Mythology Abroad (32 page)

“I wanted to give you this,” Holl said, handing her the tissue wrapped bundle of cloth, “before I spoke to Maura—in case she isn’t speaking to me, that is.”

“Haven’t you gone to her yet to find out?” Orchadia asked, taking the bundle and giving it only the most cursory glance. For a moment, the snapping eyes were like those of her son Enoch, or her imperious father. “Do you mean you shut the door in her face that abruptly? For shame! You’re getting to have too many of the Big People’s ways. Now it’s all hurry up and wait, and tomfoolery. Get along with you!”

Maura must have run away as soon as the door closed. Holl ran through the house to find her. When he discovered her, she was standing by the window in one of the upstairs sleeping chambers, very still. As soon as he could see her, Holl knew she was on the edge of weeping, curtaining her face with her long red-brown hair. “So you come to speak to me last, do you?” Maura asked, standing with her hands folded at her waist.

“I have thought about you a lot while I was gone,” Holl said at last. “And all that when I went away so that when I came back we could be together for all time. I was distressed to hear that you were spending a lot of private time with Gerol.”

Maura’s green eyes caught fire. “Oh, you heard that? Oh, Holl, what sense have you? Sometimes you’re as silly as Keith Doyle. You went off, for all everyone knew forever. You might not know since I didn’t complain openly about it, but Ronard made a certain set at me as soon as you left. And Catra is not speaking to me because Ronard was courting her until you went away. Gerol stepped in to help me keep him off. I thought about you, dreamed about you, and who could I talk to about you? Candlepat? Certainly not. She’s interested in you herself, as she is in all males. She’d cut me out without a thought. My mother? She’s got no patience with mooncalfing. Marm? I know he’s your good friend, but all he’d do is agree with me and say ‘Yah.’” Maura made a face. “Gerol’s a good friend. He listened to me.”

Holl dropped his gaze to the ground at her feet, his face red as a rose. “I’m sorry for doubting. But I was so far away; I couldn’t hear any of you. I didn’t know what you were thinking.”

Maura’s face softened, and she touched his cheek with tender fingers. “The same thing I’ve thought all of our lives. We were worried about you, too, off in the great distance. It was only the sound of your voice over the telephone which reassured us.”

The flowers were none the worse for their long travel in the inside pocket of his coat. Holl drew out the bouquet, as amazed as before by the purity of the power radiating from the tiny white bells. Even though they had been cut days earlier, and had been without water, the blooms were still fresh, clad in their astonishing glow.

“How lovely,” Maura sighed. Holl took one of her hands, and proffered the flowers to the free hand. When she reached for them, it was as if an electrical circuit had been completed. The elders had been right. When the match was true, the flowers sealed the bond. This was the second blessing. The third would come when the flowers produced seeds, continuing the circle of life.

“Will you be mine, then?” Holl asked tenderly.

“Of course,” Maura said teasingly, her cheeks a becoming pink. “I was never anything else.” She turned up her face to kiss him.

Holl pulled her out into the main room, where everyone was exclaiming over Keith’s rolls of snapshots.

“Now, wait,” Keith insisted. “I got double prints of everything. Let me separate them, and you can have the second set. They’ll be yours to keep. Don’t mix them up. There’s about twenty rolls. Hey, watch the fingerprints, Borget.”

Borget’s mother pulled his hands away and washed them with a surreptitious cloth. Everyone looked up from the colored squares as Holl held up his free hand for attention.

“May I have the pleasure of announcing that Maura has just consented to be my lifemate.”

“As long as life lasts,” Maura affirmed, her eyes shining when she looked at Holl. Everyone clustered around them to give their congratulations. With eyes shining, Orchadia kissed her daughter. “Bless you, my loves. May you be happy.”

Keith shook Holl’s hand over the heads of most of the villagers and then stepped back out of the way to let the others close in.

“I love true romances,” Diane said happily, watching the others embracing Holl and Maura and offering good wishes. She clutched Keith’s arm. He reached up to twine his hand with hers and squeezed her fingers. “Doesn’t that give you some idea of your own?”

Keith pointed to his throat and mimed laryngitis. He produced a thin, squeaky voice. “Sorry,” he croaked. “It’s the curse; I can’t talk about wine, women, or money.”

“Oh, you!” Diane exclaimed. “One day!”

Marcy sighed sentimentally. “I’m so happy for them. I wonder if this might get Enoch thinking along the same lines, eventually. It’ll probably take a few years, but if it’s right, I’ll wait.”

Keith was surprised to learn that she was seriously considering settling down permanently with the Little Folk. But why not? She had known them longer than he had. And he knew something that she didn’t: that Enoch had already broached the subject with his father. She’d probably be thrilled. There might be another declared romance right here and now. He opened his mouth to speak.

The Master caught his eye and stared him down sternly. Keith closed his mouth again without having made a sound. He understood that perhaps that was another secret he’d better keep.

“Remember the
bodach
,” the Master said warningly. “Vhat he did, I can do, too.”

“Curses,” Keith said ruefully. “Foiled again.”

***

A
BOUT THE AUTHOR

Jody Lynn Nye lists her main career activity as ‘spoiling cats.’ When not engaged upon this worthy occupation, she writes fantasy and science fiction books and short stories.

Before breaking away from gainful employment to write full time, Jody worked as a file clerk, bookkeeper at a small publishing house, freelance journalist, and photographer, accounting assistant and costume maker. For four years, she was on the technical operations staff of a local Chicago television station, ending as Technical Operations Manager.

Since 1987 she has published 45 books and more than 110 short stories. Although she is best known as a collaborator with other notable authors such as Anne McCaffrey (the Ship Who series, the Dinosaur Planet series), Robert Asprin (Dragons and the Myth-Adventures), John Ringo (Clan of the Claw) and Piers Anthony, Jody has numerous solo books to her credit, mostly fantasy and science fiction with a humorous bent. Her newest book is
Fortunes of the Imperium
(Baen Books), the second of the Lord Thomas Kinago books, which she describes as “Jeeves and Wooster in space.” Over the last twenty-five years or so, Jody has taught in numerous writing workshops and speaks at schools and libraries, and teaches the two-day writers’ workshop at DragonCon in Atlanta. When not writing, she enjoys baking, calligraphy, travel, photography and, of course, reading.

Jody lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with her husband, Bill Fawcett, and Jeremy, their cat. jodylynnnye.com