Page 111 - Nuts to You - The Nutcracker Retold

But what was most terrifying of all was that he was beaming, positively glowing under her mother’s barrage. The only good thing to come out of his arrival was that her mother was no longer preoccupied with pointing out this young man, or that young man, to Clara.
Which was fine by her.
The two of them could keep each other company for the rest of the night, for all she cared! They could spend every day together for the entire week. No, a month. Clara reveled in the idea of Mother Stahlbaum being so tied up with this ratty prince that she, Clara, would have hours of time stretching out in front of her, in which to tinker and read, read and tinker, in uninterrupted bliss.
Which was absolutely and completely fine by her!
But it was not to be. All of a sudden, everyone was turning about in confusion, looking for something – did the prince bust a button after puffing up with pride? Or did his monocle fly off, as his head swelled? Clara didn’t know which. But she didn’t let it slow her down – as she snuck toward the back stairs, where she hoped she could slip back up to her bedroom and out of this nightmare.
But no. They weren’t looking for something – they were looking for someone – and that someone was Clara.
Beaming with pride, as if she had conjured up the prince with her own strength of mind and determination, Mother Stahlbaum – with both Father Stahlbaum and Prince Reginald Rhatt (fitting name, Clara thought) in tow – was sailing like a ship with all sails up, toward Clara. And as the orchestra struck up the first dance, her parents placed the cold, scaly hand of the prince into Clara’s hand and –
97