“Good morning, Miss Claudia. I did ask you not to run, I believe?” Margaret quirked a heavily pencilled eyebrow.
“I’m sorry, Margaret, but I’m very hungry today.”
“Well, at least you’re dressed.” The housekeeper sighed. “I’ve decided that Spotty can come inside again to keep you company, however, I noticed he seemed quite neglected yesterday, asleep on a chair in the library. I hope that means you were busy reading?” She curled a tea towel in one hand and planted the other on her hip. “The gardener will bring him in after breakfast.”
“Oh, thank you, Margaret!” Claudia clasped her hands together, committing the brief moment of kindness to memory.
“You be sure to finish your lessons though, I’ve put them out on your desk in the schoolroom. A cold lunch is ready for you; I noticed you didn’t eat yesterday?”
Claudia’s cheeks blazed red. “I think I forgot.”
“You must not forget to eat, that’s why you’re so hungry today. I’ll be in the guest wing all week with two ladies from town; up in that airless attic, polishing all that ridiculous silver that no one sees. Ah well, but it must be done, even if it’s just going straight back into boxes for you to inherit someday. Please don’t bother us, unless you must, hmm?”
“I won’t bother you.” Claudia spoke in a whisper, lowering her head and dropping her arms so they swung against her legs a few times.
Today, though, the feeling of rejection was brief. She watched Margaret leave, then shovelled the porridge into her mouth and gathered up the bread and cheese left in the fridge. When old man gardener came, she was standing next to the back door, tapping the wooden frame and chewing on her bottom lip.
“I see you’re ready then, Miss?” He chuckled. “Margaret…erm…that housekeeper not here today then? What about Campbell?”
“Mr Campbell is hunting, and Margaret is going to be up in the attic all day.”
“Good. Let’s go then.”
“Okay. Thank you for coming for me again. May I ask you a question?”
“You can.” He turned to face her, nodding once.
“What’s your name?”
“Why, it’s Lennard, Miss. Lenny to my friends.”
“Well then, Lenny, it is my biggest ever pleasure to know you.” Claudia dipped low in her best attempt at a curtsey.
“And you, Miss.” He chuckled again.
“Please, Lenny, can you call me Claudia?” She smiled, feeling hopeful.
“I’d like to, Miss, but it don’t feel right.” His eyes glistened: red and watery. “Right then, Miss, let’s go.”
This time she ran all the way to the camp. Dane stood smiling under a fig tree, leaning casually against the trunk, one hand waving at them. She hadn’t factored in the momentum of running downhill and had to put her hands out towards his chest to stop.
“Good morning to you, little lady of the glass house. Not scared anymore, I take it?” he asked, in a mock stumble backwards.
“I’m just so happy to be back!” Her legs trembled as she struggled to cope with the surge of adrenalin capturing her bones.
“And we’re happy to see you again,” Oriana said as she peeked around the side of a wagon. Dane shared an odd look with his gypsy girlfriend, before calling for Brishan.
Maybe they don’t want me here. Why would they want me, the strange girl from the house, hanging around?
“Have you eaten, Claudia? We’re about to have a delicious snack,” Oriana said.
“I had some porridge this morning, but I could eat more.” Claudia nodded and Dane caught her hand to lead her over to the clearing by the lake.
Freshly baked bread coated with sticky, sweet jam beckoned her taste buds and Claudia relished the oddity of eating outdoors, sitting cross-legged on the cold, dewy grass.
“Tell me what you do with your days, Claudia. Considering you can’t go outdoors, how do you entertain yourself?” Dane stared at her intently.
“Well, I study each day. I do science and maths and literature and geography and Mr Campbell tries to teach me music, but he can’t sing.” Claudia spoke quickly, keeping time with the butterflies in her stomach.
“We can help you with that, dear one, music is as important as water within this camp.” Oriana smiled as she spoke and Claudia couldn’t help but stare. The gypsy’s chocolate brown eyes twinkled beneath impossibly long, thick lashes, her straight, delicate nose crinkled and her full, red-tinged lips stretched over perfectly straight teeth.
“I can see you’re very intelligent, your eyes glow with it.” Dane smiled.
Claudia tore her eyes away from Oriana’s striking face to smile at Dane. “I’m good at English and I love geography, but I definitely don’t like maths.”
Just as her nerves calmed beneath Dane and Oriana’s warm and welcoming words, Brishan trotted up on a muscular, black horse. His hands held the reins in a relaxed grip and Claudia gasped, frightened the animal would rear and kick her.
“Good morning, fairy. You look dressed for riding, jump on,” he said, winking and gesturing to her with long, tanned fingers.
She knew she looked stupid, staring at him with her mouth open, but nerves rendered her senseless. Speak, Claudia, just speak. She looked at Dane and Oriana and they gazed back with open faces, no pressure in their eyes.
She took a deep breath. “These are my only comfortable clothes, everything else I have is, well, too good to wear.” How to tell them? Where would I start? “I’ve only ever sat on a horse to be walked around a pen.” She looked at Dane, rooted to the spot now as the butterflies inside surged into a frenzy.
“Forgive us, sweet one. We presumed, because of your clothes yesterday, that you were a horse fanatic. But it doesn’t matter, Claudia,” Dane said, nodding at her and putting his hands out to help her up. “We’ll teach you.” With that he lifted her, his lean arms gripping her waist, to place her in front of Brishan. There was no saddle, so she grasped the horse’s mane, her fingers almost paralysed with her fear.
“Go slowly, Brishan, no showing off,” Oriana instructed, giving Claudia’s ankle a reassuring squeeze.
“Me? A show off? What on earth do you mean?” Brishan called back with an airy laugh, as he delicately repositioned her hands on the crest of the mane and kicked the horse into a trot towards the valley.
Claudia held on tight and squealed as they sped, faster and faster towards the open field, her fear disappearing with the onset of freedom. Brishan chuckled in her ear, the musical sound ringing through the rushing wind. She turned to face him, anxious to see his eyes, eager to gauge his expression. His long hair streamed behind him in a black, torrent of waves. The almond-shaped eyes crinkled with laughter, hiding the shocking green of his irises and his powerful arms glowed with a dark tan.
I’m on a horse, in the valley, with a boy. Oh my God. She opened her mouth to tell him how much she was enjoying the ride, just to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. But his jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed as he stared, not at her, but straight ahead.
“Whoa!” His shout vibrated in her chest.
Claudia’s neck strained as she swung to the front, just in time to see a woman standing directly in their path, her purple, voluminous cloak billowing in the breeze.
Brishan pulled frantically on the reins, but the horse reared and her body fell back with the momentum. He gripped her waist with one arm and the air left her lungs as her ribs were crushed beneath the strength of his hold.
Her breath came back in short, quick gasps.
Then she was falling, falling within the iron-tight circle of Brishan’s arms; and all she knew was the wind roaring in her ears.
Chapter Three
Good Luck Tears
Claudia screamed. A woman leaned over her, breath strong with garlic. Tendrils of grey hair dangled from her head like slithering snakes. Her eyes were dark amber and her thin lips moved rapidly, murmuring some kind of chant.
“Welcome back, sweet one, everything is fine, you’re not seri
ously hurt.” Dane’s face came into the picture, blocking out the woman’s purple clad body.
Claudia struggled to sit as a succession of images flashed through her mind. “Oh, I remember. Is Brishan hurt? What about the horse?” she whispered through dry lips.
“Both horse and boy are fine. It’s lucky Cosima was there, she’s a strong healer.” Dane smiled down at her, gently sweeping the back of his hand over her forehead.
“But…” Claudia didn’t know what to say. This witch, and she surely must be a witch, had made them fall from the horse. She’d been standing right in front of them, blocking their path. Hadn’t she?
How to tell Dane? Why hadn’t Brishan told him?
“Hush now, just rest a moment. I see you have your friends with you.”
“Friends…?”
“Why, the two dark haired beauties hovering over you.” Dane laughed as if it were commonplace for others to be able see one’s imaginary friends. She could see Snow-White and Rose-Red, quite clearly beside her. But how can he?
“I see your curious brain working overtime. Trust me, all is revealed to those who wait and those who rest. I’ll come back for you in a short while. Let Cosima’s medicine do its work first.” Before he left, Dane brushed the hair from her face with a touch so comforting in its warmth that a sigh escaped her lips.
Claudia looked around, realising she was inside one of the wagons. The room glowed purple and blue from naked light bulbs and the bed enfolded her in rich, silky fabric. With timid fingers, she touched her head and noticed a tender, swollen bump towards the back.
The snake-haired woman had left with Dane and she was alone, except for Snow-White and Rose-Red, giggling into tiny hands and looking at her with mischief in their eyes. Claudia shook her head as she tried to sit up again. A smooth, red sheet slid from her body, revealing her nudity. At the same moment, someone knocked on the door. She gasped, quickly covering herself and running a trembling hand through her hair.
“Bet you got a good knock on the head.” Brishan stood in the doorway, a forced smile highlighting his red-rimmed eyes.
“I can feel a bump. Are you…okay?”
“Better than you I expect, little fairy. But you’ll soon recover. Oriana has found some clothes for you to wear.” He walked to the bed and put a bundle at her side. “That riding outfit of yours just won’t do for the festival, and besides, my mother is washing it. Seems you slid into a very muddy ditch.”
“What festival?” When will I wake up?
“You’ll see.” Brishan’s smile disappeared as he turned to stare out the window towards the horizon. He lowered his head and seemed to study his thumbnail before biting at the edges. “Stupid people leaving traps out in the middle of the valley. I can’t imagine who would do something so thoughtless. Probably trying to catch wild deer or something.”
“What traps?” I’m either dreaming or completely stupid.
“The trap we nearly ran in to, that’s why we fell. I’m so sorry I didn’t see it in time. I was too…well…let’s just say…preoccupied.” His lips turned up on one side, ever so slightly. “Poor Zeus had a hard time, but he did manage to jump over it, he’s a good horse. I’m really sorry about your head.” Brishan frowned and gazed at her without blinking.
“I know it wasn’t your fault, it was the woman, Cosima. She blocked our path.”
“What do you mean? She was out in the valley collecting herbs. Lucky, because she’s a master healer, stopped all that blood pouring out of your head in a second.”
“But—”
“Oh!” he said, slapping his forehead and nodding. “You saw her before we fell, right?”
“Yes,” Claudia said with some force.
“It was a projection of herself. Hard to explain, but she has the second sight. She knew it was going to happen before it did.”
“Oh.”
“It’s okay now, Claudia. Everything will be okay. Get dressed and come outside, I don’t want you to miss out.” He bowed, his smile fully returned as he backed out of the wagon.
Claudia put her hands to her head and squeezed, feeling like she no longer knew what her own name was. She picked up the bundle and unravelled it, gasping as glittery, blue fabric rimmed in gold tumbled out. The dress shimmered as it moved, and when she slipped it on, the sleeves engulfed her arms, swirling about in a dance of their own. A red tasselled headscarf topped with a gold floral wreath completed the outfit and for a few seconds Claudia simply stared down at the magnificent clothes and her petite frame in it.
“My lady. Might I say you look ready for a festival? What are you waiting for?” Dane was at the door, grinning and offering her his hand.
Music filled her ears and vibrated in her chest. Her face contorted into a mass of twitches and she clamped her teeth down on her lower lip to control them. She stepped out of the wagon with the help of Dane’s outstretched hand and ran straight into Lenny.
His weathered old face lit up at the sight of her in the costume. “I hear you’ve been in a bit of a scrape, Miss, everything all right now?”
For a moment, she wanted to run into his sinewy, brown arms and ask him to take her away from these strange people with their dark eyes and weird magic. It’s just my head, and the shock and the…don’t be afraid. Nothing to be afraid of. But the feeling remained.
“There there, Miss. You’ll be fine. I’ll stay here with you for a short while before we have to get back.” Lenny seemed to read her mind and his kindness made her throat constrict. A single tear ran down her face.
“Tears are good luck you know.” Brishan was at her side again, his lopsided grin transforming his elfin features. “It is said that once a tear enters the earth, it sparks a shoot that grows up to the sky to grant your deepest desires.”
Gently, with his pointer finger, he stroked the path the tear had left on her cheek. His green eyes focused on hers and her breathing deepened. A sense of calm washed over her like a cool, refreshing breeze and she unclenched her fists, releasing the stiffness building in her spine.
“Feel better, little fairy?” Brishan’s voice, low and melodious, sounded much older than his sixteen years. She felt vague and sleepy, but peaceful all of a sudden.
“Come then, there is dancing to be done.” He clasped her hand and pulled her towards the clearing. She turned to make sure Lenny was following, and he was, his skinny, bowed legs carrying him as fast as they could.
Brishan led her towards a group of strangers and pushed her out in front of them, as if she were the prize catch of the day. “My parents,” he whispered in her ear.
“So, this is the fairy.” Brishan’s mother, Selina, spoke in a voice coated with honey. She looked very much like Oriana, with thick waves of chocolate coloured hair and matching eyes, but she was shorter and older and more…motherly. Claudia took one step closer, angling her body towards the woman.
“Brishan thinks he’s finally met a fey creature.” Brishan’s father, Eamon, towered over Selina, his tight red curls falling into his green eyes. “Watch out, he might capture you in a bottle to keep under his bed.” Eamon winked and Claudia couldn’t help but smile at the man’s cheerful face.
“Are you Oriana’s sister?” Claudia turned back to Selina, her voice a mere whisper as she glanced down at the grass. How lucky they are. Imagine having a sister!
“Do we look so much alike?” Selina asked, glancing over her shoulder. Claudia noticed Dane and Oriana approaching, smiles playing on their faces.
“What awful things does my sister say about me?” Oriana raised her black, perfectly arched eyebrows
“Oh nothing, dear sister, Claudia was just observing our likeness,” Selina said, dark eyes glinting.
“Well, yes, apart from my superior intellect.” Oriana laughed and knelt down to hold Claudia’s hands. “How are you, sweet one? Does your head still hurt?” She spoke with such concern that Claudia felt a lump in her throat again.
“It’s a little sore, but not too bad.”
“You’re very brave. Cosima will soon give you more medicine and it will heal completely. Do not be frightened of her, I promise you, she means you no harm.”
Without thinking, Claudia threw her arms around Oriana, trying to convey the emotions coursing through her: trust, thankfulness, delight. Oriana simply patted her back and whispered soothing words in her ear.
Is this what it’s like to have a mother?
“Would you like to see our show?” Oriana pulled back and smoothed Claudia’s hair from her face.
“Oh yes!”
“Go and sit with Brishan then, we’re about to start.”
A low, throbbing, drumbeat announced the start of the rehearsal. As Claudia sat, transfixed, the story of a poor gypsy girl falling in love with an unattainable prince unfolded within the haunting music. Oriana, playing the lead, danced with a desperate passion as she tried to seduce her prince. Dane, the prince, plucked exquisite melodies from a lute within the glow of an imaginary fire, all the while staring in adoration at the gypsy dancer.
The spell was broken only by applause, exploding and filling the air with rapture. Dazed, Claudia closed her eyes and pressed her palms over her heart, seeking to contain the magic within. Then, she felt warm hands slide over her shoulders, gripping her under the arms to lift her to her feet. Brishan turned her to face him as the sound of tinkling bells and echoing cymbals caressed her ears. Dancers swirled into the clearing, claiming the space with vibrant movement, their energy forcing her feet to tap out a song of their own on the spongy ground.
Dane and Oriana drew them into a dancing circle and Claudia squealed as they spun faster and faster on the grass. Oriana’s smiling face grew blurry in front of her and their clasped hands became slippery with sweat. Her chest heaved as she struggled to draw breath and she collapsed on the ground, laughing amid the heat of dancing bodies.
Gypsy Trail Page 4
