Dancing on Glass

~ Epilogue ~ An Uncollected Tale of Cinderella

Jazz didn't see Cinderella the months following the fire at the Lucan Family main estate. No one did really.

Come morning that same day, Cinderella was whisked away by her godfather who oversaw the procedures with the police followed by her exit from society – again – to stay with him until everything was handled accordingly – and since no one was ever entirely sure where to go to find General Beldon, Jazz was stuck.

He knew Cinderella was well at least. She was settling. She spent her days with Lady Rosalia who was introducing her back into the lifestyle of the nobility – the do's and don'ts she hadn't had to think about for so many years.

She was travelling with her godfather to visit the estates that came under the name of Countess.

Or she was studying with Lord Luka as he taught her exactly how one ran a business with the same skill and proficiency as her father – and stepmother.

Of course he only knew such things because he wouldn't leave Beldon alone whenever he saw The General at the palace, not until he got an update.

He, on the other hand, was allowed to oversee the investigation that followed against the former Lady Constantia.

To everyone's surprise – except maybe Giselle's – her daughter, Jezabelle was the most vicious when she turned on her own mother, years of unnoticed resentment and hatred pouring out for all to hear, hiding nothing.

Giselle was more reserved about everything, explaining everything as if it were the breakdown of a scientific paper rather than the possible execution of her mother.

No one could predict the outcome of the trial that would take place in the months to come. There was no proof of anything after all.

Everything was word-of-mouth and one confession of a man who had been living by a different name for years, defense questioned if he really was Gregory Pines.

They even argued that Cinderella was in fact, as Lady Constantia had said, a servant girl living in a delusion and the real Lady Cynthia had died at sea. That came out as a lie however when the doctor, ship's captain and lady's maid all confessed to the lie and that there was in fact no girl ever on board – nor had any lady ever been living out on the continent.

And there weren't many people to second-guess the words of General Beldon or any who would back him on his claims that Cinderella was his goddaughter, along with the words of Jezabelle and Giselle as they stated without pause that she was Lady Cynthia.

A rap of knuckles on the top of his head made Jazz jump, looking up from the report he was reading to see Princess Catolina.

"Rise and shine, Prince Charming, you're going to be late," she said, pointing towards the clock on his desk.

Jazz looked towards it, then launched out of his seat, almost running Catolina down and tearing out of the office.

"Must you run around like an oaf?" Binky shrieked as Jazz went tearing pass, "And those commoners clothes!"

Jazz was already around the corner and gone, running through the palace halls and blowing into one of the large reception rooms like a hurricane, the elegant ladies and gentlemen of the room staring at him then rushing out of the way as he ran passed to the windows.

"Are they here?" he asked, throwing himself at the glass, staring down across the grand gardens and flowing carriageway that led off to the front gates.

"Jazz, what are you wearing?" Charlotte asked, staring. "You can't waltz around the palace in that get up."

"Did they arrive? Did I miss them? He didn't cancel, did he?" Jazz asked instead.