Dinner With Cinderella

Dorabella Westham approached the dining room with a nearly overpowering sense of dread. It was the first time since she, her mother Agatha and her sister Lorena had moved into the castle that that they had taken a meal with Ella, the new Princess of Abelmore and Dorabella’s stepsister.   

For several years, Ella had born the brunt of the Westham women’s malice and cruelty. She’d been turned from daughter of a prosperous merchant into the lone maid of the once grand manor. Agatha and Lorena had taken great delight in stripping the beautiful young girl of her spirit and confidence and Dorabella had joined in, although she took very little joy in it. And somehow, despite Agatha Westham’s best efforts, Ella, who’d they’d often called Cinderella in order to remind her of her place, had managed to meet and win the affections of the most eligible man in all the kingdom. Agatha had been furious, Lorena had been jealous and Dorabella…she had simply been afraid because once Ella was married and moved into the large castle, the Westham women would have no where to go. The Manor house was entailed and upon Ella’s marriage it reverted to a distant cousin and the Westham women were to be evicted.

It had shaken Dorabella to the core when Ella had sent for them, stating they were welcome to live with her in the castle. Even Agatha and Lorena were flummoxed but had readily accepted. Dorabella wasn’t quite as ready to agree because she knew that they didn’t deserve Ella’s kindness, but as always, she had no other choice but to follow her mother and her sister.

For the first few days after their arrival, they never saw Ella and her husband Prince Richard as they had gone north to the King’s castle for a visit with Richard’s father.  Now, the reprieve was over. Ella had requested their presence at dinner and now Dorabella was forced to break bread with a woman she’d once treated so abysmally.

Sighing, she entered the large dining room, the knot tightening in her chest as she saw Ella and Richard as well as her sister and mother already seated.

“Hello Dorabella,” Ella greeted with a warmth that startled her. 

Dorabella blinked as she tried to think of how to reply. Finally, she dropped a small curtsy. “Your highness,” she muttered.

“There’s no need for that,” Ella smiled. “Please, have a seat.”

Dorabella warily took a seat beside her mother and an awkward silence fell over the table as the servants brought out the food.

Agatha and Lorena immediately began to eat as if they hadn’t a care in the world, but Dorabella was still discomfited by the situation. Her guilt over her treatment of Ella had squashed her appetite and she could do nothing but push her food around. Finally, it got to be too much.

“Why exactly are we here?” she blurted, looking between Ella and Richard.

“I do believe we’re having dinner,” Ella replied, an amused smile lifting her lips.

Dorabella was to anxious to appreciate the teasing. “You know what I mean. You had every right to leave us out in the cold once your cousin took over the manor house, yet you invite us here. Why?”

“Dorabella don’t be rude,” Agatha chided, though she had to admit to the same curiosity.

“Since when, mother?” Dorabella snapped. “You had no compunction about being rude to her before she married Richard, neither did Lorena and neither did I. We treated her terribly.”

“But that was a long time ago,” Lorena argued with the obliviousness of the young.

“It was less than a year ago, sister,” Dorabella reminded her younger sibling. “We were needlessly cruel to you. Why are you being so kind?”

“Perhaps we should discuss this after dinner,” Richard suggested, dreading the confrontation but knowing it was long overdue.

“I’d rather discuss it now,” Dorabella insisted. “I’m afraid I won’t be able to eat until we resolve this.” 

“Alright,” Ella agreed and then turned toward the servants. “Why don’t you all retire for the evening,” she said kindly.  

“So,” she continued once they were gone. “Where would you like to start?”  Ella asked, looking at the family that had once made her life so miserable. She had to admit she was curious about what Dorabella was looking for.

Dorabella looked at her mother and sister who were unusually quiet and staring at their plates as if they were suddenly the most interesting things in existence.  She knew her proud mother would never be the first to admit to any wrongdoing and Lorena still wasn’t aware of what she’d done wrong. It was up to her.

“I’d like to know why you invited us to live here, when not a single person in this kingdom would fault you for letting us starve. Including me,” she stated bluntly.

“Well, you do get right to the point, don’t you?” Ella laughed.  Dorabella had always been somewhat different than her mother and Lorena. It was true she had been almost as mean; however, it hadn’t escaped Ella’s notice that there was something in her expression that said she was merely doing what was expected.   Not that that had mattered at the time. 

“I don’t see the need to prevaricate.”

“Dora, if Ella has forgiven and forgotten, then we should not question that,” Agatha chided with a wary chuckle. She would dance a waltz with one of the trolls of the forest before she admitted she was carrying her own remorse about her treatment of her stepdaughter.

“I wouldn’t say I’ve done either Agatha,” Ella stated simply, feeling a small little flush of victory at the uncomfortable expression on her stepmother’s face.

“So, why are we here then?” Dorabella pushed. “Or is this ‘kindness’ a trick, meant to put us in our place? To remind us daily of how the tables have turned?”

“That is completely unwarranted,” Richard said coldly, not prepared to let these women inflict anymore hurt on his beloved wife.

“That’s alright Richard,” Ella soothed him before turning back to her family. “Very well, if you want the truth Dorabella, then I will admit that the thought of revenge did cross my mind. For a few minutes, I did consider how nice it would be to show you that you did not break me and that despite your best efforts, I did find my happiness and my true love. And yes, I did consider taking this opportunity to gloat over the change in my status.”

Dorabella nodded. “Well, thank you for your honesty,” she replied glumly. 

“I’m not finished,” Ella continued. “I said I considered those things, however that didn’t last long. As a child my mother had always tried to teach me that kindness and forgiveness could overcome anything. Anger and hatred only led to more misery for everyone.”

“That’s rather naïve isn’t it?” Dorabella pointed out.

Ella chuckled. “Perhaps. As an adult I do realize things are not always quite so simple as that, but in family matters, it can be and despite everything that’s gone before, we are family.  Let me ask you something,” she added. “Do you regret what happened before and how you treated me? Any of you?”

Agatha sighed, knowing she’d have to show some humility if she wanted her daughters, particularly her youngest Lenora, to learn anything. “Am I proud of things me and my daughters did or said to you? No Ella. No, I’m not proud of it and I can’t even justify it, save to say that I grew up a spoiled child, believing that the world owed me whatever I wanted and that’s how I raised my daughters. I wanted a prince for one of my daughters and you stood in the way of that.   However, does my saying I am sorry change anything?  The fact is, if I were to say I’m sorry now, after so much time has passed, we all know you would always question my sincerity. It’s very easy to apologize after the damage has been done.”

“That’s very true,” Ella admitted.

“All we can do is to be grateful for your generosity and learn from it,” Agatha finished, a strange feeling in her chest as if a burden she hadn’t known was there, was suddenly lifted.

“Mother may be right,” Dorabella said quietly, “but I truly am sorry. Even if you don’t believe me.”

Ella looked at her stepsister for a long moment and then she saw it. She could see that Dorabella truly did mean what she said and while it would be a long time before she forgot the past, she thought it forgiveness would not be so very difficult.

“I accept your apology,” Ella conceded and then smiled again. “Quite frankly, I’m actually somewhat grateful for what happened.”

“Grateful?” Dorabella asked with no small amount of surprise.

“Yes. If it weren’t for you, I don’t think I would have the opportunity to meet Richard and for that, I shall always be thankful.”

“You’re welcome,” Lenora stated simply.

Everyone turned to look at the youngest Westham in surprise and Dorabella was about to chastise her sister for her obliviousness, when she saw her sister’s growing smile. All at once, everyone realized that Lenore Westham actually had a sense of humor and was in her way, attempting to lighten the mood and laughter finally eased the tension and replaced it with a bourgeoning feeling of hope.

“So then, I say that the past is past. Let us move forward and start anew.”

“I believe we would all like that very much,” Agatha agreed.

“A toast,” Richard said, relieved that the biggest impediment to his future happiness was well on its way to being overcome. “To new beginnings.”

The others gladly lifted their glasses and then returned to their meal, finally free of the anxiety that had followed them all for so long.

END.