Page 7 (1/2)

I suppose I could start my story here, in Hell Hall, where all my marvelous plans were born fro, or at least close enough to give you an idea of what makes me tick Sure, you know the story of those puppies, those wretched Daler and Anita And I’m sure you even rooted for them to evade me Me, that monster, the “devil woman” in a fur coat But don’t I deserve a chance to tell my own side of the story? The real story It is fabulous, after all Behold! The story of me Cruella De Vil!

Ticktock, darlings, we’re going back in ti in my family’s mansion So prepare yourselves, dears; you’re in for a wild ride

My rave Square It was large, lurid, andho a terrace that looked down on the square Our community was tucked safely away from the common London rabble on the other side We were on the proper side, surrounded byto us alone

Of course, one could see the occasional servant polishing the brass on the front porches, or a nanny strolling in the park with her squealing charge And there were the old women who sold violets on corners, and the little boys who sold the papers and delivered es, but they were alht of them as people

I called thehosts

While of course my own servants were veryin and out of view only e needed them They weren’t real Or didn’t seem so to me, anyway Not like Mama and Papa Not like me Some of my servants seemed more real to me than others The ones ere always in my view The servants eren’t quite servants, but so in between a servant and a ood time

But oh, how I loved ravia with its crystal chandeliers, lavish wallpapers, and shining wood floors covered in exotic rugs And in a way I even loved our ghostlike servantscare of our every whi at the sound of a tinkling bell

The iht, desperately trying to lead ain If only I could stand within the safety of its walls once loriously as I did when I was a child, when everything was simple There were so many splendid days in that house They spin around inme dizzy with homesickness

I spent overness, in the schoolrooh to learn how to read She gave , needlepoint, reading, and writing Most girls in our social circle got their educations froovernesses Had I been a boy I would have been sent off to boarding school, where I would have learned all y, history, and mathematics Girls were expected to learn how to conduct the ladies How to host splendid parties, plan menus, and direct conversations at dinner And that, too, was part of the education I received from Miss Pricket But she never said no if I expressed interest in a subject that wasn’t reserved for young ladies She encouraged raphy, for exa about the cultures and customs of different countries, because she knew I desperately wanted to travel the world when I was old enough to take such an adventure I have such fond memories of those days But o down to theroom with Miss Pricket to spend a blissful hour with my mama

One hour every day, entirely devoted to me

MyShe was always beautifully dressed in the latest designs No one could hold a candle to her, not evenI am, don’t you, dears? You’ve seen my photos in the papers You know of my exploits and my relentless devotion to fashion Well, lamorous life, and she deserved it She was thewoman I ever met She was a true lady

She didn’t have to make time for me, as busy as she was, but she did, at the saht after e of rand staircase,room I had to willlady and not squeal with delight because I was so excited to see my mama After all, my schoolroom was a new development It had been recently converted fro lady