The Bride of the Immortal (25 page)

Mairin heaved a sigh.

“My lovely bride requested that we play some music for her and that you sing a song.”

What would his reply be? Did he even have the choice to reject the immortal’s wishes? And shouldn’t Vivian at least mention the wager?

“Oh, no. No special reason at all. How about Beethoven’s Spring Sonata?”

Vivian’s words that indicated that she was about to lose the bet made her feel dizzy.

“Alright! I’ll prepare the violin and the guitar for you. Oh and hurry! You only have thirty minutes or there won’t be a reward.”

Mairin dejectedly watched Vivian end the call and put away his phone.

“What did he say?” she heard herself ask.

On some occasions, when he wasn’t reminded of starving children and innocent animals dying in the streets, of plagues, and disasters – caused by mankind or not – senseless torture, and massacre and everything else on the list of undeserved pain – on some occasions, he thought that God might truly exist. Who else was the mysterious puppeteer that liked to pull the strings at the very moment one decided to give up? It had to be God in all his miserly benevolence.

Adrijan had been discussing his departure with Alfred when the immortal had called and now he was waiting for his servant to exit the kitchen with the tray of refreshments he had insisted on taking along. Once again he nervously pulled out his phone and looked at the watch. He had repeated the process over and over without ever taking proper notice of what time it was. Why had Mairin asked for his presence? And what was the reward Vivian had mentioned? It was difficult to be looking forward to seeing Mairin again when he couldn’t force himself to stop suspecting an unpleasant surprise behind the unexpected meeting.

When Adrijan decided that Alfred had taken long enough and opened the kitchen door to remind his servant of the time limit, the elderly man stood in front of him with a loaded tray.

“That’s very thoughtful of you, Sir,” he said, indicating a bow with his head.

It seemed that Vivian was capable of playing the violin and the guitar as well. Mairin closely observed him while he tuned the instruments he had retrieved from a closet. She was wondering how much time had passed since the phone call and she had soon realised that not having a watch had been one of the minor flaws she had overlooked when making the bet.

“Still fifteen minutes left.”

The satisfied smile on Vivian’s face aggravated her.

“I wasn’t-“ Mairin stopped in midsentence seeing that his smile had just broadened.

The immortal moved to the next guitar string. “Do you wish to cancel the bet,
principessa
?”

Mairin’s heart skipped a beat. Was that really an option? Perhaps the worst could yet be avoided if she just gave up a bit of her pride. Before she could make up her mind, the stream of her excited thoughts that even blocked out the sound Vivian produced by tuning the instruments, was interrupted.

“Oh, I’m just wondering. The reward is far too promising to let you off the hook that easily!”

Mairin angrily sank back on the pillow and started the unaccomplishable task of counting the snowflakes that were descending to the roof above her.

Magdala’s welcome further increased the unpleasant feeling that had already continued to grow within him on the way to the ‘Sanctuary’. Perhaps nervousness about having to play the violin or singing in front of Mairin was part of it, but it was definitely the considerably smaller part. Adrijan approached the end of the winter garden where he was already awaited by Vivian and his bride. Mairin was sitting on the pillow bed dressed like a Roman goddess. He reluctantly noticed her slightly dishevelled hair and the sheets that were in disarray. Had they called him to announce their wedding? Was Vivian trying to make fun of him?

“Ah, finally!” his brother welcomed him.

“We brought refreshments,” Adrijan stated helplessly and Alfred, ever the devoted servant, walked past him carrying the tray. Mairin seemed to be upset, but he couldn’t tell whether she was nervous or annoyed. When their eyes met, she didn’t react, giving him the feeling that his presence wasn’t truly appreciated.

Setting aside the mood her behaviour induced, Adrijan joined his brother at the grand piano and picked up the Stradivari. He had played it many times before but it still felt special just to hold it in his hands.

“Will part of the Spring Sonata be enough?” he asked Vivian in a low voice. “It’s been a while.”

Vivian nodded. “But keep your voice down,” he replied with a grin.

Then they started to play.

Vivian watched the girl with satisfaction. At first she had obviously been disappointed to lose the bet but once they had started to play she seemed to have forgotten all about it. The expression on Mairin’s face had changed and was now as sweet as it was priceless. It showed that she was absolutely absorbed by the music and even more so by Adrijan. Her eyes eagerly followed the movements of his hand that skilfully guided the bow over the strings. The only thing Vivian regretted was, that his brother didn’t take notice of it. Still, it wasn’t over yet. Once he had been given the chance, he had grasped it and prepared this stage for Adrijan. If everyone lived up to their part in the play, they would encounter a surprise before the final curtain call. Of course he was gambling but regardless of the outcome, the act was deliciously entertaining.

Adrijan was casting a questioning glance at him and he took the opportunity to signal his brother that he was prepared to stop playing at the end of the movement. As agreed, they soon finished, long before the whole duration of the twenty-something minutes of the sonata.

“Did you enjoy it,
principessa
?” he asked, already knowing the answer.

Mairin looked at him and her face immediately darkened. She was still angry at him, either for losing the bet or because he had teased her about it.

“You aren’t done yet,” the girl grumbled quietly.

Adrijan reached for the violin case. Vivian realised just in time that he had misunderstood , thinking that she had noticed that they hadn’t finished the piece.

“The guitar is over there,” he said, hoping he would take the hint. “It seems that we’re both looking forward to hearing your performance.”

His brother nodded thankfully and after obtaining the instrument sat down on the chair Vivian had prepared for him. It was dead silent until Adrijan nervously cleared his throat and verified that the guitar had been properly tuned. By doing so he had caught everyone’s attention but while their eyes were resting on him, his own gaze was firmly directed towards the ground.

Finally he played the first notes of the ballad he had chosen, raised his head and started to sing with his smooth voice, a voice everyone had already admired seven centuries ago.

Vivian was wondering if he had randomly selected the song, or if it was indeed directed towards him or Mairin. The Japanese lyrics described feelings of love, growing in the same way snow accumulated – slowly and steadily – but also silently. He sang about the cruelty of not being able to confess the feelings that forced him to endure the pain and regret of ever having come to know what love was.

Vivian was amused about the behaviour of both his brother and his bride. It didn’t take a pair of 700 year old eyes or ears to realise that they were in love – and that they weren’t brave enough to admit it to each other.

Adrijan’s performance ended and the immortal exaggeratedly clapped his hands.

“Splendid,” he said, not trying to hide his amusement, “but you should have chosen a different language,
frater
.” Slowly he got up from the stool. “And now for the reward…”

Mairin hadn’t understood a word and yet it was only with difficulty that she could suppress her tears. Adrijan’s song had moved her deeply. It had consumed her up to a point where she had absolutely forgotten about the bet – until now.

“I’ll gladly attend the music lessons,” she said silently. This was the part of the wager she wasn’t opposed to anymore. On the contrary, the performance she had just experienced had piqued her interest and motivated her to do her best.

The immortal nodded satisfied, again showing a smile on his handsome face.

“As for the kiss… well, it was part of the bet.”

Mairin purposely avoided to look at Adrijan’s face. In her eyes there was only a slim chance that he had come on her request and not the immortal’s order, meaning that he probably didn’t care about the words she had just spoken, and if it was indeed so, she wasn’t keen on seeing his expression. She took a deep breath, telling herself again and again that it was only a kiss without meaning.

“Choose the lucky winner then,” Vivian said.

“Choose…?” Mairin couldn’t believe her ears.

“Well, let’s narrow your choice to one of the gentlemen present.”

“So it doesn’t have to be you?” Mairin mumbled unbelievingly.

Vivian nodded. “Though if you choose Alfred, please ask for permission first.”

The elderly servant was standing close to her and there was no trace of surprise or disgust on his face. For a moment Mairin considered offering him her first kiss. Maybe it would prove to be the lesser of two evils.