5 Years Ago
"Thank you for inviting me up to your office, Ms. Hornsby."
"It's my pleasure, Sir Charles. I find it best to talk things through with the loved ones. I understand that you've been through quite the ordeal with your wife."
Charles accepted the cup of tea that Helena had poured for him, then waited until she was seated behind her desk with her own tea before having a sip. He sighed and said, "Yes, it's been quite difficult for all of us."
"Her brother couldn't be with you today?" Helena asked.
Charles grimaced. "No, unfortunately. He's been quite busy. I'm afraid I had to make this decision without his input... He's very disapproving of the idea, you understand."
"Mm-hmm."
"Yes, well... Any way, I'm sure you'll be seeing plenty of him. On visiting days."
"Lucky us." Helena smirked, then tilted her head. "But will we be seeing you?"
Charles practically balked at this. "Oh, I'm not sure... I'm so dreadfully busy. And, well...this place... I'm not sure I'll have the constitution to face it on a regular basis. I mean, to see Cinderella like that..." He shook his head.
"She will be well taken care of here, I assure you."
"I believe you."
"Would you like to tell me about these behaviors of hers that you find so...alarming? So we can be prepared."
Charles sighed, running a hand over his face. He was clearly exhausted and slightly vexed by the question. He stared into the open air for a while, recollecting. "I suppose it really started during her childhood, long before I knew her... Her stepmother tried to warn me before we were married, but I refused to listen. That woman and her own two daughters were so horrid... Abusive monsters to poor Cinderella... Basically made her a slave in her own home. I figured the old woman was just trying to scare me off; that the stepsisters were jealous because they each wanted to marry me, as well. But I picked Cinderella..." He bit his lip, his eyes seeming hollow. "When she started acting...strangely, I met with her step-family a few times, to see if they'd experienced it too. I realized soon that I was in over my head..." He chuckled ruefully and shook his head. "I should have known she was too good to be true."
"Tell me about what happened."
"Right. It started with simple chores. She wanted to help the servants with the housework, but my father and I forbid it. She didn't take kindly to that. And she refused to dress appropriately, or even to fit a woman of her station. I simply thought she was having some difficulty acclimating to her new life. It frustrated me to no end. I loved her. I wanted to save her from those monsters, give her the life she deserved. But she simply couldn't adjust. Refused to listen to me, or my father, or anyone. She constantly argued. She started to say horrid things. After we threw out her old clothes, she started stealing frocks from the servant girls' trunks. Insisted on dressing in rags... And cleaned obsessively. When we would stop her, she would become hysterical. It got to a point where we couldn't even host a dinner party without an episode... So humiliating."
Helena nodded. "Right."
"And it only got worse from there. She started letting the mice and rats loose, from the traps we had around the house. Insisted on saving them... Keeping them as pets." He twisted his face up in disgust. "Then she started talking to them... And claimed that they would talk back. Things would happen around the house, and she would blame the rodents, or a flock of birds that had come in when no one was looking but her. It all nearly drove us to our wit's end. We had to lock her up at night, you see. Away from everyone else. It was the only way we could sleep. So we kept her in the attic. She actually requested that space for herself... Her step-family forced her to live in the attic at her father's house, so... I suppose she just felt comfortable up there. But finally, last week..." He drifted off, unable to finish. The memory playing out before him was horrifying.
"Last week?" Helena gently prodded.
Charles slowly collected himself, cleared his throat. "Last week, um... We went up to get her in the morning, and... she was waiting. With the rats and mice. She was in this old dress, this musty pink thing her mother made years ago. The vermin were everywhere, had chewed almost everything, including that dress. You could see straight through most of it... To see my young wife like that, vulnerable and...on display in such a manner... I simply couldn't take it... She claimed that the rodents were helping her make some adjustments to it... 'The birds and mice are sewing and dancing', she said. And she was covered in bites and scratches, having been trapped with them all night like that. Then we realized that some of those scratches weren't made by rats. She'd caused them herself..." A tear slid down his cheek and he quickly brushed it off. "My poor wife... I tried to help. Really, I did."
"I know you did. But there's nothing more you can do for her. You made the right decision, turning her over to us. We'll make sure she gets the treatment she needs."
"Thank you so much, Ms. Hornsby. Is there an exit I can take without her seeing me go? I don't want her to think I'm abandoning her, but... It's too hard to say goodbye."
"Of course, Sir Charles. I'll show you the way."
Charles smiled, greatly relieved. "I appreciate the help more than you could ever know. I trust that Cinderella will be very comfortable here."