Melissa de la Cruz - Cinder & Glass

I was meant to be listening to Claudine explain how best to pack for the move to Versailles. Instead, I was staring out the window in Papas study, watching Elodie and Marius clamber about in the orchard at the edge of the lake behind our chteau. Marius was hoisting Elodie up so she could reach the branches of the gnarled little trees. My friends picking cherries without me. I couldnt blame them. The most wonderful cherries grew there, sweet and fresh, with just a hint of tartness. And it was a beautiful early summer day, perfect for cherry picking. I wished I could be out there with them, but I was already fifteen years old, no longer allowed to just do as I pleased.

My feet itched to run out of the room and join my friends, and I tugged impatiently on a lock of hair that had escaped my chignon. My long, wavy golden-brown hair was no longer allowed to flow freely down my back. Now that I was getting older, it had to be styled and set every day.

Cendrillon. Are you paying attention? Claudine said sharply. Cendrillon? She looked down at me with a disapproving frown. Our housekeeper used to scare me, as she was tall and towered over everyone else in the chteau. I wasnt sure how old she was, maybe Papas age or even older. Her hair, always worn in a tight bun at the nape of her neck, was slate gray, and her face was lined with wrinkles around her eyes and mouth. But they were mostly from laugh lines, as Claudine could never be mad at me for too long. She was devoted to my family and had been with us since before I was born.

I turned away from the window to face Claudine and the curious gaze of the footman, who was awaiting my instructions.

Im paying attention. Of course I am.

Were you? Because the footman needs to know how to pack up Monsieur de Louvoiss study. You are the lady of the house.

For so long, lady of the house had been Mamans role, and every time I tried to grasp those words and apply them to myself, they slipped through my thoughts and fluttered off into the wind. Maman had been gone for four years, and though it was hard to believe, her role was now mine.

We were moving to Versailles at the end of the week, and much more would be expected of me there. If I wanted to earn a place as lady-in-waiting to a member of the royal familyperhaps even to the queen herselfI certainly needed to be able to handle something as simple as the management of my own household.

My fathers desk can remain here, I said to the footman. He has another waiting for him at Versailles. The same can be said for the rest of the furniture in the study. But do empty his desk of all effects and pack them up.

Yes, Lady Cendrillon, the footman said with a nod, turning sharply on his heels and heading over to Papas grand wooden desk.

Claudine smiled approvingly. Very good, ma chrie. Now we need to discuss what furniture well be taking from the bedrooms. Monsieur de Louvois has allotted us a budget to purchase new furniture, but only a few pieces, so well have to be thoughtful about what we bring.

Her words became muffled and hazy, as if I were eavesdropping on a conversation through a closed door. My chest tightened, making it nearly impossible to draw breath. How had it gotten so warm in this room? Sweat beaded on my skin. What if I couldnt do this? Be the perfect lady that everyone expected me to be? Maman died before she could teach me about court life, and Papas distaste for it kept us away for so long that I never learned anything on my own. If I couldnt handle the packing of the chteau, how could I handle impressing the king and queen, much less any suitors Papa might choose for me?