CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Iliana~
Even though she had said she wished to sleep, sleep proved elusive. Iliana prowled about the room she was in. It was warm although it had no fireplace. The robe Lexi had lent her was thin, yet she was toasty warm.
The bed was soft. There was even a set of shelves with books. But books could not hold her interest today. She wondered what Jareth was doing. And why he had to talk to his aunt and uncle. It was so unfair that he had first transformed and now abandoned her. Not that she wanted him around. But it was the principle of the matter.
Her window looked out over the sea. It looked beautiful, peaceful, calm. Utterly deceptive. Just like that dragon. Now that she was mortal, he no longer seemed so sleek and elegant. Perhaps it was that she herself was smaller, but he appeared broader and more muscular. Almost burly. It was likely that he would shortly become as large a brute as Theodor Lindorm.
She dried her tears when someone tapped on her door. Lexi poked her head around it and spoke. “I brought my mother-in-law to visit.”
Iliana tried to pull herself together. She curtsied to the older woman who came in after Lexi. Lady Severn was tall and dressed like Lexi in tight breeches and a tunic. She carried Sofie over one shoulder. Lexi’s arms were full of clothes which she dumped on the bed in a colorful pile.
“This is Theo’s mother, Lady Severn,” Lexi said. “Mamma, this is Jareth’s mate, Iliana.”
“Anna, please.” Lady Severn kissed Iliana’s cheek. “Tears?” she continued briskly. “Lexi, you gather them up. Jareth will want to have them strung.”
Iliana was surprised to see Lexi obediently stoop to collect the unpolished diamonds from the floor. She rushed to help. There was a surprisingly large pile of them when they were done. Lexi put them in a decorative bowl and set them on the dresser.
“Let me have a good look at you,” said Anna Lindorm. “Yes, I see what you mean, Lexi. Jewel tones, and lots of blues will bring out the green in her eyes.” She rummaged through the clothes on the bed and pulled out a sort of smock and a pair of thin black breeches.
Iliana was struck dumb by this tall, imposing dragoness. Lady Severn was as scary as Hel herself. She barely kept herself from flinching when Anna picked up a strand of her hair and clucked over it. Little Sofie imitated her grandmother, but was far rougher. The baby tugged hard enough to bring more tears to Iliana’s eyes.
“You need a haircut,” Anna pronounced. “Doesn’t she?” she asked Lexi.
“Some sort of shape,” concurred Lexi, taking Sofie from her grandmother. “Would you like to keep your hair long, or have a shorter hairstyle that is easier to keep?”
Iliana pulled dubiously at her hair. “Don’t men like long hair?” she demanded nervously. Cut her hair! The idea.
Lexi fluffed her cap of short red curls. “They say they do, but it just gets in the way. Theo doesn’t seem to mind that I’ve cut mine off.”
“You could have a classic chin-length bob like mine,” said Anna. “Or put in some layers around the face and leave it shoulder length, so you can put it up when you want to.”
“Either would be pretty,” said Lexi.
“I don’t know,” Iliana muttered.
“Try on these.” Lady Severn handed her the smock and breeches.
Lexi gave her two other smaller garments. “Put these underneath.”
The small clothes were made of some silky material that stretched. It took her a long time to figure out how to wear them, but the bathroom mirror informed her that she might as well be naked as wear them. But her breasts looked better in the transparent harness. She slipped the blue smock on and then the breeches and had another look.
Did her eyes look greener? She didn’t think so. But the clothes were soft and comfortable and warm. Her feet were still bare. But even the floors of Lexi’s house were warm. She smoothed her hair and returned to the bedroom.
Anna Lindorm handed her a pair of black slippers. “Wear these until we can get you some proper shoes. Lexi, what she needs is a little pampering. A massage and a sauna. A facial and a haircut. Don’t you agree?”
“I do. If we go to Helsinki this afternoon, we can shop for shoes too. Those slippers are far too large for Iliana, and mine are too small.”
Iliana was bewildered by this conversation. “Where is Helsinki?”
“It’s the capital of Finland,” said Lexi. “Here,” she handed Sofie to Iliana.
She was so surprised at the squirmy baby in her arms that she plunked down on the bed in total silence. Sofie was as soft and fragrant as she always was. Holding her felt as wonderful as Iliana had known it would. The baby wriggled around until she could see Iliana’s face and patted it with her little starfish hands.
Iliana cautiously tickled the baby’s belly as Theo did, and was rewarded by a squeal of delight. She did it again. The baby chuckled rapturously and tugged at Iliana’s hair. She wrestled it out of Sofie’s tight grip and resumed their game, losing herself in the infant’s joy.
“Then that’s settled.” Lady Severn broke into their play. “We will go in the helicopter and Theo may look after his daughter.”
Iliana gathered Sofie closer and breathed in her delicious scent. “What about Jareth?” she wondered aloud.
“We won’t need him.”
Didn’t she? How else was she to get a baby like Sofie?