Chapter 16

Alex started to laugh, taking the brandy snifter out of Laurel's hand "fairies and elves aside, why is Zinmer so special?" Laurel looked sadly at Alex "you don't understand do you?" Alex cupped Laurel's face with his hands "I'm trying to love, that's why I asked so you can help me to understand." Laurel nodded "I never had a home of my own, there was no place to call home except Jacob's wagon, Jacob bought me from a band of Gypsies that had found me as a small child wandering alone through the woods, they thought my parents would come and pay to get me back, they never did. Jacob and I traveled all over the country never staying in one place long, I saw other people with homes and families and some part of me ached to be a part of something that seemed so wonderful. Then Jacob died, he just dropped dead one day and I was all alone, that was a few months before I went into the church to get out of the storm. Then one day I went into a forest to stay for the night, there was something special about it, I could feel it, I felt like I was home. I stayed in the forest, going into town from time to time, I listened to the people talking of their discontent and anger, over months they became unhappier and more angered at the man who owned the land, I started to fear that someone new would come take over the land and the forest and make me leave. Zinmer had become my home I couldn't let someone come along and throw me out so when I came into some funds I was determined to buy Zinmer so I would never have to be homeless again." Laurel smiled at Alex "now Zinmer is mine, and no one can take it away from me, ever!" Laurel picked up her brandy snifter and took a long drink.

Alex smiled with a trace of sadness in his eye's "do I get to come and visit from time to time." Laurel smiled "you better or I will have to come all the way back to London to punch you in the nose or I could send Murry in his nightshirt and cap to terrorize you with his skinny hairy legs." Alex laughed asking who Murry was, feeling a tinge of jealousy run through his heart. Laurel giggled "Murry is an elf that lives in the forest, his wife Anise just had a baby, they named it Martin after Marti'en." Alex chuckled giving Laurel a quick kiss "We're back to elves and fairies again I see, I think it's time to tuck you into bed, sweetheart."

Alex took the brandy snifter from Laurel again then picked her up and carried her upstairs as she giggled, once in the bedroom Alex stood Laurel up and started unbuttoning the buttons on the back of her dress, Betty the maid tapped on the door, Alex chuckled telling Betty that the mistress had had just a little too much to drink and he would put her to bed. Alex raised an eyebrow at the emerald green gown hanging carefully against the wardrobe "is that what you're wearing to the opera, you're going to look spectacular." Laurel dressed in her satin shift frowned "maybe I shouldn't go tomorrow Alex" then she started to cry again, Alex rolled his eyes skyward "why shouldn't you go?" picking her up and setting her on the bed he started to take off her shoes and stockings. "What if I do something wrong? I don't want to see the same look on your face I saw on Re's last night" Alex shook his head grinning at her "the only thing you could do that would upset me is dance naked across the lobby, because then I would have to fight the men off to keep their hands off your luscious body." Laurel giggled then let out a loud gasp "is Grace going to be there?" with a loud sob "Grace thinks I'm a whore, Nedra understood me, Nedra knows I'm not a bad person, she said I was just naturally sensuous. It's not my fault women don't like me."

Alex grabbed Laurel's shoulders "listen to me Laurel, it doesn't matter if Grace is there or not, I know you're not a whore and I never once thought it, this Nedra person was right so ignore people like Grace." Laurel flopped back on the bed "I want to go home to Zinmer." Alex blinked at the sleek black cat that jumped onto the bed, he hadn't seen it in the room before then shrugged "we'll talk about you going home in the morning, now you just need to curl up and go to sleep." "Nedra!" Laurel cried out grabbing the cat and squeezing it against her chest "they don't like me here Nedra" Laurel cried, Nedra hissed loudly and gently bit Laurel on the shoulder, Laurel yelped and let the cat go.

"There that is ohhhh soooooo much better Nedra she loves the little tidbits hugs but one must breath" Alex blinked a few times and shook his head saying to himself he had not heard the cat talking as he watched the cat nuzzle the side of Laurel's neck and lick her cheek. Nedra made a hissingtisking noise at Alex "the little tidbit should not drink, her body does not like it, some such as our ohhhhh soooo silly Trink can drink until the moon stops shining and just be silly, you my little morsel are not able to handle alcohol." Alex sat down on the bed staring at the cat, Laurel giggled running her hand over Alex's thigh "Alex likes me though" Alex grabbed Laurel's hand and grinned "you might say that" looking at the cat Alex said warily "you really are talking aren't you" Nedra purrred "but of course Nedra she is ohhhh soooo talkative, Nedra comes because the little tidbit is afraid, this is not good, she must embrace who and what she is and walk with her head high not run home to hide." Nedra hissed with a sigh "but first we must rid her of the drink that makes her almost as silly as the ohhh sooo silly Trink."

Alex who was scratching the cats soft furry chest grinned "if you think I'm going to stick my fingers down her throat, you've got another thing coming, I tried that once on my brother and almost got my fingers bit off" Nedra purred deeply "of course Nedra would not ask you to do something ohhh sooo distasteful, Nedra shall take care of the little tidbit" Alex slowly took his hand off the voluptuous woman's breast that was now sitting on the bed where the cat had been "geeeeezzzzus" gasped Alex, Laurel giggled half asleep, Nedra purred running a fingernail along Alex's jaw "indeed my delightful treat, now Nedra will see to our little tidbit" Nedra placed one hand on Laurel's forehead and the other on her stomach with a deep growling purrr.

Laurel looked at Nedra sadly "I was so mean to Re today Nedra but he just doesn't understand how much it hurts." Nedra purred soothingly "soooo you will make it all better with Revanche as you once did with Marti'en because you have kindness and love for them in your heart. My little tidbit you hurt inside because you have not learned to turn the hurts into strengths, it is not dislike you see in women's faces it is fear, because you are not the kind of woman to use their fear against them they hurt you knowingly." Alex silently rang for Betty, when he heard a tap at the door he asked her to bring up a tea tray, leaning against the bedpost he listened to the two women. Laurel frowned at Nedra "why would they fear me? I'm just a tinkers helper, or I was" Nedra softly stroked Laurel's cheek "they fear the womanliness of you, they fear your very sensuality, they fear you will take their men at the same time exposing their own lack of femininity. The most beautiful woman in the world if she is unsure of her own worth as a woman inside does not see her own beauty. You my scrumptious tidbit know yourself to be woman, you know yourself and trust in your own feminine side, remember once Nedra told you of women who are not satisfied in themselves or in their lovemaking they turn cruel and mean, this adds to their fear that they lack that part that makes them feminine. Your fear of not being wanted or accepted clouds your reasoning, never have I seen you run and hide except for once when the vipers tongue of our delectable treat's sister struck deep in your heart." Laurel sighed nodding "I'd never been called those terrible names before, it did hurt terribly."

Nedra purred softly kissing Laurel on the lips "but of course it hurt, Nedra knows, she also knows that time was your first as human woman mating with a man, she also knows that your heart and mind and sense's were drawn to this man. Soooo you were even more vulnerable to the vipers tongue, but now my adorable tidbit it is time to take the strength that made you go on after the tinker Jacob's death and apply it to those hurts, it is time to stand up look the women that fear you in the eye's and smile because you know they fear you and are of a kindness to forgive and understand, there is no cruelty in you Nedra she knows this." Alex shaking his head pushed away from the bedpost and went to the door taking the tea tray from Betty, setting it down he poured a cup of tea for Laurel and handed it to her, then looked at the woman cat with a raised eyebrow of inquiry. Nedra smiled "my delectable one, Nedra she does not drink such but thanks you for the offer." Alex thought to himself that he could really use a stiff drink at the moment but poured himself a cup of tea, glancing at Nedra he saw her chuckling at him.

Alex frowned slightly "I hate to bring this up but I know Laurel was not a virgin when I made love to her the first time, am I missing some point here? Or should I just let it slide and chalk it up to mysterious happenings which seem to be abounding tonight?" Alex saw a little flash of hurt in Laurel's eye's "urchin, it didn't matter to me, it never has, what matters is your back in my life again, for a day, a week, for the rest of my life if I'm lucky, I'm not worried about men in your past, your present or your future because I think in your heart you know your mine and always will be."

Alex rolled his eyes when Laurel started to cry again, Nedra chuckled "come little tidbit let Nedra ease these monthly tears, then you must decide how much the ohh soooo gentle one here should know, but remember Nedra knows secrets can destroy a life and love or it can protect it, if she did not think this luscious one could be trusted he would now be sitting in his Grandpapa's parlor drinking tea with his family, Nedra she will discuss your ohhh soo interesting family with you in a moment sweet one." Alex frowned watching Nedra rub her hand over Laurel's lower abdomen, he was very protective of his family and wondered what the cat woman had meant. Nedra purred "do you feel better now my little delicacy, no more talk of running home to your lair, when you go home you must do so with pride in your heart and soul for the woman that you are." Laurel nodded her eye's half closed feeling sleepy and relaxed.

Nedra turned to Alex "you worry for your family this Nedra knows, now more than ever you worry for your little brother as the white film grows even more over his eye's, this we can fix yes it is very easy for one who knows," a large packet appeared in Nedra's hand "this you measure one teaspoon in a tea pot size kettle you steep it not boil it for fifteen minutes, then when it has cooled you soak two cloth's in the liquid, wring them out and place them over your brother's eye's replacing the cloths as they dry out for one hour in the morning and at night, soon you will see the film start to leave his eye's, after the film is completely gone he must do this twice a month perhaps for the rest of his life but he will have his sight." Alex stared at the packet laying in Nedra's hand, Nedra smiled with a purr softly she stroked her hand over his cheek "you need not fear, this is to heal not hurt, never would Nedra hurt except to protect those she loves and even then as a last resort for when Nedra hurts it is final."