“He's there, out cold,” he said as he nodded to a limp lump on the floor.
“You won't have to worry about him anymore. I have ways of enforcing threats I make, and if I'm not mistaken, you will find that he'll be leaving the country in short order. Otherwise, he will find himself as crew on one of my ships leaving for India.”
Bathsheba pressed herself even closer to Mr. Hutton's chest, appreciating the strong heartbeat and the security of his arms. It might be the only chance she would ever get.
“You do realise that you are obliged to marry me now?” he said laughing.
She sat up abruptly.
“What do you mean?” She wasn't sure that she had heard him correctly. Now she was completely alert and in control of her wits.
“Marry you?”
“Well, you have been found in a rather compromising situation and I'm afraid your reputation is shot,” he explained quite succinctly.
She looked around the room. It was quiet. The lump on the floor was hardly breathing.
“Wait a minute. Wait a minute... There's no one else here. Who found me in a compromising situation?”
His grin said it all.
“Will you marry me, Bathsheba?” He insisted.
“But we don't really know one another,” she said a little hesitantly.
“Would you like me to enumerate all those foreign countries where the bride only meets the groom on the day of their marriage? Or the countries where the bride is bought for a couple of camels? Or...”
“Stop! You've made your point.”
“Does that mean ‘yes’, you will marry me?”
“I am sitting on your lap in a torn dress. Just who is in the compromising situation?” she teased.
And then she leaned towards him and gently placed her lips on his.
He pulled her nearer and as she savoured his kiss, she knew that her interrupted dream about swashbuckling pirates had just found its satisfying end.
Epilogue
Gregory did find he was needed on the continent for important business, and so he left the next day with the tide and a broken nose. Alistair had insisted that he never mention the incident to anyone, and when Gregory realised just who Alistair Hutton was, he never did.
Peggy would never know what had happened to precipitate Bathsheba and Alistair's wedding. She suspected that the gypsy oils she had used on Bathsheba might have worked after all. She had been saving them for herself, but didn't regret one second using them on her mistress. There had still been hope for Peggy, nevertheless, because Alistair's valet had been particularly attentive to her once she was part of the Hutton household.
Bathsheba was delightful in a cream and apricot coloured wedding dress. She would never be seen wearing burgundy again. Alistair often kidded her about having to marry him, but she would make him admit that she had been worth a whole lot more than a couple of camels.
*
Bathsheba and Alistair's grandchildren would never tire of hearing the magical story of their grandparent's marriage, and especially of hearing how a pirate fought for and won his lady, on their very first evening together.
* * *
An Anglo/American who lived in France for over 30 years, Suzy Stewart Dubot began writing as soon as she retired. Before then, she worked at a variety of jobs, some of the more interesting being : Art & Crafts teacher, Bartender, Marketing Assistant for N° 1 World Yacht Charterers (Moorings), Beaux Arts Model, Secretary to the French Haflinger Association. With her daughters, she is a vegetarian, a supporter of animal rights and an admirer of William Wilberforce.
http://suzystewartdubotbooks.weebly.com/
*
The Kiss
Saxon Andrew
The small creature arrived in orbit above Allowen and gazed at the giant cities gleaming far below her. It had taken a long time for her to find it and she smiled, knowing the time was well spent. The vision she saw was something most beings would never see in their lifetime. The cities were gleaming gems of crystal that soared thousands of feet into the sky and reflected the rays of the bright yellow sun into brilliant beams of rainbow colors that added light and an ambiance that was too breathtaking for words to describe. The cities were perfectly laid out and the huge gardens were perfectly placed with blooming flowers displaying a riot of colors. The gardens added their piece to the beautiful mosaic of a marvelous civilization. She stared at the planet’s species and saw they were a vibrant and growing life form, who had achieved peace and happiness that was unequaled in this sector of the universe.
The creature flapped its small gossamer wings and wiped a tear from her dainty features. She was small and, in another place, she would have been mistaken for a mythical creature called a fairy. Her wispy blonde hair was tied back in a bun on the back of her head and her blue eyes were bright and opened wide to see all the wondrous sites on the planet below. She flapped her wings faster and moved a short distance through subspace and arrived above another city. The view continued to be breathtaking. She made ten quick jumps around the planet taking in all the wonderful Allowen creations and was amazed that no two cities were alike; but they all shared a common trait; they were extraordinarily beautiful.
She arrived above the largest city and, after a moment, decided to do some exploring. She flew down to the surface and landed in a space between two of the giant crystal buildings. She closed her eyes and listened to the thoughts of the city’s inhabitants as they passed on the nearby sidewalk. They were filled with peace and thankfulness for the riches they had been blessed to receive. She sensed the adolescents playing in the park nearby and she could feel the love flowing from their attentive parents. Everyone possessed enough wealth to just enjoy doing whatever they chose. No one had to work.
She focused on the physical structure of those walking close by and morphed into a Allowen female. She walked out from between the crystal spires and turned toward the park located across a wide, spotlessly clean, thoroughfare. The Allowen males, who saw her emerge from the buildings, stopped in their tracks and stared at the beautiful female as she walked gracefully toward the park. She was almost too beautiful to gaze upon and they couldn’t pull their eyes away from the vision. Several of the female Allowens punched their mates and forced their attention elsewhere, but the single males watched her until she moved out of their sight. She was in no danger; crime didn’t exist on this most peaceful of worlds.
She strolled into the park, touching the perfectly placed hedges, and was overwhelmed with the scent of flowers. She turned and walked to a large garden, sat down on the closely mown grass, and closed her eyes. She really wished her twin sister was with her to enjoy the moment, but knew she was elsewhere and wouldn’t be able to join her. She shed a tear, realizing her sister would never experience the wonder of this amazing planet and what it was capable of being.
She sat there for the remainder of the day, until darkness arrived and the city took on a new life. The lights lit up the night and made the city even more beautiful than the sun had during the day. She felt the thoughts of all the Allowen moving around her and felt their peace with the universe. She opened her eyes and knew it was time to go.
She stood and morphed back into her normal form and flapped her wings to lift her over the park. She stared down at the flowers and locked the view in her memory. She turned and slowly moved over the giant metropolis, until she saw a huge structure just beyond the city. It was different than anything she had seen; it appeared more purposeful than any of the wondrous buildings she observed during her brief visit. She realized it must be the power facility for the Allowen Civilization. That one incredible creation powered everything on the planet. The power flowing out of that single structure was unbelievable. She flew quickly toward it and marveled at the feat of engineering that produced it. She flew through the force field surrounding it and landed on the roof. She looked lovingly at the building she was standing on and knew her long search was finally over. She leaned down and caressed the roof with
her right hand; it felt wonderful to touch. This is what she had come so far to find; she closed her eyes and gently kissed the roof.
*
The massive explosion ripped the planet apart and blew giant pieces of it out into space in a massive shock wave. The nuclear explosion that killed the planet grew hotter and began feeding on the remains of the planet starting a fusion reaction. Soon, a small star appeared where a vibrant, beautiful civilization lived just a few moments earlier. The thousands of Allowen Warships that jumped in from the Defense Globe arrived in time to see the shockwave blowing out into space. They looked on with horror at what had once been their home world.
*
The Allowen Command Center on the planet’s fifth moon was in turmoil. The Defense Fleets that surrounded the planetary system inside the force field was in disarray and shock. The Commander of the facility yelled at his subordinates, “HOW DID THAT MUCH ANTIMATTER GET THROUGH OUR FORCE FIELDS!?!”
“We don’t know! Nothing appeared on our sensors!”
“What civilization uses antimatter as their main power source!?”
The subordinate ran a search in the databanks and looked up, “There was a planet that was the third planet out from a G-Type Star that used it before we destroyed it.”
“When was that done?”
“A century ago.”
*
The small creature sat on the hull of the moon sized defense facility and had her ear pressed to its surface to hear what was being said. She was identical to the being that visited the planet. She raised her head and looked off in the distance at the shockwave moving rapidly toward her and knew she would never see her sister again. She put her ear back down to the hull of the Defense Facility and cried as she heard the torment of the beings inside at the destruction of their home world. They were so sad! So incredibly sad!
She looked out at the giant force field used to protect the former planet and marveled at the power of a facility that not only produced that force field but also powered all of their massive fleets of warships. The technological discovery of sending power to their ships through subspace was an advancement beyond anything ever done in the universe. It made the Allowen all powerful. The facility also provided power to all the commercial transports that brought back riches forcibly taken from other civilizations they destroyed to enrich their population.
She cried at the sorrow taking place on the huge structure and leaned down and softly kissed the hull. The explosion of the giant structure ripped the moon apart and moved at an incredible velocity through space, where it merged with the planet’s shockwave, and destroyed every Allowen Ship floating powerless in the star system.
The millions of Allowen Ships scattered across the universe suddenly found they were stranded with no energy to power their jump drives or any other system. The planets being invaded by the Allowen Landing forces discovered that the invader’s blasters and force fields stopped operating. The Allowen on those planets were quickly killed. Most of the crews on ships stranded in open space survived on emergency generators, which were designed to only power their communicators and life support systems. The millions of ships tried to contact their home world and, after enough time had passed, they knew they were never going to answer. It wasn’t long before fights broke out on board the stranded ships as they struggled to take possession of what little food remained.
Even those that turned to cannibalism to extend their lives, at the end, died a slow and painful death. Unlike the sisters, they did not receive a goodbye kiss. The twin’s creator kissed them gently before she released them. Doctor Miriam Weaver watched the twins fly high into a crystal blue sky and wept for what she had been forced to do. They had been created to bring joy to children; not to be a weapon of destruction. They disappeared from view and she continued to stare at the sky, as she wept for them and what they were forced to become.
She finally lowered her head and wept for herself and her planet. An hour later, she was vaporized by a nuclear explosion fired by Allowen Warships still in orbit above Earth. The Allowen knew if no one lived, no one would come seeking revenge later. They were an hour too late to stop the goodbye kisses sent by the Earth Scientist to their doomed civilization.
* * *
Saxon Andrew has written several popular science fiction series, including Annihilation, Ashes of the Realm, Lens of Time, The Fight for Creation and Star Chase.
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3407413.Saxon_Andrew
*
Kiss No. 43
C. A. Newsome
Joss and I were sipping lattes in the little kitchenette when the bells on the front door chimed. I set my cup down and peered around the corner, into the gallery. Amalie Rogers (soon to be Mathers) stood just inside the door, taking in the gallery with a rapt expression on her acquisitive little face. She took a few steps further inside, turning left, then right, experiencing the impact of the canvases from across the room. She basked as if she’d just stepped off a plane in Saint Bart’s.
The woman had marvelous taste, but I didn’t like her. To her I was just Phillip’s peon, a messenger boy, one of the army of insignificant sub-humans who were necessary to provide her life with sufficient grace and style. I always thought she secretly envied our talents and therefore must subject us to subtle forms of debasement whenever possible.
She cooed over Phillip because he was filthy rich and a member of her class. Phillip wasn’t here. She’d have to deal with me. But she’d play nice today. Joss was here.
Amalie was leggy for a short woman, and delicately boned in a build the Goths called ‘fairy.’ Joss joined me in the little hall and we watched as she removed her gloves, then slowly unwrapped a motley cloud of immense proportions from around her head and shoulders, unveiling herself like Venus emerging from sea foam. She draped the scarf over her arm, and shook out her hair. The razor-cut blonde streaks fell back perfectly in a trendy, layered hack-job, her pink and blonde coloring set off by NYC de rigueur black. Her leather jacket was matched with over-the-knee boots and leggings. She must have decided to go ‘edgy’ this season. I thought of the look as ‘Suburban Dangerous’.
“Does she know we’re watching her?” Joss whispered. “This is like a performance.”
“Every moment of that woman’s life is a performance. The audience is optional. Hush, darling, It’s not your moment yet.”
Amalie nodded at the canvases, approving as she circled. She should approve. Joss’s paintings were aching squares of anticipation, each four foot by four foot panel featuring the exquisite tension just before a kiss, a macro of approaching lips. Each held a universe of yearning in the negative space.
Amalie tilted her head at Kiss #43 and walked slowly up to it while unzipping her jacket, her mouth in a moue. The jacket fell open, silky color flashing between her lapels. She stood squarely in front of the panel, leaned back a bit and stroked the scarf on her arm as if it were a cat.
“Showtime, darling.” I tossed my head towards Amalie and took Joss’s hand. I led Joss out of the cubby, deliberately clipping my leather heels on the ancient wood floor. The sound echoed in the 3,000 square foot gallery, and Amalie turned.
“Amalie, darling, how marvelous to see you. I’m sorry you were out of town for the opening. It was wonderful. Phillip is so disappointed he couldn’t be here today. I want you to meet Joss, the creator of these marvels.” I let go of Joss’s hand and gestured toward her in a classic ‘Vanna White’ flourish.
Amalie took Joss’s hand and squeezed it in greeting as she looked the artist over, much as she had reviewed the paintings.
Joss stood five eleven, with sable hair falling to her waist. The elegant line of her cheek was offset by a bump in her nose and a wide mouth that found humor in everything. Her skin was tawny and exotic, speaking of a rich and diverse heritage.
She wore a moss green fisherman’s sweater over her Levi 501s and Doc Martins. The green of the sweater picked out hints of green in Joss’s misty silver eyes. Her
entire ensemble cost less than Amalie’s socks.
Amalie of the surgically perfect nose would never be able to compete with Joss’s unadorned mystery, and she would never understand it.
“These are wonderful,” Amalie cooed. “Where ever did Phillip find you?”
“Oh,” Joss said, “It wasn’t Phillip. I’m an old friend of David’s from college.” Joss placed her free hand on my arm, reminding Amalie of my existence.
I caught the microscopic wrinkle in Amalie’s nose before she drew Joss before the canvas in a deft maneuver, cutting me out of their conversation.
She stood next to Joss, and patted her arm. “I adore this one,” She inclined her head towards lips caressed by a roguish mustache, the hint of a soul patch below. Who is he?”
Joss tilted her head. I could imagine her wistful expression. “Just a memory, I’m afraid. It’s rather private.”
“You can tell me. If I’m going to own this painting, I should know the story behind it, shouldn’t I? I promise not to repeat a word of it.” I had moved off to the side, ostensibly to give them privacy. Really, I wanted a better view. Amalie’s Delft blue eyes sparkled with avidity as she coaxed.
Joss’s mouth twitched with uncertainty as she considered. “I really don’t know if it’s much of a story.”
“Were you in love with him?” Amalie primed.
“I still am. ”Joss made a sad twist of her mouth. “He’s the inspiration for this entire series. These paintings are the only way I can deal with my feelings.”
“Unrequited love? Like Bridges of Madison County?”
I rolled my eyes. Discretely, of course.
“I was in a show in Boston two years ago. I rode up on the train for the opening,” Joss confessed.
The Kiss: An Anthology About Love and Other Close Encounters Page 13
