“I’m afraid it’s unavoidable, Lady Tremaine. Sir Richard would rather be here, I am sure. But when a king calls one of his knights to his side, it is his duty to the king and the realm to follow orders, no matter what.”

Lady Tremaine sighed. “And what exactly will my husband be doing these next few weeks, may I ask?” Lady Tremaine was finding it hard to hide her frustration.

“You may ask, my lady, but I’m afraid I may not answer. Now if you will excuse me, I will be on my way. Welcome to the Many Kingdoms. I’m sure I will be seeing you at court.” He bowed curtly and left the room without further ceremony.

Lady Tremaine sat there at a complete loss. This was the most unusual day. She wanted to rant and scream, to cry and vent, but she couldn’t. She was in a strange land, in a strange home where she didn’t feel welcome, and now her husband—who had only become so a few short hours ago—was mysteriously away on their wedding night without so much as an explanation. And for all she knew he wasn’t even the man he presented himself to be when he was in England. She could only hope his coldness to her today after the ceremony was due to stress over this business at the castle, whatever that may be.

“I’m sorry, Cinderella, but it seems your papa will be away for some weeks. I hope your new sisters and I will prove to be a delightful diversion while we await his return,” she said, trying to keep her face emotionless.

“Oh, I knew Papa was planning to go away after the wedding,” said Cinderella. “He told me.” She fiddled again with the thing in her pocket.

“What do you mean he told you?” asked Lady Tremaine with more sharpness in her voice than she intended.

“Papa tells me everything,” she said, smiling at whatever it was that had her so preoccupied. Lady Tremaine was being pushed beyond her limits. She felt the anger rising in her. Sir Richard told his daughter he was going away right after the ceremony? Clearly he had urged her to come here so quickly because he had wanted someone to watch over his daughter for free. The indignities of this day kept mounting and she feared this was just the start.

She got up from her seat and faced the window, staring out at the courtyard and trying to center herself, but then the screaming started, which pierced her ears. Screams so loud she thought her daughters were being murdered. When she turned around, she saw Anastasia and Drizella standing up on the furniture, squealing louder than she thought was possible, while Cinderella frantically searched for something on the floor.

“It’s a mouse! A mouse!” said Anastasia.

“Mama! She had a mouse in her pocket and it escaped!” cried Drizella.