You might think me a bitter old woman, but I have my reasons, believe me. I was robbed of my rightful station among the royals. I should have been the Queen's mother one day -- had it not been for that spiteful girl, Cindy.
I knew the minute I first laid eyes on her that she was bad news. She was the image of her mother, Evelyn, my husband's first wife who had died a year before we met. And for that reason he loved her - probably more than he loved me, and certainly more than the two daughters I brought to the marriage. I knew from the beginning that I had to do my best for my daughters because their stepfather would always favor his own child over another man's seed; and all the more because Cindy was the only thing he had left of his precious Evelyn.
To make matters worse she was a pretty sort and my own dear daughters were plain. Reason enough for me to give them special privileges and dress them in the finest. Their only hope in life was to marry well, and they needed to look worthy of a fine young gentleman if they expected to attract one. As for Cindy, I tried the best I could to keep her from lording it over my girls by teaching her to work and keeping her humble by insisting that she dress modestly. With that pretty face and figure and the devotion of her father, she had enough advantages already. It took a stern hand to keep her in her place.
Well, I guess I didn't do such a good job of that because all hell broke loose when the king gave orders for a party, a formal ball, to which all the finest young girls in the country were invited. The king's son, the invitation said, would be choosing a bride for himself from among the guests. I might have known Cindy would want to go when we made plans for her stepsisters to attend. But the simple truth was that she did not have a proper dress and my girls did. Besides, Cindy was being punished. I had heard her secretly tell her father that I acted wickedly toward her, with tears and sobbing for effect. I know she was trying to drive a wedge between my husband and me. Foolish man almost believed her until I reminded him that teenagers often exaggerate their grievances. I couldn't let such a thing pass without retribution. How else would she learn respect, obedience and humility? I told her she must stay home.
She didn't, of course. That devious child somehow obtained an expensive dress and shoes. God only knows what bargain she made, and with whom, to secure them. She was very sneaky about it all and I had no idea what she was planning. After we had gone to the palace, she slipped out of the house and crashed the ball. She was beautiful; I have to admit that. I was so unaccustomed to seeing Cindy with her hair done up and dressed so exquisitely that, I swear, I didn't recognize her. No one did. Well, there was no use my girls being there, or any of the other hundreds of girls who had come in hopes of making a match with the prince. After Cindy made her appearance, he had eyes only for her.
She left early, though, just before midnight. But instead of staying around to dance with the other girls, the prince went chasing after that deceitful Cindy, though we still didn't know it was her. We heard the next day that he was unable to find her; that he had lost her trail near the pigeon-house down our road. It was reported that he did have one of her slippers. She had lost in her haste to get away.
Cindy was sitting by the hearth when we got home and pretended she had been there all along. She'd even mussed her hair and looked dirtier than usual. She asked the girls about the ball as if she hadn't been there to see it all herself.
My girls were heartbroken to have missed the chance of marrying the prince. Their hopes were rekindled briefly the following day when the prince's chariot paused in front of our house. A servant came to the door and requested all young women of the household to come out to try on the slipper. The prince knew when he found the girl who fit the slipper that he would have found his intended bride.
Alas, my girl's feet were too large for the tiny slipper. The prince asked if there were any other girls in the house.
"No one worthy to be a princess," I replied.
But the prince would not be so easily dissuaded. Cindy was summoned and the rest is history.
You would think that that ungrateful girl would invite her stepmother to the palace once in a while, but I've never received one invitation. Do you know I wasn't even invited to the wedding. She has poisoned the royals against us - that spiteful bitch.
THE END