Charm Read Free Page A

housekeeping and not even her step-mother had noticed they didn’t have enough money for the food that was appearing on their table. But then her step-mother had never understood money – not until they’d run out of it, at any rate. She had been born in wealth and married in wealth and it was only when she’d run away with Cinderella’s father she’d had to learn the cost of things. It appeared to have been a very long learning curve.
    ‘Ah, there you are!’ Buttons smiled as a small brown nose emerged from the warm gap between the oven and the tiles. He broke off a piece of cheese and held it out.
    ‘Urgh, a mouse,’ Cinderella pulled her feet up onto the chair. ‘That must be the one all the fuss was about this morning.’
    ‘He’s a cheeky little fella this one,’ Buttons said, as the mouse confidently ran towards him and sat up on his hind legs to take the offered chunk of cheddar. ‘He’s everywhere I go. Well, he was until last week. He must have followed me here and decided to stay.’ The mouse didn’t scurry back to his hiding place as Cinderella expected, but stayed where he was, settling down on his haunches and nibbling contentedly. ‘I don’t blame him,’ Buttons said. ‘He a mouse with good taste.’
    ‘It’s probably not even the same mouse. Mice don’t follow people around.’ She smiled. Sometimes with Buttons it was very hard to tell if he was joking or not.
    ‘Oh, it’s him. Look, he’s got a little scar on his back. See?’ He winked at her. ‘Same mouse.’
    ‘Well, I can’t guarantee his safety if my step-mother finds him.’ Cinderella slowly lowered her feet back to the ground. If it was Buttons’ mouse then she was somehow less afraid of it. And there was something quite endearing about the way it was sitting between them, happily munching on the cheese.
    ‘I think he’s a hardy little fellow,’ Buttons said. ‘I know a survivor when I see one.’
    ‘I hear there’s a ball at the castle tomorrow night,’ Cinderella suddenly blurted out. ‘My step-sisters are both going. It’s not fair.’
    ‘Yes, yes there is. There are a few balls lined up I think. I’ve spent a lot of the day fetching polish and ordering the finest wines and foods to be delivered.’
    ‘And the ballroom?’ Cinderella asked. ‘Are the chandeliers glittering? Will there be musicians?’
    ‘You know all this,’ he smiled, but his eyes were thoughtful. ‘You ask me to tell you every time. But yes, it will be quite fantastic. There’s a rumour that the Prince might be reaching the time when he wants to find a wife. If he does, he’ll set a trend for all the young noblemen to marry. Where the prince leads, they follow.’
    ‘Oh, how wonderful,’ Cinderella said, taking a sip of Buttons’ wine and then leaning back in her chair. ‘Imagine how that must be, to have the prince fall in love with you.’ Her voice had dropped to a slightly deeper tone, and Buttons raised an eyebrow. She smiled at him. This wasn’t a new game, nor was it one they played often, but she needed an escape and Buttons was good at providing it.
    ‘Can we?’ she asked. She didn’t need to elaborate. He smiled at her slightly and she smiled back. She didn’t analyse their actions, and nor did she feel any guilt over it, even though no doubt her step-mother and father would be furious if they were caught. They weren’t doing any real harm. It was just a game, and Cinderella was not the sort of girl to feel any shame over her body.
    ‘Whatever you want, princess,’ he said. ‘What are friends for?’
    Cinderella smiled and closed her eyes. They weren’t hurting anyone. And they were friends, after all. As Buttons began to whisper to her, his breath warm in her ear, her drab surroundings were forgotten and she was transported to the castle, full of light and heat and beauty as couples danced around her and waiters moved elegantly between them with glasses of the finest champagne. She twirled from handsome man