The Curse Conduit

Beth-Elena had cried herself to sleep, Mary her hand maiden had been summoned and she looked after her as well as the others. She had been silent in her duties but once she was satisfied that Beth-Elena was settled she turned to Elizabeth and curtsied a little. “Lady Elizabeth I do not wish to speak out of turn but I am worried about my Lady. You are all so sad. Lady Elizabeth is there a way in which I can help?”

Elizabeth and Bethie smiled at her and Bethie took her hands. “Do you understand why we are so sad?”

Mary nodded. “To love a man is a wondrous thing. To have a man’s love is a joy. To be loved by more than one can be traumatic but to love more than one man is heartbreaking. I do understand my lady. I understand that my Lady is so very much in love with Master Declan but I also understand that Master Uri has been in love with her since the first day he saw her. Yet he remains silent. My Lady, she was not aware of this or her own feelings. But I know that Master Declan has her heart. Now her heart breaks as she does not want to hurt Master Uri. My ladies, you suffer the same fate?”

Elizabeth and Bethie looked at each other amazed at how neatly Mary had wrapped everything up. From their silence Mary took it as a sign that she had said too much. She bowed a little. “I am sorry, I spoke out of turn.”

She began to leave but Bethie would not let her hand go. “Mary, no please don’t go. You know who we are don’t you?”

Mary looked at them both. Elizabeth smiled. “It’s okay Mary. Us girl have to stick together. You are a lot smarter than people give you credit.”

Again Mary bowed. “I know that you are not sisters, or cousins. You come from a far place, speak strangely, your intentions are noble yet pain and sorrow travel with you.”

Beth-Elena stirred so they moved closer to the door. Elizabeth gave Mary a warm smile. “Bea is lucky to have such a friend as you Mary and I do mean friend. Whatever the outcome she will need someone she can trust and talk to about it all.”

One more time Mary bowed. “I shall be that person for her Lady Elizabeth you need not fear for her.”

They all looked at each other and Elizabeth voiced all their thoughts. “I fear for us all Mary. Derek still dreams of battles not yet fought and we still need to talk to the men about…..” She did not finish.

Mary opened the door. “I shall stay with my lady this evening. I think it best if you retired and slept also. Tomorrow shall be soon enough to talk.”

Outside in the hallway Elizabeth and Bethie walked slowly to their own rooms with heavy hearts and equally heavy thoughts.

“Lizzie how are we going to tell the men? How do we do this without hurting anyone, without losing anyone?”

“Mary is right. Maybe a good night’s sleep will reveal a plan.”

“I hope so Lizzie. I don’t want to lose Danny because he does not understand. I don’t want him to lose Urian as a friend because of me. I could not live with that. I really couldn’t Lizzie.”

Elizabeth hugged her friend one last time before they parted for the night. A night of restless sleep.

Sometime later Declan went in search of Beth-Elena. He smiled as he saw Mary sleeping by her side. Soon that would be his place and he could not wait for the day.

Derek had gone in search of Elizabeth before he retired for the night. He knocked gently on her door but when there was no response he opened it to find her sleeping. A cloud of concern covered his face, she was restless, tossing and turning, mumbling. He stood watching her for a few moments and decided to see if he could help her calm down. He quietly slipped onto the bed beside her and pulled her into his arms allowing her to rest her head on his chest. He kissed her on the forehead and immediately felt the tension leave her body. She spoke one word. “Derek.”

Derek smiled down at her. “Yes. Sleep, I am here.”

Danny had gone in search of his wife. Although they had been given separate rooms he wanted to, needed to be with her. Like Derek he knocked on the door but unlike Derek he got a response.

“Who is it?”

“Me Bethie, can I come in?”

Bethie opened the door and Danny’s smile faded when he saw her. “My god Bethie what is wrong?”

Bethie’s face was red and streaked with tears, her eyes puffy; she practically threw herself into Danny’s arms. “Oh god Danny it’s Urian.”

Shocked, Danny hugged her then pushed her back a little so he could see her face. “What. Has something happened to Urian? I only left him a little while ago.”

Bethie cried even more trying to talk between her sobs of despair. “Oh Danny I love you so much. But, but…..Oh God. Urian loves me! Danny. Oh Danny, I am sorry. I….’ She did not finish and Danny’s reaction caught her off guard. He laughed. He laughed so heartily, angry she pulled back from him but he continued to laugh. “Oh my sweet is that all. Of course he loves you; the poor man was besotted by you the first time he laid eyes on you.”

Bethie just looked at her husband amazed, her tears now taken over by pure bewilderment. “You knew. All this time you have known? Why didn’t you say something?”

Danny pulled her close and looked deep into her eyes. “Because you proved your love to me when you married me and he proved his friendship to me by letting you marry me. Bethie, Urian could have courted you away from me but he is a bigger man than that. He saw our love and stepped aside. I have said nothing because it would surely hurt and embarrass him if he knew. He is my best friend, staying quiet was the only way I could think of to make sure I did not lose a friend or hurt him more than he already hurts.”

“But Danny. He still loves me. I mean, how do you feel about that? He is your constant companion. It must be awkward for you.”

“I guess when I first realised how much he adored you yes it was. But he would never do anything to hurt you, to hurt us and I know if I asked him to leave he would. Bethie in his shoes I am not sure I could be as strong. I admire his courage but am a little sad the he may never find another to love.”

Bethie buried her head into his chest again. “Oh Danny what do we do?”

Danny held her tight and closed his own eyes against the tears. He had wondered when this day would come. Wondered how it would end. He was not worried about Urian, he had proved himself over and over again but he had worried about Bethie. As he knew about Urian’s feelings for her, he also knew she had a place in her heart for him and he had worried that she would be so torn he would have lost her to Urian anyway. Holding her in his arms he realised that his best friend and his wife where stronger people than he would ever be. A temptation had presented itself to them each and every day and they had overcome it each and every day. It may seem strange but he was comforted by the fact that he had been blessed with them both. Now he just needed to make sure that Urian was not devastated by the situation. He had to make sure that he did not lose his best friend but ultimately it would be Urian’s choice.

Danny comforted Bethie and finally she fell asleep in his arms.

Uri, Uriah and Urian had also retired to their rooms but none slept. Each man finally realising that sleep would not come to them had made their way to different parts of the castle. Uri had gone back to the stable to be with Nightwish. His four legged companion always a source of comfort.

Urian had found his way into a library and browsed the books trying to find one that he could read. He found books in Latin and French, German and Greek none in English. He decided on a book in German but even this was hard to read it was so different to the German language of his own time. He persevered in the hopes that he would exhaust himself.

Uriah found himself in what looked like a music room. He recognised some of the instruments, some he did not. Smiling to himself and remembering the old instruments that had pride and place in the conservatorium where he had learnt his craft. Running his hands over the cool, polished wood of a harpsichord he began to hum. It was a tune from his childhood. Uriah did not know the words only the tune, his grandmother and mother had both sang it to him and he found comfort in hearing it again. Sitting down, touching the keys with gentle fingers not daring to bring them to life at first. Slowly he touched a few more keys and the sound danced through the empty room. In the dead of night it sounded much louder than it was. Uriah tapped a few more keys getting used to their tension and began to play the tune he had been humming.

With eyes closed, lost in thought and music Uriah jumped, startled to hear Uri’s voice. “You play well cousin. How do you know this music?”

Uriah was a little puzzled. “You know this tune?”

Uri smiled and lent over Uriah to play. It was indeed the same tune, different, the tempo a little different but it was the same tune. But what Uri did next surprised Uriah even more. He began to sing. The tune had words, it was a song. Uri sang a few bars then stopped, his voice was exquisite, standing back up he looked at Uriah. “Again cousin, I shall ask how you come to know this music?”

“My mother, my grandmother, they used to hum it to me as a child. I never knew it had any words.”

Uri smiled. “My mother also sang this to me.”

Uriah stood up from the harpsichord and offered the seat to Uri. “Please, I would be honoured if you could teach me.”

So as the night slowly weaved its way into dawn Uri played and sang while Uriah listened and learnt.

After they had both sang the song through a number of times they heard someone coughing at the door. It was Urian, his face awash in admiration and astonishment. “Uriah I didn’t know you knew that song, my mother used to sing it to me. Words are a little different in German, you are singing in French aren’t you?”

Both Uri and Uriah nodded but Uriah answered his stomach a little tight at the realisation that they had all been taught the same song. “French yes. But I did not know the words, I never did. Not until Uri taught them to me.”

Urian looked to Uri. ’He’s joking right?”

Uri shook his head. “No cousin, He is an excellent student. But I am somewhat bewildered as to how this song has survived so many, many years.”

Urian came to stand next to the harpsichord. “The women folk in our family have kept it alive. Could you teach me the words in French?”

Uri smiled back at him. He liked being able to share this with them. “I shall, if you will agree to teach us the words in German.”

Urian smiled and nodded, once more music and voices filled the room. Three magnificent voices, voices that echoed through the castle like angel song. Sweet harmonies blending so effortlessly with each other it was as if the men had been singing together all their lives.

The castle staff rising early for work followed the sweet sounds to the music room, captured by its beauty. Silently a small crowd of kitchen and housekeeping staff gathered many stunned at what they saw, even more than at what they heard. It was special; they could all sense it, many of them covering themselves with the sign of the cross. It was not men they listened to, surely these were angels.

Derek stirred in his sleep, his ear picking up at the faint sound of music drifting on the first wisps of morning. As the music stopped, Derek sank back into slumber his mind touching a memory, the music was familiar.