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ensure he did nothing…untoward. Even if it was a little late, Cinderella would try to mind the wisdom of her fellow market stall sellers.) “Is there any way I can convince you this history lesson is unnecessary?”
    “No ne whatsoever,” Cinderella said, her voice sunny and bright. “If you look to your left, you will see the Reflective Pool of Serenity. It is empty now, but previously it held a family of gold-scaled fish. Those fish, or their ancestors more correctly, were gifts from the Erlauf King Cristoph II.”
    The C olonel didn’t try to mask his impatient sigh, but he trailed behind Cinderella with remarkable perseverance. After the first hour, Cinderella thought she would have shaken him off, but the persistent Erlauf officer stayed with Cinderella until her voice died just before sunset.
    “ And that was why pointed shoes went out of fashion,” Cinderella said, her voice rough like sandpaper. She gave the Aveyron maid a grateful smile when the woman offered her a water skin.
    The Colonel squinted at the red horizon. “Are you done now?” he asked as Cinderella drank her fill.
    “Yes , I think so,” Cinderella said, handing the water skin back to the maid.
    “You sound like a camel.”
    “I would not know what a camel sounds like, sir,” Cinderella said, resting a hand on her throat. Never before had she given such an ungodly long tour. She almost bored herself to tears. How did the Colonel endure it?
    “Excellent. Shall we stop at an inn or pub to get you a drink?” the Colonel said.
    “I must respectfully decline, sir, for I am expected at home,” Cinderella said, her voice giving out several times.
    The Aveyron maid nodded in approval.
    “Of course ,” the Colonel said, as sweet as sour dough.
    “I hope you enjoyed the tour. Have a good night, sir,” Cinderella said, curtseying. She—and the maid—turned away from the Colonel when the officer called out after her.
    “Tomorrow , then?”
    Cinderella stopped and turned to face him. She struggled several times to speak before she could make her tired voice say , “I beg your pardon?”
    “I will pay you another silver coin for your afternoon , if you are willing,” the Colonel said.
    Cinderella frowned. “You want to do this again?”
    “I was hoping you would be willing to forgo the history lesson.”
    Cinderella opened her mouth to rep ly, but the Colonel beat her to the punch. “No, I shall spare your camel-voice and answer for you: you will insist on another sightseeing tour with the chaperone?”
    “If you wish to spend the afternoon together ,” Cinderella said.
    The soldier sighed. “Fine. Tomorrow, then. I will find you at the market,” the Colonel said, bending the brim of his hat to Cinderella before he made his exit and walked towards a group of Erlauf soldiers who were congregating beneath an arch a short distance away.
    “Erlauf. Nothing but trouble,” the Aveyron maid said before she made her way to the market where Vitore and a cart were waiting.
    Cinderella watched the Colonel go and felt for the silver coin in her pocket. Tonight she would have Pierre test its authenticity. There was little she could do to dissuade the Erlauf Colonel. Her best chance was to continue stringing him along on tours and hope he grew bored with it, and with her.

    “Cinderella!”
    Cinderella grimaced as a pig wiped its snout on her dress. After the Erlauf Colonel bought her afternoons for a full week, Cinderella suspected Marie would pay her a visit. Cinderella had hoped it would be at a time when she was not filthy and muddy.
    So much for hop ing.
    “Cinderella , you cannot hide from me! Jeanne said you were out here,” Marie said, sounding just as imperial as she used to back when she wasn’t a merchant’s wife but a duke’s daughter.
    “I’ll be there in a minute ,” Cinderella shouted, skidding in the muck and mud the pigs created by dumping their water trough. She almost fell flat, but steadied herself by grabbing a