Cinderella: The Cinder from the Ash

Chapter Ten

The old solicitor blinked slowly. “That is quite a question.” He leaned back in his chair. “May I read the letter?”

Ella narrowed her eyes. Knowing it was too late to ask such a question, she nonetheless said, “Does your loyalty to my father extend to me, Mr. Fitzsimmons?”

“Upon your father’s abandonment, his estate reverted to his care. As such, you are now my client, and I cannot reveal anything you share with me without your permission.”

“My father does not say anything overt,” Ella stated. “But my oldest step-sister implied something horrible had happened, and then Mama said that if I didn’t behave myself, she would bury me next to my mother.” Her brow crinkled. “Doesn’t that make the idea of my father’s murder more plausible?”

“Miss Adler, if your step-mother threatened you with bodily harm, then you must contact the authorities. The king—”

“The king will not care because I am not undead,” Ella interrupted bitterly.

“The king cares about all his people, as does the prince.” Mr. Fitzsimmons replied calmly.

“Even if you are correct, there is nothing they can do. The law is the law, and the terms of my father’s wishes cannot be undone at the whim of the king…or the prince. Am I correct?”

Mr. Fitzsimmons nodded. “That is correct.”

“Then I feel it would be in my best interest not to alert my step-mother to my suspicions.” Ella held up one hand to stop the solicitor from speaking further. Instead, she reached down and lifted her skirts slightly. “As you can see, my ankle is not sprained, Mr. Fitzsimmons. I would not be safe under my own roof if my fears were revealed.”

“I do not care for the fact that I must stay silent, Miss Adler, but you are my client and it is my job to abide by your wishes.” He gestured to the papers in front of her. “Are you satisfied with the terms of your father’s will?”

Ella’s eyebrows rose. “Are you saying I can change them if I am not?”

“You can make certain alterations, but you cannot change the parts pertaining to your step-mother or your step-sisters. I am sorry, but your father was very specific in his instructions.”

“Do I need to read through all of this?” Ella glanced at the stack of papers in front of her. “I am not sure my step-mother will stay away much longer. Her curiosity must be consuming her.”

“It is standard boilerplate,” the solicitor replied. He elaborated when Ella frowned. “It is a standard will, leaving everything to you. You can read it if you wish, but you are certainly not under any obligation to.”

Ella stood up. “Then I do not think I need to. My father trusted you. That is all I need to know. Thank you, Mr. Fitzsimmons, for all your help.”

“You are quite welcome, Miss Adler. As always, it was a pleasure to see you. If you ever need anything, please do not hesitate to contact me. I will do everything within my power, limited though it may be, to be of assistance.”

Ella reached up and pulled the veil down over her face. Once it was in place, she hobbled out to the waiting carriage, using the walking stick as sparingly as possible.

“Well?” Celina demanded as soon as Ella shut the door. “What did Mr. Fitzsimmons need to discuss with you?”

“He just showed me my father’s will,” Ella replied truthfully. “Then he asked me if I wanted to change anything.”

Her step-mother c****d one perfectly penciled in eyebrow. “And?” Her voice was calm, but Ella could hear a small thread of fear underneath.

“I chose to leave everything exactly how it currently is,” she answered. She would not tell Celina her father had written the will out in such a way that she could not change their stipend. Perhaps keeping that fact a secret would force them to be kinder to her. Ella peered at her step-mother through a film of burgundy colored cloth.

“I do not understand what your father’s intentions were. I am perfectly capable of administrating his affairs. He certainly did not need to leave my rightful inheritance in hands such as yours,” Celina sniffed. “You are both so very alive.”

Then again, perhaps kindness was something her stepmother was incapable of.

“If you hate the living so much, why did you marry one?” Ella’s heart tightened, making it difficult to breathe. There was a very strong possibility the question would result in further punishments, but she needed to know. Whatever the reasons, it certainly was not for love.

The slap across her veil rocked Ella’s head backwards.

“I do not see how that is any concern of yours,” Celina snapped. “My marriage was, and still is, my business.”

Grateful the veil that hid her humanity also hid her tears, Ella said nothing. After all, there was nothing else to say. She would never get the answers she was looking for from her step-mother, and she had no idea where else to look.

It did not take long for the carriage to pull up to the front of the house.

“Get out and go to your rooms immediately. If I have to look at you much longer, I will do something I may regret at a later time.” Celina’s voice was filled with a barely controlled fury.

Ella’s voice shook. “Yes, Mama.” Grabbing the walking stick, she exited the carriage as quickly as she could.

“And stay up there!” Her step-mother’s voice followed her into the house itself.

Ella bit her lip. There was no conceivable reason why a simple question about their marriage should elicit such a strong response. Her stomach growled. But any further investigations would have to wait. Her ration of half a carrot waited for her.