Page 37 of Disenchanted
“No, I can’t.” As I stared at the ticket, my first thought was that I need not have hazarded my life, selling my beloved mother’s earrings after all. My second thought was far more disturbing. What was Mal up to now?
I lifted my gaze from the ticket, directing a sharp glance at him. Mal dabbed his mouth with a napkin. He set his teacup aside before rising leisurely from the bench.
“Hallo, Ella.” He smiled at me as though we had parted company just yesterday and he had not disappeared for two weeks, leaving me to worry and wonder about his absence.
I wanted to hug him. I wanted to strangle him. I wanted to barrage him with questions, but I could do none of those things in my family’s presence.
I sank down into the nearest chair, waving the ticket. “This is indeed a surprise. I hardly know what to say.”
Mal shrugged. “A simple ‘thank you’ will suffice.”
As he resumed his seat, my stepsisters jostled each other to secure the place on the bench next to him. Amy won, casting Mal a coy smile. Netta emitted a tiny sigh, settling onto the nearest chair. If even I had noticed how wickedly attractive Mal looked, I should not have been surprised by the effect he was having on my sisters. There was far more than gratitude in the way they regarded their “fairy godfather.”
Netta twirled one of her curls while peeping at him through the thickness of her lashes. Amy’s cheeks were stained with a rosy blush. Mal treated their flirtatiousness with a wry amusement. My poor Em appeared on the verge of having a spasm, despite the ball tickets.
She fluttered as she poured me a cup of tea. “Of course, you were not here for me to consult, Ella. I did worry it was not quiteproper to accept such a costly gift from a single gentleman, even if he is your friend.”
“But then Mal explained that he won the tickets,” Amy put in.
“Mr. Hawkridge, dear,” Imelda reproved gently.
I frowned at Mal. “You won them? How?”
“Shooting dice with Waldo and Long Louie at the Winking Goblin.”
“Oh, dear,” Imelda said. “You did not mention that. How— how extraordinary.”
“Isn’t it just,” I said dryly. “I would not have expected the sort of rapscallions who frequent the Winking Goblin to have ball tickets to wager.”
“Why not? Rapscallions have daughters too,” Mal said. “As a matter of fact, the person I won the tickets from, Waldo the Wharf Rat, has four charming girls.”
Imelda fanned herself with a napkin. “Waldo the Wharf Rat? Oh my! What an unusual name.”
“How fortunate for us that he is not lucky at dice,” Amy chortled, but my tenderhearted Netta cast Mal a stricken look.
“But that means that Mr. Wharf Rat’s poor daughters cannot go to the ball because we have their tickets.” Netta’s face fell, and she appeared ready to cry.
Mal paused in the act of adding another lump of sugar to his tea, clearly surprised by Netta’s reaction. He made a swift recovery. “Don’t worry about that. Waldo’s girls won’t mind.”
“How could any girl not mind being deprived of the ball?”
“Because they have no interest in wedding a prince. Er… they are already happily married. Quite recently they all up and eloped so Waldo no longer needed those ball tickets.”
“All four of his daughters eloped at once?” Imelda exclaimed.
“How romantic!” Amy sighed.
Netta brightened. “They must have found their true loves. That’s wonderful.”
No, it was a load of frap. I could not believe that even my stepsisters could be naive enough to credit such an outlandish tale. But Mal always has had the ability to tell the most blatant lies while contriving to look as guileless as a newborn babe. He enjoyed testing to see how much nonsense he could get a person to swallow. As his gaze met mine across the table, I saw the mischief dancing in his eyes.
When I thought no one was looking, I mouthed silently, I am going to kill you.
Mal grinned and mouthed back. I love you too.
Blast the man. He knew that I could not challenge his ridiculous story any further, not without upsetting Imelda, who was already struggling with the proprietary of accepting the tickets. Mal was obviously determined that she do so. But why?
When he had offered to send me to the ball, he had made it abundantly clear he would not advance a penny toward tickets for my family. What had caused him to change his mind? Unfortunately, there was only one reason I could think of. Mal must have been unable to find another way to break into the royal palace. By supplying tickets for my entire family, he knew I would be obliged to attend the ball. Very likely, he hoped he could still persuade me to steal the orb for him. I knew Mal could be devious when it came to achieving his ends, but I felt hurt and angry that he would seek to manipulate me in this ruthless fashion.
