The Elixir Maidens: Crimson Read online

  “Lose me?”

  “The fact that you haven’t spoken to me since the night you tried to convince me to accept your friend Richie -- and also because that same friend is here now -- tells me Zigor might have a point.”

  “I told you I love Richie. He’s a good man. If you’d make an attempt to overcome your prejudice, you’d see that.”

  Nigel stopped pacing and stared at her, his eyes flashing. “I cannot change my beliefs, Sondra.”

  With a sigh, she closed her eyes. It was a lost cause.

  “But I see that I cannot change yours, either,” he said. “You love a…”

  “Female impersonator. A drag queen.”

  A muscle jerked in Nigel’s cheek and he nodded.

  “Richie told me he would leave his career if I wanted him to,” she continued.

  Raising a curious eyebrow, Nigel said, “What did you tell him?”

  “I told him no. He and The Elixir Maidens are talented and successful. They’ve worked hard for what they have and I would not ask him to give up his career any more than I’d throw away my graphics business.”

  “I see.”

  “I love you, Nigel. I’m grateful to you and the thought of you not being in my life hurts.”

  “Sondra, I --”

  “But you have to let me be the person I am.”

  “I realize that. If you want to be with this… Richie, I will accept it.”

  Sondra stared at him, momentarily numb with shock. “You will?”

  Nigel cleared his throat and nodded slightly. “I cannot promise to understand his lifestyle, or that of his… coworkers, but I will adjust to seeing you with him.”

  “Would you like to join us for dinner?”

  “Yes.”

  Sondra slipped her arms around Nigel’s neck and hugged him tightly. He returned the embrace before they walked to the kitchen where Richie stood by the table chopping vegetables.

  “Is there enough for one more?” Sondra asked.

  “You bet.” Richie glanced at Nigel who nodded in his direction.

  “What are you cooking?” Nigel asked.

  “This is the Caesar salad and we’re having linguine for the main course,” Richie replied.

  Nigel walked to the stove and sniffed the sauce. “What brand?”

  “It’s made from scratch.” Richie curled his lip. “You can’t make a real meal out of the canned stuff.”

  “My feeling exactly,” Nigel said. “What herbs do you use?”

  “Nigel’s hobby is cooking, too,” Sondra explained.

  “Yeah?” Richie walked to the stove and offered Nigel a spoon for the sauce. “Try this. I learned how to make this from a master chef in Italy around the turn of the nineteenth century. Awesome sauce but his bread left a lot to be desired.”

  “I found the best technique for bread making came from the French chef…”

  Sondra smiled and shook her head as she watched the men with amusement. Maybe, just maybe, everything would work out after all.

  Epilogue

  One Year Later

  On a beautiful April evening Sondra and Richie were married in the club section of Burgundy Peak. Zigor closed the establishment to the public and the hotel rooms were filled with wedding guests.

  Ruby sang at the wedding ceremony. Greg was Richie’s best man and Mel the matron of honor. Nigel had generously offered to pay for the wedding and personally oversaw the catering.

  Once the justice of the peace pronounced them husband and wife, Sondra and Richie accepted many congratulations and the party began.

  “I can’t believe I’m hitched. Tied down. Walked the final mile,” Richie teased as he and Sondra danced to a love song spun by the DJ.

  “Do you want to spend your wedding night alone, wise guy?”

  “Hell no.” He held her tighter and brushed her mouth with a kiss. “Sondra, I’ve never been this happy in my life.”

  “Neither have I.”

  “Wow. I was just thinking that all us Maidens found true love while staying at Burgundy Peak.”

  “From what I hear a lot of people find true love while staying at Burgundy Peak.”

  Richie cocked an eyebrow. “Yeah? Wonder if it’s magical or something.”

  “Could be.” She playfully rubbed her nose against his. “I know it was for us.”

  With a lustful growl, he lifted her in his arms and headed for the exit. “Time for the wedding night to really begin, baby.”

  “I love you, Richie.”

  “I love you, too, Sondra.”

  Several guests called their goodbyes as the couple headed for the stairway. Still snug in Richie’s arms, Sondra caught a glimpse of Nigel seated at the head table with Greg, Andrew, Hagen, and Ruby. They seemed to be conversing civilly.

  “At least Andrew hasn’t chucked Nigel over the bar,” Richie observed.

  Sondra giggled. “Not yet, anyway.”

  The End

  Kate Hill

  Kate Hill is a thirty-something vegetarian New Englander who likes heroes with a touch of something wicked and wild. Her short fiction and poetry have appeared in dozens of publications both on and off the Internet.

  When she’s not spending time with her family or working on her books, Kate enjoys reading, working out, and researching vampires and Viking history. Feel free to drop her a note at [email protected] or visit her website to learn more about her current releases and upcoming projects. You can find Kate online at http://www.kate-hill.com.