Disturbed by Her Song by Tanith Lee

Author:Tanith Lee [Lee, Tanith]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: gay, queer, paranormal, supernatural, dark fantasy, spec fic
Publisher: Lethe Press
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Desire, let alone sexual love, disorientates. You might be in the most familiar spot in the world, and if the object of fascination also happens to be there, everything else becomes – not only unfamiliar – but intangible, oblique. For this reason, not that of clumsiness or nerves, you drop the well-known cup on the carpet or stub your toe on the door-frame you have successfully negotiated nine thousand and twenty-two times previously. Love is a reinventor.

So now it didn’t matter, did it, being in this strange rich man’s house, all set about by Moorish tiles and feverish trees, with jackal dogs and backwards-seen mirrored girls. All that mattered was:

“Have a glass of this fruit brandy, Ruth. What a journey. You’d think it would be quite easy, but no. What a fuss they make, men. On and on. Poor chap, he’s only twenty-three and acts like some granny in Kiev. Oh we must do this as this. Oh we must never allow that and that—”

It seemed a local neighbor had wanted her to ride down with him in his carriage. Vera had obliged.

“He hopes one day he’ll manage an affair with me,” she added. “My God, the self-delusion. And I’m old enough besides to be his sister.”

Vera was resplendent, having changed into a white silk blouse and burgundy waistcoat over – almost as predicted – loose Turkish trousers. She had also taken down her hair, which ran in dark waters along her back. She smoked one of the cigars, perfuming the (Chinese) drawing room, while Bacchus of the Latin name lay like a sphinx at her feet.

No one else seemed likely ever to come in. Ruth didn’t quite dare to say, Are we alone here?

As well. Next moment an intruder entered. That was, not a servant, who might be expected to come and go.

Worse, Vera greeted the intruder with a warmed and softened expression, and holding out her hand.

The girl – she was the white-dressed one from the upstairs annex – moved forward slowly.

Ruth felt a flash of deep dismay.

Then Vera said, “Darling, here is a young lady I made friends with in London. Ruth, let me introduce to you my daughter, Emerald.”

“Emerald,” said Ruth. She heard the disapproval in her own voice. And quickly getting up, nodded to Vera’s daughter. “Miss Blaze.”

The girl, who Vera was now encircling with an arm, so delicately you could see it was a very cautious embrace, turned and looked at Ruth.

No, they were not, Ruth thought, at all alike. Neither she and the girl she had taken for a reflection – nor Vera and the girl who was her child.

It wasn’t fair hair she had. Noted in full light, it was like rusty gold. She had a pale exquisite face, modeled maybe from clearest marble. Only her blue-green eyes at all resembled her mother’s, in their long, oval, upward slanting. And yet – Emerald.

He must have named her, like the dog.

Even so, she was well-named. For her eyes were exactly like that – two beautiful, fabulous stones.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.