Update! We're getting towards the end now! Just a few more chapters after this one! Enjoy!
Chapter Twenty-Nine
When Temperance finally returned home, it was only a few seconds before midnight struck and when it finally did, she was booted out of the carriage and watched in astonishment as the beautiful golden metal turned soft and orange and was soon sitting there, like the limp vegetable that it was. Temperance sighed as the beautiful gown that she had been wearing, as well as the mask disappeared from her body as well. She stood up and grudgingly picked up the pumpkin and began walking towards the patch where she'd been tending them for most of the previous Summer.
About halfway to the patch, she noticed a strange feeling on her left foot that differed dramatically from that of her right. Looking down, she found that she was still wearing on glossy and sparkling glass slipper, while her other foot was completely bare.
She nearly dropped the pumpkin on said foot. Thankfully, she caught it just in time. The pumpkin would most definitely have shattered the slipper and she didn't want to have to explain to Rebecca and the girls why she was picking glass out of her foot on their return.
Temperance sighed and slipped off the shoe so that she could walk comfortably to the patch and deposit the vegetable, watching in amazement as the roots reconnected and the pumpkin settled back in with the rest. As soon as that was done, Temperance turned back to retrieve the slipper, but found a pair of feet where it used to be. Trailing her eyes up her body, she locked her gaze with that of her best friend, who was frowning at her and dangling the slipper from one finger.
"Oh," she said, trying to act casually, "hey, Angela."
Angela grinned back. "Hey, Sweetie. Missing something?"
Temperance nodded, and reached for the slipper, but Angela pulled it away at the last second. "Give it back, Ange." She said, seriously.
"Why? Is it important to you in some way?" Angela teased, walking backwards, away from her.
"Angela, stop that." Temperance ordered. "You know it is."
"But why?" Angela asked. "Why is this little slipper so important to you?"
Temperance stopped, looking hard at Angela, trying not to let the tears fall. "You know why. Now, give it back."
Angela, seeing how upset Temperance was getting, sighed and handed it over. Temperance took it eagerly and hugged it to her chest, allowing one tear to fall at the memories the shoe brought to her mind's eye. "Aww, Sweetie!" Angela said, throwing her arms around Temperance and hugging her tightly as her friend shook with sobs, still fighting with all she had not to let the tears go. "Why didn't you just tell him who you were?"
Temperance took a deep breath. "I don't know." She said, but it came out choked. "I just…I feel like if I tell him, and we do start a real honest relationship that eventually I'm going to hurt him, and make him wish he'd never met me, and I can't do that to him, Ange. I just can't."
Now, she let the tears fall freely as she sought comfort from her best friend. Angela's heart broke for her friend as she felt the tears seeping through the material of her shirt. And she felt even worse knowing that nothing she said could change her friend's mind. So she just held her and rubbed her back to soothe her through her heart ache.
()()()()()()()()()()
Seeley sat at this bedroom desk, looking at the glass slipper that lay, alone, just in front of him, tracing a finger over the small inscription on the bottom.
"Property of Roxanne Hart." He read, mesmerized.
That girl that he'd been dancing with…she was Roxy. His Roxy.
And she had straight out lied to him. Or, at least, he thinks she did. But it was hard to tell if she had given him her real name or just one that she thought of on the spot. Like Roxy Hart. He thought bitterly.
But, then again, he had lied too. He had told her that his name was Tony Scallion and had completely neglected to tell him of his royal standing.
Was that why she ran?
But, it can't be. She had been ready to tell him something and Seeley was sure that she was going to tell him her real name, or her pseudonym that he'd been calling her for the last three days.
But then, why did she run?
Seeley couldn't understand it. If she truly cared about him, why would she run?
Was she afraid of showing him her true identity for fear that he would reject her? No, that couldn't be it. Roxy-or Temperance- must know how much he cared for her. She wasn't stupid. Not in the least.
But, then, why?
That one worded question haunted Seeley for hours, and as his party continued, he stay locked in his room until there was a knock at the door.
"Seeley?" he heard Jack's muffled voice come through and he snapped out of his trance as he turned to the door.
"Come in." He said, almost too softly for Jack to hear, but he did and he entered, closing the door behind him.
"You okay, Bud?" he asked.
Seeley almost nodded, but then shook his head at the last moment. "She's gone." He said, dejectedly.
Jack sighed. "I know how you feel, man. Angela left, too. She said something about womanly troubles and bolted. I think I might have grossed her out with all my bug talk."
Seeley chuckled slightly. "You talked bugs with her?"
Jack shrugged, looking embarrassed. "I didn't know what else to talk about. She seemed really interested, until about midnight when she ran out."
Seeley looked up at this. "Midnight?" he asked, almost seeming intrigued by this little fact.
Jack nodded. "Yeah. Well, a couple minutes before, but just about. Why?"
Seeley's heart rate began to pick up. "And you said her name was Angela?"
Again, Jack nodded. "Yeah, man. Why?"
Seeley stood up as paced as the pieces came together in his head. Roxy/Temperance had mentioned having a maid named Angela. Jack's girl with the same name had fled around midnight, the same exact time that Roxy/Temperance had.
Seeley turned to Jack, eyes wide. "Are you going to see Angela again?"
Jack shrugged. "I dunno, man. And, again, I ask why?"
Seeley ignored the question once more. "Do you know where she lives?"
Jack shook his head. "No, but I can do a check on all the Angelas in Jeffersonian. On one condition."
"What's that?" Seeley asked.
"You tell me what the HELL is going on here!"
Seeley laughed, and began explaining his predicament from the very top.
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