Girl in the Red Hood (28 page)

Just when she thought her heart couldn't
hurt more, Liesel felt it break.

True to her word, Liesel had spoken to neither
Kurt nor her grandfather since the fight. Days had passed, and she
had ignored them so well she'd impressed even herself.

"Silence can feel empowering, Liesel," her
grandmother had warned, "but it accomplishes little."

"If I speak to either one of them, it will
accomplish even less," Liesel had retorted. "Because it won't be a
word, but rather, a shout." And so, she had continued to simply
watch and wait.

There hadn't been any more fights, but there
was no peace either. Kurt now disappeared with Johan instead of
working in the fields, and only came back to the barn when it was
time to sleep. Bernd worked as many hours as possible, and when he
was inside, did little aside from shuffling around, mumbling that
the young fool would never break the spell.

Though Liesel said nothing about it, she
secretly feared her grandfather was right. Kurt had gone from
training with Bernd every day to avoiding the family as much as
possible, only joining them for supper when Ilsa insisted by
shouting out the window that if he wanted fresh hay for his bed in
the barn, he would be coming to eat at the table like a decent
human being. Kurt would comply, but the meals were never enjoyable
by any means. Kurt would stare angrily at his food, speaking only
to Ilsa when asked a direct question. Bernd would stare his food
down with a look nearly identical to Kurt's. He spoke to no one.
The only one who seemed unaffected by the awkward silence of the
room was Johan. Speaking as little as possible was in his
nature.

It was during such a meal one night that
Liesel decided she'd had all she could take of Kurt's new
countenance. His sullen silence galled her, and she resolved to get
him to speak that night, even if she had to do it out of spite.
Guilt tried to nip at her even as she spoke the words, but she
ignored her conscience and asked anyway.

"So who is the preferred bachelor of the
dance this year?" The question was directed to her grandmother, but
Liesel could sense Kurt freeze up as he bent over his food.
Satisfied for some sort of reaction, she looked expectantly at
Ilsa. Either Ilsa didn't care or didn't see what she was up to,
because her answer was as even as ever.

"Actually, I think it was Manny who won the
draw this year."

"Are there any ladies he's rumored to
favor?" Liesel continued casually.

"Not really," Ilsa raise one eye at Liesel,
suddenly sounding suspicious. "Why?"

"It's always just fun to see a little
competition," Liesel shrugged, sneaking another glance at Kurt. His
mouth had turned down in a way that assured Liesel he was angry.
Good, she thought, trying to quiet the nagging rage of her
conscience. Perhaps he would get angry enough to stop sulking.
Nothing more was said of the dance, but when Liesel excused herself
to use the privy after supper had ended, Kurt immediately excused
himself as well, ignoring the warning glare her grandfather leveled
at him. He quickly overtook her in the darkness, grabbing her arm
and pulling her out of earshot of the cabin. Liesel could feel from
his grasp that he wasn't fooling around. But then, she steeled
herself, neither was she.

"What do you think you're doing?" Kurt's
voice was low and tense.

"I haven't done anything."

"Oh please. You've not spoken to me in days,
and now you're thinking and teasing about
him
?" Liesel
jerked her arm out of his hand and glared at him through the
darkness, sure he could see her better than she could see him, but
she remained silent. "Liesel," he suddenly sounded exasperated. "I
don't know what you want me to do!"

The question caught Liesel off guard. What
did she want him to do? It took her a moment to find her voice, and
when she did, much to her annoyance, it was very close to
cracking.

"I wish you would at least try breaking the
spell. I wish you would stop acting like a child around my
grandfather. I want you to fight for me." Liesel stopped as her
voice broke and a sob forced its way out. Kurt didn't speak for a
moment, but when he did, his voice was somber and sad.

"What do you think I've been doing since the
day we met?" And with that, he walked away.

Liesel went to bed feeling ill that night.
Heat rushed to her face, and it burned with embarrassment as she
thought about his words over and over again. What had possessed her
to be so blind, she wondered. While his avoidance of her family
still exasperated her, she realized now that it was foolish to
think that he would stop trying to break the spell just because of
his squabble with Bernd. Perhaps she had assumed wrong when she'd
believed he was hiding out as a wolf. Even more guilt was heaped on
as she realized she had inadvertently called Kurt a coward to his
face as well.

Liesel sobbed angrily into her bed as she
wrestled with herself. No, Kurt's behavior certainly hadn't been
perfect as of late. But that had given her no excuse to be cruel.
And cruel she had been.

The next day was the dance, and it was
quieter than ever around the big house. Only Ilsa seemed to speak,
barking out orders at everyone she came across.

"Fight or no fight," she had threatened Kurt
and Bernd, "I won't have all of Weit thinking I leave the men
around here looking like buzzards." For the first time in his life,
Kurt was given a sharp haircut and a set of clothes without holes
in them. Liesel had nearly broken her silence when Ilsa was through
with him. The even cut of his short hair chiseled his face even
more, and made his golden-brown eyes stand out brightly. The dark
shirt and pants he was assigned fit him becomingly as well, making
his wiry figure look even taller. It took all of Liesel's strength
not to stare, so it was a good thing when Ilsa shooed Liesel to her
own room to get ready.

"There, that's the first smile I've seen in
days," Ilsa teased her as she sat back on her heels and looked up
at her work. Liesel smiled a little more in spite of herself. The
dress her grandmother had made for her was lovely. The deep green
velvet skirt gave a dull shine when she turned. The sleeves and
collar were white, and the bodice was made of a darker green. It
all made her red cloak look even more vibrant when she wore it on
top.

Despite the dress, Liesel felt miserable
deep down. The conversation from the night before weighed heavily
on her shoulders, and every time she tried to meet his eyes, Kurt
looked away. And as foolish as it seemed, she wanted so much to
hear what he thought of her new dress. She didn't miss the way his
eyes widened when she walked out in it for the first time. That
brought at least some satisfaction, but not enough to erase their
sharp words from the night before, as evidenced when Kurt quickly
looked away and mumbled something about getting the horses.

It was a long, silent ride to the wedding.
Liesel tried to feel excited for the evening. She was going to see
old friends, she reminded herself, and after the wedding, there
would be dancing, food, and wine back at the bride's home. The
family had already agreed that if someone asked where Liesel had
been, they would answer that she had moved to Tag and apprenticed
under a healer. The spell would at least allow for that much to be
shared honestly.

The church was even busier that evening than
it was on Holy Days. The service brought little joy, despite
Liesel's attempt to be happy for the new couple. The bride was
surrounded by her family and friends, where her mother cried and
her father looked gruff and cleared his throat often. The groom
looked as though he might pass out, but when he saw the bride, his
fidgeting stopped and his eyes followed only her. And Liesel wanted
it all so much for herself that it hurt.

She snuck a glance at Kurt a few times
during the ceremony, but he gave nothing away, simply staring at
the ground the whole time. Her grandfather glowered at ceiling.
Ilsa was the only member of the family who managed to look
reasonably happy for the young couple. In spite of Liesel's best
efforts, it was impossible to even pretend she was enjoying
herself. After the ceremony was finally finished, Ilsa had sharp
words for the lot of them.

"Now remember,
all
of you," she
turned and pointed her finger at them each in turn before entering
the house where the festivities were being held. "Unless you want
questions that we can't answer, at least
try
to be civil to
one another."

It wasn't long before the dancing began.
Planks had been laid out upon the ground to create a level dancing
floor in the space behind the house. Dozens of people swirling arm
in arm all around brought back with strange clarity the night of
her one and only dance with Kurt. He had been so nervous. And yet,
his eyes had shone with the hope of youth. That had been the first
time she had been close enough to feel his magic. Suddenly, Liesel
longed for that once again, and in spite of all their recent fight,
she suddenly felt a fierce hope rise up within her that Kurt would
ask her to dance tonight. When she turned to him, however, all
thoughts of dancing fled as she recognized with horror the blank
look on his face.

"Your betrothed hasn't asked you to dance
yet?" Liesel jumped at the man's voice. Turning, she saw Manny. He
had trimmed his red beard, and his hair was slicked back. He looked
even bigger in his blue trousers and clean white shirt than he had
a few days before. The look on his face as he stared at Kurt was
one of disgust.

"Kurt...isn't feeling well," Liesel
stuttered, racking her mind for something to distract Manny's
obviously competitive curiosity. He had been that way as a boy as
well, Liesel suddenly recalled, always needing to have the upper
hand.

"Why don't you dance with Manny while Kurt
recovers himself," her grandmother said loudly. From the expression
on Manny's face, he couldn't have been more pleased with the
suggestion. Grateful for a reason to distract the nosy young man,
Liesel stood and smiled.

"If you were my betrothed," Manny whispered
as they headed toward the dance floor, "I wouldn't let you out of
my sight even if I was on my deathbed." Liesel gave a nervous
laugh, wishing very suddenly to change the subject. She didn't have
to worry, however, as the musicians picked up the pace, and
everyone joined arms for a group jig.

As the jig began to move her into the arms
of other partners, Liesel began slowly to enjoy herself. The smiles
and laughter of her old neighbors and friends were delightful as
word spread that Liesel was back. The music gave little time for
chatting, but that was fine with her. The recognition in their eyes
was enough. Manny soon muttered something about being tired of the
movement, and excused himself to get a drink, and it wasn't long
after that the partner dances began again.

After Manny left, Liesel realized with some
guilt that she was truly having fun. The men continued to line up
to partner with her for dance after dance, and Liesel couldn't help
but wonder if this was what her life would have been like had they
never left. If she'd been given the chance to be the Summer Maiden
like her mother had, would she already have been married to one of
the young men that now politely asked for a turn with her? How
would he have proposed? Liesel imagined something romantic, perhaps
out on her grandfather's vineyard, or on the porch under the stars.
Anything would have been more romantic than the deal she had struck
with Kurt.

Liesel didn't realize how long she'd been
dancing until the church bell tolled the hour. Withdrawing her
hands from those of another would-be suitor, Liesel tried to find
Kurt. Guilt and disappointment warred within her when she saw that
his chair was empty. Part of her felt sorry for allowing so many
men to seek a dance, but a deeper part felt hurt that he didn't
even try cut in. There was no way his blank spell had lasted that
long. Was he so angry he was done with pursuing her completely?

"I need some air," Manny spoke into her ear
above the din. "Keep me company?" Though the question was posed, he
gave her no choice, grabbing her above the elbow and pulling her
outside with him. Rather than make a scene, Liesel let him take
her. After seeing the empty chair, she suddenly needed a bit of
cool air herself.

The night was clear, which meant they
weren't the only two people in the gardens. Liesel made sure to
stand far enough from her old friend, however, to ensure no one
could suspect them of the same kind of engagements others in the
garden were participating in. There was a bonfire a ways away that
someone had lit, and a number of men stood around it smoking pipes.
The sounds of the music wafted out of the yard towards them, but it
was more muted out here. The branches of the apple trees were heavy
with fruit, hanging down by their faces. Manny picked two and
offered one to Liesel as they wandered. They walked without
speaking for a few moments, which suited Liesel just fine. When
Manny finally did speak, however, his words were unexpectedly
kind.

"It wasn't the same after you left, 'Leese.
Some said your father had gone seeking a fairy for your mother.
Others said she'd died and he'd lost his mind. I never thought it
was fair that they took you though, no matter what your father
sought." Liesel stayed quiet, remembering all too well the real
reason they'd gone.

"I always knew you'd be beautiful," he
mumbled. "I just never imagined you'd be as beautiful as this."
Liesel felt herself blush.

"That is...very sweet of you...,"she
stuttered. She made the mistake then of meeting his eyes. They were
suddenly burning, reflecting the light of the distant fire.