He kissed her hand, then said charmingly: 'Thank you very much, my lady, I'm very pleased to meet you, too.'
'My brother didn't say a word too much about your good looks, you are very handsome indeed, and as charming as your son-in-law. I'm looking forward to getting better acquainted to both of you.'
And Melissa knew she really was, Hermes loved George so much, his sister could not but be touched by that.
Now Aphrodite asked her brother: 'Did you manage to be nice to the girl, brother? John insisted on Lukas coming along to pacify you.'
'It was well he did, her appearance did give me an unpleasant shock. Of course you rendered her harmless before my eyes, but I suspected her to be a vessel for Hera. Did you really hold her in your arms, Paul? You're even more courageous than I thought.'
'It wasn't easy, Hermes,' Paul said shortly.
'It wouldn't be brave if it had been easy, my friend. You did the right thing, and I promise I'll be more forgiving, too. She has been through a lot.
John took them to the new greenhouse, Rhoda didn't seem very eager to see it, but Hailee was.
To think that girl came through the portal to find him, apparently she has
been searching all over for him. She clearly loves him very much, but something seems off somehow, she treats him like a god when he just wants her to be his girl.'
They did gossip a lot, those Greek gods.
John was glad that Rhoda didn't really mind accompanying them yet again, he did not want to be alone with Hailee, who was starting to look at him with yearning. What was he going to do with her?
Rhoda was sitting in one of the many seats, book in hand, studying English. Why didn't Hailee start learning the language?
He was trying hard to ignore her, very difficult because his body kept pulling his attention towards the attractive young woman working beside him, and her presence was really disturbing his newly found peace.
He had wanted to see her again so much, and he didn't want her to leave even now, he just wanted things to be normal between the two of them, with her treating him as a man, not as an idol. She stuck to calling him master, and cast down her eyes when he looked her way, she still tried to serve him whenever the opportunity presented itself.
The weird thing was, she didn't treat any other man with the fawning humility she did him, she met Hermes with her head held high, she talked to George, who was clearly a noble and looked the part, with easy familiarity, it almost seemed as if she wanted to make a point. But John hadn't a clue what the point was, it just made him very uncomfortable, and he was going to avoid being alone with her at any cost.
Hearing Lukas' voice, John breathed a little more easily, Hailee liked Lukas, and Lukas seemed to understand John's situation, maybe even better than John did himself.
It appeared that Lukas was not alone, he had brought Marcus and Jonathan with him, fast friends even though Marcus was a few years Jonathan's senior. Lukas also fit into their little group perfectly, he looked and behaved exactly like one of them, even though he was more than twice their age, and had many times their lives' experience.
Actually, that was only true for Marcus, Jonathan had told John about the life he had led before he came to live at the manor, the leader of a gang of destitute children, living in a wasteland with not a single memory of how they got there, and not a single hope of ever leaving there.
No, Jonathan had the life-experience of a much older man, and it was a miracle he was able to enjoy life as a teenager here. Actually, Lukas might
have brought him on purpose to meet Rhoda, to show her that a horrible past could change into a bright future.
But Jonathan had survived his ordeal with his magic intact, and he was well on his way to rival George and Tristan in their power some day.
John sure hoped Lukas knew what he was doing.
Lukas first introduced his friends to Rhoda, he had indeed looked for them with the intent to set them up with the girls, not even to share bad experiences, but mainly to have some good, plain fun. Not just Rhoda, Hailee too, John needed to come to terms with his feelings for her, and Hailee needed to get a reality check, she was estranging John further from her by the minute, and telling her would be just too embarrassing, and anyway, John needed to feel the true extent of his love for her, too.
For of course Lukas knew exactly what those feelings were, he had talked to both before, and he could follow the train of their feelings as soon as he got close enough, for they practically flung their love and their hurt at him.
But he could not interfere directly, that would make him responsible for everyone's love life, that was not going to happen.
So he decided to put the girls in the way of some good English fun instead, then see what happened.
Rhoda was pleased to meet two such handsome and friendly young men, they were about her age, and had the gentle manners of their class. Of course she couldn't understand their English yet, and Lukas asked Rhoda if she would like to have Jonathan put the language spell on her.
She asked: 'Will I learn the language eventually if I do?'
Lukas didn't know, so he asked Jonathan, who was already very strong at theorizing on magic.
'That is a good question,' he said, 'let me think.'
He looked like a statue of Apollo as he checked his knowledge on language.
As they were waiting for his answer, John approached with Hailee, and Marcus introduced himself to her. He was clearly very impressed by her exotic beauty, and she seemed interested in him as well. Good. That was Lukas' intent, he wanted John jealous, and he wanted Hailee less focussed on John, and to start thinking for herself.
Jonathan had reached a conclusion, and he said to Rhoda, in passable Greek: 'If you read a lot, I think you will be all right. Or I could take the spell
off you after a month or so, and if you don't know anything by then, you can do it the hard way after all.'
'Thank you, Jonathan,' she said, 'I would love for you to place the spell on me.'
'Great, I've never done it before, so please be patient. Shall we sit down?
This might take a while.'
They sat down, and Jonathan placed his hands lightly on her temples. He concentrated and lighted up a lot, and Rhoda gasped involuntarily.
It didn't break his concentration, and much quicker than she expected he removed his hands and said: 'Done! Did it work? And why did you gasp, were my hands cold?'
She replied: 'Let me check the book to see if it worked.'
He laughed and said: 'You understood me, so it worked, I was talking English. But check the book by all means, maybe I forgot to include adjectives.'
He was funny as well as handsome! A bit fluttered, Rhoda checked the book, and she could read everything, even the adjectives. 'Nope, you didn't forget them, I can read everything. Thank you so much! I gasped because you have so much power already, you're still quite young, aren't you?'
Jonathan was more than a bit taken by this serious girl, there was a kind of sadness about her that reminded him of himself a few months ago. It had taken a lot of time for him to learn to be a child again, and some part of him would never be young again, he had been through too much, but being friends with Marcus helped, and he wanted this girl to be young again, too, no matter how bad her past experiences.
'I am very young, only seventeen. How come you can see the power in me, do you have magic too?'
Ouch, wrong question, apparently, now he had hurt her even more. 'I'm sorry Rhoda, I can see that was the wrong question, please forget I asked it. I didn't mean to pry.'
'Don't be sorry, Jonathan, I'll summarize why your question hurt me: I did something very bad, and as punishment my magic was taken away from me. I used to be as powerful as you and very proud of it, but I abused that power.
Both the memory of my misdeed, and what brought me to do it are still very painful.
From now on I will have to live with what I did and without magic. It is very hard.'
'
I'm sorry to hear you lost your magic, Rhoda. I know people who had it taken from them, nearly had my own taken from me. If you ever feel the need to talk, I will lend you a willing ear, I may understand a little better than most other youngsters.'
Touched, she asked: 'Is that why you don't talk like just seventeen?'
He replied: 'I guess so, I've been through a lot as well, it has made me different from other teenagers, though I have learned to have fun again, and I want you to learn again, too. Let's go to a dance soon, I'll teach you the steps, they're easy.'
The way his face changed from sad memories to glad anticipation made him even more appealing to Rhoda, who realized she was well underway to being smitten, and it seemed to be mutual. Though seventeen was very young indeed.
And he had a powerful Gift, would become a powerful mage in this world where magic was rare. Did she want to put herself through that, seeing what she could have been under different circumstances?
She couldn't know, the fact that he was powerful didn't hurt her now, and there was something about him that pulled at her relentlessly, tell him, listen to him, share your experiences.
And of course she wanted to dance with him, he was tall and handsome, he looked athletic, he would be a good dancer. And read with him, explore the city with him, and maybe, just maybe, kiss him?
They talked to the exclusion of everything and everyone else, avoiding painful subjects for now, just comparing cultures, Jonathan telling her a lot about the people she would be getting to know this world with.
Of course Hailee's heart was already taken, but her master was very distant, very much changed, and she couldn't seem to please him anymore. So she decided to have some fun instead with this nice young man, the son of George, and as handsome as his father.
The good times she had had with Dionysus were past, and if she couldn't have him she'd better return to her own world, she could probably travel with Hermes and Aphrodite. The thought made her miserable, but there was nothing she could do.
Except enjoy herself, so she pushed the pain away and tried to talk to Marcus, which was difficult because his Greek was rather bad, and her English was non-existent.
John caught their attempt and offered: 'Hailee, do you want me to put an English language spell on you?' Did he look wistful at seeing her with a handsome young man?
'Oh would you, Master? Thank you so much!'
He sighed sadly and motioned her to sit down. With his hands on her temples he felt a sudden need to kiss her, but he didn't. He merely put the spell on her, kissed her chastely on the forehead, then went back to his work, trying to forget everything but his life here, the plants, the lush green of the woods and the gardens, Frances.
Within minutes, he felt the peace returning to him, and he managed to hold on to it until it was time for coffee.
And Hailee chatted with Marcus, also about the differences between their worlds, and their families, and they had a really good time together. There was quite some physical attraction between the two of them, and Hailee missed making love very much. But she had heard that morals were much different here, so she decided to ask Lykos to whether she was allowed to share love with this nice young man.
Having made his introductions, Lykos had left, so she would have to wait until she saw him again.
Coffee-time saw them all gathered in the garden behind the house, all but one. When Frances noticed both Jonathan and Marcus talking with the girls that had come here with John, she suspected John must still be around.
She delegated the supervision of the coffee-table to her husband, and went in search of her dear friend, finding him where she expected to find him, in the new greenhouse, on his knees, weeding the tiny coffee-bushes.
Offering him her hand to help him get up, she took him to the nearest bench and held him, saying nothing. He didn't cry, he had adapted magnificently to Victorian England and cultivated a lot of self-control, but he was clearly very unhappy.
After some time, he started to speak: 'You saw Hailee? She came to look for me, but we had both changed, and now she's with your son.
I wanted her so much, but all she did was defer to me, and I can't deal with adoration anymore. I thought she loved me, but she only loved my status. It's just a dream gone bust, but somehow I feel miserable about it.'
'As a mother of four, may I offer you a little advice?' Frances asked in her loving voice.
He nodded.
'Let her have some fun with Marcus first, he is a good boy, and not likely to fall in love with her, though he might make love to her. She needs to let go of the old you before she has a chance to fall in love with the new you. You are worth loving, John, don't be so humble, get some of your famous pride back, women want you. You go have some fun, too, take Aphrodite out, show her a rave she'll never forget.
Then when all is quiet, you talk to Hailee eye-to-eye, tell her about your hopes and dreams, and if she still wants to adore you instead of love you, send her back with Hermes and Aphrodite and be miserable then. I'll be there for you if she leaves.
And if she doesn't leave, I will not be mad at you or hurt, I'm the one who's already married. We had a good time, and we've learned a lot and taught a lot, and I hope we will still be best friends and you will still work with me, for you need the job and the space around you, and you'll need the warmth coming winter, and I need the best partner I've ever had in the garden.
Deal?'
'Deal.'
'Now go and have fun, and go dancing with the young people. Show Hailee you know how to have a good time, you've done it before.'
On their way to the house, Frances wanted to ask something: 'Can we trust the other girl with Jonathan? He's very young, you see, and he has no experience with girls.'
'I don't know, Frances,' John admitted, 'she's my niece, but I don't know her anymore, she has been through a horrible experience. She's lost her magic, and he is so talented. But I saw them meet, and they seemed to take to each other instantly. Lukas brought them together, I think he did that on purpose. Hailee and Marcus as well.'
She nodded, if Lukas thought it was the right thing to do...
'I'm sure he'll keep an eye on them, Frances. And I will, too.'
'One last hug, and then coffee?' Frances asked him, and he agreed.
In the garden behind the house, Ilsa was talking to Rhoda, with Jonathan listening in and sometimes commenting. Ilsa was trying to find out what interested Rhoda, whether she was more bookish or more practical, whether she wanted a career or would rather get married and have children.
She soon found Rhoda very ambitious and more interested in theoretics
than in practical work. Ilsa thought the girl very sharp, very intelligent, with the right education she could get very far. Maybe she could take her to the factory one day to see whether she had the creativity to work in design, or was more charmed by numbers, to find her place in accounting.
The factory could use talented workers, but Tristan had a really large circle of professional relations, and he might be able to help, too. But first, she supposed the girl needed to find a place to stay and some time to get used to the climate, for she seemed cold even at this hottest time of the day.
After coffee, Paul wanted to go home, to continue his work, and to give Melissa her rest. Lukas would stay with Aphrodite, and the girls were entertained by the boys, who took them on a tour of the park in Bertha's little carriage, with the girl as their driver, of course.
The girls were amazed that so much green could thrive in this cold, and the boys didn't mind sitting close to them to keep them a little warmer.
Lukas showed Aphrodite around the gardens, well, actually John did, and Frances came too, and though the idea of a greenhouse was totally alien to someone from a hot climate, the goddess loved the design, and was amazed to hear that it was Melissa's, with the ornamentation being Paul's usual job.
How could he waste his time making rough stuff like that, out of iron, when he was so talented with making eleg
ant things, and in using gold?
She put this question to Lukas, who shrugged and said: 'He doesn't really take jewellery seriously, he likes to make things that matter, that make life better for people. And I think he truly loves the less valuable metals.
When we were working on your necklace, he always forgot to put away the gold, he left it lying about all the time. Its value doesn't mean anything to him.'
Frances suggested the girls might want to stay at the manor, to be with the young crowd, they had plenty of space. With the three of them so close to having their child, they might appreciate a little privacy.
Lukas agreed totally, but he did not want to make John feel like he wasn't wanted, so he observed: 'If the girls agree, I think we'd like that. But please don't think that you are not welcome with us, John, nor you, Aphrodite. And only if you really don't think it is too much trouble, Frances.'
'I wouldn't offer it if I did, Lukas, I think Ilsa is bored, and she would like to have the girls to chat with, and I think it is much better for John to have Hailee at some distance until she gets used to the changes in him and in his circumstances.'
They agreed to ask the girls, then make the decision.
'But wait a minute,' Aphrodite said, 'what about my brother, doesn't he have a say in it? Just being curious here.'
Frances laughed and replied: 'Actually, George suggested it, and he wouldn't make your brother unhappy for the world. Though Hermes did make a very pretty apology to George yesterday evening, for not listening to his advice on a certain matter, very publicly as well, I may add. I hope George heard it, he was so delighted to see Hermes again, I'm afraid he didn't see or hear anything for the thumping of his heart.'
And she said this with true humour, no resentment at all.
'But since you were being curious, Aphrodite, I wouldn't have asked him, no. He is a guest, and in our house he is not a god, so under the circumstances he would just have had to accept it. George and me make the decisions here.'
The goddess nodded, and observed: 'You are so generous to accept him as part of your family, I always thought your people claimed their spouses.'
Past Lives Page 55