The Woman in Blue

By Ariel Hall

A retelling of Cinderella. Victoria Adams, a young seamstress, spends her days working in a costume shop, and her nights at balls dressed in fine blue dresses and masks. Nicholas Stone, a wealthy young man, loves dancing with the mysterious silent woman night after night. When Nicholas goes to the costume shop one day and Victoria is forced to wait on him, she's afraid everything will be ruined right then and there. As time goes on and Nicholas spends more time with the enchanting Victoria, she's surprised to find she is enjoying his company as well and wonders if she should just tell him the truth. Before Victoria can make up her mind, her stepmother threatens to take everything away and leave her destitute. Victoria must chose, follow her heart, or lose everything.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Publishdrive
• Release date: Jun 28, 2019

Book preview

Ariel Hall

The Woman in Blue

Everyone around them watched as they danced, people not dancing whispered to one another as they watched. She would not see them, she would not hear what they were saying. She was in this moment with him forever. It was his hands holding her so tightly, his chest she was crushed against, his breath against her hair. This was her moment and she would ignore everyone else. This was even her favorite song. At least, it was now. She’d try later and find out what it was so she could add it to her growing list.

The candles flickered softly above them, their lights bouncing off the gold trim and shiny golden floor making the room look like fire. The walls were a red gold color and decorated in silhouetted scenes of dancing and feasts, musicians and nature. The room smelled of overpriced perfume and shoe shine, the faint aroma of the lavender and rose candles, and wines being served to the wealthy guests.

High above their heads was the glass ceiling, the night sky an endless black. She looked up once and caught her breath. She was in a fairy tale with her prince charming dancing the night away in a borrowed blue dress and mask, the prince not knowing with whom he was dancing. People stared at her, whispered about her, tried to claim knowing her simply because he seemed to like her so much. Dancing and smiling and feeling free for these times in her life, no matter how short the moment lasted, was all she had anymore.

He placed his hands around her blue silken waist and pulled her close to him. He looked into her stormy gray eyes trying to place her. She wore an eye mask that sparkled with tiny blue gems and long blue feathers on each side of her eyes. A mere distraction from who she really was. He pulled her closer to his chest, too close to be considered proper, and smiled faintly. She laid her gloved hand on his shoulder and allowed him to spin her around the elegant ballroom in time to the music. She smiled at him, her blood red painted lips pulling up in a tease.

He wanted to know who she was more than anything. Each time he saw her the desire grew. He held back until tonight, he was no longer going to hide it. His grip tightened and he neared her face, she turned a cheek to him. She would not tell him, she could never tell him. If he knew what she wasn’t he would shove her away and never want to see her again. That was something she could not live with.

She closed her eyes and fanned herself with the elaborate blue feathered fan she’d made. She listened to the music as it changed from fast to slow, something more intimate and soothing. He neared her once more and she lowered her head, letting her black hair fall carefully over her face hiding it from view. He kept one hand on her waist and moved his right to hold her hand. She smiled even though he could not see it and allowed him to take it, letting her fan drop on its strap around her wrist.

Known simply as The Woman in Blue, papers and people wanted to know her. She was a mystery to everyone and never said a word to anyone. She appeared in the circle of people where names meant power and words meant a career or poverty, and yet she’d wanted none of that. She walked into the gala that first night as though she belonged, acting and dressing the part, and said nothing. She ate and drank nothing, danced with no one and caused no scene. When people tried to question her, she vanished to another part of the room until finally she disappeared altogether. Every gala after she was there, always in a blue dress and mask and always alone. She’d not spoken once and after a few times of people seeing her they stopped bothering her. Men asked her to dance and she accepted, yet she said nothing as they tried to guess her name.

After five parties Nicholas Stone had finally asked her to dance. That’s when she got put on the front page of the newspaper, that’s when the frenzy of information started. Her heart stuttered when his tall, muscled body had stopped in front of her and asked her to dance in a whisper she’d nearly missed. His blond hair was combed back and his green eyes twinkled in nervous excitement as he held his hand out to her, waiting. His tanned face looked even darker in the black suit and he looked the perfect gentleman. He was twenty-two and already so rich it made women twice his age chase after him.

She’d accepted, of course, and had almost broken her promise of silence when he asked her name. She’d forced herself to look away from his eyes, pits of mystery and green seas. She’d memorized every inch of his sharp jaw line, his cheekbones pronounced enough to startle some people, since their first dance. Every time they danced he asked her name, each time she smiled in answer and looked away. Each time he pulled her closer, each time he lowered his head more towards her. They’d danced over a dozen times now and every dance felt like the first time.

What is you name, my lady? his voice was soft, caressing, against her ear.

She shivered and risked a glance into his eyes, a small smile on her lips.

He smiled wider and looked over her dress appreciatively. I like your dress tonight, my lady.

She lowered her head slightly in thanks and looked away, trying to catch her breath from looking so long into his eyes. Tonight she’d taken care to thin out the dress and make it more elegant, more grown up. She was nineteen and did not want to look the part, not when she was around a crowd mostly of fifty and sixty-year olds with few younger people.

The dress showed her thin frame and chest clearly, yet covered everything modestly and completely. The blue silk was the color of a summer day after a storm, clear and deep and never ending. It was strapless and had a blue gemmed belt sewn into place, the stiches perfectly hidden. The dress widened out midthigh