The Cinder Bullies (31)

No one was really prepared for Maddie's unexpected entrance. She was alone, beautifully dressed and very gracious to Bentley and Bessie, who had absolutely no idea who she was. Phillip stood taller and straighter, as she was introduced to him. Patton simply gazed at her with awe, from a distance.

Rosa spotted her and immediately recognized the beautiful gown that Millie had made for her. She nudged Nadia.

"Guess who is here?" she whispered to her.

"Our third student!" said Nadia, who was amazed to see Maddie arrive, so well dressed. "She looks beautiful!"

"Millie," said Rosa, quietly. "Cindy's sister is here now, but Cindy is busy with Dancer, at the moment. Would you like to invite her to join us?"

"Yes, I would love to do that!" replied Millie, immediately. "She is all alone."

Maddie was finding it very difficult to break away from the prince, but Bentley intervened, as soon as he saw Millie approach her.

"Phillip, you two can talk later," said Bentley, suddenly realizing that this was the young scullery maid that Nadia had mentioned to him. She was obviously breaking free of oppressive servitude too. Millie would be mentoring her. "I need your assistance with something else at the moment, Phillip."

"Please come and join us," Millie suggested to Maddie. She was uncertain how Maddie would respond to her, or how Cindy would react when she saw her sister.
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Maddie started to protest, but changed her mind immediately, as the prince walked away with Bentley.

"He is the prince!" said Maddie, excitedly. "I cannot believe that I met him!"

Cindy's mother had been quite shaken up after seeing Cindy at the welcome home party, but she became absolutely furious, when she suddenly saw Maddie with Millie.

"How humiliating, and right in front of all of my friends, too!" she said, under her breath. "How could my daughters do this to me, on today of all days?"

She was thoroughly embarrassed, but helpless to intervene in any way, as she watched both Rosa and Nadia welcome Maddie, warmly.

"I see both of your daughters here," said one of her elderly friends, with a disapproving frown. "May I remind you that normally, scullery maids are not invited to parties in our village circles."

"Someone had to say that," thought Cindy's mother, angrily. Wisely, she did not reply.

"I guess times are changing," explained another of her elderly friends. "All three of my daughters are here, too. Every young woman dreams of meeting a prince someday."

Just then, Cindy looked up and was stunned to see her sister, Maddie with Millie, but she decided to stay close to Xaviar and to let Millie deal with her, at least for the time being. She knew that Rosa and Nadia would not put up with any trouble from her.

"At some point, we will have to talk," decided Cindy. "Maybe she is trying to break free now, too. I hope so."

"Millie," asked Maddie, when they had a moment alone and a chance to talk. "Would you teach me how to sew like you do? I know you made my gown, and it is so perfect."

Millie smiled, as that was exactly what she hoped would happen.

"Rosa could teach you a lot too," replied Millie.

"I think that I made Rosa very upset," confessed Maddie. "I was so unkind to her."

"But now, she has forgiven you and is being kind, wanting to help you, right?"

"I upset Cindy, too."

"An apology can go a long way."

"It looks like I have a lot of apologizing to do, but will you teach me, please? I need a place to live, too, as I cannot go back home now."

"You can stay with me," said Cindy, who had been listening to her conversation. "I have my own place in the rose garden. There is enough room for both of us, but I will have to have permission from Nadia first."

Nadia did not think that it was a good idea and would not give her approval. She decided to speak to Rosa about it.

"It might be better to have her stay with Millie for now," suggested Rosa. "That way, we can teach her how to sew, and she will become independent, too."

"Xaviar will work with Patton on his singing, Cindy will be teaching Phillip about the rose garden and Millie will have Maddie, as her first student seamstress," replied Nadia. "That is perfect."

Meanwhile, Cindy's mother was stunned, as she suddenly began to realize that she no longer had a scullery maid.