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Final Part
-6-
Bri’s eyes landed on the bride where she stood chatting with the other women.
Her hand lifted from her side and she pointed at Des with great derision. Her laugh erupted and she screamed, “Witch! Liar! Unforgiving SLUT!”
All eyes were on Bri now and she seethed, “How could you! I will KILL you, Desdemona! If that is him, I will KILL you!” she gestured to the roasted bird.
Bri ran from the scene, tripping once on her skirts but jumping up swiftly. She scurried to the pond, quickly for it was downhill. The ornamented swans all swam away from her, save one. It wagged its tail and stepped out of the water, shaking itself off.
Bri recognized her earl swan and she gathered the animal into her arms. “Darling! Oh, I thought they had killed you! I’m so sorry.”
She made her way back toward the reception, with the swan in her arms.
Of course, there were no eyes that were not on her. She was still seething. “I thought you had cooked him, Desdemona. I am sorry I had an outburst.”
With that, there was uproarious and merry laughter.
“Poor dear,” a woman exclaimed. “She thought we were eating her pet!”
Though the crowd was ready to laugh it off as some terrible misunderstanding—for who had not wanted to call Desdemona those words before? -- Bri remained stoic, teeth bared.
Des approached her, pulled her close then and whispered in her ear, “A kiss will change him back, love.”
“What?”
“A true love’s kiss,” Des whispered. “I am giving you this one chance.”
The crowd was straining to hear the women’s words but Bri backed up, holding the swan.
“Right here? Right now?”
“Last chance,” Des offered, flipping her curled hair back.
Bri eyed the swan, which looked at her blankly. Poor Orion. If he died a bird Bri would never forgive herself.
Thinking of the short lifespan he would lead while caged in a bird’s form, Bri took the bird’s bill in her hand and kissed it lovingly.
There was a crushing silence on the crowd. Then, the voice of Bri’s former husband began to laugh and all joined in the uproar. Derision and jeering came from all direction and Bri turned her eyes to Des with fury.
“The bird is still a bird, and the slut still a slut,” Bri spat.
Des wore a cruel smile, but before she could have fun with her joke, a powerful but soft baritone silenced the crowd, “That is Quite enough!”
People made a clearing, and the tall mystery woman pushed forward in the crowd and seized Bri by the shoulders. She threw back her veil to reveal green eyes and Bri nearly fainted.
“M-m-m-my Lord!” she exclaimed. “You’re a lady!”
“Oh, yes…” Orion looked himself over, a convincing, albeit tall, woman. “I can explain the dress.”
“You look nice,” Bri offered, still hugging the bird.
“Thank you,” Orion curtseyed. He then turned his sharp eyes to Des, calling everyone’s attention to the flustered bride.
“This woman tried to have me killed! And apparently now she’s tormenting her own bridesmaid!”
Orion yanked off the wig of long blonde hair and revealed himself to everyone.
“Is that man wearing a DRESS!” one man shouted.
“I had to. I have been hunted for over two weeks now because Desdemona Parade has paid for my assassination.”
Des made a quick attempt for people’s pity, citing that the earl was mad. “Just look at him, he’s in a dress!”
The crowd had a second shock. Puli, the butler stepped forward and vouched for Lord Hookwell. “He’s telling the truth…” Puli stepped forward and offered himself as evidence, “I am ashamed of my original role.”
At Puli’s side, a lawman, dressed well for the occasion but still sporting his badge commanded everyone to remain calm while he took Desdemona into custody.
The other shady servants began to disappear one by one, sneaking off, adding to the suspicion. The crowd was soon spreading out, leaving Des unprotected/
The lawman took the bride by the arm and led her away, but not before she shot Bri one last look of real panic. Bri turned back to her swan and set him on the ground.
“My lord…I thought you were a swan. She…she told me my kiss would turn you back.”
“I was hiding until I could get to you. But, Brigid, you kissed a dirty pond bird for me?” he asked, massaging her ear.
She had already forgotten he was dressed as a woman.
“I would kiss 99 more dirty pond birds for you, muffin.”
“Ah, well…that won’t be necessary,” he promised, watching the loyal bird on the ground.
“I tried to contact you. But it was difficult. I came here today to talk to you in disguise…I was not going to reveal her until after you knew…”
Bri threw her arms around his neck without warning and forced their mouths together. Then many were watching the small woman kiss the tall man in a dress, but there was less to be said, for the same woman had already kissed a swan.
EPILOGUE
Bri sat across from the earl in the carriage.
They were going to town, nearly two hours after Desdemona’s wedding. Orion had reappeared after going into the Parade mansion and immerged a man again, all signs of lace and ribbons gone.
“I am still impressed, my lord,” Bri told him, “with how pretty you are as a woman.”
“Thank you, my dear. I had to be convincing.”
He had explained the course of events to Bri after things had simmered down at the estate. Desdemona was in the custody of the police for the night, being questioned about her underground connections. Her servants, all but Puli, had slinked off to avoid capture.
“They were probably once soldiers, we mustn’t judge them too harshly,” Orion explained, “Britain has not been so kind to them.”
The officer in the crowd had been aware of Orion and Puli’s presence, for they had gone to authorities first.
Bri was still processing it all when the earl asked her, “What about your friend?”
Bri blinked at him.
“The swan?” he laughed.
“We are only good friends, I promise.”
They shared a laugh before Orion took her to a coffee shop where they sat down to unwind.
“I noticed my notes rummaged through…” he spoke up in the silence.
Bri blew on her coffee to cool it and smiled. Her laugh came up and she shook her head, “I was delusional. I really believed you were a bird, my lord.”
“And you stayed in that awful woman’s presence to be near the bird.”
“She would not fire me.”
“If she had, though, what would you have done?”
“Taken Muffin with me.”
“So, you believed she was a witch and knew she felt malice for you? But you stayed.”
“Yes…yes, I suppose I was mad in more than one way.”
Orion was careful, reaching over to take Bri’s hand into his. “Ms. Salud, would you be my bookkeeper?”
Some of her anxiety drained when he asked this. He was offering her a job.
“You wish for me to work with you?”
“I have been working on a book for quite some time. I need help, though. I know I’ve told you about it, but not thoroughly. Are you interested, Ms. Salud?”
She wanted to laugh at the way he tried to ice over his true intentions. She had always expressed interest in his strange projects. This particular book would be a study on “paranormal sexuality,” much to everyone’s horror. But the earl was content on probing the dark spaces of mythology for answers that others seemed to avoid.
But Bri knew the real question he was asking. It was more than a bookkeeper he saw her as.
“I would be happy to be near you.” she grinned. “I feel at peace with you.”
He smiled then, and laughed, somewhat nervous. It was refreshing to see his composure break down. “I feel the same. I…” he looked about.
There were no eavesdroppers and the barista was busy in the back of the shop.
“I…have never met a woman like you before. You understand my meaning?”
She nodded. She understood, because she had no expectations of him and did not insult him when he did things differently.
“You do? You understand?”
She could feel his hand tremble a bit. He was sensitive and sometimes she forgot how much.
“I understand,” she whispered. “Many men want to be a lover, they want to love someone and woo them, to make them swoon and whatnot. You want to be loved. You want someone to woo you and make you swoon.”
He was quiet, only staring now.
Bri offered. “I understand, muffin. You don’t have to be nervous.”
As the barista reappeared, whistling to himself, Bri went to release Orion’s hand but his fingers remained firm, linked with hers. She smiled and offered her other hand so that they were equal.
Before nightfall, Orion took Bri back to Parade estate, where she packed many of her things. She did not own much but her clothing and book collection. But before she left the estate, she visited the pond and collected her favorite swan.
She and the earl waited by the pond and sure enough, a large male swan floated over to them and Bri outstretched her hands. He walked into her embrace and she lifted him.
“You think they will mind him on the train?” Bri asked.
“I’m sure they can be persuaded,” Orion reminded her.
She was not used to having an employer spend their wealth in her favor.
As they began to return to the carriage with the bird, they stopped when they heard the swish of many wings. They turned to see that the flock had risen and flew above their heads, creating a small wind in the process, pushing them forward. They paused for one moment more, watching the swans form a perfect V in the sky.
“Dazzling,” Orion mused.
Bri put one arm about his waist and held the animal in the other hand, and they continued walking, following the arrow the birds made in the sky.
© 2010,2011 Luz Briar.
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