"Tea anyone?" Gravor offered over the creaking of floorboards and furniture. Without waiting for an answer, he said, “Blueberry, could you help me put the pot on?”
Ethan turned in his chair. “This isn't a social visit, Gravor. We've been hearing some interesting things, and we were hoping you might set us straight.”
“Yes, of course, Mr. Lilly,” Gravor minced, but he still hovered at the kitchen door.
“First off, we've come to learn that not only is Blueberry living here, but that the two of you are related.”
Blueberry bolted forward in his seat. “I think I can explain this one,” he began, but Ethan cut him short with one raised finger.
“I'd like to hear this from Gravor,” Ethan nearly growled. He continued in a milder tone, “It's alright, Gravor. We're here to help. You can tell the truth.”
Gravor could smell his own sick sweat. Vera had certainly told her brother the tale he'd told her. Now he had either to recant and lose Vera's faith or to live his fiction to the fullest. “Yes, that's true. We're --”
“Cousins,” both he and Blueberry blurted in unison. Both men glared at each other with perplexed relief and suspicion.
“Distant cousins,” Gravor clarified.
The shifting and creaking intensified as the men looked back and forth to guage one another's reactions. “I see,” said Ethan. “And this woman --”
“Beezy!” Beezy interjected.
“This woman, Beezy, is living here as well?”
“She is a recent arrival,” Gravor replied diplomatically.
“And she and Blueberry are engaged to be married?” This time the glare passed between Blueberry and Beezy.
“Yes?” was Gravor's guess.
No comments:
Post a Comment