Heavenly Love

“Oh dear! And then what happened?”

“Then… oh, Louise, just not a word about this, or they'll hang us both!”

“What are you talking about? Of course I’ll keep mum, don’t you know me?”

“I do, that’s why I’m telling you this. God forbid…”

“Not a word, I swear! Oh, come on!”

“Well. So I walked across the hall, and the floor was shining like a mirror, and there were hundreds of candles everywhere, and all around were probably dukes or earls, and there I was, walking among them as if I were really a noble lady. Then suddenly they started whispering to each other – and I saw him coming towards me.”

“Oh dear! The prince?”

“Yes. But I didn’t know then that he was the prince! I just looked at him – and his eyes were so blue, and his eyelashes were so long, and he was so… I just said, ‘Ah!’ – and I just stood there staring at him and my head was spinning.”

“Oh dear! And he, what did he do?”

“He said, ‘Oh beautiful maiden, you are an angel sent to me from heaven, and I need nothing but your heavenly love, so make me the happiest of mortals!’”

“He said that? Really? An angel from heaven?”

“That’s exactly what he said. Actually, he put it even better, the way noble lords do, but I don’t remember. And he said it to me! Can you imagine? Listen, am I really that beautiful? Honestly? Oh, you’re a liar, you! Well, alright. So he took me by the hand…”

“And you?”

“I… oh, I don’t remember clearly, I was so confused… We were dancing, and he was saying all those beautiful words about love. And I looked at him… and I looked at him. And I thought, ‘Good Lord, what more do I need? Not even in paradise will there be anything better! I’ll remember this day for the rest of my life!’ And I thought I would pray for my godmother forever.”

“Well, and – and after that he proposed to you, didn’t he?”

“Of course not! Noble lords don’t do it so fast. They have nowhere to hurry. First they say nice things, and dance, and hold hands…”

“But did he at least kiss you?”

“Oh, stop it! Well… The whole evening passed like a single moment, and then I remembered that I had to hurry back home! Thank God I hadn’t forgotten, being so happy and all. But the prince kept holding my hand and telling me about his heavenly love, and he wouldn’t let me go. Somehow I got free and ran away from him. But those stairs and floors that shine like mirrors – they’re so slippery! Plus, it was the first time I had ever worn such high heels! I was very lucky not to break my neck there, really. So I took off my shoes and ran barefoot, as I’m used to doing, with the shoes in my hand.”

“But if you took them with you, why…?”

“Of course I took them! It was a pity to leave them there, they were so beautiful! I thought I’d keep them as a souvenir. But I also had to hold all those skirts, because they really hindered my running. You see, when you wear an apron you can tie things in it, but that dress… So, when I finally escaped and recovered my breath, I discovered that I only had one shoe! I must have dropped another one and didn’t notice it. It was such a shame! But what could I do? I couldn’t go back and look for it.”

“Oh dear… And what came next?”

“As if you don’t know what came next! The next day, the whole town was in an uproar, with heralds shouting on every corner: the princess, the shoe… don’t you remember? I almost went crazy when I heard them. I thought: that’s it! I kept dreaming of my Prince Charming coming to me with the shoe and me showing him the other one, so there would be no doubt. And I thought, ‘What a smart girl I was to take this shoe! And how lucky I am that the other one got lost! He’ll take me to his palace, and I’ll become a princess, and then a queen!’ Can you imagine – me, a queen? Sitting on a throne, wearing diamonds? Why are you laughing? I could have been one, really, if only…”

“If only what?”

“Well... you see, heavenly love, it’s… oh, never mind. People don’t know it, but the prince rode along with his courtiers that day, secretly. He wanted to check for himself to make sure there was no mistake. So strong his love was. Well… now imagine: they come to our house, and my precious stepsisters bend over backwards, they and their beloved mommy too, and they don’t know what to do with themselves, and as clear as day the shoe doesn’t fit them. And at this moment I come out of the kitchen, so proud of myself, and I untie my apron and take out my second shoe. And I think he’ll look at me now and…”

“And what about him?”

“What about him… He looks at me with his blue eyes, his long lashes fluttering – and does not recognize me! He blinks a few times and asks me, ‘Where did you find this shoe, my dear, and where is its owner?’ ”

“Oh my God! Really? And what did you do?”

“I… Oh. I looked at him and felt I was ready to burst into tears. My stepmother pushed me on the back, afraid to hit me in front of those noble lords, and hissed something, and I stood there like a fool. Would you believe it – before they came I’d been thinking all the time about how uneducated I was and how I might make a fool of myself at the palace. I’d been so worried, I thought maybe I should watch how my stepsisters walk and talk so that I could at least learn something… I was such a fool! I couldn’t even imagine… Oh, Louise, don’t make a fuss, I’m fine.”

“Oh my dear! And what about him?”

“He gazed at me – and then suddenly something dawned on him, and his mouth began to open slowly. And one of the gentlemen who came with him whispered something in his ear, and then that gentleman came to me and said, ‘Mademoiselle, would you please try on this shoe?’ And he gave me the shoe they brought, the one that was lost. Of course I put that shoe on, and of course it fit. And my prince looked just like Jacques the idiot who sits at the bakery door blowing bubbles. He blinked his blue eyes and said, ‘Oh God, is that you? I mean, was it…’ ”

“And what did you say?”

“I said, ‘Yes, it’s me, your angel sent to you from heaven.’ ”

“You’re crazy! To say such a thing to the prince! And what did he do?”

“Crazy, indeed. But after I understood what it was all about, I felt so bitter that I actually didn’t care.”

“A fool that you are! He could…”

“He could. But as you can see, he did nothing. He just stood there for a moment, blinking, and then, would you imagine, he started complaining and making excuses. He was so sorry, he said. The king and queen wouldn’t understand, he said, and the other princes would laugh at him, not to mention his horrible cousin, who dreamed day and night of seizing the throne, and he had thought that at least I came from a rich family, because the royal treasury is empty, and I had such a necklace… You see, it was a string of glass beads that I had once bought for three centimes, and my godmother had turned it into such a magnificent diamond necklace with her magic. He was so unlucky, he said.

“And I kept listening to him, and it was so ridiculous and disgusting! What a fool I’d been in the ballroom, listening to him spellbound, and being so enchanted by his blue eyes! But, listen, that was not the end of it. My dearest prince finished moaning, approached me and whispered into my ear, ‘Listen, honey, you’re a smart girl, you do realize there’s a rift between us, don’t you?’ I said, ‘I do.’ And he said, ‘That’s great. I can take you to the palace as a chambermaid or a cook if you want, and then I can visit you sometimes, because you’re really so pretty.’ ”

“Oh, good Lord! And what did you answer?”

“I… well, when I heard it, all the remains of my heavenly love vanished into thin air. I told him, ‘You know, Highness, find yourself another pretty girl. But don’t cry – I’ll give you a present, from an angel from heaven.”

“What do you mean? A present for him? Why?”

“Because I’m kindhearted. Actually, because I thought that maybe I could get something for myself out of this mess. Otherwise, I would just have that shoe to look at and remember how stupid I was. So I said to him, ‘Listen, my dear fool’ – don’t look at me like this, I just thought it! – ‘listen, my stepsister Charlotte will be the perfect match for you.’ ”

“You said that, really? And what about her?”

“Oh, she just plopped down on the floor where she was standing! And Amelie almost burst with anger, and their mother opened her mouth and her eyes popped out. No, really, it was so funny! You see, the prince and Charlotte really do make a perfect couple, with their blue eyes and their ah’s and oh’s. Not to mention that my stepmother has enough money to buy the whole kingdom twice over. So I told him, ‘That’s the end of your problems. I can put this shoe on her foot, if you want. Or you can just say it fits her – you’re a prince, they’ll believe you. Later, you can secretly make another pair of such shoes for her.’ And he listened to me, fluttering his eyelashes, and then his counselor whispered something to him, and then he agreed.”

“Oh… And you?”

“I actually got what I wanted. The prince ordered my stepmother to give me enough money to open a pastry shop. She was furious, but what choice did she have?Moreover, his counselors – or whoever they were – helped me arrange everything. I even got a royal charter exempting my shop from taxes. So the prince got his princess, the treasury got its money and I got my freedom. Everybody’s happy. Except I had to calm my godmother down.”

“But Charlotte got a crown!”

“She got the whole bunch of gossips, too. If it were Amelie, it would be a different matter. But Charlotte is such a simple girl! I had plenty of time to imagine how noble ladies would giggle behind my back – and now Charlotte’s going to get it. Of course, she’s learned to dance and talk and she knows her manners, but still she’s no match for the ladies of the palace. I saw them that night. Maybe they say to her, ‘Oh, our princess, ah, such a beauty!’ But behind her back, they certainly talk differently.”

“Well, but what about the shoe?”

“I gave it to them. I don’t need it anymore. The entire kingdom now wears such shoes – the shoes of Princess Charlotte, oh yes! The necklace of Princess Charlotte, the cakes of Princess Charlotte…”

“Cakes? What cakes?”

“Fruit cakes, of course. Charlotte is crazy about cakes, you know, and it turns out that the royal baker doesn’t meet her standards! So now I am – how did they put it? – the Senior Supplier of Sweets and Pastries to Her Highness. How do you like that? What an honor for me! Don’t laugh, the important thing is that it’s quite profitable.”

“All right, but what are you going to do now, besides bake cakes?”

“What do you mean? Ah... Well, there’s Charles, for example, a clerk at the court, who pines for me. He also says that I’m an angel and a heavenly beauty, and that he can’t live without me.”

“And you?”

“Oh, I don’t know… Charles – he’s a good fellow, he’s nice, but a little featherbrained. He thinks of nothing but all kinds of fairy tales. I don’t know why the judge keeps him. They say the judge’s little son loves fairy tales, so I guess that’s why my Charles still keeps his job. He can tell pretty nice stories, that’s true. You know what he told me once? ‘I’m going to write a story for you, and in my story you’ll become a princess, because to me you are better than all the princesses in the world.’ Maybe I’ll even marry him. He’s a good fellow… No, Louise, I’m not crying, it’s just onions. Yes, it’s a very special recipe: a fruit cake with onions…”