Page 32 of Once Upon a Midnight Clear

He blinked as he looked at her, as if he didn’t believe she suggested such a thing.

“Malvina still has her,” Ella went on. “Perhaps if we take the slippers in exchange for the girl—”

“No,” he snapped. “Malvina cannot have the slippers.”

“Why not?”

“Her magic is too powerful.”

“Well, what does she plan to do with them?” Ella asked.

He remained silent. Something about the way he looked made her think heknewwhat the Queen of Darkness and Shadow intended to do with them.

“We cannot give her the slippers,” he said in a cagey response.

“But what about the girl? We can’t just leave her. We have to do something.” What, she didn’t know, but her conviction was strong that they should rescue her.

“I’ll think about it,” he said, poking the fire again. “We should get some sleep. In the morning, I’ll find something for us to eat and some water.”

Ella wrapped the blanket tighter around her frame as she moved to lay down, her head on the cushion. She wasn’t certain she had convinced Nicholas. Not yet. In the morning, she would try again. And, truth be told, she was exhausted from the day. Her eyes were heavy and before she knew it, she was fast asleep.

Chapter 12

Nicholaspokedthefire,pushing the logs together until the flames went higher and higher. When Ella’s breathing went deep and he was sure she was asleep, he put aside the poker.

So, his mother had posed as her fairy godmother? No doubt to get her to the ball, but why? Why would his mother do such a thing? He needed to talk to her.

He rose to his full height, taking care not to disturb Ella as she slept. He crept to the cabin door and twisted the knob slowly, keeping a watchful eye on her sleeping form. When he was certain she hadn’t been disturbed, he pulled open the door with a soft creak. He held his breath, glancing back at Ella but she hadn’t moved.

Blowing out the breath, he closed the door behind him with a soft snick and stood on the porch. The woods were silent as snow fell in earnest, blanketing the ground in a thick layer. It would make tomorrow’s travel more difficult.

“Mother?” he whispered into the night. His breath fogged with his words. “Where are you?”

A few moments of silence passed. He walked down the length of the porch to the railing as far from the door as possible. He tried again.

“Mother, where are you?”

“Right here, dear.” Her voice was behind him.

He spun to face her. Her hair sparkled in the half-light of the porch. She wore a thick white cloak with a fur collar, fur at the sleeves and around the hem. Her hands were covered in white gloves. She looked as though she’d appeared out of a winter dream.

“Sh. Don’t wake Ella.”

She glanced around, surprise and delight plastered on her face. “Ella? You found her? Where is she?”

“Inside.” He gripped her by the shoulders. “And, yes, I found her. Now tell me how to get back to her world.”

“Does she have the slippers?” she asked, worry lines creasing her forehead.

“Yes, she does. Mother—”

“Thank goodness.” She pressed a hand against her chest and moved away from him, forcing him to release her. “I was worried they would fall into Malvina’s hands.”

“They almost did. Malvina knows she has them.”

“Oh, dear. That’s not good at all.”

“No, and Malvina has kidnapped a young girl from the village and…” He paused, raking his hand over his face as he chose his words. “She destroyed the Christmas Star.”

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