Stephen has lost his mind and this is why the crew is restless. It was what ran through her head as the mug of tea shattered. Before she had the opportunity to follow her husband, Jewell was out the inn door after him. That action had been telling to Diana. She avoiding meeting the woman out front by taking the side exit. She further avoided Stephen's usual haunt on the docks by going straight back to the island that had been their home for about three years. Dee packed up some personal belongings and left a note pinned to the front door with a Bowie knife.
Stephen,
Gone to the homestead. You need some time and so do I.
Diana
It wasn't the quite the truth, but it wasn't a lie, either. She considered tieing a couple pieces of jewelry to the knife's hilt, but she wasn't quite ready for that. Not yet.
It was after dark when she finally got to her mother's home. There was dampness in the air. Or, as her mother often said, a storm in the wind. Save for a light glowing in the window of Colleen's private office, the house was dark and seemed empty. It was empty. There was no sensation of peacefully dreaming children or laughter as tended to come from the place at night. She shivered despite the warmth in the misty rain that finally started to fall. And it was then that Diana realized the storm wasn't just a weather front. Her mother was having her own share of problems.
Colleen heard the door open and moved into the front hall. "Diana ...what?s wrong?"
"You could let me get inside first." Dee chuckled huskily and set her dufflebag down. "Hello, Mother." She wrapped her arms around Colleen to hug her. "Maybe you ought to be telling me what?s wrong."
"Ohhhh no, the daughter should not be solving the mother's problems. Besides, I need ta get my mind off the empty house." Collie smiled and made her way into the kitchen. As was her custom, there was always freshly brewed tea and pastries in the kitchen. She was pouring the tea as Diana was coming through the door. "So, ya goin' ta me what?s goin' on 'r do I have ta pry it out o' ya?"
"What can you tell me about Fand's Pearls?"
The question had caught the older woman off guard and the shaking of the mug in her hand didn't hide that fact. "Why?"
"Because I want to find them and bring them home to us where they belong."
Collie set her mug on the counter. "It'd be unwise ta go alone."
Ever the chess master, Diana countered with, "I wasn't asking you to go. I need to go alone, wise or not."
She cleared her throat and sized up Diana with a single glance. "I know better than to try and stop ya, but why now" Kirin's no longer here 'n' they would have been hers ta look fer."
"Playing that card is beneath you, Mother." Diana's lips flatlined. She was silent as was her mother while the clock on the wall ticked away the minutes. It was Diana that finally broke the silence. "I need a change of scenery," she murmured. "I need time and distance."
"What about the squadron' People depend on ya fer their jobs."
"Michael can do that. As long as he stays clear of the liquor, the gambling, and the women."
"Right, dreamin', are ya?" Collie's forehead furrowed. "I keep thinkin' I know who he is, but I can't put m'finger on it." She pointed at her daughter. "Michael Frances Jameson, I could almost swear he chose his last name because it's someone's favorite whiskey." She took a healthy swallow of her tea. "We've got plenty o' Michaels in the family, but no ..."
"Mother, when he wants to share that, he will."
"You know, don't ..."
"Fand's Pearls, Mother." Diana was determined to keep her mother off the subject of who exactly her wingman was.
"Accordin' ta family lore, the pearls were a gift from Cuchulainn ta Fand when they were lovers. Supposedly, they were so beautiful, perfectly matched in size, color, and weight, that Manannan Mac Lir couldn't bring himself ta destroy them when he took away Fand's memory of her time with Cuchulainn."
"There was a catch, wasn't there?" Diana wrapped her fingers around the mug.
"MM....isn't there always one with this kind o' tale?" Collie couldn't help but grin.
"Generally. So, what was it?"
"If someone was ta find them there are two possibilities." Colleen drew in a long breath. "If the finder is an incarnation of the goddess, the pearls will awaken her memories. Whether 'r not her power would be awakened in that new form, no one knows."
"And the second?"
Collie looked out her kitchen window as the rain beat against it. "That anyone gifted with them should find something precious to them that was lost or they believe they lost."
Diana murmured, "I'll be making plans to leave in about two weeks."
"Be careful, mavourneen. Some people go off lookin' for treasures and lose the ones they have."
Finally, the truth emerged. "I saw Stephen in the Dragon with his ....ex wife, supposedly dead wife" I'm not sure how to put it."
"Then just use 'er name. I only know one Jewell that would be chattin' up Stephen."
"I don't know what he wanted from her, but it upset her a great deal. I never got the chance to ask what. He stormed out, acting like a mad man. She went out after him and I left to mull things over."
"Wait, wait," Collie held up her hand, "let me make sure I've got this right. Jewell Ravenlock went after Stephen Kidd, yer husband, 'n' ya didn't?"
"Yes, she went after him and ..."
Collie waited for the other shoe to drop.
"I don't think he's my husband anymore."
Both red brows shot up. "Do tell?"
"He said that he was in port a few weeks ago and ran into Aja. She told him he was still married."
The fey tipped her head as she listened.
"He said he was surprised that I hadn't given up on him." Heartbeats passed. "Then I heard him muttering something like he would have."
"I understand, now," Collie's voice was nearly a whisper. "What yer really sayin' is that by talkin' about him givin' up meant he'd have given up on ya if ya were gone?"
"I think so." Diana frowned.
"Self fulfillin' prophecies are hell, Diana, don't ferget that." Collie sighed. "Stay in yer old room tonight. Then make yer plans startin' tomorrow. There's a cottage ya can stay in down near the meetin' hall. You will have privacy plus access ta the work room Dennis built in there." Collie finished off her tea then kissed her daughter's cheek. "Hearts take time ta heal, Diana. Be patient wit' yer own."
"I don't know if I can." She smiled awkwardly.
"Are ya goin' ta say yer goodbyes ta the man then?"
"I hope to, but we don't always get what we want." Diana stood, kissed her mother's cheek and headed off to bed.
Stephen,
Gone to the homestead. You need some time and so do I.
Diana
It wasn't the quite the truth, but it wasn't a lie, either. She considered tieing a couple pieces of jewelry to the knife's hilt, but she wasn't quite ready for that. Not yet.
It was after dark when she finally got to her mother's home. There was dampness in the air. Or, as her mother often said, a storm in the wind. Save for a light glowing in the window of Colleen's private office, the house was dark and seemed empty. It was empty. There was no sensation of peacefully dreaming children or laughter as tended to come from the place at night. She shivered despite the warmth in the misty rain that finally started to fall. And it was then that Diana realized the storm wasn't just a weather front. Her mother was having her own share of problems.
Colleen heard the door open and moved into the front hall. "Diana ...what?s wrong?"
"You could let me get inside first." Dee chuckled huskily and set her dufflebag down. "Hello, Mother." She wrapped her arms around Colleen to hug her. "Maybe you ought to be telling me what?s wrong."
"Ohhhh no, the daughter should not be solving the mother's problems. Besides, I need ta get my mind off the empty house." Collie smiled and made her way into the kitchen. As was her custom, there was always freshly brewed tea and pastries in the kitchen. She was pouring the tea as Diana was coming through the door. "So, ya goin' ta me what?s goin' on 'r do I have ta pry it out o' ya?"
"What can you tell me about Fand's Pearls?"
The question had caught the older woman off guard and the shaking of the mug in her hand didn't hide that fact. "Why?"
"Because I want to find them and bring them home to us where they belong."
Collie set her mug on the counter. "It'd be unwise ta go alone."
Ever the chess master, Diana countered with, "I wasn't asking you to go. I need to go alone, wise or not."
She cleared her throat and sized up Diana with a single glance. "I know better than to try and stop ya, but why now" Kirin's no longer here 'n' they would have been hers ta look fer."
"Playing that card is beneath you, Mother." Diana's lips flatlined. She was silent as was her mother while the clock on the wall ticked away the minutes. It was Diana that finally broke the silence. "I need a change of scenery," she murmured. "I need time and distance."
"What about the squadron' People depend on ya fer their jobs."
"Michael can do that. As long as he stays clear of the liquor, the gambling, and the women."
"Right, dreamin', are ya?" Collie's forehead furrowed. "I keep thinkin' I know who he is, but I can't put m'finger on it." She pointed at her daughter. "Michael Frances Jameson, I could almost swear he chose his last name because it's someone's favorite whiskey." She took a healthy swallow of her tea. "We've got plenty o' Michaels in the family, but no ..."
"Mother, when he wants to share that, he will."
"You know, don't ..."
"Fand's Pearls, Mother." Diana was determined to keep her mother off the subject of who exactly her wingman was.
"Accordin' ta family lore, the pearls were a gift from Cuchulainn ta Fand when they were lovers. Supposedly, they were so beautiful, perfectly matched in size, color, and weight, that Manannan Mac Lir couldn't bring himself ta destroy them when he took away Fand's memory of her time with Cuchulainn."
"There was a catch, wasn't there?" Diana wrapped her fingers around the mug.
"MM....isn't there always one with this kind o' tale?" Collie couldn't help but grin.
"Generally. So, what was it?"
"If someone was ta find them there are two possibilities." Colleen drew in a long breath. "If the finder is an incarnation of the goddess, the pearls will awaken her memories. Whether 'r not her power would be awakened in that new form, no one knows."
"And the second?"
Collie looked out her kitchen window as the rain beat against it. "That anyone gifted with them should find something precious to them that was lost or they believe they lost."
Diana murmured, "I'll be making plans to leave in about two weeks."
"Be careful, mavourneen. Some people go off lookin' for treasures and lose the ones they have."
Finally, the truth emerged. "I saw Stephen in the Dragon with his ....ex wife, supposedly dead wife" I'm not sure how to put it."
"Then just use 'er name. I only know one Jewell that would be chattin' up Stephen."
"I don't know what he wanted from her, but it upset her a great deal. I never got the chance to ask what. He stormed out, acting like a mad man. She went out after him and I left to mull things over."
"Wait, wait," Collie held up her hand, "let me make sure I've got this right. Jewell Ravenlock went after Stephen Kidd, yer husband, 'n' ya didn't?"
"Yes, she went after him and ..."
Collie waited for the other shoe to drop.
"I don't think he's my husband anymore."
Both red brows shot up. "Do tell?"
"He said that he was in port a few weeks ago and ran into Aja. She told him he was still married."
The fey tipped her head as she listened.
"He said he was surprised that I hadn't given up on him." Heartbeats passed. "Then I heard him muttering something like he would have."
"I understand, now," Collie's voice was nearly a whisper. "What yer really sayin' is that by talkin' about him givin' up meant he'd have given up on ya if ya were gone?"
"I think so." Diana frowned.
"Self fulfillin' prophecies are hell, Diana, don't ferget that." Collie sighed. "Stay in yer old room tonight. Then make yer plans startin' tomorrow. There's a cottage ya can stay in down near the meetin' hall. You will have privacy plus access ta the work room Dennis built in there." Collie finished off her tea then kissed her daughter's cheek. "Hearts take time ta heal, Diana. Be patient wit' yer own."
"I don't know if I can." She smiled awkwardly.
"Are ya goin' ta say yer goodbyes ta the man then?"
"I hope to, but we don't always get what we want." Diana stood, kissed her mother's cheek and headed off to bed.