Cinderella's Phantom Prince ; Beauty's Mirror Read online

  Cinderella’s Phantom Prince by Jenni James

  Beauty’s Mirror by Rose Fairbanks

  Cover design copyright © 2016 by Jenni James

  This is a work of fiction, and the views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author. Likewise, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are represented fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, or actual events or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means whatsoever without written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Copyright© 2016 by Jenni James

  Cinderella’s Phantom Prince

  by Jenni James

  This book is dedicated to my mom, who was never afraid of ghosts.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  CHAPTER ONE:

  Miss Adeline Moses crept down the stairs for the second time that night, clutching her night rail and dressing gown much closer than before and carrying a single candle in her other hand. Her soft slippers whispered upon the red carpet as her feet glided down the large staircase.

  When she got to the second landing, she paused and waited to see if she could hear the noise again. A faint moaning came once more. This time, it sounded as if it were in the library. Her heart beat strongly in her chest, but she was not to be put off this time.

  Adeline was determined to come to the bottom of this. For three nights now, the strange moaning had kept her and her stepsisters awake, causing her to sleep in later than was even fashionable. Lady Middlesong insisted that this year’s summer party at the castle would be much more entertaining and demanded that her guests awake before eleven to partake of all the activities she had planned, which would have been no problem at all had Adeline received a wink of sleep during the darkened hours. As it was, she found herself tossing and turning until daybreak, and then only dozing in naps in between the demanding needs of her stepsisters.

  Already this evening, they had awoken to the sound twice, and she was determined, after her failed attempt two hours ago, to find out what was keeping her awake.

  The oddest part was that it seemed as if the dratted sound was moving now that she was attempting to locate it. For how would anyone have ever heard such a faint noise upstairs in her bedroom?

  The moaning was a slight titch louder as Adeline opened the library doors and peered inside, her hand trembling a tad as she brought the candle forward. “Hello?” she whispered. “Is anyone here?”

  Her faint light glowed eerily in the darkened room from the doorway. She moved the candle first to one side and then the other. She was not afraid to admit she was relieved that the room appeared to be empty. Then just as she was to step back and close the door, there was a flash of white in the corner, as if a curtain had blown in the breeze. Except the library did not have white curtains, and she doubted that Lady Middlesong would allow the downstairs windows to be opened so late at night.

  “Miss Moses,” hissed a voice from behind, nearly frightening Adeline out of her wits. “May I help you with something?”

  She whipped around and quickly righted the upset candle. “No.” Before her stood Lady Middlesong’s butler, dressed less butlery than she usually saw him. He too wore a night rail, cap, and dressing gown.

  “I heard you rummaging around and came to offer my assistance.”

  Though the man seemed too old to be walking upright, he must have had ears like a rabbit.

  “I was merely attempting to locate the moaning sound that has kept me awake the past few nights. I believe I followed it into the library, but could not find anything.”

  The butler frowned. “Perhaps if you had more sleep, you would not be imagining such things.”

  “I beg your pardon?” Never in her life had a staff member spoken to her in such an uncouth tone.

  “It would seem to be the only logical explanation,” explained the butler. “For why else would you hear something all the way down here from your room?”

  She felt a slight flush take over her cheeks, and she clutched her gown closer. “Mayhap I have been overly excited by the sound, but make no mistake, my stepsisters and I have heard something every night we have been here.”

  “If you have been frightened, you only need say so. Would you perhaps like another room? Something farther away from the strange noises?”

  Now that was a novel idea. “Yes, please. Perhaps then we will not be bothered.”

  The old man nodded and then gave a lopsided grin through his sleepy gaze. “If you would be so kind as to wait in the library, I will awaken a few servants and they will prepare you all a new room immediately.”

  “Thank you.” She hesitated. “But I do not mean to put anyone out.” No doubt Marianna and Coralie were asleep once more.

  He gave her an odd look and then said, “No. We will do what is right. Lady Middlesong will be upset to find that her guests are not enjoying themselves in her family’s castle.”

  “I am not certain my stepsisters are still awake.”

  “I see.” He took off his nightcap with one hand and then set it back on again. “They sent you down to investigate so they could retire in peace?”

  “Yes, I suppose.”

  He nodded. “Very well. We shall make up a new room for you, and then if your stepsisters awake, we will allow them to move in as well, or they can join you in the morning.”

  “There really is no need to go to all the trouble.”

  He waved her reply away. “There is if you cannot sleep.”

  ’Twas obvious he had made up his mind over the matter, and changing rooms was a simple solution to a difficult issue. “You are too kind.”

  The older man swooped his arm out toward the library. “Please have a seat. Someone will come for you soon.”

  It was not until Adeline sat upon a sofa in the darkened room that she remembered that this was where she heard the odd moaning sound coming from. Why in the world did the butler leave her in the dark and not light the fire? She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. Perhaps he was more tired than she realized.

  The glow from her candle flickered upon the table at her side, leaving her small section of the sofa the only thing lit in the room. She had just bravely convinced herself that everything had been in her mind all along when she heard another strange voice from behind.

  “I beg your pardon. Am I intruding?”

  CHAPTER TWO:

  Adeline turned in her seat to peer into the darkened room, expecting to see another guest. She was not intending to find the spirit of Prince Adrian not three feet from her, and she let out a gasp. Until that moment, she had always believed he was more of a legend than a reality. Everyone had heard of the tragic illness that claimed the life of the young prince whilst he was on holiday to meet his betrothed at this castle some twen
ty years ago. His younger brother went on to become king less than six years after Adrian’s death.

  “’Tis you!” Adeline managed. She could not believe she was actually staring at an apparition. He looked to be wearing clothing from her father’s time. They were in muted colors, but she could see right through him. The experience was definitely more intriguing than it was frightening.

  The ghostly prince turned to glance behind him. “It appears that no one else is in the room, so it must be me indeed.”

  “Yes, but how did you get here?”

  His faded eyes grew wider. “Same as you, I suspect. Walked in here to get a book.”

  He was as exceptionally handsome as the legend claimed. “I never thought in all my life that I would actually meet you, and here you are, speaking to me and all. I feel as though I am in a dream and will at any moment awaken.”

  “Meet me?” He grinned. “A beautiful miss such as yourself is eager to meet a horrid monster as I am?”

  She blinked, attempting to process his rather attractive grin. “So you know you are dead, then?”

  He chuckled and looked down at his hands. “My dear, I am very well aware of my state of un-life. It was merely a couple of decades ago that I lost that particular existence and am now forever stuck here, bemoaning my fate.”

  “Moaning?” Adeline stood up and was stunned to see how very tall he was. She clutched her dressing gown tighter. “So, it was your moaning I heard earlier?”

  He gave her an odd look. “If it was, I have no recollection.”

  “Well, it must have been. I followed the sound all the way down the stairs into this very room. And you are the only one here.”

  “Well, you are a strange duck. Why would you follow such a sound in the dead of the night, anyway? Do you not know that you might run into a phantom?”

  She swore she could see his eyes sparkle. “As you can see, I am not overly startled by ghosts. And to be truthful, your moaning is very aggravating. I suggest you do not act so . . . so ghoulish. It is extremely off-putting, especially when one is attempting to sleep.”

  The prince’s eyebrows rose. “I have never been schooled by a female before. This is much more entertaining than I imagined it would be.”

  Adeline did not wish to go round with this personage. She had no idea how long she would have with him before he vanished. Instead, she wished to learn a bit of him. “Are you really Prince Adrian? You look exactly like the legend says.”

  “And how is that? Tall, dashing, famously good-looking?”

  “Arrogant, prideful sop,” she interrupted, lying horrendously whilst doing so.

  “A direct hit, miss.” He bowed his head slightly. “I am all that the legend says and more, no doubt. And you are?”

  She thought of her stepfamily, and how they forever mocked her name and person, and felt her chest tighten. What a disgrace she must be to her family—speaking to royalty as she was in her night attire, plaguing him with questions. Suddenly, she wished she had never crept down the stairs in the first place. She looked away. “I am of no consequence, Your Highness. I am a simple companion to Miss Coralie Attlepate and Miss Marianna.”

  “What, pray tell, does that mean? ‘I am of no consequence.’ I assure you, you have much more value than I at the moment. For you are real, and alive. I am only a fraction of a legend. Which leads me to ask once more, who is it I have the pleasure of speaking to? For I find ’tis a great pleasure indeed to have you here and not trembling before me.”

  Her heart began to beat strangely within her chest, and she felt an overwhelming sadness replace a portion of the shame she was feeling. “Are you awfully lonely?”

  He gave a lopsided grin. “For a person of no significance, you seem to ask a lot of questions. Now I ask again, who am I speaking with?”

  The questions! She should learn to keep her mouth shut. She lowered her eyes and curtsied before him. “I beg your pardon. I am Miss Adeline Moses.”

  “See? That was not so difficult, was it? I am pleased to meet you.” He walked a few steps closer to her as she rose. “Now to reply to your inquisitiveness, yes, I am lonely. Greatly so. But that does not mean much. May I ask something of you?”

  She debated whether to take a step back. They seemed to be standing much too close. As it was, he was standing less than a meter from her. “Very well, you may do as you wish.”

  Prince Adrian smirked. “I would not say such things, or I might kiss your pretty mouth.”

  Adeline’s cheeks burned.

  Then he cleared his throat before she could respond. “Are you truly not frightened of me?”

  CHAPTER THREE:

  Goodness. “Not in the least.” Adeline felt more ashamed of herself than she was scared of him. “Should I be? Do you have plans to harm me?” Her gaze met his faded looks.

  “Well, if I did, I would not say so. It would ruin all my strategies.” Prince Adrian grinned.

  “I see,” she said as she attempted to do something with the hand that was not clutching her night trail. “Is it difficult to be a ghost? Aside from being lonely, is it dreadfully boring?”

  He shrugged. “It has certainly become more interesting in the last little bit. Do you always accost strange personages with several questions?”

  “I’ve never met a phantom before. I would not know.” All of this was too much while they were standing. She walked to the sofa. “Can you sit?”

  “And now you are inviting me to sit with you. Curiouser and curiouser.”

  “Well, can you find fault with my logic? You are by far the most fascinating creature I have ever met. Of course I wish to sit with you and mingle longer. Am I upsetting you? Is this not proper? I fear that as a companion, I do not know the rules of engaging princely spirits in conversation.”

  “No, my dear. You are amusing me greatly. One moment, a blushing miss, and the next, a pillar of boldness. I am certain I find you as interesting as you do me.” He came around the sofa and sat down next to her. The sofa itself remained as straight and unrumpled as ever, though his outline was distinctly there.

  “Why have you not returned home? Are you trapped in this castle?”

  He sighed. “I do not know why I cannot leave. I have attempted to a thousand times at least, but always, I am forced to remain here, as if I am waiting for someone. As if what I am here for has not been fulfilled. I came to meet my betrothed, the duke of Middlesong’s daughter, and fell ill not long after landing. Never did meet the girl, and instead, spent most of my last days in a guest room upstairs.”

  “How dreadful. I’m so sorry.”

  “They were kind enough to me. Attempted to help in any way they could. However, they were not particularly interested in me giving such an illness to their daughter, so she and I stayed apart until my death—which was only four days. Several months later, she married someone else, and here I remain.”

  Adeline could not imagine such a fate—to die away from his loved ones must have been torture. “That’s quite tragic.”

  He shrugged his shoulders as if to say it was his lot, and then he asked, “And what of you? How have you come to be here? Eager to join in Lady Middlesong’s summer activities, are you?”

  “What? Goodness, no. I am not here to be entertained by anyone. It is my stepsisters who were invited. As I mentioned earlier, I have only come as their companion.”

  “Are you one of the three girls who are inhabiting my room at the moment? Two are in very nice beds, and a third on a cot.” His gaze traveled over her as if appraising her worth.

  She raised her chin a fraction. “I do not know which room is yours, but those are our living arrangements, yes.”

  He folded his arms as if determined to press for more information. “And I suppose you are the one on the cot.”

  Not being able to withstand his stare, she looked away and hoped that studying the darkened room would bring her comfort. “Yes, though I did not know it was your room. However, you need not fret. The butler is changing
our rooms as we speak.”

  “Whyever for?” He slowly unfolded his arms.

  “I . . . the moaning, of course. It has kept us up the past three nights.”

  “But it led to us discovering one another—did it not?”

  She had no answer. He had her completely stumped on how to respond. After a few moments, she replied, “I suppose so. But what do you mean?”

  He suddenly looked toward the door. “At any moment, we are to be interrupted. Tomorrow night, will you meet me here once more? At the same time?”

  “I . . .” Could she sneak away again?

  “Please say yes, if only for the conversation. I promise to answer anything you desire and quell every bit of curiosity of yours. I am desperate enough for companionship that I am begging you to continue the acquaintance.”

  “But I am only a comp—”

  “Companion. Yes. I know. You have repeated that word several times now, yet you have failed to remind yourself that you are the stepsister of two very respectable misses. Which leads me to believe that you are more than you imply.”

  “Nay, Your Highness. When my mother died, my father married a widowed lady. He was a wealthy merchant to be sure, but all the wealth in the world could not hide my nonexistent bloodline from the family. I am grateful to be a companion and not one of the lesser servants.”

  “I cannot imagine any father allowing such disrespect as this. His own daughter being treated lower than her stepsisters? I do not care what your lineage is—a father will always want the best for his own.”

  She swallowed the rising lump in her throat and answered, “My father has been dead these past two years. What you speak of is impossible. Excuse me.” She stood up as if to go just as the library doors swung open and the butler entered.

  “Your new room is available now, miss. I have arranged your cot as before.” Then the man departed. All at once, she understood why she was left in the near dark with a mere candle for company. He knew who she was. He was well aware that she slept on a cot, and she was not worthy of the expense of lighting the other candles and the fire.