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“Your wish is my command!”
I went back to the secluded grove of trees I had discovered the day before. I knew that if I returned to the manor, the clamor from the crowd of finishing school pupils would distract me from my work. I spread out more translations on the same flat stone and set to work.
After several more hours of work, I heard the approaching footsteps again. It was Cynthia, back to the Fairy Tree again. For the second time, I watched her kneel, clasp her hands as though worshipping, and then feel around in the tree’s hole. Again, her shoulders slumped and she walked sadly away.
How long had she been doing that? Did she come every day? I simultaneously pitied her naïve hope and admired her for refusing to give up.
Walking back into town late that day after delivering a letter and business proposal, I passed a shop window with elegant, elbow length satin gloves. Cynthia’s comment about her chapped hands floated to the forefront of my mind.
On an impulse, I went into the shop and bought the gloves. They were more expensive than I had anticipated and I knew that Comfort would be furious if she found out about my splurge. For all of her careful budgeting and meticulous counting of coins, here I was, blowing all of my day’s earnings on a pair of gloves when our family could barely make ends meet as it was.
That evening, I lied to Comfort and said that I had fallen asleep and hadn’t been able to complete any of my translations and because of that, hadn’t been able to get paid.
She sighed. “Don’t worry, sis. Mother and I have been taking on extra students.” She rubbed her hand on my knee. “I’m sure you needed the rest. You work too hard.”
I felt guilty for lying to my sister but I also knew she would disapprove of any frivolous purchases. “Actually, Comfort,” I began, “Could I talk to you and Mother?”
Cynthia had already gone to bed. Mother came into the room, and I drew a breath.
“I want to make Cynthia a ball gown.”
Mother nodded. “I have been thinking that too. Her dresses are looking very thin lately.”
“We can make it at night, so she doesn’t know, and then let her find it before the ball. But in secret, so she doesn’t know it was us.”
“Why in secret?” demanded Comfort. “She should know how much effort we are putting into this for her.”
“Oh, come on,” I wheedled. “Cynthia puts in a lot of effort too, with all of her cooking and cleaning and going to market. She needs something exciting to happen to her. I think she would feel like it is her dad watching over her, like he used to always say her mom did for her. And besides, it is fun to do things in secret like this!”
Mother was eager to participate. “Truly, what a wonderful idea! It was so thoughtful of you to think of ways to be kind. That is just like you,” she smiled at me. I could tell I had pleased her.
Comfort was still hesitant. “Why should we do something for her when Little Miss Cindersoot has been so snippy with us lately?”
“Well, it seems like I remember several times when I have been snippy, and the thing that helped me most was patience and kindness. We have Mother as an example for that.” Mother glowed at the compliment.
Comfort rolled her eyes. “Fine.”
We then spent a long time selecting fabric and debating which would look best on Cynthia. We finally decided on a light sky blue, which would bring out her eyes. We also knew it would be a dead giveaway if we measured Cynthia, so I snuck one of her old dresses from the clothesline, and we took measurements off that.
For the second night in a row, I stayed up late. My eyes itched and watered with tiredness, but this time, I had company. Mother and Comfort and I selected a pattern and began the dress. My contributions were limited to gathering seams for petticoats and stitching lace onto the hems. Anything that wouldn’t be visible once it was completed was a good job for me.
We worked for hours, all giggling from giddiness coupled with drowsiness. Any time we heard the slightest creak of a floorboard or howl of the wind outside, we would instantly fall silent, hardly daring to breathe for listening, straining our ears to see if Cynthia was coming downstairs. Once we were unable to stay awake any longer, we concealed our progress in the attic room where I had been working, vowing to repeat the same procedure the following night.
CHAPTER 40
The next day, I hurried to the Fairy Tree early, worried that Cynthia might visit it before I had the opportunity to carry out my plan. I gently folded up the gloves, wrapped them in a small, old satchel I knew Cynthia wouldn’t recognize, and placed them in the Fairy Tree hole. I then retreated back to my spot, where it was easy to see, but difficult to be seen, and waited.
I tried to focus on my work, but it was impossible. I kept wondering if Cynthia would come today, and if so, when. Armed with the knowledge that we were making her a dress, that shoes were being made for her, and that soon she would have gloves, I could hardly contain my excitement. I missed the fun Curtis and I used to have, preparing some prank for Hubert, then lying in wait for the moment of his arrival. But this time, there was no bucket of water that would be dumped on someone’s head. This time, the end result was going to be wonderful! Perhaps this was how Algernon had felt as he hid trinkets for his daughter and stepdaughters in the tree, waiting for us to pull out our prizes.
Finally, I heard the familiar footsteps. Eagerly, I watched from between the trees as Cynthia approached the tree, murmured words I couldn’t hear, then reached her hand into the tree. And this time, instead of her shoulders slumping and her walking sadly away, she froze. She pulled her hand out, clutching the small satchel.
She looked around. I didn’t move a muscle, fearing that she would spot me spying on her. But luck was with me. Cynthia returned her gaze to the bag, and slowly opened it. She removed the gloves, one by one, from the bag, and held them up, marveling at her discovery. Then, experimentally, she tried them on.
I had guessed well; they fit her perfectly. She flexed her fingers and rotated her hands. Her face broke into the widest smile I had ever seen on her. It had a transformative effect. No longer did she look sad, aloof, and distant, but radiant with joy. She raised her face toward the heavens, speaking words I couldn’t hear. But I understood the intent. I couldn’t help but smile myself, warm not from the summer sun, but from the happiness I knew I had brought to someone else.
All that day, my work seemed easier and moved quickly. Once Cynthia went to bed, Mother and Comfort and I worked steadily on the dress. It became a routine, our eyes had dark circles because of the lack of sleep. But it was worth it. Ever since receiving the gloves, Cynthia’s complaints decreased and she had a more cheerful demeaner.
One evening as we worked on the gown, Comfort asked why I wasn’t planning on attending the ball.
