T HE DAYS PASSED QUICKLY UNTIL it was only a week before Christmas.
Usually, it would be a family occasion for my dad and me. We always spent the holidays together, decorating the tree with ornaments we’d had since I was a little girl. But this year, I was painfully aware that it would be my first year without my father. And without the ornaments too, since Martha had tossed them all when we moved, despite my protesting. She’d said we had no use for clutter.
A week before Christmas, I found an envelope on the doormat in front of the cottage.
It was a midnight-blue envelope with a silver wax seal, just like I’d seen in the movies. My fingers shook as I picked it up.
I’d been working at Mr. Goldwyn’s house for the past few weeks, but Martha was mostly keeping me in the kitchen. I wasn’t too upset about it—I liked cooking, and since their regular chef was on maternity leave, I was happy to pick up the work. At least I could be alone when I did it since my stepmother was busy in the other parts of the house. It gave me time to think.
And worryingly, most of my thoughts still revolved around a certain man who’d captured my interest.
Rafe had seemed so interested in me, yet suddenly there was no sign of him. He wanted nothing to do with me anymore, or so it seemed. There were no more occasions where we bumped into one another, no more chance meetings. He was never around, and it was a bitter pill to swallow. I was only thankful I hadn’t mentioned him to Edna. She kept asking about my friend, but I acted shy and avoided the topic like the plague.
But now, standing there with the envelope between my fingers, I felt all those feelings I’d been trying to push away rushing back inside my body. My heart filled with hope as I held the envelope close and walked back inside.
I sat down in front of the fire in the living room, carefully breaking the seal. The silver seal held a family crest I’d seen in the Goldwyn house before. But even if I hadn’t, it was the symbol of their jewelers business, and anyone who knew anything about fashion had seen the symbol before.
The wax came away easily, lifting off the paper and letting me take out the contents. It was a simple card on thick paper, an invitation written in calligraphy on the front, and the family name embossed on the paper.
We cordially invite you to join us for a Christmas masquerade ball.
I kept reading, my eyes growing wider and the words dancing before my eyes. This couldn’t be… A ball at the mansion, in less than a week, and I was only now hearing about it? It should have been the talk of the help at the house. And never mind that, but what was an invitation even doing here at the cottage? I would have been sure it was a mistake, but my name was written right there, at the top… Miss Monroe.
“What have you got there?”
A hand with long, talon-like red nails snatched the invite from my hand.
I make one sad little grab for it before blushing and looking at my feet.
“Nothing,” I muttered as Martha straightened out the card and started reading. “It’s nothing, it must be a mistake.”
“A mistake?” she screeched, and I risked a look at her face. “This is no mistake, Ella! These are my dreams coming true!”
“Huh?” I felt about as confused as earlier. “What do you mean?”
She clung to the card and spun around the cottage.
“Can’t you see, you stupid girl?” she laughed out loud. “I’ve been invited to the Christmas ball… Everyone knows it’s the event of the season!”
“But I didn’t even k-know about it,” I stuttered. “Why did nobody tell me?”
“There was no need for you to know,” she chirped happily. “So, I didn’t think it was important enough to bring it up with you.”
“Right,” I said, boiling with anger. “What about my invitation? Can I have it back, please?”
“Back?” she gave me a bewildered look, then burst out laughing, her look patronizing. “Oh, you poor girl. You actually thought this was for you, didn’t you?”
She laughed as if it was the funniest thing in the world.
“Oh, Ella,” she giggled. “You’re hilarious. Obviously, the invitation is for me .”
“But…” I started, but she waved me off with her hand.
“I’m Miss Monroe,” she stated.
And I really couldn’t argue with her logic. We both were—and it made more sense for her to be invited to the ball. Why me? Why would anyone want me there, anyway?
I looked down at the floor, feeling the color draining from my cheeks. While I was blushing a few moments ago, I felt pale and colorless now, the subject of Martha’s amused laughter.
“You really thought Rafael Goldwyn would invite you to his Christmas ball?” she asked me. “To find his wife, no less…”
“What?” I repeated softly.
“Yes, you stupid girl,” she grinned at me triumphantly. “Everybody knows about it, I can’t believe you’ve been so blind.”
“Because you didn’t tell me!” I exploded, feeling hot tears prickling my eyes. “Because you kept everything from me!”
“It doesn’t matter,” Martha shrugged. “You’re not going, either way, you’re not invited.”
Now the tears really started to fall. Just thinking about Rafe trying to find someone to marry, someone to spend his life with, made my chest hurt. I knew I was being naive for the past two weeks, thinking he actually saw something in me, but… I always believed in fairytales. Even when I was just a little girl. But now, my world had fallen apart, and there was no hope anymore. No crown for the peasant girl, and no prince for the pauper. All gone, a house of cards fallen down.
“You will not come to the house today,” Martha said. “You may stay at home and work on my dress. You are a proficient seamstress.”
“But I…” I started, one look from Martha cutting me off. I blinked away the tears. “Yes, Martha. Anything you need.”
She gave me a self-satisfied smile and waltzed out of the room, the invitation held to her chest.
She might have won the battle, but I was going to win the war. Because once this ball was over and done with, I’d be on my way out of town, heading for the big city. I wasn’t going to be Martha’s slave forever. And even if it meant leaving Rafe behind… I was ready to do whatever it took to get away from her.
“Come on, Ella,” Edna told me, rolling her eyes. “You’re not telling me you’ll listen to her.”
“What else am I supposed to do?” I asked her in exasperation. “I need to be on my best behavior, so she doesn’t suspect I’m running away on that night.”
“I know,” she said. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t have a little bit of fun since it will be the last day you spend in this town.”
“Edna,” I giggled. “What did you have in mind?”
She nudged me and winked at me.
“I think you should go to the ball,” she said with determination. “I really do. You said the ball is a masquerade?”
“Yes,” I nodded. “A Christmas masquerade ball, whatever that means.”
“It means it will be magical,” she whispered, whistling. “I’ve been to a few balls the Goldwyns have thrown, and they were always unforgettable. Trust me, sweetheart. You are going to love it.”
“But how am I supposed to go?” I asked her miserably. “I don’t have an invitation…”
“So what’s a little gatecrashing?” she asked with a smile playing on her face. “I’ve done it before.”
“Really?” I asked doubtfully. “Won’t I get in trouble for that?”
“I don’t think so,” she winked.
“But what about my dress?” I remembered. “I have nothing appropriate to wear… Nothing that would look good.”
“Well, that’s where I come in,” she said, taking my hand and leading me towards her legendary wardrobe.
My eyes lit up as she turned on the lights in the room, illuminating row after row of incredible clothes that hadn’t been worn in decades.
“Oh Edna,” I whispered. “Your dresses… I couldn’t take one of them.”
“You could,” she said. “And you will. Actually, I insist. We’ll find the perfect one for you, now come along, we don’t have all day.”
I giggled and let her drag me between the racks of beautiful fabrics, my fingertips touching the sequined material, the sheer tulle, the beautiful feathers. Her walk-in closet was what dreams were made of, and standing amidst the luxury of the beautiful clothes, I imagined, just for a second, that I could actually do this…
We spent hours upon hours going through Edna’s clothes, and I tried on dress after dress until we were both so tired from giggling and the sheer excitement, we settled down for a cup of tea. The fire in her small fireplace was burning bright, and the sound of the crackling embers was calming my frayed nerves.
“Edna,” I finally spoke up. “I’m sorry I’m leaving you behind.”
“What?” She raised her head to look at me. “Oh darling, nonsense. I understand. You need to get away from this place.”
The whole time, a small knowing smile was playing on her lips that I didn’t quite understand. I didn’t question it, figuring she was trying not to let me see how upset she was about me leaving.
“I’ll write and call all the time,” I promised her. “And you know I really will… I will miss you so much, Edna. I feel like you’re all I have in this horrible town.”
“Darling,” she said calmly. “I think you’re looking at it a little too negatively. I promise you the town isn’t so bad… It could be beautiful with the right person.”
Once again, her eyes sparkled with mischief, and I gave her a curious look as she drank her tea. But she wouldn’t meet my eye, playing innocent and like she didn’t know what I was getting into.
I set down my empty cup and got up from my chair sighing.
“I guess it’s time I headed back,” I said with regret. “Martha will be looking for me.”
“If you need anything, you know where to find me,” Edna said, hugging me tightly. “Don’t leave without saying goodbye, Ella.”
“I would never,” I smiled, blinking away the tears in my eyes. “You know I would never do that. You are my family.”
“And you are mine,” she smiled at me with a hint of sadness in her eyes. “Now go on, Ella. I don’t want you walking home in the darkness all alone. Go on. Go.”
She walked me outside and waved me off into the cold afternoon. It was already dark outside, and the scent of snow in the air was heavier than ever. It was bound to snow any day now, and I couldn’t wait for it, even though it could potentially mean trouble on my way out of the city.
I loved the wintertime.
And now, I had another reason to look forward to Christmas… Even though I was well aware that there was no future for me and Rafael Goldwyn.
But that didn’t mean I couldn’t have a little bit of fun for once.