by K.N. Lee
“I told him to. I thought you guys might want your own space. I’ve asked him to bring the bed down to the lower level, as I don’t think it would be wise for Anais to be climbing any ladders at the moment. Andrew and Judith are helping him. I think Alex is hunting the house for a heater for it, too.”
“Wow, Thanks, Cadie.”
“No prob, Sis. I’m so glad you are home. I missed you.”
“I missed you too.”
“Mama has asked me to tell you that dinner will be ready in twenty minutes. She’s making it early, as she thought you might be hungry.”
“Thanks.”
Arcadia left. Aethelu resumed her position next to Anais on the sofa. They laid there entwined in each other, not speaking until their twenty minutes were up, and they both made their way to the dining room.
Dinner was a very upbeat affair. Judith had proved herself a very able artist, and despite only having met Aethelu once, had painted a huge banner saying ‘Welcome home Aethelu.’ As the paint was dry it must have been painted long before Aethelu actually got home, and been kept for the occasion. The cake which was the centrepiece of the table was freshly decorated, though, with a similar message and Anais marvelled at the speed at which Winnie could work. She did bake at least one cake a day, though, so it would only have been a case of icing it and piping the message on. Still it was impressive in the time she had, especially as she’d also managed to cook for the whole family at the same time. It was an odd assortment of leftovers that filled the table. Slices of meat on one platter, bread rolls, freshly heated, on another. A reheated lasagne and some Bolognese, without the spaghetti, were also choices on the table. The microwave must have been going at full pelt for the last hour to reheat it all.
To Anais, it all tasted delicious. Every mouthful was wonderful. She felt like she’d awoken from a hundred years’ sleep now that Aethelu was home, and her senses had awoken with her, including her sense of taste. Everything had tasted dry since Aethelu had been gone, and, as a result, she’d struggled to eat at all. Now, though, she couldn’t get enough. She took a bit of everything and piled her plate high with food.
Everyone wanted to know about Aethelu’s adventures at sea and Anais was happy to eat and to listen.
Eventually, when Aethelu had exhausted her tale, Aldrich spoke.
“And what of my sister?”
“Auntie Ava and Uncle Alfred have agreed to come for a short while. They didn’t want to fly via Paris though. They decided to wait and get a direct flight. They will probably be here tomorrow. They said they would call when they know what time their flight lands so that they can be picked up at the airport.”
“Did it take a lot to persuade them?” Rafe spoke. Anais realised that she’d not had a conversation with him since Aethelu left. She wondered if he’d been purposely avoiding her, although she couldn’t think why.
“Neither of them was particularly happy about it, but they both agreed to come back for a short while. I think they were planning to visit soon anyway. I doubt they will stay too long. They are thinking of it as an extended holiday, rather than a permanent move. What about Audsley?”
She addressed Rafe now.
Anais was confused. She racked her brains. Audsley was Ava’s daughter and Aethelu’s cousin. She lived in America, as far as Anais could remember. She wondered if Rafe had been calling her.
“Audsley is doing well. She said she had to pack up the ranch before she could get over, but she promised she’d be over as soon as she could. Knowing Audsley, that could be anytime between now and three weeks into the next century. I told her that Ava and Alfred were coming, so that should step up her act a bit. I wanted her to come home with me, but you know what she’s like.”
Anais realised that he had been out to America to see his cousin. She’d been so preoccupied in missing Aethelu and everything else, that she’d not even noticed his absence. He must have left not long after his and Alex’s argument in the library. She felt ashamed that she’d been so wrapped up in her own problems that she’d not noticed anybody else. She made a mental note to try to get to know Rafe better. She thought back to the last time she’d spoken to him. It had been Christmas day. He’d not been happy with her then although she’d not taken the time to find out why.
He seemed in good spirits now, though, along with everyone else. They all raised their glasses and made a toast to family. Orange juice for Anais, champagne for everyone else.
A party atmosphere filled the room and Anais finally felt hopeful about the future. She caught Andrews’s eye. He was holding hands with a beaming Judith. She winked and he grinned and winked back.
Everything was going to be just fine.
Chapter 19
The meal went on for hours. Many toasts were given, and a lot of cake eaten. There was much to be thankful for, and the mood around the table reflected that. Anais was pregnant with children whose blood would hopefully save the world. The family was back together, and the snow had finally cleared completely, largely due to the rain that was now taking its place. It seemed as though the misery of the last few weeks had finally passed, and it was a happy group who ate that night.
After dessert, Anais looked over and noticed Aethelu’s eyes were drooping. It seemed like a good enough excuse to leave. She bade farewell to the rest of the family and took Aethelu out to the studio. It made a change, walking across the yard without trudging through a foot of snow. It was now just damp with rain and dotted with puddles, which Anais steered a very sleepy Aethelu around. She still had the key to the studio, which she used now, opening the door to a very lovely scene.
Alex had obviously found a heater, as the studio was cosy and warm. The bed was now in the centre of the studio floor. Someone had sprinkled rose petals all over the top and over the surrounding floor. A basket of muffins lay at the side and candlelight danced on the studio walls, created by hundreds of tiny white tea lights.
Aethelu was so exhausted, she barely noticed the petals, as she fell into bed fully clothed.
“I missed you so much. I thought about you every day, every minute of every day.” Aethelu held up her hand to stroke Anais cheek. Anais, who had followed her onto the bed, slowly stopped her by lightly touching her arm over her sleeve. She ached to feel the touch of Aethelu one more time, but this was not it. The Light would still be intense, and Anais was not ready for it. She held lightly onto Aethelu’s arm and looked into her inky liquid eyes, shining with the light from the candles. The desire to kiss her beautiful lips, to touch the perfect skin of her face was intense, but she fought her impulse. Instead, she drew her finger slowly up Aethelu’s arm, only slightly disturbing the light cotton material of the red shirt Aethelu was wearing. Aethelu shuddered slightly as Anais finger passed over the crook of her arm and continued its journey upwards. The light, almost translucent shirt allowed plenty of sensation to pass through its sheer material, the only barrier preventing the Light reacting between Anais and Aethelu’s skin. Anais’ finger continued up, grazing the collarbone, to caress Aethelu’s neck. Finally, Aethelu broke eye contact, She closed her eyes and let a soft “mmm” escape her lips.
Anais lingered there awhile before slowly letting her finger travel down. It traced a trail unhurriedly over the swell of Aethelu’s breast, making Aethelu squirm ever so slightly. The rest of her fingers now joined the first as she felt her way down the curve of Aethelu’s side and then up to her flat stomach. Aethelu’s eyes were still closed and her lips were slightly upturned. Anais hesitated a moment before bringing her whole hand lower until it hit the denim waistband of Aethelu’s jeans. She traced the line of jeans over Aethelu’s waist until she got to the button. Ever so slowly she popped the top button…
Knock, knock.
The door opened, and Anais pulled her hand back sharply. The light flickered wildly as a gust of cold air hit the candles, extinguishing some of them and bringing the studio into near darkness.
“Brought you these, Thought you might like them to
help you sleep” August stood there with two giant steaming mugs of hot chocolate, His huge form in silhouette, thanks to the lights in the courtyard.
He turned on the studio lights, causing Anais to blink a few times.
“Oh, not disturbing anything, am I?”
He suddenly seemed embarrassed, as he took in the scene of the candles, of which only a few were now still alight, and the rose petals. He plonked the mugs on the bedside table next to the muffins, causing some of the hot chocolate to splash out.
“No, nothing.” Anais felt herself going pink. “It’s ok. Thank you.”
August apologised for the disturbance and quickly headed for the door. He couldn’t make his escape fast enough. He shut the door quickly behind him, causing the remaining candles to flicker once again. Anais decided that she had better extinguish the few remaining candles. It would take forever to re-light the ones that had already gone out. The studio now had a faint smoky smell and for the first time, she realised that the paintings might be damaged by the smoke. She opened a couple of the ceiling high windows and the door to air out the studio. It was a freezing night and she shivered as she waited a few minutes for the smoky smell to dissipate. When she could stand it no more, she closed the door and the windows and returned to the bed.
Tiny snores told her that Aethelu had fallen asleep after her extremely long day. Anais covered her over with a blanket and slowly stroked Aethelu’s face, knowing that The Light wouldn’t affect her now that Aethelu was asleep. Her skin was soft and slightly illuminated, whether with the moonlight which was seeping through the small windows or by The Light running through her veins. It was a subtle effect, but Anais knew that if Aethelu opened her eyes, the flashes of silver in them would be intense. Aethelu murmured slightly at the touch. Anais felt something she’d not felt for the last two weeks. She felt at peace. She finally felt like home.
“Good morning sleepy.”
Anais opened her eyes to a wonderful sight. Aethelu was seated on the edge of the bed looking beautiful. The red clothes were still there, but the red lipstick had been ditched. A tan from being on the boat gave her a healthy glow, and her hair was still messed up from being slept on, but that only served to give her a sexy look. She smiled at Anais, and the whole room lit up. Anais’ heart leapt at the sight of having Aethelu near her, finally.
Aethelu handed Anais a muffin from the basket. She reached out to take it, but Aethelu pulled it back out of reach and making the most of Anais moving forward, she kissed her full on the mouth. The sparks were there still, but much less noticeable than the day before.
“Mmm, much better than a muffin,” she grinned.
“Here, eat!” She handed back the muffin, this time letting Anais take it. “Mama will kill me if she thinks you’ve not had any breakfast.”
“You’ve seen her already?”
“It’s eleven-thirty.” She pointed out the clock on the wall. “I’ve been awake for hours. I didn’t want to leave you, but Ava and Alfred arrived in the middle of the night, and Audsley just turned up a couple of hours ago, too. Alex wasn’t best pleased. He picked up Auntie and Uncle and apparently had just got back into bed when Audsley called, and he had to get up and drive back to the airport to pick her up. Apparently, one of the security guards recognised him the second time and detained him thinking he was up to no good, picking all these people up. It was only when Audsley tracked him down and explained to the officer that he was legitimately picking her up, that they let him go. I think they thought he was into human trafficking or something.”
Anais almost choked on her lemon poppy seed muffin and then started to giggle.
It was so good to have Aethelu back. She’d not felt this light-hearted in weeks.
“Poor Alex.” she said struggling to speak through her laughter.
“Come on.” I really want you to meet everyone. You’ll love Audsley; she’s a hoot.
Anais was disappointed. She’d have liked to spend the day alone with Aethelu. She quickly thought of an excuse not to go back to the main house, but even as she said it, she knew it was lame.
“I’m still in yesterday’s clothes!” She noticed that Aethelu had changed although she was still in red. Today it was a long red gypsy dress with a red cardigan over the top.
“I noticed some of your clothes upstairs. You can change into those. Have you been sleeping here whilst I was gone?”
“Yeah, I did for a bit,” Anais was embarrassed “I missed you.”
“Oh god, I love you, you complete nutter.”
“Thanks a bunch!” Anais grinned.
Dressing in some of the clothes Aethelu brought down for her, she decided to meet the rest of the family and then steer Aethelu back to the studio as soon as she could politely get away.
They found Aethelu’s aunt and uncle having tea and scones in the parlour.
A woman, Anais assumed to be Ava jumped up and hugged Aethelu and then Anais herself. Unlike all the other Guardians, Ava was extremely petite. Anais had to bend down slightly to receive the hug and that was with Ava on her tiptoes. She had dark blonde curls, which bounced around her heart-shaped face. Her skin was bronzed, with the sun, and the laughter lines around her eyes showed she smiled a lot. Indeed, she was smiling now as she spoke, and her whole face was animated. She shared none of the features of her brother Aldrich, and Anais would never have guessed they were related, never mind brother and sister.
“Pleasure to meet you, pleasure, pleasure.” She shook Anais hand so hard that Anais worried it might fall off. Her voice was light and tinkly. “Aethelu has told us so much about you. Didn’t she, Freddy?”
She turned her attention now to her husband.
“Yes, Dear.”
“And she told us how beautiful you were, and I must say she was right, wasn’t she, Freddie?”
“Yes, Dear, very pretty.”
He held his hand out for Anais to shake. He was at least a foot taller than his wife, but he shared the same bronze tan and healthy glow. He had a thick head of grey hair, which made him look debonair, rather than old. It was styled to the side and matched perfectly the moustache, which had been curled at the sides. He, too, had laughter lines around the eyes, but unlike his slim wife, he carried quite a few extra pounds around his middle. They seemed like a couple that lived well and enjoyed life. Dressed in a navy blue sundress and chinos and t-shirt respectively, it was obvious they hadn’t packed for the English weather. Unlike Judith, who was also unused to the British weather, neither of them seemed to notice that it was just over freezing outside, and they were dressed for a sunny day. The large fire, which someone had thoughtfully lit, probably helped, though, making the room warm and cosy.
Anais accepted a cup of tea and sat down. Ava chatted away about travelling the world, stopping every so often to confirm a fact with Alfred, who uttered ‘Yes, Dear’ at each of these points, as if on cue.
Alfred seemed content to let his wife speak for both of them. In fact, it seemed that he was actively enjoying listening to her tell stories of their adventures together. He was rapt by her storytelling, as if he’d not been on these adventures himself and heard the stories before. Every time Ava told them about something funny Alfred’s moustache would jiggle as he laughed. His hand never left Ava’s knee, except when he was pouring her another tea. When he dropped a bit of scone, Ava had picked it up and placed it back on his plate before he’d even noticed, talking all the while.
They were totally in synch with each other. After six hundred years together, they had become a well-oiled machine, working perfectly together as one. Anais marvelled at how they could stay in love for so long, but looking at Alfred now, she could see the adoration for his wife in his eyes.
Ava, despite talking nonstop, kept turning and smiling at her husband at shared memories.
She barely paused to take breath, skating from one adventure to the next, each more exciting than the last. It seemed there was no place they hadn’t visited, and nothing they hadn’t
tried.
Anais was exhausted just listening to her talk, but she had led such a fascinating life that Anais could have happily listened to her all day. She probably would have, if it wasn’t for the arrival of Audsley, followed an hour later by Arcadia and Rafe.
The doors flew open, and there Audsley stood, obviously used to making an entrance. She took after her mother with her height and impish face. She had the same white blonde hair as the others, but instead of dying it to make it look more natural, she’d added flashes of pink and black. Her outfit consisted of a black and pink plaid shirt over a pink bustier, black jeans and hot pink cowboy boots. Silver bangles decorated her wrists and the look was completed with a pierced lip. She looked as if she couldn’t decide between Goth and cowgirl style, so had somehow managed to wear both at the same time. She had managed to make it work, too. Despite the heavy eyeliner, she looked extremely youthful. If Anais hadn’t known better, she’d have placed her at about 17 years old. It was hard to imagine this tiny thing successfully running a tourist ranch employing 15 staff.
“Howdy!” Her voice was a lot bigger than her size.
“Audsley Darling, you’re English!” Arcadia reminded her.
“Well, yeehaw, I know it silly. Now is this my cousin’s new girl?”
Her loud voice and enthusiasm more than made up for her diminutive height. She also had a very noticeable American accent which obviously irritated Arcadia. She danced through the door, grabbed Anais and kissed her extravagantly on both cheeks, before turning to Aethelu and doing the same to her.
“Sorry it took me so long to come down, but I was chatting to Andrew’s charming girlfriend and lost track of the time. She is such a sweetheart, ain't she? Who’d a thought it. Little Andrew finally getting laid after all this time.”
“Audsley! Language.” Ava gave her a stern look.
“Sorry, Mom!” She gave a faux sheepish look and sat in the only available chair grabbing a scone on the way.