Chapter 22
Chapter twenty-two
Ella
Ella collapsed onto her bed, still wearing her ball gown, and stared up at the ceiling. This had been the longest day of her life, but she couldn’t fall asleep yet. “That was intense,” she said, as Beatrice collapsed on the bed next to her. “Thank you for being here.”
“I wouldn’t be anywhere else,” Beatrice said with a smile. “Believe me, this was far better than I expected.”
Beatrice raised an eyebrow, and Ella glanced at her. “What does that mean?” she asked.
“Oh, nothing,” Beatrice said, waving a hand. “You just never know what will happen at these types of things. And I noticed that you have people taking care of you, which is very good.”
Ella wasn’t sure what she was talking about, so she just waited.
“Did you not notice the way Dietrich took care of your stepfamily?” Beatrice asked when she realized Ella was waiting for an explanation.
“I… I did,” Ella admitted. “I don’t know why Petra was taken away, though.”
“She was trying to do something, and Dietrich didn’t let that happen.”
Ella’s cheeks flushed.
“He was protecting you,” Beatrice continued, “which is as it should be.”
“I don’t need to be protected,” Ella protested.
“On the contrary,” Beatrice said cheerfully, “you do, and he did the right thing in taking care of you, whether you think it was important or not.”
“I didn’t ask to be protected,” Ella pointed out.
“With the right man,” Beatrice said sagely, “you don’t have to ask. The right man does it on their own because they care for you.”
Ella’s cheeks heated. “He doesn’t care for me,” she said. “I think you misread the situation.”
Beatrice cackled. “If you think he doesn’t care for you, you may be losing your vision.” She shook her head. “That boy can’t look away from you. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen him like this, and I can’t tell you how much I am enjoying it.”
“It doesn’t mean anything,” Ella said.
“It means more than you think,” Beatrice said. “And I think you should take advantage of that.”
“I don’t want to take advantage of that,” Ella said. “I don’t want to take advantage of him at all.”
“That’s not what I mean,” Beatrice said. “I think you should take advantage of the fact that there’s a man who loves you and would do anything to take care of you.”
“I don’t know about that,” Ella said weakly. “And I don’t think he loves me.”
Beatrice nodded wisely. “If you don’t think so,” she said, “just wait and see.”
“He can’t love me,” Ella said, the words sour in her throat. “I am engaged to someone else.”
Beatrice’s eyes widened. “What?” she asked sharply. “You’re betrothed? When did that happen?”
“Apparently, when I was three,” Ella said, the words feeling bitter in her mouth.
“Oh, that doesn’t count.” Beatrice waved her hand. “You didn’t do that. I’m sure it can be reversed. If you’re in love with Dietrich…”
“I don’t know,” Ella said miserably. “Even if they can, should I?”
“You should do everything for love,” Beatrice said. “Do you know how many people find love?”
Ella shook her head. “Not many.”
Beatrice nodded decisively. “So if you’ve found it, you shouldn’t let it be taken away from you.
Do you understand me?” Her voice took on a bossy tone as she pointed her finger at Ella.
“I know Dietrich better than anyone, and I know he’s falling for you.
If you don’t return his feelings, that would be one thing.
But I think you do, and I think you’re willing to let yourself forget that because you think you need to make your father happy. But that’s not what he wants.”
“How do you know that?” Ella asked.
Beatrice smiled. “Because if he did, he would not have been watching you dance with Dietrich with a smile as big as the one on his face.”
Ella frowned as she contemplated the matter.
Was it true that her father wanted her to be with Dietrich?
It hardly seemed plausible. Why would he go to all the trouble of throwing the ball so she could meet her betrothed if he didn’t want her to follow through with it?
But then again, he hadn’t introduced her to him.
She still didn’t know which of the men she had danced with that night was the man she was supposed to marry.
For all she knew, he hadn’t even been there.
“Does Dietrich know you’re engaged?” Beatrice asked.
“I don’t think anyone knows,” Ella said.
“Good,” Beatrice said. “Just as long as Dietrich doesn’t find out.”
“Why not?” Ella asked.
“Because if he thinks you’re taken,” Beatrice pointed out, “he will take that as his sign to withdraw from the competition for your heart, and he should not do that.”
Ella simply grinned. “Who said it’s a competition for my heart?”
“Didn’t you?” Beatrice asked pointedly. “Or are you just hoping for someone to tell you who to marry?”
“I don’t want to be told who to marry,” Ella said quickly.
“Well then, I think there is a competition for your heart happening. We may not know who all the players are, but we do know one of them, and I think he deserves to be champion.”
She smiled softly. “And not just because I love him like a brother, but because I genuinely think he is good for you. And you are good for him, and that’s what matters.”
Ella thought for a moment. It was rather important for her to enjoy spending time with the man she would spend the rest of her life with. But calling the ball a competition for her heart felt odd when she didn’t want it to be a competition.
“I don’t know,” she said quietly.
“I know you don’t,” Beatrice said. “Which is why I’m doing the knowing for you.
You don’t have to know anything right now.
You just have to know that Dietrich is a good man, and he genuinely cares for you, and if you choose him, he will spend the rest of his life working as hard as he can to make you happy and keep you safe. ”
“What if I don’t get to choose?” Ella whispered.
Beatrice shook her head. “I don’t believe that your father would not give you the choice,” she said.
“He loves you too much and wants what’s best for you.
And if that is you marrying a man who has worked loyally for your father for many years and has done everything possible to find you, why do you think your father would say no? ”
Ella tried not to consider the question, because the more she thought about it, the more Beatrice was right, and she didn’t want to think about what it meant if Beatrice was right. “I can’t decide this right now,” she said. “I still have to meet the man I’m betrothed to.”
“I know,” Beatrice said. “But I want you to think about it.”
“I will,” Ella said quietly. “Can you tell me one thing?”
“Of course,” Beatrice said.
“Do you think I should choose Dietrich? If you take away the fact that you know him and you know he’s a good man, do you think I should choose him over someone who I’ve been promised to for years?”
Beatrice frowned. “That’s not my decision to make,” she said.
“Only you know whether your duty to your father is more important to you than your duty to your heart and yourself. I would hope that you would choose yourself, but it’s your life, not mine.
And if you must decide differently than I would, I will love you nonetheless, and we shall be the best of friends either way. ”
Beatrice smiled at Ella and gave her a hug. “I’m afraid I must go home. I’m sure my husband is wondering where I am.”
“I’m sure he is,” Ella said. “It must be very, very late.”
“I don’t want to think about how late it is,” Beatrice said with a laugh. “Because I fear that I will wake up at sunrise as I normally do, no matter how late I stayed up.” She sighed. “A curse, sometimes—and I know a thing or two about curses.”
Ella said goodbye to her friend and lay back down on her bed, her mind going wild.
Her first ball had been completely different than she’d expected, in both good and bad ways.
She hadn’t expected to see her stepsister being pulled out of the room by a guard.
Well, perhaps that shouldn’t have surprised her.
If they could try to ruin her moment, they would.
Perhaps it was for the best that Dietrich seemed to have gotten rid of her, even if it gave her a funny feeling to think about.
What had happened to her? And where were Flora and Tabitha?
There was a knock on her door and her father said, “May I come in?”
“Of course,” Ella called.
Her father entered the room with a smile. “How was your first ball?” he asked.
“Very different than I expected,” Ella admitted.
“In what ways?” he asked, sitting down on her bed next to her.
“I expected there to be… I don’t know,” Ella admitted with a laugh. “I’m not sure what I expected, but I don’t think it was that.”
“Was it bad?” her father asked.
“No, not at all,” she said quickly, shaking her head. “It was lovely. Thank you.”
“I’m sorry about your family,” he said. “The three of them were escorted from the premises and will not be allowed back.”
“It’s not your fault,” Ella said. “You couldn’t have known they would try to do something.”
“I should have considered it and just had them barred from entry,” her father said.
“I asked you not to,” Ella reminded him. “I am not concerned about it. It is wonderful that Dietrich was able to stop them.”
“He’s a good man,” her father said, looking at her as if to gauge her reaction.
“Yes, he is,” Ella said softly, everything Beatrice had said running through her mind. “I am very glad to have met him.”
Her father looked as if he might say something else, but he didn’t. Instead, he nodded his head.
“Was the man I am betrothed to at the ball tonight?” Ella asked quietly. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to know the answer.
“Yes,” her father said just as quietly.
“Did I dance with him?”
“You did,” the duke said.
“And you won’t tell me who he was?” she asked.
Her father smiled. “No. I do not wish to cloud your opinions. I want you to think about your future and what you see for yourself, before we share who he was at the next ball.”
Ella sighed. “If you say so.” She let out a little grin. “I suppose I can’t change your mind.”
“No,” her father said with a smile. “But I appreciate the perseverance.”
Ella smiled as her father leaned over to give her a kiss on the forehead before standing. “Thank you for tonight,” he said. “It was wonderful to share a dance with you.”
“Yes, it was,” she said, as he turned and walked to the door.
“I love you,” he said.
Ella choked up, the words threatening to stick in her throat.
“I love you too, Father,” she said quietly. She could hardly believe she was getting to say it to her father after all those years.
“Good night,” he said, before turning to leave the room.
“Good night,” Ella said, taking a deep breath and staring up at her ceiling.
She would have to make a decision about her future without knowing who the other man was.
As much as she wanted to follow the path her father had laid out for her, she didn’t want to ignore her heart. But it didn’t matter if she wanted a future with Dietrich if he wanted nothing to do with her—and she had no way of knowing if he would accept her or not.
But after this evening…she was inclined to think he wouldn’t.
She’d been so excited to ask him to dance, but instead of looking happy to dance with her, Dietrich had looked trapped by her question. Instead of feeling that he wanted to dance with her, she’d been praying he wouldn’t say no in front of everyone in the ballroom.
It had been magical once he’d taken her in his arms. Their dance had brought back all the feelings from before, and she’d been tempted to try to kiss him again.
But then he’d run away.
Every other dance that night had left her looking around the room for Dietrich. He was the only person she wanted to dance with—and if he didn’t want her, what was she going to do?