Beauty and the Horseman's Head

by Holly Kelly

  “Elizabeth, can you help me in the kitchen for a moment?” Rebekah asked.

  “While you are in there, get a large pot of water on to boil,” Agnes said.

  The two women left, and minutes later Hope heard Elizabeth say, “Where is Hope’s husband?”

  Unfortunately, the house had thin walls.

  “He had to leave.”

  “He abandoned her?”

  “No, no. It’s not like that.”

  “Then why didn’t Hope go with him?”

  Their voices were drowned out by Hope’s groans as another contraction hit. A few minutes later, Elizabeth returned from the kitchen.

  “Rebekah is getting the water on. She said it was too heavy for me to help.”

  “That is alright, dear,” Agnes said. “I can use your help right here.”

  Fourteen hours later, Hope did not think she could last a minute longer. She’d been pushing for a full four hours. She felt as weak as a drowned kitten and could barely put any effort into pushing her baby out.

  “I just cannot do it,” she rasped.

  “Nonsense,” Agnes said. “You are doing fine.”

  Hope shook her head as tears rolled down her face. “No, I am not.”

  Hope took a glance at Elizabeth and Rebekah. Their downcast expressions said it all. Hope and her baby were in serious trouble.

  “Here, sweetheart,” Agnes said. “This’ll help.” She brought a cup to Hope’s lips. “Now drink deep.”

  Heat scalded Hope’s throat as she took in a gulp of fire. She knocked the cup from Agnes’s hands.

  When she finally stopped coughing, she asked, “What did you give me?”

  “Cayenne tea.”

  “Are you crazy?” Hope shouted and coughed some more.

  “See.” Agnes turned to Rebekah. “Just look at her color now. And her energy is back.”

  “Were you in on this?” Hope asked Rebekah.

  “You needed it,” she said simply.

  Hope continued to scowl and then she had to push again. Her energy level truly was better as she pushed with all her might. This time, it felt like she made progress.

  “Ooh, good work, Hope,” Agnes said. “Your baby is crowning. It won’t be long now.”

  And it truly wasn’t. Just minutes later, they lifted a wrinkled, bloody baby up and sat it down on Hope’s bare chest as it cried and wailed. She looked down on the tiny face, and her heart completely melted. “Is it a boy?”

  “Not unless he lost something in the womb, dearie,” Agnes said.

  “Oh,” she smiled. “A girl.”

  “Yes, and she’s perfect,” Agnes said. “Just look how pink she is.”

  Hope nodded, blinking back tears as she kissed her baby’s bald head and mumbled against her skin. “Look at what we did, Conall,” she whispered. “We have a daughter.”

  “Elizabeth,” Agnes said. “Use the terry cloth and the water to wipe the baby clean, and then we’ll get her diapered and wrapped in a blanket.”

  Elizabeth got to work gently toweling her off. As she was wiping the baby’s head, she froze. “What’s wrong with her ears?”

  “Her ears?” Hope said.

  “Oh, that happens,” Agnes said, waving it off like it was no big deal. “They must have been pressed against the side of the womb.”

  “Wow,” Elizabeth said. “They look pointed. She almost looks like an Faery baby.” Her eyes widened as she darted a look from Rebekah to Agnes. “Or an elf?”

  “Very funny.” Rebekah chuckled uncomfortably. “She’s perfect.”

  “That she is,” Agnes said.

  Elizabeth’s concern melted away, and she heartily agreed with them.

  “So,” Rebekah said. “What are you going to call her?”

  Hope had put off deciding on a name. She’d hoped Conall would return before the birth and they could decide together. But that hadn’t happened. There was one name she thought he might be happy with, and it would honor her Elvin side, and Conall’s mother.

  “Her name is Talila.”

  “Ta . . . lila,” Elizabeth said. “What kind of name is that?”

  “Um, well . . .” Hope began.

  “It’s a Celtic name,” Agnes supplied.

  “But you are not Celtic,” Elizabeth said.

  “No, but Conall is,” Hope said, proud she could say his name without a breakdown into tears.

  “Oh, well. I think Talila is a beautiful name,” Elizabeth said.

  “Thank you,” Hope said, her eyes drooping as exhaustion seeped into her bones.

  “You had best hurry and suckle your baby before you fall asleep,” Agnes said. “She’ll need the nourishment.”

  Hope nodded and followed her instructions. She fell asleep with a smile on her face and warmth in her heart.

  Chapter 28

  Being the mother of a new infant was exhausting. Hope got no more than two hours sleep at any one time. Talila was up throughout the night demanding to eat. Hope might have thought she wasn’t producing enough milk, but the rolls of fat on her two-month-old said otherwise.

  Today she had to go to the market. She needed fresh eggs and milk. She’d run completely out and could not put it off any longer.

  Putting a knitted cap on Talila, Hope covered her ears. She tied a knot to secure it to keep her babe from pulling it off. She had to be extremely careful to keep her uniqueness hidden from others. Hope worried about her daughter’s future. The ears could be easily hidden. To those who had ingested thyme, the soft glow from her skin was a bit harder to mask—especially on a moonless night. Too bad thyme was a popular herb to grow in the area.

  Pushing the carriage out the door, she squinted against the bright sunlight. The wheels bumped over the uneven road as she made her way. Her heart skipped a beat when she noticed a figure in the trees near the road ahead.

  It was a woman, staring at her. Hope did not pause but kept walking. Something in the way she watched her made Hope uneasy. When she was only a few feet away, the woman smiled. Her face was dazzling—her teeth as white as pearls, her eyes too large for her delicate face. She was beautiful, though in an otherworldly way. Could she be Elvin?

  Hope mentally kicked herself for not drinking her thyme tea this morning. If she had, she would know for sure.

  “Hello,” the woman said, smiling. She stepped forward and looked down on Talila. Her eyes narrowed. “What a lovely child.”

  “Thank you.”

  “She practically glows, doesn’t she?”

  Hope swallowed uncomfortably. “She’s a little angel.”

  The woman laughed. “No, not angel. She looks more like an elf.”

  Hope’s heart pounded. “Who are you?”

  “What?” the woman looked up in mock surprise. “Conall did not mention me?”

  “And who are you to Conall?”

  “Why.” she raised an eyebrow. “I am his lover. We’ve been lovers for over a century. Though his banishment put a kink in our relationship for a while, but now that he’s back, things are better than ever. I have hardly had a moment’s sleep—not that I can complain.” She winked.

  Hope felt her heart sink. No. It’s a lie. “You mean you ‘were’ his lover.”

  The woman smirked. “If it makes you feel better to tell yourself that.”

  “It’s the truth. Conall would never betray me.”

  The woman laughed out loud. “Oh, you humans are so trusting. And I suppose you think he was taken back to Faery against his will?”

  Hope pressed her lips together and narrowed her eyes. She would not waste another breath on this woman.

  The woman laughed out loud. “You did, did you not? No, my dear. His brother lifted his banishment, and he is free to come and go as he pleases. Looks like he’s grown tired of you and is looking for lusher fields to plant his seeds in.”

  Hope shook her head. “You’re lying.” She pushed her carriage, attempting to get past the vile woman.

  She stepped into Hope’s path. �
�Oh, you think you’re special? That somehow you are different from every other lowly human? You might be beautiful now, but wait ten years. He will not be able to even look at you without cringing at your wrinkled skin and yellow teeth.” She looked down at Talila and brushed her fingers over her cheek. “And as for her…she won’t last a decade before she’s ridiculed, beaten, and finally killed. Humans cannot abide anything supernatural.”

  Hope took a menacing step toward the woman and growled, “Get away from my daughter.”

  The woman turned a furious eye on Hope. “I do not take orders from swamp rats.” And then she spoke in an unearthly voice, words that Hope could not begin to understand. Dancing lights swirled around Hope until they gathered together and floated toward her face. She wanted to flee, or even cringe away, but she could not. She found herself frozen in place.

  The lights sank into her forehead, bringing warmth just before they numbed her senses.

  The stunning creature before her strolled up and stopped when they were nose to nose. “Now, rat, I think it’s time we talk.”

  A cool breeze raised goosebumps on Hope’s arms. She stood alone in the shadows of a grove of trees, far from the village. There was a definite chill in the air. Talila’s cry rent the air.

  “Oh, my sweet baby, why are you crying?” Hope rushed forward and lifted her child from the buggy. She felt cold to the touch. Fear sliced through her. They’d only just left the house. Why were they both so chilled? And what were they doing deep in the woods?

  She looked up, and her heart skipped a beat. It was high noon when they’d left the house, but now it appeared to be late afternoon. How could she lose hours from her day; not to mention end up so far away?

  She pushed the buggy over the uneven ground and rushed home as she cradled Talila in her arms. Perhaps she was having a breakdown.

  It was possible.

  After all, she’d had so little sleep lately—not to mention that when she did sleep, it was fitful. She would see Agnes tomorrow and find out what she could do to help her rest.

  The remnants of something she could not quite put her finger on tickled her mind, as if she’d forgotten to lock a door or douse a camp fire. No. It felt like it was something much more important. Still, she could not recall what it was.

  Talila let out an ear-piercing wail. Now was not the time to figure it out. She needed to care for her baby.

  Chapter 29

  “You simply must come!” Rebekah said for the hundredth time.

  Hope rubbed her temples to ward off a headache.

  “It’s the biggest celebration of the year.”

  “It’s also the anniversary of the day I lost Talila’s father.” At times, Hope still had a difficult time saying Conall’s name. Today had been especially difficult. “Besides, Dr. Porter will be there.”

  “And that would be a bad thing?” Rebekah raised her brow. “He is wealthy, handsome, and completely smitten with you.”

  “I am a married woman.” Hope shook her head in disapproval.

  “I hate to state the obvious, but Conall is gone, and you said yourself that he’d mentioned if his brother came for him, he would likely never be allowed to return.”

  “Him living somewhere else does not mean our wedding vows are no longer in force.”

  “No, but you could get a divorce. Abandonment is grounds for one. Dr. Porter said—”

  “Oh, great.” Hope raised her hands in the air. “And now he is talking to you. I don’t know what he’s playing at, but I am weary of his attempts to subvert my marriage.”

  “He is simply worried about you,” Rebekah said.

  “I am a grown woman, I can take care of myself. I don’t need a champion.”

  “I know. Still, I really wish you would reconsider coming to the festival. Your students have missed you since you left to care for Talila. I am sure they’d love to see you.”

  Hope nodded, melancholy. “I will think about it.”

  Minutes later, Hope sank into a kitchen chair and propped up her chin with her hand. Talila lay asleep in her cradle. Should she go to the festival? Rebekah said she could drop Talila off at her house to be watched by her sitter.

  Hope truly did not feel like going, but then, she hadn’t felt like celebrating anything since Conall had disappeared. And it had only gotten worse.

  In the past month, she had woken up in a cold sweat every night with remnants of a nightmare she could not seem to recall. But she was sure Conall was featured in each one.

  Will he ever come back? Her heart ached whenever she considered the possibility that he would not. Surely, he could convince his brother to let him leave.

  But maybe she was fooling herself. Perhaps Conall had found forgetfulness in the arms of a beautiful woman with eyes almost too large for her face and a sweet, melodious voice. The image of an Elvin woman flashed in her mind.

  Hope shook off her thoughts. “Hope, this is not healthy for you, and it’s definitely not healthy for Talila—to see her mother forever pining after a man she cannot have.” Standing up, she pushed back her doubts and fears. “Alright, Hope. You’ve mourned enough. It’s time to start living.”

  It was well past sundown when Hope dropped off Talila and stepped away from Rebekah’s house. Crickets chirped in the thickets, and an owl hooted from nearby. Her heart thumped in her chest. She’d rarely walked about unescorted at night. Still, what could happen to her in Tarrytown? It was a peaceful place—well, at least it was now that the horseman and the town’s evil witch had vanished. Still, walking in the moonlight with only the shadows and eerie silence for company gave her an ominous feeling.

  She did not waste time but quickened her step, heart pounding. “What are you so afraid of, Hope?” Her voice filled the silence, making it just a tad more bearable. “There is nothing in the darkness that is not there in the daytime.”

  The snapping of a twig had her jolting to a stop. She did not step on a twig. So, who did?

  Hope broke into a run. The sounds of music and laughter of the festival filtered through the trees, and making their way to her. If only she could get there, she’d be safe. A sharp pain shot through her foot as it met something hard. She flew toward the ground. When she hit the dirt road, there was more pain—mostly in her hands. Laughter billowed around her. Her heart slammed against her chest. That laughter was too close to be from the celebration.

  Hope scrambled off the ground and ran headlong into something hard. Her heart stopped when a familiar voice said, “Hello, wife.”

  She shook her head. “You are not my husband.”

  A group of dozen men stepped from the trees into the road, one lifting a lantern. The flickering light fell on her would-be husband. The shadows stretched over his face drove chills down her spine. The smell of sweaty men mixed with the scent of fall leaves.

  Hope turned her eyes toward the glow of the festival. Should she cry out for help? Would anyone even hear her with all the music and revelry going on. Probably not.

  He chuckled again. “We made vows until death do us part. Do either of us look dead?”

  “You annulled our marriage.”

  “Who told you that?” he growled.

  “A friend.”

  “And does this friend have a name?”

  Hope shook her head. She would take that information to the grave. She would give this man nothing that would put her friends in harm’s way.

  He raised his hand and she cringed away. When he did not strike her, she took a shaky breath and asked, “What are you going to do to me?”

  “I am not going to do anything to you.”

  She looked up. She’d hoped she’d find some hint of compassion in his eyes; instead she found nothing but malice, cold and hard. “Now the constables with me, they have orders to bring you in dead or alive.”

  “And what is my crime?” she asked, jutting her chin out.

  “You know very well what you did.”

  “The only thing I did wrong those many years
ago was to agree with my father that I would marry you.”

  “And then you shot him. Not a very loving way to treat the man who raised you.”

  “That is a lie. I would never raise a hand to my father.”

  “I have eight witnesses that say otherwise.”

  “I thought it was only three? Have you paid a few others for their testimonies?”

  He narrowed his eyes. “Those eight men are honorable men. They would not lie about a crime so heinous. And the judge thought so too. He condemned you regardless of your absence.”

  “Your definition of honor and my definition of honor are two very different things.”

  “Says a murderess.”

  “I did not kill anyone.”

  “We’ve already been over this. Now, I don’t blame you for being upset. If I were about to be hanged, I might be upset too. But I do have a deal I can broker with you.”

  “And what deal would you be able to offer?” she said as a sick feeling settled in her stomach.

  “I hold your life in my hands, Hope,” he said. “The judge in Boston has given me, as your husband, the right to choose your fate—life or death. There is a jail in Ipswich that would hold you for the duration of your life. There you will receive food and a bed to lay your head. In exchange for this leniency, I would visit you from time to time.”

  “And why would you care to visit me?” She narrowed her eyes.

  Eli laughed and then leaned down and lowered his voice. “It pleases me to see you are even more beautiful than I remembered, and it pleases me even more that you are still so innocent. I will take great pleasure in ridding you of that innocence, my sweet. In the end, you will beg me to come to you. I can promise you that.”

  “I will never beg you. And I would rather die than lie in your bed.”

  At those words, his hand flew, striking her on the cheek. Hope was knocked back, hitting the hard ground. Dazed and in pain she choked back a sob.

  “If that is your decision, then I will arrange it,” he said. “I will give you until sunrise to decide otherwise. If you still refuse, you will hang.” He turned to a circle of men who approached. “Tie her up and put her in the wagon.”