surface.
“Who’s there?” she whispered.
“Princess, it’s Mary. I’m trying to help you get out.” Mary, her old nanny who now worked as a maid for the family, picked diligently at the lock with a bobby pin.
“Oh, thank God, Mary, please hurry…please,” pleaded Catherine. It seemed to take forever, but finally the lock gave way and the door was opened. Catherine flew into Mary’s arms hugging her former nanny tightly. “Thank you, Mary, thank you so much.”
“It’s okay, child, it’s going to be all okay. It’s a shame what they’re trying to do to my baby girl, and I’ll not stand by and let it happen. I’m helping you out of here right now. Gather up a bag with some clothes in it. My daughter Mia is waiting outside in her car to take you to Maxville County where she lives. She has a job for you if you want it. They won’t be able to find you so easily there, but you can’t take much with you. Now come on and hurry up!”
Catherine grabbed her large Louis Vuitton duffle bag, and quickly began shoving some clothes and toiletries in it. She pulled her hidden cash from a book at the back of her closet and quickly counted it out. A total of six hundred and ninety-four dollars wouldn’t go far, but it would have to do for now. She wouldn’t be able to use her credit cards because they might be traced, so she pitched them on the bed and looped her purse across her body. “I’m ready,” she announced, and Mary nodded her approval.
“Good girl. Now your mama had too much to drink as usual and went to bed hours ago, but your stepdad has only been in bed an hour or two, he was on the phone talking to that Douglas man, I heard him assure him that you would come around eventually. Make sure you’re quiet. If you wake him it will be trouble for both of us.”
Catherine frowned. “I’m worried for you, Mary. What if they find out you helped me?”
“They ain’t going to know, child.” Mary walked across the room, picked up the rope Catherine had fashioned from her bed linens, and tied it to the balcony. “It’s a two-story drop to the ground, but they won’t know you weren’t desperate enough to try it anyway. I’ll lock the door from the outside, just like I found it. Now don’t worry about me. You just go.”
Catherine felt the tears gather in her eyes. “Thank you, Mary, for everything. I love you.”
“I know that, child. Now you go and be quiet,” Mary said, brushing away her own tears.
Catherine tiptoed down the huge spiral staircase that led to the two-story foyer. She had lived in this house for the past ten years when her single mom had lucked out and caught herself a wealthy, but lonely Howard Stanley. He was a man with political ambitions and enough money to gloss over the fact that his new beautiful wife was a single mother, working as a hair stylist when he had met her. Her mother, Virginia White-Stanley, had sold out in order to marry into money and become a politician’s wife. She now drank herself to sleep most nights. Catherine loved her mother, but she was weak and would always follow Howard’s lead. Therefore they would not be able to help each other. Catherine knew she had to save herself.
Catherine winced when she stepped on the ninth step. Past experience from sneaking in and out had taught her it had a squeak. When the squeak came it seemed to echo around the house and Catherine held her breath waiting for the sound of her stepfather’s bedroom door to open. When it didn’t, she raced the rest of the way down the stairs and out the door. A small dark car sat idling with its lights off in the curved, paved drive. Catherine opened the door, pitched her bag in the back and jumped in. The girl driving floored it, keeping her headlights off until she reached the main road.
Catherine breathed a sigh of relief. She had done it. She had escaped from the castle.
A smile touched her lips. Could her prince charming be very far
“Who’s there?” she whispered.
“Princess, it’s Mary. I’m trying to help you get out.” Mary, her old nanny who now worked as a maid for the family, picked diligently at the lock with a bobby pin.
“Oh, thank God, Mary, please hurry…please,” pleaded Catherine. It seemed to take forever, but finally the lock gave way and the door was opened. Catherine flew into Mary’s arms hugging her former nanny tightly. “Thank you, Mary, thank you so much.”
“It’s okay, child, it’s going to be all okay. It’s a shame what they’re trying to do to my baby girl, and I’ll not stand by and let it happen. I’m helping you out of here right now. Gather up a bag with some clothes in it. My daughter Mia is waiting outside in her car to take you to Maxville County where she lives. She has a job for you if you want it. They won’t be able to find you so easily there, but you can’t take much with you. Now come on and hurry up!”
Catherine grabbed her large Louis Vuitton duffle bag, and quickly began shoving some clothes and toiletries in it. She pulled her hidden cash from a book at the back of her closet and quickly counted it out. A total of six hundred and ninety-four dollars wouldn’t go far, but it would have to do for now. She wouldn’t be able to use her credit cards because they might be traced, so she pitched them on the bed and looped her purse across her body. “I’m ready,” she announced, and Mary nodded her approval.
“Good girl. Now your mama had too much to drink as usual and went to bed hours ago, but your stepdad has only been in bed an hour or two, he was on the phone talking to that Douglas man, I heard him assure him that you would come around eventually. Make sure you’re quiet. If you wake him it will be trouble for both of us.”
Catherine frowned. “I’m worried for you, Mary. What if they find out you helped me?”
“They ain’t going to know, child.” Mary walked across the room, picked up the rope Catherine had fashioned from her bed linens, and tied it to the balcony. “It’s a two-story drop to the ground, but they won’t know you weren’t desperate enough to try it anyway. I’ll lock the door from the outside, just like I found it. Now don’t worry about me. You just go.”
Catherine felt the tears gather in her eyes. “Thank you, Mary, for everything. I love you.”
“I know that, child. Now you go and be quiet,” Mary said, brushing away her own tears.
Catherine tiptoed down the huge spiral staircase that led to the two-story foyer. She had lived in this house for the past ten years when her single mom had lucked out and caught herself a wealthy, but lonely Howard Stanley. He was a man with political ambitions and enough money to gloss over the fact that his new beautiful wife was a single mother, working as a hair stylist when he had met her. Her mother, Virginia White-Stanley, had sold out in order to marry into money and become a politician’s wife. She now drank herself to sleep most nights. Catherine loved her mother, but she was weak and would always follow Howard’s lead. Therefore they would not be able to help each other. Catherine knew she had to save herself.
Catherine winced when she stepped on the ninth step. Past experience from sneaking in and out had taught her it had a squeak. When the squeak came it seemed to echo around the house and Catherine held her breath waiting for the sound of her stepfather’s bedroom door to open. When it didn’t, she raced the rest of the way down the stairs and out the door. A small dark car sat idling with its lights off in the curved, paved drive. Catherine opened the door, pitched her bag in the back and jumped in. The girl driving floored it, keeping her headlights off until she reached the main road.
Catherine breathed a sigh of relief. She had done it. She had escaped from the castle.
A smile touched her lips. Could her prince charming be very far
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