The Gypsy Ribbon. Shannon MacLeod

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СКАЧАТЬ bedroom, glaring at the way the fabric of her new dress clung to her behind. Lily lay sprawled across the bed, watching her try on the knit outfit and trying her best not to giggle at her friend’s disconcertion.

      Beth rapidly shifted her weight from one leg to the other. “I can’t possibly wear this. See, just look at my butt when I move. Looks like two bobcats fighting in a sack back there.” She looked back over her shoulder again and grinned, “At least they’re healthy bobcats, wouldn’t you say?”

      Howling with laughter, Lily clutched her stomach and waved a hand frantically for Beth to stop so that she could catch her breath. When at last she was able to speak, she said, “The dress looks fabulous on you.” Suddenly she wriggled around on the bed and felt around underneath her. “You’ve made a book up in the bed again,” she giggled as she reached beneath the covers, “Let’s see what you’re reading this week.”

      Beth shrieked and lunged for the paperback, but Lily snatched it back from her fingers at the last second. “Touch of the Highlander,” Lily read, flipping through the pages of the historical romance, “Ooh, this one sounds good. Doona ye ken how bad I’m wanting ye, lass…”

      “Give me that,” Beth laughed, plucking it neatly from Lily’s hand. “It’s research.” She dropped it on her bedside table and waggled a menacing finger. “I need to know what to ask for specifically when I’m conjuring up my dream man.”

      Glancing around the bedroom, Lily spied the carefully arranged cluster of candles on the desk. “Let’s see. Yellow for attraction, red for love, hibiscus and jasmine petals in the bowl …yes, my little witchy friend has indeed been busy.”

      Beth appraised herself in the mirror once again and grudgingly decided that maybe it did look okay, although not the kind of clothes she was accustomed to wearing. The gray sweater dress did wonderful things for her lush figure, accentuating the long legs and generous breasts. It also, much to her dismay, hugged the slight extra padding she carried over her stomach and hips and she picked at the material trying to will it to loosen just a little. She was hardly overweight, just–as she put it-lumpy in places she shouldn’t be.

      “Quit it. You look great,” Lily ordered. “Better than mortal man deserves.”

      Giving in, Beth gave her dark red curls a toss and nodded, “Indeed, if you say it, it must be so.” She regarded her friend in the mirror. “Are you getting nervous yet?” she asked in a more serious vein.

      Lily blushed slightly and smiled. “A little, I guess. It’s hard to believe the wedding is only a few days away. It seems like just a week or so ago I went to the Castle with you to apply for that job.”

      Beth remembered back to that day around seven months before. She worked as a Tarot card reader at Castle Wilde, the renaissance faire theme park owned by Dan and Meg Wilde, the groom’s sister and brother-in-law. She had dragged her friend with her to apply for a job reading the cards part-time. Lily had met resident artist, occasional cast member and soon-to-be husband Ian there and the rest, as they say, was history. Their relationship hadn’t been always smooth, however, marred by a complicated love triangle and nearly culminating in the death of all three. Now that the drama was over, Lily was happier than she had ever been, getting ready to begin a new life with the man of her dreams–literally–and Beth was ecstatic for them both.

      She eased out of the dress and carefully hung it up, slipping back into her familiar jeans and her favorite Dr. Seuss t-shirt. Giving her unruly hair a good shake, she turned to Lily and finally voiced the question that had been on her mind for the last couple of days. “So…how was it meeting the whole family?” she drawled.

      “He’s very sweet,” Lily replied promptly, “not what I expected at all.”

      Beth tried her best to appear nonchalant at that statement, but knew Lily would pick up on her excitement. “You’re describing the whole family as a he?”

      Lily giggled. “You’re not fooling anybody. I know who you’re asking about, and James was very nice. Funny. Even handsomer up close, if that’s possible. He’s got a little bit of a beard now, it suits him very well. It’s amazing how much he and Ian look alike when they’re standing right next to each other.”

      Beth stared up at the large Horizon poster hanging near the bed. James stood in the foreground wearing leather jeans that had to have been spray-painted on, shirt unbuttoned, his arms folded arrogantly across his broad chest. The gold hoop dangling from one ear gave him a careless piratey air. She was certain that the camera lens must have melted from the carnal Trouble with a capital Oooh Baby look it captured.

      “The whole family’s got the same color eyes, you know,” Lily continued.

      Beth knew, all right. As a huge Horizon fan, she had enjoyed some pretty interesting fantasies over the years about the lead singer, most of which involved him, her and…well, him and her. Stunned into speechlessness at the revelation that James was Ian’s younger brother, she nearly fainted dead away when she learned that he would be her escort in the wedding party. The diet had started immediately, but as yet hadn’t succeeded in defeating the last ten pounds that had declared open warfare on her hips.

      Lily followed Beth’s line of sight and peered up at the poster. “Have you ever taken a good look at the medallion he’s wearing? Ian has one just like that.”

      “He mentioned it in an interview once. It’s a Celtic dragon - his grandmother painted it for him. He’s a Fire sign, so that makes sense,” Beth answered.

      Lily nodded. “Ian’s has a hawk on it.” She checked her watch and jumped off the bed. “I need to get moving if I’m to make it to the Castle by six. Think they’ll start the rehearsal without the bride?”

      “You’re not allowed to walk down the aisle at rehearsal anyway, ees verrah verrah bad luck,” Beth intoned in her best gypsy accent. “You get a stand in to walk up the aisle, then you and the Prince meet on the stage.”

      “Are you ever going to stop calling him that?” Lily giggled then held out an arm so Beth could see her watch. “You’d better get ready too. I’ll see you there.” Snatching up her purse, she scrambled for the door and waved as she fired her parting shot, “Wear the dress. It looks great on you!”

      Beth laughed and locked the door after Lily left. She headed back toward the bedroom to start getting ready, but abruptly changed her mind and sat down on the couch, pulling the wooden box on the coffee table closer to her. She opened it and took out her Smith-Waite Tarot deck and shuffled it, thinking of the upcoming evening.

       What can I expect tonight?

      She laid out three cards face down, and turned them over one by one. The first card was the four of Wands. “We’re having a party,” she sang, reaching for the second card. Eight of Wands, swift events unfolding. “Hmmm…” she murmured, turning over the last card. The Knight of Wands, passionate and impulsive. She put the cards back in the box and with a smile headed for the shower, thinking that perhaps passionate and impulsive would be just what the doctor ordered, in whatever form it chose to come.

      Castle Wilde closed early for the evening wedding rehearsal. By the time Beth stepped through the gates of the list field, everything was in full swing. In the months prior, Meg had informed her that a true Irish wedding goes on for at least a week. Although Beth had thought it a colorful exaggeration at the time, she now suspected Meg had spoken the truth. The members of the wedding party were having a delightfully chaotic time much to the disconcertion of the director. СКАЧАТЬ