In the King's Arms by Sonia Taitz

Author:Sonia Taitz
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Adult
ISBN: 9780975561867
Publisher: McWitty Press
Published: 2011-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

23

Europe, 1976

AT ABOUT 11:15, Julian got up slowly and began dressing. “I’d better get back to the Ball before midnight.”

They both thought this sounded like Cinderella’s itinerary (jumbled) and laughed. Lily got up, too, straightened her clothes, and smoothed the bed. She felt its heat in her hand. She walked over to open the bedroom door, but before she could take a step, Julian had her back on the bed, and they rolled around, kissing and struggling.

“Your clothes!” she sputtered, half twisting away. “You’ll ruin them!”

“Oh. Yeah,” he said, acting very sober, and they both laughed at this.

He stood at the mirror, straightening his shirt, and reached for the elegant bowtie. He looked straight into his own blue eyes and said, “Lily, come look. I look different, don’t I?”

“You do,” she said.

Her face was as wild as his. They felt married.

“Do my tie for me.”

As her hands rose up to his throat she couldn’t resist: she wrapped the tie around his neck and pulled him down to her open mouth. She could have drunk those kisses from the old year and into the new.

The door groaned on its hinges. They parted, whipping their heads around, half-expecting to see Timothy wielding a birch rod.

“Oops!” said Julian, sniggering into his hand.

But no one was there. A chilly wind swept in. Faintly, the voice of the radio announcer: 11:30. Lily saw Whisk in the hallway, twitching his tail.

“Timothy?” Julian called out.

She looked at him.

“We probably should have put him to bed when you came home.”

“He’ll keep,” said Julian. “He’s been to bed late before.” He looked just a tiny bit uneasy. “It’s New Year’s Eve, isn’t it?”

“Let’s go and see how he’s doing.”

Julian stood stock still for a moment. Then he descended the stairs.

“Timmy? Timmy?” Julian called out.

Lily stood at the top of the stairs for a moment, then flew down to join him.

Just beyond the sitting room where Timothy had sat, the door was swinging open, letting the world in. It was a lewd, uncanny sight. The wind blustered it to and fro; it moaned out protestingly on its hinges.

Lily took Julian’s hand to encourage him; his stayed stiff and separate. He didn’t seem to know that she was there.

“Oh, God, Oh, God,” he wailed, “what’s going on. Do you think he’s been kidnapped?”

He ran outside, Lily following him.

There was hardly any light outside; only bluish patches of snow, and strips of ice flickering like lively water. A car passed on the dirt road, turning a corner. Julian ran out toward the headlights, but the car had passed. It was dark again. Lily wandered dully into the darkness, circling, not more than ten yards from the house. Her foot touched a warm clod. It was Timothy, face down to the ground. When she flipped him over, his eyes were closed, but he gave out a tiny groan.

“Julian!” she screamed. “I found him! Come!”

Julian ran over, and glanced downward at Timothy.

“He’s breathing, but there’s some blood, and he might be unconscious,” said Lily, her voice coming out in pants.

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