Selene ignored her. “They tell me he is gorgeous. If you do not want him and things do not work out with Tallon, can I have him instead?”
“No,” Sam shouted, shocked. “I mean he is not mine to give away.”
“Told you that is what she would say,” Ellen said smugly.
By this time, the dressmaker had retrieved Selene and finished pinning the alterations. “Take it off,” she instructed, “so I can sew it.”
“Let me help,” Ellen offered. She took the dress in one hand and started to gently sing the enchantment she used for mending clothes. The dressmaker stared in astonishment as she watched the material seal itself together and the pins fly out into Ellen’s waiting hand. Within minutes the dress alterations were complete.
“Thank you,” she stammered as she was handed the pins. “Are there any more like you in the city?”
“Maybe,” Ellen replied cautiously.
“I have had an idea,” the dressmaker said, pulling her to one side. “Selene wanted new clothes for all of the unexpected guests, but I informed her there was not enough time. If I provide the material, do you think we can get it done between us? How many of you are there by the way?”
Ellen did a quick count. ‘Five women, eleven men, no make that twelve.”
The dressmaker nodded. “Material will not be a problem.”
“I will head out to the school and recruit some volunteers.” Ellen made her way into the city while servants were sent to collect the material. Silk and only silk had been the Princess’s instructions, so that was what she was going to get.
Ellen soon returned, accompanied by half a dozen other witches. Upon learning that all of the men, except Dal, were still bathing, she left the witches working on the ladies’ clothes and headed off toward the bathing room. Without knocking, she opened the door and walked in. Patrick, who was about to leave the pool and was therefore standing naked near the edge, suddenly dived under the water. He came up swearing loudly.
“Frak Ellen. Have you ever heard of knocking?”
“Relax Patrick. It is not as if you have anything I have not seen before.”
“That is not the point,” he said, going red.
Ellen laughed. “All that experience with women and he is still just a shy little boy underneath,” she mocked.
“Given the situation, please refrain from using the word ‘little’,” he growled.
“Now to business,” she said, a note of authority in her voice. “Selene has announced that you are all to have new clothes made for the wedding and I have recruited a little help.” She added the word on purpose, watching Patrick’s reaction out of the corner of her eye. “Everyone get out of the pool. A room has been assigned that you are all to sleep in. I want to see you all there within ten minutes, wearing just your undergarments.”
Protests sounded from all directions, all of which were ignored. Nobody was willing to disobey Ellen so, half an hour later, she found them all reluctantly allowing the dressmaker and her assistants to pin material in place around their bodies.
“Silk,” Grimmel spat as she walked into the room. “Dwarfs do not wear silk.”
“They do now,” she announced sweetly. “Selene desires it and on her wedding day the bride gets what she wants. Feel free to take it up with her. Of course, you need to remember that not only is she the bride, so what she says goes, but she is also heavily pregnant so you are not allowed to upset her.”
Grimmel growled at her, sounding very much like Samson, but allowed the young girl who was pinning his tunic to continue. Ellen’s eyes fell on Patrick and images of his naked body flashed through her mind. She grinned mischievously.
“Say a word, little witch, and you will regret it.” His voice was cold and hard, but instead of intimidating her it just seemed to cause amusement. She had three of the other witches with her and gave instructions as to what they needed to do. “You had better leave Patrick to me,” she warned. “The mood he is in at the moment, he may bite.” Disappointment showed on the three expectant faces, but they said nothing and got started on the others.
By the time the sun had set, one full length robe, ten tunics and accompanying trousers and ten new dresses had been made. Selene insisted that the ladies needed separate outfits for the wedding and the celebration dinner afterward and they readily agreed.
After the initial grumbling from the men, the only problem had been Dal, who refused to be seen in just his underclothes. Eventually the dressmaker had dragged him into a private room and forced him undressed as though he was still a young boy and she was his nursemaid. They stayed in the room for a long time and, though their voices could be heard, nobody listening at the door would have been able to make out what was being said. Eventually the door opened and Dal appeared, fully clothed and his modesty intact. Ellen set to work and soon everyone’s clothes were completed, except for Hawk’s.
“Thank you,” Dal said to the dressmaker as she turned to leave the young man in peace, her work complete.
“You are welcome,” she replied, a knowing smile on her face.
The men were sharing glasses of brandy with the two kings and the bridegroom when Hawk appeared. Without explanation, he was ordered to find Ellen and given directions to the ladies’ room. He found them all together, drinking wine and discussing men. Even the dressmaker and her assistants had joined them, taking a well-earned break.
“I think I should come back later,” he suggested as soon as he heard the topic of conversation.
“Nonsense,” Liselle, who was a little drunk, insisted. “You can help us out. Is it true that all men become ticklish just behind the ears while having sex?” Roars of laughter followed as he rapidly walked out of the room.
Ellen and the dressmaker caught up to him and, dragging him into an empty room, explained why they needed him to undress. Hawk smiled. “Make me look as good as you possibly can,” he requested.
“What are you up to?” Ellen asked, recognising the calculating look in his eyes.
“Just helping a couple of friends sort themselves out.” Ellen raised her eyebrows, but he refused to elaborate.
Once his fitting was complete, he returned to the men.
“Did you find Ellen?” Tor asked as he collapsed into a seat.
“Oh yes, I found her. In fact I found them all.” His voice then took on a serious tone. “May I suggest that if ever you have to enter a room containing that many women, run. Just turn and run as fast as you can.”
Chapter 27
Selene had requested Sam stay in her suite for the night and the next morning she was woken by Selene shaking her. “I am getting married today,” she said excitedly.
“Aren’t you already married?” she asked sleepily.
“That was in another country so it does not count. Get up.”
“What time is it?”
“The sun will be up soon.”
Sam groaned. “Then come back when it is.” Despite her pleas, Selene dragged her out of bed and ordered her to get dressed. Seeing the look on Selene’s face, Sam decided it would be best to obey. They headed down to bathe, taking a detour to the kitchen to order breakfast for two to be delivered to Selene’s suite an hour later. Tradition dictated that, once cleaned, the bride must not leave her rooms until the ceremony and Selene had decided that the rule applied to Sam as well. Knowing his daughter well, Allias had stationed a soldier outside her rooms during the night to ensure she obeyed the rules and he acted as an escort for them. This gave them the advantage of knowing their bathing could not be disturbed as the soldier would let nobody past him, not even the maids.
The water was warm and relaxing and Sam almost fell asleep again. By the time they returned to the suite, the sun was beginning to rise and breakfast was just arriving. Selene cheekily invited the young soldier to join them, knowing that no male was allowed across the threshold that day until she was officially a married woman. He politely declined.
“It looks like it is going to be a brig
ht sunny day,” Sam said, looking out of the window. “Let’s eat out on your balcony.”
“I cannot,” Selene replied sulkily. “I must remain hidden inside so no man can lay eyes on me. Tradition sucks sometimes.”
“Selene,” Sam exclaimed, slightly shocked. “You cannot use words like that. You are a Princess.”
“Not in the privacy of my own rooms I am not.”
Breakfast, too, was hindered by tradition. The bride was only allowed to consume fruits and vegetables and drink only water from the moment she awoke until after she was married. Sam looked down at the spread laid out on the table and grimaced. “I don’t suppose you will let me eat breakfast with the others will you? Bacon is calling to me.”
“You would really dessert me on my wedding day?” Experience had shown her that emotional blackmail was an underhand tactic, but it usually worked.
“I guess not,” Sam sighed. She picked up an apple and bit into it. It was sweet and juicy, but was certainly no substitute for fried salted meat. “What time is the ceremony by the way?”
The answer of ‘sundown’ did not impress her at all. She would be stuck inside all day and complained bitterly.
“If you want to go and see your elf that desperately, do not let me stop you.”
“Drop it,” Sam said coldly. They were side-tracked from the imminent argument by visitors coming through the door. The men had gone out hunting, leaving the women bored and lonely, so they decided to pay the blushing bride a visit. They had been horrified to hear that she was confined to her room for the entire day and secretly amused that it had been decided that Sam should join her. Even Queen Hetta had joined them, carrying little Worrel in her arms. She was handed to Sam, who willingly took the sleeping infant. Selene immediately moved to the other end of the room.
“Nothing personal,” she assured a stunned Sam. “For some reason my little monster starts to kick violently whenever he is near his baby aunt and I would prefer not to be beaten black and blue from the inside on my wedding day.”
Much to Selene’s delight, Mia had been persuaded to leave her room once Hetta had pointed out that Selene’s suite was a women only sanctuary for the day. It took a while, but she slowly relaxed more and more until she was laughing and joking with everyone. She told them about her own upcoming nuptials, which would be a quiet affair with only family members present.
Ellen had wandered over to the window and was looking out. She could just make out a figure wandering alone in the courtyard. The smooth flow of his movements meant it could only be one person. “Looks like Brin did not go hunting with the others,” she called out, then turned to address Sam. “We are happy staying with Selene for a while if you wish to go and see him.”
“Pack it in,” she snapped.
“I will make a deal with you,” Ellen said reasonably. “I will agree to stop tormenting you if you can manage to go the entire evening without staring at him.”
“Deal. That should be no problem. I mean, he’s not that good looking.”
“Yes he is,” Liselle contradicted. “Even River thinks so and she cannot abide elves.” The water sprite reluctantly nodded her head.
Just at that moment, Worrel decided to wake up and started yelling loudly. Hetta retrieved her screaming infant and retreated to the nursery where she could feed the baby in private.
The day passed surprisingly quickly. When lunch was delivered, River offered to remain with Selene, giving Sam the opportunity to head down to the dining room with the other ladies. While she tucked into thick slices of ham, Selene picked at her bowl of salad, nuts and berries. River, of course, was more than happy with her meal.
They all spent the afternoon with Selene, talking about the upcoming ceremony and celebrations. At the mention of dancing, Sam suddenly went quiet.
“Whatever is the matter?” Selene asked. “You do know how to dance do you not?”
“Of course I do,” Sam replied. “I took tap, ballet, jazz and even some ballroom lessons when I was younger, and I can certainly hold my own at a disco, but they won’t do me much good here, will they.”
“Stop worrying. I can solve your problem.” Ellen took Sam’s hands in her own and, closing her eyes, started to cast a spell over her. When she went quiet, she opened her eyes and smiled. “Whenever you hear music over the next few days, you will now instantly know the dance steps that go with it. The spell does not give you the ability to dance, just the knowledge, so I do not know how good you will be.”
“That’s good enough for me.” Sam hugged her tight. “Thank you.”
Time seemed to fly and they were all taken by surprise when Hetta returned and announced that it was time for Selene to start getting dressed. It was the mother of the bride’s job to prepare the bride and Selene had asked Hetta to perform the task, which she gratefully agreed to do. The other ladies escorted Mia to the room she shared with Everet then retired to their assigned room to perform their own preparations. When everyone was dressed, Ellen took Sam aside. Placing a quick spell on her that curled her hair, she then spent ages tying it up elaborately, allowing just one curl free at the side of her face. Even Sam had to admit that the result looked very good.
As the weather was so nice, the wedding was to take place in the garden that Sam and Selene had started to clear. While Sam had been away, Allias had hired gardeners to finish it off, under Selene’s watchful gaze. The results were stunning. Selene would pass between rows of rose bushes, white on her left, red on her right. The area that had been cleared and laid with grass especially for the ceremony was surrounded by trees and bushes with bright blue flowers. Chairs had been laid out, with men being assigned to the left and women to the right.
Nearly one hundred guests would watch the nuptials and at least that number again would arrive after the feast for the celebration dance. Bellak had created an archway out of ivy over a raised platform, where Tallon was nervously pacing. As tradition dictated, he was dressed all in yellow and seemed as happy about it as Selene was about being cooped up in her rooms all day, eating nothing but fruit, nuts and vegetables.
A wizard was needed to officiate at the ceremony and Allias had somehow persuaded Bellak to do the honours. Rumours of blackmail over further access to the library were circulating. Dressed in a dark blue robe with deep red patterning along the hem and sleeves, he was talking quietly to the groom, trying to get him to calm down, as Sam and the other ladies arrived. Most of the males in their group were already there and were standing behind the chairs, talking quietly.
When Sam’s eyes fell on Brin, she gasped. Dressed in a light green tunic and dark green trousers, the silk cut to emphasise his superb body structure, he was breath-taking. A wave of animalistic lust flowed through her.
“That is called staring,” Ellen whispered to her. Having been the one who made the clothes, she knew how well he would look and what Sam’s reaction would be. A self-satisfied smile crept across her face.
“Okay, I give up. I admit it. I want him. But it’s just lust, nothing more.” She was kidding herself, and she knew it. She wanted him for more than just his body.
“Then I suggest you make a move on him soon,” Ellen advised. “Before someone else gets him.” Looking around, Sam realised that most of the women in the vicinity were looking in the same direction. Even River seemed impressed with the view.
“The funny thing is, I think he is totally oblivious to how attractive women find him. Out in the desert, all of the young ladies, and some not so young, were swooning over him and following him around, and he didn’t even notice.” They all continued to stare, admiringly.
“Looking for someone?” a voice sounded behind them, making River jump.
“There you are,” she said, quickly drawing her gaze away from Brin, a slight flush rising across her cheeks. Grimmel pretended not to notice.
“May I escort you to your seat, my lady,” the dwarf asked formally, holding out his arm. He led her away, making sure he sat her in a seat where she co
uld not see the elf without having to turn her head around.
“I detect a little jealousy there,” Liselle observed. “It is about time that men learned that there is no harm in a woman looking. It is like admiring someone else’s dress. You can appreciate how good it looks, but it does not mean you want it.”
“Window shopping,” Sam murmured, and received questioning looks. “Window shopping is when you put goods that are for sale behind glass so potential buyers can look but not touch.”
“I like the idea of putting men behind glass,” Ria joined in. “That way you do not have to put up with their dull conversation.”
“Or have to continually fend off their groping hands. Do you think you can make some large glass boxes for us?” Liselle asked Ellen. Laughing, the witch shook her head.
“Patrick looks immaculate as usual,” Sam commented as they made their way to their seats, selecting ones next to River. “He should wear white more often.”
“Please do not give him that idea,” Ellen begged. “It is hard enough keeping his clothes clean as it is; imagine how much harder the task will be if he insists on wearing white all the time.”
As Sam looked around the garden, a puzzled frown formed on her face. “I don’t understand,” she said to Ellen. “The garden should not be big enough to fit this many chairs in.”
“Magic can be very useful sometimes,” she replied, winking.
People slowly drifted to their seats while making quiet conversation. Allias arrived with Yeland. The two old enemies had become almost inseparable since their animosity had been put aside. Allegedly they were making plans to get their chief advisors together to see what benefits could be gained from the cessation of hostilities, but Ria claimed to have overheard their conversation the previous day and swore they were planning a fishing trip. They escorted Hetta to her seat beside Mia, then moved across to the male side. Mia, who had Worrel in her arms, once again sleeping peacefully, seemed a little nervous being surrounded by so many people. Hetta spoke quietly to her, but did not retrieve her daughter; she would be a good distraction for the former maid.
The Guide Page 34
