Heartstone by DC Brod

Author:DC Brod [Brod, Deborah C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-4405-3328-0
Publisher: F+W Media
Published: 2005-09-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 35

Croeso-i-Cymru. Welcome to Wales. The rain was barely a mist by the time they entered Wales on Route 5 east of Llangollen. Nick had almost forgotten the gentle rise of the hills and the way the mist veiled the land, muting its colors.

“Ever been to the States?”

Nick glanced at Olivia and saw that she had sliced off a chunk of the cheddar Leslie had sent with them. She handed it to him. “Once. About eight or nine years ago. I met a woman from Minneapolis who was at university in London. Went to visit her.” He chuckled. “Excellent time of year to be in Minneapolis—January. Never knew it could get so cold.”

“Her, or the weather?”

“As it turned out, it was London she’d been in love with.” He took a bite of cheese. “Those things do have a way of wearing off once you change the setting.”

“So I’ve heard,” she mused.

The sharp cheese made his jaw ache. He swallowed. “So, you’ve never been rejected by a lover who’s lost interest?”

“Not because of the setting.”

As they rode through the hills, he began to feel the draw of the land, as though recalling a forgotten but vivid dream.

“You ought to pay close attention,” he said. “Some say this is Arthur’s country.”

“I thought that was southern England.”

“Everyone lays claim to the man.”

“You British take your legends seriously, don’t you?”

“Some do. Some don’t. Some try to make money out of them.”

“Which group do you fall into?”

“Don’t know.” He gave it a few seconds. “Not the latter.”

“I don’t see how you could have been around Ben for long without being brainwashed.”

“I was bloody-minded. Determined to be more difficult to win over than my mother.”

“So, you never bought into it?”

“I learned to respect myth, but didn’t share Ben’s passion.”

She smiled. “He always did have trouble finding the line between reality and fiction.”

“Sometimes it’s not so obvious.”

Olivia offered Nick another slice of cheese. He shook his head.

“Your father took all this quite seriously,” he said. “I think that’s why he fancied Britain. We are steeped in legend and myth. You’re a country with so many diverse groups, and you’re a comparatively young country. Aside from your native Americans, which most of you aren’t, you have no single source for your myths and legends. They get watered down. Sometimes you try to rationalize them.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing’s wrong with it. Not really.” He continued, a little surprised by his own thoughts, “Ben never tried to explain the myths away. He believed there were certain aspects to life that were best experienced rather than examined. He was that way with some people,” Nick said, thinking of his mother, “and with legend.”

“Ben was naïve.”

“I wouldn’t call it that. Idealistic, perhaps, but not naïve.” He paused. “Makes for damned interesting entertainment.”

“Give me a break. It’s all kid’s stuff. Fairytales.”

“Kid’s stuff, you say? Hardly. Well, perhaps the watered-down versions are fairly tame, but the more, shall we say, sophisticated, versions rival soap operas.”

“I don’t watch soap operas.”

“I know. You prefer to live them.

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