Natural Selection
Page 21
“I suppose we both need each other then, don’t we?” he asked with more skepticism in his voice than he wanted to reveal.
Emilia smiled genuinely for the first time since seeing Kasper awake. “Of course we do. If odd balls like us don’t stick together, there won’t be any of us left.”
Epilogue
The crisp air of the autumn night brought the guests in from the outside, the luscious gardens only tempting those who had thought to wear an additional layer over their dress or suit. Emilia smiled at a woman whose gown was equally as loud as she was and rolled her eyes once she was safely out of sight. She slipped through the crowds effortlessly, most of the guests much too enthralled with the sophistication of Iram Manor and the magnetism of candy corn cocktails and bleeding vespers. Truth be told, most of them hardly noticed the hostess unless someone pointed her out to them. And when they did, she greeted them warmly, introduced herself, and always made the effort to compliment their costume.
After all, one of the hosts had to entertain the guests.
Emilia scanned the happy flocks of party-goers, though she knew she wouldn’t find him there. It was much too easy for Kasper to blend in between the masked party-goers, the artificial spider-webs and fog from the rented machine—she knew she’d be lucky to see him at all.
She weaved her way through the line of apple-bobbers, waving to Claudette, who was the Wilma to her boyfriend’s Fred as they made out in front of some of the artistically carved pumpkins in the corner.
Clearly not approving of this behavior, nor of that of any of the other young guests, Mrs. Levkin frowned deeply, while trying to resecure the Statue of Liberty crown on her head. She laughed to herself as she watched Mr. Shiraz hand her a Bloody Mary. She thought she saw his mouth say something along the lines of how she should ‘lighten-up’ but she wasn’t sure.
She took the first few stairs to the third floor to try and obtain a better view of the great hall. If Kasper was there, she would find him.
Of course, she knew he wouldn’t be.
Emilia scoffed and continued up the stairs. Mrs. Levkin had practically guarded the staircase, forbidding the entry of anyone Emilia or Kasper didn’t personally know, but now that things were in full swing, Emilia ventured to search for him herself. If it was the last thing she ever did, she would make him at least give an appearance.
This party had, after all, been his idea.
With the other doors locked, she knew where to look for him right away. Though it had been months, she could hardly go into that room without shuddering, the memory of Kasper’s almost departure still fresh in her mind. Yet Kasper seemed completely unaffected by the memories his office held, and nearly impervious to his own suicide attempt. He, in fact said that he appreciated the office more than ever since it was the room where she had saved his life.
They agreed to disagree.
She could see the light coming from beneath the door as she stepped into the hall. Normally, she would have walked in without delay, yet given the nervousness she knew he would be feeling, she knocked loudly before letting herself in.
“You do know you’re missing your own party, don’t you?”
Kasper wasn’t in his chair, or even laying on the sofa as he occasionally did. The only sign of life at all in the room were the curtains blowing past the veranda, letting in the cool night air.
“Kasper?”
“I am here,” he answered.
She followed the sound of his voice to the balcony, unsurprised to see him standing near one of the pillars with a glass of wine in hand.
“You should not be out here,” he said without turning around. “It is much too frigid.”
“You’ll keep me warm.” Emilia entangled her arm around his and snuggled up to him. From the corner of her eye, she saw him smile.
“What are you doing out here, anyway? You aren’t trying to escape, are you?”
He tensed in her arms. “Just thinking.”
There was no such thing as Kasper just doing anything. Emilia sighed and tried to read his expression, which was considerably harder than usual given the dark and the costume mask he had exchanged for his usual one. She looked out instead on the lights that had been wrapped around the pillars and sighed.
“Are you all right, Kasper? You’ve been antsy the last few days and I don’t think it’s just about the party. What’s going on?”
His hesitation only increased her concern.
“I-I have an issue that has been weighing on my mind lately…”
“An issue? What kind of an issue? What’s wrong?”
Smiling, he rested his glass on the concrete bistro table. How prone to worry his little peach was! How very sensitive to his concerns and tribulations! Would she never cease to understand that he had forgiven the misunderstanding between them? That she did not have to fear for him as long as her own happiness was protected?
“Rest easy, you foolish girl, not everything is a matter for you to fret over.” He chuckled to himself and ran his fingers in her hair, straightening her light curls and watching them bounce back to life.
“Then what is it?” she said with obvious relief. “What is this issue of yours?”
“It is—” He looked over her shoulder and stared off to search for the right words. “Less of an issue and more of a question…”
Emilia leaned into his hand and smiled. At least, it wasn’t anything serious. “What sort of question? Something serious?”
“A far more important question than all these silly little ones you are asking.”
“Well, out with it then.” She laughed. “What has you all twisted up in here?”
His face fell as she rested her hand on the left side of his chest, tapping a playful rhythm like a heartbeat.
“You do.”
“Kasper?”
“Emilia Ward, you have assaulted me, seduced me, and tortured me. Would you say it is fair that you owe me a large debt?”
Just the inkling of smile broke out on her face. “I suppose so. But why—”
“If,” he said with intended emphasis, “you agree that you are indebted to me, then there is only one remedy that will expunge you.”
“Oh?” She rolled her eyes. “And what’s that?”
“W—well,” he stuttered. “You must marry me.”
“I-I must?”
“Emilia, I love you a great deal more than anything else in the world. If you agree to be mine—from a legal perspective—” he was sure to add. “I will insure you are well provided for and taken care of for the rest of your days. You will want for nothing and—”
“Yes,” she said between a fit of giggles.
His disbelief was evident even the dark. “Y-yes? Really? Truly?”
“Really and truly!” Laughing, she threw herself into his arms, where he embraced her gladly and muttered a prayer of thanks beside her ear.
“I only have one condition.”
She pulled away so suddenly Kasper still had his arms outstretched, he could still feel the warmth of her around him.
“Anything,” he gasped with relief. “Name anything you want and it will be yours.”
From serious to playful, her expression changed and she worked her fingers to remove the mask that kept them separated.
“We have to start the honeymoon tonight.”
“Oh,” he said, leaning in to take her lips for his own. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Acknowledgements
All my love and thanks to the crew at Limitless Publishing, including Jennifer O’Neil, Jessica Gunhammer, Dixie Matthews, Olivia Osland, and Jen Snowden. Additional thanks to my editors Toni Rakestraw and Sarah Cotchaleovitch for being their awesome selves.
A special note of thanks to my family, friends, readers, colleagues, and all the bloggers who constantly encourage and cheer me on. You guys are the best!
About the Author
A native of New Jersey
and lifelong nerd, Amanda Lance recently completed her Master in Liberal Arts at Thomas Edison State College after her BA in English Literature and AFA in creative writing. As an avid reader of all genres, some of her favorite authors include Hemingway, Marquis de Sade, Stevenson, Bukowski and Radcliffe.
When she isn’t writing or reading, Amanda can found indulging in film noir or hiking with her other half and their extremely spoiled dog. She is obsessively working on her next book and trying to tame her caffeine addiction.