last night, and you ran off without giving him so much as your name, I doubt he's done anything but think about you all day."
"Really?" Ella asked, glancing up from her lap. "Do you really think so, Belle?"
If there was one thing in this world that Lacey knew, it was men. And the men in this world didn't seem too terribly different from the ones back home. With a wink, she assured Ella that Prince Thomas, the first of his name, was probably waiting at the door for her.
As it turns out, she wasn't half wrong. The second their carriage rolled to a stop at the foot of the gate, standing in a long line of other carriages, the guard at the gate came up and exchanged a few words with the lizard coachman. "Everything all right?" Lacey asked, leaning out the window.
The guard tilted his cap at her, slightly startled at being addressed by a royal. "Perfectly fine, your Royal Highness," he assured her as he came to the side of the carriage. Ella joined Lacey at the window and the guard's eyes grew wide. "My apologies, I didn't realize," he stammered. He turned to the lizard posing as their driver and urged him to go up the lawn. "Please go straight ahead," he directed as he waved a fellow guard over.
In quick succession, the coach arrived just beside the front stairs, a few scandalized nobles chattering about the rude behavior, even as the guard rushed alongside them on foot, disappearing into the castle. Lacey could barely contain her laughter as Ella looked about in confusion. "He had the guards looking for you," Lacey teased. "My, Ella, you certainly know how to make an impression!"
"It's not funny!" Ella hissed, looking traumatized. "What if they found out I'm not a real lady?"
Before Lacey could argue that she was in fact a real lady, the carriage door swung open. One of the royal footman helped put the steps down, holding out a hand for Lacey to take. His eyes however flicked over to Ella, taking her in with a curious glance. Lacey let him help her out, brushing the wrinkles in her dress out as she stood in the night air. The carriage between them and the castle rolled off, the next one being detained by another member of the guard.
Just as Ella emerged from the carriage, lifting her head from thanking the guard, a silhouette appeared at the top of the castle stairs. Barely pausing, Prince Thomas came down the short stairs, meeting them just at the edge of the drive. He sank into a deep bow, which Lacey and Ella returned with respective curtseys. Behind him, Lacey saw two shorter figures appear in the light of the hall, staring down at them.
"I wasn't sure you'd come back," Thomas whispered to Ella, taking her gloved hand in his own. He was wearing his same uniform, but his hair had been carefully brushed back. Lacey stood awkwardly to the side of them, highly aware that everyone was watching this little scene unfold on the lawn.
"I wouldn't have missed this for the world," Ella breathed back, squeezing his hand in hers. Neither spoke for a moment, content to gaze into each other's eyes as if the secret of life was buried there.
Growing fidgety, Lacey coughed, drawing the prince's attention. "Shall we?"
"Ah, Princess Belle," Thomas greeted, sinking into another respective bow. Lacey rolled her eyes over his head but followed suit as Ella stood demurely to the side. "It's my pleasure to formally make your acquaintance."
"As it is mine," Lacey acknowledged, eyes flickering back to the figures at the top of the stairs. "I presume Marian was forthcoming on my behalf?"
Thomas looked slightly abashed as Ella glanced curiously between them. "She may have mentioned she met you while I was busy bemoaning the princess who stole away my lovely dance partner."
Lacey laughed, offering her hand for Thomas to take. She knew one or two things about royal protocol from her days in the Seventh Kingdom, and sure enough, Thomas took it, shooting a warm smile at Ella as she fell in line behind them. "May I ask where you dwell, your Royal Highness?"
"Fourth Kingdom," Lacey supplied, mentally crossing her fingers that he hadn't travelled as far as Eric had.
Luckily for her that seemed to be the case; Thomas nodded solemnly. "I've heard great things about your land," he said wistfully. "I had planned to travel to the different kingdoms when I came of age but with the war…"
Lacey nodded thoughtfully, making another mental note to ask Marian about this war everybody kept mentioning. The lands did not look as if they had been at war, but it seemed a prickly subject, one that people did not hesitate to mention but did not elaborate upon. As they reached the stairs, Lacey realized one of the figures was indeed Marian, but she stood behind an older man, a crown on his balding head.
"Your Majesty," Lacey greeted, sinking into a half curtesy. Behind her, she heard the rustle of Ella's gown as she too dipped down. Marian cast her a sharp look, and Lacey gave a barely perceptible nod back. She had to tread carefully around the King; a royal alliance was something he would not hesitate to secure.
"Welcome to the First Kingdom," the King said jovially, taking her hand from his son to rest on his own pudgy arm. "I apologize for not meeting you last night, my son tells me you were late arriving and I sadly missed your entrance."
Behind them, Thomas had taken Ella's arm, and they moved off swiftly towards a different archway, Marian watching them off before she fell in step behind the King and Lacey. "Your castle is lovely, Your Majesty," Lacey said earnestly, buying the young couple some time. "I would love a tour."
The King chuckled in amusement. "Now, I'm sure that's not true. But I would love for my son," here, he turned, frowning as he realized Thomas had vanished. Sighing, he glanced at Marian. "Really, my dear?" he asked her with a shake of his head. "I specifically asked you to make sure he did not disappear."
Marian shrugged politely, smiling at the older man as if he was her own father. "I did warn you I would fail," she said affectionately.
"Yes, you and that dratted ambassador were most articulate in Thomas's defense this afternoon. At least one of you bothered to show up this evening," the King recalled with a quiver of his thin white mustache. Lacey smiled at him, almost taller than him in her slightly heeled slippers. "I apologize for my son, Princess. He's rather stubborn."
"I suppose he gets that from his father?" Lacey teased, rewarded with the King's pinking cheeks.
"Hmph," he coughed, squaring his shoulders. "Marian did warn me you were a flirt," he grumbled good-naturedly. "I suppose there isn't much I can do to convince you to marry my son and save him from himself?"
"I'm afraid not," Lacey said with a grin. "But I doubt he could do better than Lady Ella."
"Lady Ella? Never heard of her," he mused. "Fourth Kingdom as well?"
"First," Lacey replied, as they arrived back at the salon. The King made an interested noise, and Lacey was confident he was making a mental note to check on noble women of age named Ella. Servants hurried over with full goblets of wine. The King glowed as he held his up to hers in a toast. They made short work of their first glass after that, moving the talk to Thomas as a leader and heir before his childhood.
"No," Lacey laughed, glancing over at a blushing Marian. "They did what with the honey?"
"Thought themselves clever," the king chuckled. "Though I couldn't tell who was more embarrassed, Thomas' mother, rest her soul, or Marian's poor father."
At this point, a noble sidled up to them and began to hover, looking harried. The King sighed. "I should be attending to matters of state," he said sadly. "Instead of charming young women of eligible age."
"Your Majesty," Marian offered. "Perhaps I could escort Princess Belle in your absence?"
"You'd like that wouldn't you?" The King said gruffly to her, a smile in his eyes. "Avoid the second sons lurking around here wanting to make a wife out of you."
"They'd have to catch me first," Marian whispered to Lacey as the King lumbered away to his business. "Now, shall we go check on the happy couple or-?"
"I," Lacey interrupted, "want to know about your secret rendezvous, after I get another glass of wine."
"Food first," Marian suggested, walking her over to the buffet style table. "That's your fourth glass in under an hour."
"Touche," Lacey conceded, helping herself to a large slice of ham. Marian found them a quiet nook to eat in the hall, continuing to bring Lacey plates until she was stuffed and her bodice uncomfortably tight. "Enough," Lacey groaned. "I'm beginning to see why the King made you whatever it was."
"Castellan," Marian said, looking at her curiously. "Doesn't your family have one?"
"Honestly?" Lacey sighed, holding her side where a sharp pain had started. "I haven't a clue."
"Excuse me for saying this," Marian said with amusement. "But you're a rather odd princess."
Lacey grinned at her, standing up as another server appeared by her side with a fresh cup of wine. "You know," Lacey told Marian, joining her to move to the door. "You shouldn't say such things after your King just told me such wonderful stories about what you and Thomas thought acceptable behavior concerning livestock."
"We set them free," Marian snorted. "How were we to know you aren't supposed to ride pigs into battle?"
A nearby noble woman looked scandalized and Lacey had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing out loud. Marian seamlessly escorted them into the main hallway, still rather crowded as people continued to arrive. "Where to?" Marian asked.
Lacey deciding, didn't see them at first. However, it was hard not to. With their giant puffy fringe dresses, one in pink and one in green, it was almost impossible to miss the Stepdaughters Tremaine or their imposing mother, who stood nearly a foot taller than most of the other women.
"Oh, them," Marian sighed, noticing where Lacey's gaze had fallen. "They were the reason I was hiding in the tapestry hall last night. The mother is a ghoul, got one of the weakling lords from up north to introduce her to me. She hoped to get the prince's attention through his dearest friend, and instead ended up insulting me for a quarter of an hour before I gave her the slip."
"Befriend the prince's best friend, win his heart?" Lacey asked, and Marian nodded sorely.
"It's as if they don't think every other woman has tried that in the history of our lives," Marian grumbled. "Let's go this way, I don't care much to listen to their prattling on for an hour."
Lacey allowed her to lead the way, but the memory of Lady Tremaine's job offer stayed in her head. She'd have to ask Marian about Thomas's intentions tonight, or risk Ella losing her one chance at happiness.
Inspiration Board: post/137107390012/the-gate-chapter-25-inspiration-board (Does anyone look at this? Just curious cause it takes a fair amount of time and I could always just skip it.)
Well, some interesting plot developments in this chapter namely of Lady Tremaine's plans for Ella. This chapter was me getting to exercise some muscles in the 'game of thrones' intrigue department, although I had more fun with Lacey and Marian being sassy because those two are a joy to write together.