Page 92 of Disenchanted
“Not the usual response a fellow expects when he asks a girl to marry him. Perhaps it is a good thing I never tried to propose to you.”
I was in no humor for any of Mal’s jesting. I was too distressed by my recent encounter with Prince Florian. When I related the whole incident to Mal, I was infuriated to see his shoulders shake with suppressed mirth.
Doubling my hands into fists, I said, “I swear, Hawkridge, if you dare laugh, this time I will hit you so hard, your eyeballs will roll out of your head.”
Mal seized my wrists to fend me off as a chuckle escaped him. “S-sorry, Ella, but when you look back on all this tomorrow, I am sure you will see how amusing it was.”
“Oh yes, when I am arrested for assaulting the prince and dragged down to the Dismal Dungeons to be executed, I am sure I will die laughing.”
“That will never happen. You don’t understand what happens when you snort pixie dust, do you? Your brain goes completely fuzzy. When Florian wakes up tomorrow, he won’t remember a thing that happened. He’ll be so roaring hungry, his desire will be for a thick juicy beefsteak, not a bride.”
“Just how do you know so much about the effects of pixie dust?”
“I may have tried it a time or two during my wilder days.”
“When was that? Last week?” I groused.
Mal laughed. He loosened his grip on my wrists as he soothed me. “I promise you, Ella. Everything will be all right. Florian will forget all about you and go back to his one true love, his own reflection.”
I felt partially reassured. It still worried me that Florian had my shoe, but if he woke up as confused as Mal said he would,the prince would likely take one bewildered look at my scuffed dancing slipper and toss it on the nearest rubbish heap.
I could tell Mal was bursting to ask me about the orb, but I was uneasy about Mal being this close to the palace gardens. He might blend into the night, but my silvery-gold gown would stand out like a white banner snapping in the breeze. I refused to discuss anything further until we had trudged across the open meadow and into trees to the place where Mal should have waited for me.
The cottage was little more than a ruin, deserted since the previous occupants had been driven out by the palace guard, evicted to dwell in Misty Bottoms or perhaps into the swampland beyond our border. The door hung off its hinges; the shutter-less windows were like gaping wounds. Thick vines grew in profusion, like greedy fingers, plucking away at the stone walls. I was not even tempted to enter the cottage, especially not after I caught the gleam of eyes and heard some nocturnal creature rustling in the darkened interior.
There was a rough wooden bench positioned outside and I sank gratefully down onto that, heedless of whatever further damage I might be doing to the delicate silk of my gown. I could hear the continued burst of fireworks, but it sounded faint and far away from this secluded spot.
Mal paced in front of me like a restless shadow. Moonlight pierced the trees, not enough for me to discern his expression, but I sensed his eagerness.
“Well?” he demanded.
“Well, what?” I responded grumpily. I was still feeling irritated with him for laughing about the episode with Florian.
“How was the ball? How did everything go?”
“I danced far too much.”
“And?”
“My sister Amy got very drunk.”
“And?” Mal’s voice grew increasingly anxious.
“Myrtle Hanson fainted in front of the prince and a huge fight broke out.”
“Ella!” Mal groaned. “You are killing me. The orb. What about the orb? Did you get it?”
I feigned a deep sigh. “Unfortunately, with one thing and another…”
When I saw Mal’s shoulders slump with disappointment, I could not bear to tease him any longer.
“Yes, I got it.” Delving into the pocket of my gown, I produced the orb. Considering everything I had been through tonight; I was relieved to see the tiny globe still intact.
“Happy birthday, Mal,” I said.
Mal snatched the orb from me before I had a chance to hand it over. He reached upward and I realized there was a small lantern hanging from a hook by the cottage door. Mal had been keeping it cloaked, but he removed the cover, allowing the light to spill over the orb.
He cradled it reverently in the palm of his hand. “You did it, Ella, you darling girl. You really did it.”
