But now, standing there with the envelope between my fingers, I felt all those feelings I’d been trying to push away rushing back inside my body. My heart filled with hope as I held the envelope close and walked back inside.
I sat down in front of the fire in the living room, carefully breaking the seal. The silver seal held a family crest I’d seen in the Goldwyn house before. But even if I hadn’t, it was the symbol of their jewelers business, and anyone who knew anything about fashion had seen the symbol before.
The wax came away easily, lifting off the paper and letting me take out the contents. It was a simple card on thick paper, an invitation written in calligraphy on the front, and the family name embossed on the paper.
We cordially invite you to join us for a Christmas masquerade ball.
I kept reading, my eyes growing wider and the words dancing before my eyes. This couldn’t be… A ball at the mansion, in less than a week, and I was only now hearing about it? It should have been the talk of the help at the house. And never mind that, but what was an invitation even doing here at the cottage? I would have been sure it was a mistake, but my name was written right there, at the top… Miss Monroe.
“What have you got there?”
A hand with long, talon-like red nails snatched the invite from my hand.
I make one sad little grab for it before blushing and looking at my feet.
“Nothing,” I muttered as Martha straightened out the card and started reading. “It’s nothing, it must be a mistake.”
“A mistake?” she screeched, and I risked a look at her face. “This is no mistake, Ella! These are my dreams coming true!”
“Huh?” I felt about as confused as earlier. “What do you mean?”
She clung to the card and spun around the cottage.
“Can’t you see, you stupid girl?” she laughed out loud. “I’ve been invited to the Christmas ball… Everyone knows it’s the event of the season!”
“But I didn’t even k-know about it,” I stuttered. “Why did nobody tell me?”
“There was no need for you to know,” she chirped happily. “So, I didn’t think it was important enough to bring it up with you.”
“Right,” I said, boiling with anger. “What about my invitation? Can I have it back, please?”
“Back?” she gave me a bewildered look, then burst out laughing, her look patronizing. “Oh, you poor girl. You actually thought this was for you, didn’t you?”
She laughed as if it was the funniest thing in the world.
“Oh, Ella,” she giggled. “You’re hilarious. Obviously, the invitation is for me .”
“But…” I started, but she waved me off with her hand.
“I’m Miss Monroe,” she stated.
And I really couldn’t argue with her logic. We both were—and it made more sense for her to be invited to the ball. Why me? Why would anyone want me there, anyway?
I looked down at the floor, feeling the color draining from my cheeks. While I was blushing a few moments ago, I felt pale and colorless now, the subject of Martha’s amused laughter.
“You really thought Rafael Goldwyn would invite you to his Christmas ball?” she asked me. “To find his wife, no less…”
“What?” I repeated softly.
“Yes, you stupid girl,” she grinned at me triumphantly. “Everybody knows about it, I can’t believe you’ve been so blind.”
“Because you didn’t tell me!” I exploded, feeling hot tears prickling my eyes. “Because you kept everything from me!”
“It doesn’t matter,” Martha shrugged. “You’re not going, either way, you’re not invited.”
Now the tears really started to fall. Just thinking about Rafe trying to find someone to marry, someone to spend his life with, made my chest hurt. I knew I was being naive for the past two weeks, thinking he actually saw something in me, but… I always believed in fairytales. Even when I was just a little girl. But now, my world had fallen apart, and there was no hope anymore. No crown for the peasant girl, and no prince for the pauper. All gone, a house of cards fallen down.
“You will not come to the house today,” Martha said. “You may stay at home and work on my dress. You are a proficient seamstress.”
“But I…” I started, one look from Martha cutting me off. I blinked away the tears. “Yes, Martha. Anything you need.”
She gave me a self-satisfied smile and waltzed out of the room, the invitation held to her chest.
She might have won the battle, but I was going to win the war. Because once this ball was over and done with, I’d be on my way out of town, heading for the big city. I wasn’t going to be Martha’s slave forever. And even if it meant leaving Rafe behind… I was ready to do whatever it took to get away from her.