Wisdom's Kiss (39 page)

In Other Words:
ALL IS LOST!

8
TH EDITION

Printed in the Capital City of Rigorus
by Hazelnut & Filbert, Publishers to the Crown

WILHELMINA
THE ILL-TEMPERED
(CONTINUED)

That Wilhelmina considered the marriage of Roger to Wisdom of paramount importance may be seen in the concession she secretly granted the emperor: the elimination of Farina's tolls on imperial mail riders. (That she preserved the tolls for all other traffic illustrates her negotiating prowess.) The coupling of the duchy to Montagne constituted the cornerstone of her grand plan to elevate Farina to regal status, that her family might then make claim to the
imperial throne
. Nor was Rüdiger IV—an elderly campaigner by this juncture, and perhaps too concerned with Circus Primus—in any position to confront Wilhelmina's ambition. Farina's contributions to the imperial purse could not easily be disregarded, and the duchy controlled the very crossroads of the empire. Were Wilhelmina to close its borders, imperial trade would halt outright. The emperor therefore acceded to Wilhelmina's demand and commanded that the nuptials take place immediately; his act of officiation—a great honor, and irrevocable—would lock Montagne to Farina forever ...
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My Dearest Temperance, Queen of Montagne,

Granddaughter, life here passes from bad to worse—or I should say from
worse
to
perfectly dreadful
! The circus performance—how long ago it seems, yet not an hour has passed!—was brilliant, I must grant it. Your sister, despite spending much of the act prostrate, had full command of the stage and performed with grace and great dignity, all things considered—truly I should be overjoyed...

Were I not
distraught
. For poor Dizzy had not a moment to rejoice in her success before the emperor announced that she and Roger are to wed—
tomorrow
! You should have seen Wilhelmina—the woman looked as smug as Escoffier with two mice—she has orchestrated this! I cannot imagine what she promised Rüdiger in return for his cooperation, but the emperor stated that he himself will lead the ceremony! So much for the fortnight of balls and the grand procession that
she
has always demanded ... Instead the wedding now suggests a sword-point elopement. Dizzy, on hearing the emperor's words, promptly
fainted
, which I suspect was only a ruse, though Roger received much approval from the crowd for carrying her from the stage in his arms.

Yet—I dread writing these words, though you and I have certainly discussed this situation, and indeed predicted it—your sister has no longer an ember of interest in the duke! To be sure, their bond has always baffled us; while the duke managed to convey enthusiasm for the girl as well as the title, Dizzy seemed most interested in the adventure Roger promised—a rather flimsy hook on which to hang one's heart, particularly given that Roger stands closer to stolid than stirring. Well, Dizzy has now come to this truth. She has fallen utterly in love with the acrobat with whom she performed—the young man who flew her through the circus heavens last night! And he regards her with the same burning fire! 'Tis no surprise that Wilhelmina insists on an immediate wedding, for she—rightly, no doubt—fears her quarry will soon flee.

Making matters worse still—for why burn house alone when stable can blaze too?—poor Trudy is absolutely overcome. She also fainted at the circus, and as we returned to our suite grew near hysterical with grief. While I in no way claim to understand completely what has transpired—you may be certain my mind is occupied with other matters!—I did manage to deduce that the acrobat who delivered Dizzy to our feet was none other than her childhood friend found at last. Given that no one could miss the devotion he expressed for the princess, Trudy feels justifiably spurned. To see one's love appear on angel's wings admiring another ... That would be pain indeed. To his credit, the young man did attempt to speak to her but was drawn away by his master, the Booted Maestro, costumed quite appropriately as a demon.

Would that I had energy to comfort Trudy, but I am far too caught up in this pending debacle of a wedding. While I grasp Wilhelmina's desire for haste, I have no understanding of the motives behind it.
Why is it so imperative that Dizzy wed Farina?
I cannot see through Wilhelmina's plot, and this unnerves me profoundly. Were Dizzy queen, I could comprehend the duchess's greed ... But the throne is occupied by you—a most healthy specimen!
I far preferred the Duchy of Farina when it was ambitious and stupid!
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I apologize for unburdening myself so, but I have no one else to whom to turn. If only the oysters had spared more of our entourage—even Lady Patience would be a boon, as she can at least manage a cool cloth for my brow ... Your mother and father were both so enviably levelheaded—how I wish they were present now! In my desperation I have even consulted Escoffier, but he only assures me that a good ear cleaning will cure all my worries. How marvelous 'twould be if life were so easy!

I pray that by the time you receive this missive, both explanation of and solution to this crisis will have been obtained and you will have the luxury of laughing at my panic. Your next letter, I must not doubt, races toward Froglock even as I write. Would that it could fly, for I cannot wait to hear more of your romance, your suitor, your success at governance, and all the other happiness that one may find—far from the bounds of Farina!

Your distraught grandmother,
Ben

Any Soul Who Contemplates Even Glancing
at the Pages of this Volume Will
Be Transformed into a Toad
Suffer a Most Excruciating Punishment.
On This You Have My Word.

Friday—v. late—

I am lost! The emperor—the emperor himself!—announced I am to wed tomorrow!!! Hearing those words I nigh perished on the stage! I am quite sure I did faint—regardless of Nonna's sniffing over my behavior—she sounded as stuffy as Teddy—& Roger truly was dashing as he bore me away—in its own way as exciting as the performance—the applause so real...

But why bother writing of applause when I have such pain! I cannot marry Roger no matter how solicitous he may be—how handsome—how rich—because my heart belongs utterly & forever to Tomas. My true love. My one & only Tips. The words he whispered last night as we sailed through the air—his arms holding me tight—

Join me & I shall crown you queen of all the heavens

—never in my life have I felt so alive—so full of love!—& he as well! This afternoon while practicing—that officious little el Gato may be vain as a cat always twirling his mustache but he certainly knows how to fashion a spectacle!—every moment with Tips felt—perfect. Every touch—every word—perfect.

He has no fear—no pretension—no preening! He has traveled the world—has met the breadth of humanity from pauper to sultan—he knows the emperor & tolerates with absolute equanimity el Gato's boasting & bossing—& throughout all this his soul—so clearly!—remains unpolluted.

He is modest AND confident—has any man ever managed this duo? Certainly none I have ever met!

He never once mentioned my beauty or my face or my title—he saw only me.

He wants me.

Were it possible I should flee these chains of state & spend my life in his arms. We need only the air—the wire—& I am complete—I would rather perish with Tips than live with Roger—I cannot marry the duke!!

Yet the emperor's word is law! What am I to do? To think that all my life I have craved excitement—but this is not exciting—this is misery.

Misery pure & absolute.

THE BOOTED MAESTRO

Dear Trudy,

Youre a lady-in-waiting—I didnt even know! When I saw your face this evening all I could think was how beautiful
you are
that lady is—+ then I realized it was
Trudy
you
! I know Ive been
lying
not telling you everything for
six years
a long while—every time I wrote about being a
soldier
or a
guard
I was fibbing
it cut me so much inside—its such a relief to say the truth at last! But I had to
lie
—dont you see?—its the only way I could remain in Circus Primus. Hans + Jens would never release me to a
circus
—theyd say I was only a
clown
,
that a circus is a
waste of time + money
,
that its full of
boasting men
+
women no better than they should be
—you know theyd speak so. I love this life so much—I am
good ackomplished
good
at this! You saw me, didnt you? I was made for
performing
this, not for grinding flour + counting coins. But I was afraid if I said the truth,
you would
it would somehow get to them—I know you can keep secrets but still, one slip + my life is over. I would rather die than return to Bacio!

There is something else too—I know my
words explanation
excuses words here will not do, I wish I could talk to you—there
is another gb4.1 swear—on our mothers graves!—that Ive never loved anyone else—the words I wrote you were
always
true—until last night. Now my heart is split in twain—half to you, half to
Princess
Wisdom. She is like no
girl woman
one I have ever known! To see her is to know life as it should be—+ yet I
love like
care for you as well. Youve always been the center of my world.

Im lost—Im wretched—I dont know what to do. Trudy, I beg you—please understand I never set out to hurt you—now I fear Ive hurt you most of all!

With care—+ love—

—Tips

A P
LAY IN
T
HREE
A
CTS