“Lady Tremaine! You are finally here! Thank goodness,” he said, running to the carriage and opening the door for her. “Come! Come inside, all of you. We have been waiting for you.” He held the carriage door for them. “And you must be Anastasia and Drizella,” he said, looking at them both intensely, almost appraisingly. “You have a beauty unlike any other in the Many Kingdoms.” Anastasia and Drizella giggled as they stepped from the carriage. “Ah, and here is the lady of the house. Welcome, my dear lady.” He kissed her hand like the gallant knight he was. Lady Tremaine’s spirits rose at this chivalrous display.

“You know my lady’s maid, Rebecca,” she said. “And this is Nanny Pinch. She is here to see the girls settled before she goes back to England.”

“Welcome, all of you. Now come, Cinderella is waiting to meet you, but we don’t have much time before we are due at the chapel. I told the vicar we would be there well before now, but I suppose your journey was delayed,” he said, ushering the ladies to the front door.

Lady Tremaine’s head spun. “I hadn’t realized we were late,” she said, her heart sinking. “Are we to be wed today? The dress I had planned to wear—the rest of our belongings—everything is still in the second carriage, which hasn’t arrived yet.” She looked down the path as if hoping to see it coming over the crest at that moment.

“Well, my darling, I can’t install an unmarried woman who isn’t a servant into my house,” he said. “We must be married today, there is no way around it. Ah, look! There is Cinderella now.”

Lady Tremaine followed his gaze to the girl who emerged through the front doors. She thought she was the prettiest little thing she had ever seen. She could see Sir Richard hadn’t exaggerated about his daughter’s beauty. What was it about the Many Kingdoms that produced such fine-looking people? First Sir Richard and now his daughter. Even Rebecca was remarkably beautiful with her chestnut hair and large hazel eyes, and Lady Tremaine wondered if everyone in the Many Kingdoms was as striking as the present company.

She gave her own daughters a sideways glance, recognizing the envy mounting within them as soon as they saw Cinderella. She decided to cut the tension by introducing herself to the angelic girl.

“Cinderella, I am your new mama, and these are your sisters, Anastasia and Drizella. I hope we will all be happy here together,” said Lady Tremaine, smiling at the glowing young lady.

Cinderella took a step forward, beaming. “Welcome to my mother’s home, Lady Tremaine,” she said, smiling at her new stepmother.