Once Upon a Twist Read Online Free PDF Page A

highly decorated soldier, said, before briefing her on what to expect when she entered the ballroom and what protocol dictated she do.
    She expelled a breath in relief.
    It took all her restraint to maintain decorum and not skip along the seemingly never-ending corridor.
    Finally it hit her.
    She was free!
    She was free from Christell, Ana and, to a lesser extent, Izzy’s malignant control.
    And in a few moments she would be with James, the man who had captured her heart.
    They reached the end of the corridor and stepped through an arched double doorway and into the ballroom. Ella’s escort handed her invitation to another decorated soldier while she stared in wonder at the beauty of it all.
    The queue of eligible maidens awaiting introduction to the Prince still snaked back a good distance. As she made her way slowly up the aisle for her own official introduction, she could not resist craning her neck, eager to find James and capture his attention. She thought she spotted Christell gossiping with another maiden’s mother, but the ballroom was so crowded with beautiful young women and eagerly awaiting soldiers that it was hard to get a good fix on any particular face.
    “Lady Ella Tremalow,” a deep voice bellowed.
    With a start, she realized she was at the front of the queue. The King, Queen and Prince sat on a row of ornate thrones before her, bedecked in all their regalia. As was expected, she took five steps forward before lowering herself into a curtsey, an act as ridiculous in practice as she had expected it would be in theory.
    It was only as she righted herself that she caught the eye of the Prince and almost fell over in shock. “James?”
     
     

Chapter Four
     
     
    James was so shocked to see her his crown almost fell off. “Ella? What are you doing here?”
    “I was invited, remember? Why are you sitting on that…?” Comprehension flittered across her beautiful face. And she did look beautiful. More than beautiful. She looked so ravishing it barely registered that she had been set free.
    He was aware of his parents watching them closely though, and got to his feet to face them. He cleared his throat of the frog that had unexpectedly lodged in it. “Please excuse me for a few minutes, I need to discuss some matters with Ella in private.”
    “Go ahead,” the King decreed.
    Unfortunately Ella was not having any of it. “Why do you want to talk in private?” she demanded, making no effort to lower her voice. “Scared your parents and subjects will know you’ve spent the past fortnight masquerading as a commoner?”
    James took hold of her wrist. He might deserve her anger but he was unwilling to have this discussion in front of his subjects. “Come with me and I’ll explain everything,” he murmured in what he assumed to be a placating voice.
    For some reason, she seemed in no mood to be placated. She yanked her wrist out of his hold. “Do not touch me, you creep. What do you want to explain? How you strung me along for a fortnight while all along you were allowing your mother to plan a Ball for you to choose a bride?”
    “It wasn’t like that.” He bristled at her accusatory tone. “I wanted to tell you.”
    “Then why didn’t you? Why did you lie to me?”
    “I never actually lied,” he said, making another attempt to soothe her. “If you recall, I never actually said I wasn’t the Prince – you simply assumed I was a commoner.”
    Thwack.
    In the split of an eye, Ella’s right fist had connected with his left cheekbone.
    The silence that echoed around the ballroom was at odds with the blood pounding in James’s head.
    “Your arrogance knows no bounds,” she said with surprising dignity for a woman whose chest was heaving. “You’re a liar and a two-timing cheat and I want nothing more to do with you.”
    Before he could respond to that dastardly twisting of the truth, Christell materialized as if from nowhere and took hold of Ella’s arm.
    “It is time to take you home,