Valentine's Wishes (11 page)

“Is it anything like the saris?” she asked as they made their way to the kitchen window.

“No, my flower, not quite, I’ll tell you about it when we’re back in the nest.”

* * * *

She stared at him open mouthed and shook her head. “The fashion is for babies. Fairy babies?” she whispered.

“Aye, ’twas why I left the court to do fly about. So many fairies all wanting babes of their own, I couldn’t have stayed. I thought I wouldn’t want to be part of such a thing. I’ve never known anyone I would have thought it right to make a baby with. But Poppy, with ye, I could. I would love to make a baby with ye. A tiny Poppy. Why, she’d be as beautiful as ye are. ’Tis a very lovely thought.”

His words stole her breath. She shook her head. He was wrong about this, very wrong. She gulped.

“But Cedar,” she finally managed as she stroked over the glimmer of his chest. “I don’t think I’m ready for a baby, not yet. ’Tis a very big decision to make, something which would change my life forever,” she tried to explain.

“Not only yer life, but mine too, my sweet.” He traced a finger over the curve of her breast and left a wake of sensitized flesh that needed more of his touch.

“Yer don’t want me to decide right now, do ye?” she asked as he feathered kisses down below her jaw sending flashes of sensation over the rest of her body.

“No, not right now, but think about it, my flower.” His words caressed her like his hands, and she wrapped her fingers in his hair. While he covered her mouth with his and their tongues met, she did think about it for a few seconds. But all thought dissolved with the sweetness of his skin against hers as he lifted her dress and pulled it off. The heat of him throbbing against her melted her thoughts like ice caught in the sun.

* * * *

Later, as they lay cocooned together lazily caressing each other, she thought about a baby a little more.
Not yet, I simply can’t do it. To have Cedar as a partner is one thing. But a baby would mean a commitment of years together. Would he really want to remain with me so long?
She curled up against him.
Perhaps I’ll think about it some more tomorrow
.
He is a wonderful fairy to have as a lover, and he is very clever. He knows so much about things I don’t.

But if I went back to the court with him, there’d be so many fairies there who’d be envious he chose someone as stupid as me. They’d stare and whisper and gossip about us till the next surprise comes along. Some of them can be really spiteful, I remember it.

And what if he changes his mind? What if we had a baby and then he decides he wants someone who’s cleverer than me?
The thoughts swirled. When she’d left the court, she’d been glad to get away from the fashion dictates, glad to leave the constant gossip behind her.
He wants me to go back to all the fuss, and have a baby as well. And what about my mortals? No, tomorrow I’ll tell him, if he wants to be part of the court fashion, which to my mind is silly—babies aren’t fashion, they’re fairies, and shouldn’t be thought of as anything else. No, if he only wants me because he wants to follow the fashion, he’ll have to find a different fairy.

I’ll stay here until I’m certain the girls are all happy and settled and only then will I think about going back to the court. If Cedar, lovely as he is, wants more because of the fashion, well, it can’t be with me.

A small sob broke and she stifled it into the bedding.

A strange stillness in the air thrilled through her when she woke. Cedars’ slow deep breaths were the only sound. She scrambled up onto her knees and peeked over the side of the nest.

Snow.

The top of the little blue car sat covered in a thick layer of snow. The grass had disappeared beneath the shimmer of white, and thick feathery flakes continued to drift down from a dull sky. The cold made her shiver and she slid back under the cloak with Cedar. She snuggled into the warmth of him, sliding her arms around him as he stirred. Her decision from last night returned to haunt her thoughts.
Do I ever want to think of a morning when I don’t wake beside him? No.
The thought prompted tears.
Later, when he wakes, we need to talk and to fix things for my mortals.

The door below opened and Keri called, “The snow’s worse than I thought. I don’t think we’ll be going anywhere. It seems like the snow team haven’t got as far as our road.”

Today is a day to stay indoors and be cozy. If the girls stay home it will give me a good chance of finding out what happened last night and taking more steps to put things right.

“Oh, I didn’t think it would be this bad,” Lucy said and sighed.

Poppy wriggled into her gown and checked Cedar, who remained asleep.

“Keri, Luce, Claudia has just sent a text. The office won’t open until ten thirty today, if at all. The snow’s caused gridlock. There’s nothing moving in Worcester today. Even Claudia isn’t going to attempt the journey in until later. She said she’ll text back at nine thirty to tell us if the office is closed for the day.” Bal joined them in the porch.

“I don’t understand this country, six inches of snow and everything grinds to a halt,” Lucy said.

Bal shivered on the doorstep. “Whatever, let’s get inside before we freeze. This will either turn to rain or it will stick.”

Keri gave a laugh. “I think you could say it’s stuck already.”

Poppy headed under the lintel of the door before they could close it and cautiously followed them inside.
Now I’ll find out what happened last night to Keri and Lucy.

“More coffee anyone?” Lucy called through from the kitchen.

“Please,” Bal said. “You know what? I think this will ruin my date with Surjan this evening. I think perhaps he and I should simply give it up and say it’s not meant to be.”

Keri shook her head. “Oh, don’t say that. The snow might clear. I bet he phones you anyway.”

“Maybe, so tell me how did it go last night?” Bal asked with a smile.

Poppy nodded agreement, she so wanted to know. She settled down to listen.

Keri smiled and said, “Fine, we found out we dance well together.”

“So, are you seeing Jez again?” Bal asked.

“Yes, tomorrow.”

“Good, and you’re both okay about what happened the other night at the party. I still go cold thinking about it?”

“Yes, we did talk about it a little, but I think like me, Jez wants to forget the whole thing.” Keri patted her hand. “Let’s simply say it was one of those crazy nights I don’t think any of us will be able to ever explain. Try not to feel too bad and your mom will never know.”

Bal nodded. “Surjan was so embarrassed about it all. I felt sorry for him.”

“Coffee, girls.” Lucy came in with a tray. “Hey, turn the fire up, it’s freezing in here.”

Keri bent to the fire, turned the big black knob so flames flickered blue and yellow in the hearth. “Thanks.” She picked up a steaming mug from the tray. “Is all rosy in the garden with you and James?”

Lucy beamed. “Oh, yes. We’re going to go away for a weekend at the end of the month. Somewhere like Bath or the Cotswold’s. To be honest, I can’t wait. I hope the snow clears by then. I think he might be building up to a proposal.”

A sigh of relief left Poppy and she relaxed against the back of the sofa.
This all sounds very hopeful. Whatever damage I caused between James and Lucy is obviously over.

“Great, Luce, I’m so pleased it’s all turned out well,” Keri said.

The buzzing sound made Bal scramble through her bag. “Hello,” she said into the phone.
Surjan
she mouthed to the others and went into the kitchen.

Poppy glanced after Bal, torn between following her or staying and listening to Keri and Lucy. She stayed.

“And you and Jez, what about you?” Lucy asked.

“Too early to say, Luce, but yes I like him, I like him a lot,” Keri said quietly.

Lucy nodded as she wrapped her hands around her coffee cup. “Good, he’s a nice guy.”

“Yes, very. I’m seeing him tomorrow night.” Keri sipped coffee, her eyes bright.

“Well?” Lucy asked with one eyebrow arched at Bal, who walked back in and put the phone down.

“Surjan says he’s still coming round at half seven and we are going out. I think he’s trying to impress after the other night. He said the four-by-four has no problem with the snow and it will give him chance to drive in bad weather again,” Bal explained.

Poppy grinned.
I’ll go ahead with the wish for Bal later today and everything will be as it should have been.
Excitement running through her in a warm wave, she snuck into the kitchen, planning to go through the window but when she landed on the ledge, the window was shut. One of the girls must have shut it because of the cold.

There has to be another way to get outside
.
I have to get back to the nest.
She flew back into the sitting room and while the girls chatted over their coffee, she managed to squeeze through the tiny gap in the doorway into the hall. Only the letterbox might be a possible way out, but when she tried to lift the flap, the metal wouldn’t budge—it was far too heavy. She could have used magic but didn’t want to deplete the energy she had. She wanted all of it for tonight’s wish.
If only someone would ring the doorbell, one of the girls will open the door and I could fly out.
Hopefully Cedar still slept and wouldn’t notice how long she’d been gone. She hovered around the top of the door and stared through the skylight out to the porch. The edge of the nest peeked out from the crack in the wall, but she couldn’t tell if Cedar had woken or not. There was nothing to be done but to wait.

The insistent blare of the doorbell meant she almost slipped down from where she’d perched at the top of the door. Keri hurried through the hall and opened the door.

Poppy shot into the chill of the snowy morning. Though no one appeared to be there, she had a good guess who’d rung the bell in such a way.

“Odd, maybe the battery’s going,” Keri said and closed the door.

“I thought so. What were yer doing inside?” Cedar asked, leaning against the wall close by the bell push.

“I went in to see if everything is all right. I think it is, I think from what they’ve said everything will work out fine.” She grasped his hand.

“And what about me? Did yer not think of me? I woke up and yer weren’t there. I was worried yer might have got took by a cat.” He arched an eyebrow at her as he slipped an arm around her waist.

“Well, I’m fine.” She shivered in his embrace.

“Come on; let’s go get warm, ’tis too cold today for flitting about. Ye can explain this plan yer had when we’re warm.”

“There wasn’t a plan. I went inside that’s all.”

“Ah, impulsive to the last, my little flower,” he murmured as he kissed her cheek.

“No, I’m not impulsive. I’m used to being alone, doing what I want, when I want to. I’m not used to having someone else here, and I want to talk to yer about it.”

He wrapped the cloak around them both when they sat in the nest, his gaze shone in the gloom. “Well then, I’m listening.”

She swallowed hard not sure how to begin. Her tongue seemed to have the old twisty sensation back when he held her gaze and waited for her answer. “’Tis the idea of it,” she murmured.

“The idea of what?”

He settled his arm around her, and she longed for it to stay there.

“Going back to the court.” She shook her head.

Can he understand how I feel?
She pressed her hands together and worried at her lip, before she breathed deep, grasped her courage tight, and tried to explain.

“I don’t want to go back, Cedar, I honestly don’t. I was never very happy there. I’m not like them. I never fitted in with them all, or the fashions. I was always doing things wrong. Don’t yer remember when I turned Yew blue? When I broke the box of unbreakable goblets? What about the night I cleared my table in the great hall before everyone had even eaten? I bet you laughed at me just like all the others. I was the one who made a right muddle of everything.” The words came out in a rush and a lump formed at the base of her throat.

“Is that all?” he asked, and pressed his warm lips on her cheek.

“No, it’s not just I’m hopeless at wishes, Cedar. ’Tis the idea of a babe, I don’t think it’s right. A baby shouldn’t be a fashion. A baby should be something very special.” She couldn’t bring herself to meet his gaze and tiny shivers ran over her as she waited for what he would say.
He’ll leave, go back to the court and find another fairy who knows all the things he does, and I’ll miss him so.

“Ah, I see, so yer think our babe wouldn’t be special?”

His gaze fixed on hers the moment she peeked up, and his tender smile gave her a little hope. The lump in her throat eased, and she unlocked her knuckles to reach for his hand.

“No, that’s not what I’m saying. If we did have a babe, I’d want it not because it might be a fashion, but because it meant something important to us both.” She let his hand go and scrunched a piece of her skirt between her fingers. “Besides, yer’d want a clever babe, wouldn’t yer? Chances are, if ’twere mine, the poor wee thing might not be so clever. I’d bet it would make a real muddle of granting wishes.” She gave a huge sigh and wanting to enjoy the last sense of his closeness, laid her head on his shoulder while she wiped a tear away.

Cedar roared with laughter, and he didn’t stop even after she sat up and pushed hard at his chest. He caught her in his embrace and held her tight. Long minutes passed before his chuckles stopped rumbling against her. The tears made her throat ache but she didn’t shed them. Locked in his arms, she watched the snowflakes fall faster now beyond the edge of the porch. She pinched her lips tight together and didn’t say anything while his body still moved with his now silent amusement.

Cedar finally stopped laughing, but she continued to stare away toward the wedge of grey sky beyond the edge of the nest.

“Poppy?”

She ignored him. Only when he began to tease kisses over her cheek did she answer with a sniff, “I don’t like it when yer laugh at me.”