AN: I'm out of chapters to post! I'm working on the next one, but I may end up needing to take a few days off to catch up again. Don't worry, though-this won't be one of those neverending hiatuses if I do need to do that! I have the story all planned out clear to the end, I just need the time to write it. And this has been a really busy month for me, so I haven't gotten as much time as I'd like for writing. But we'll see-I'll try to keep up and maybe even get a little bit ahead again, if I possibly can! Thanks for reading, I hope you are enjoying the story so far! Please let me know what you think of it! :)
Over the next few days, I saw quite a bit of Mikhail. He took me all over the town and its environs, exploring parks, gardens, and galleries, or simply relaxing on the sandy beaches. He showed me some of his favorite haunts, and we dined at cozy little cafés and delightful restaurants. The weather was lovely—milder here than back at home, but still clear and sunny, with a delightful breeze each morning and evening carrying the scents of salt water and flower gardens and the cries of gulls through my windows and across town.
On the third day from my arrival, the first of Mikhail's "prior engagements" occurred: he had offered to play his violin for a friend's wedding. It was a small ceremony on a sunny afternoon in a beautiful seaside garden full of roses and lilies and mallows. Mikhail's music during the ceremony was the perfect touch. At the garden reception afterwards, he introduced me to the groom, Stuart, and his new wife, Elena. "So, this is the lovely Alice," Stuart smiled at me as he took my hand. "She is charming, Mikhail. Let me remind you that I would be happy to return the favor and play the music for your own wedding."
I blushed and, hoping to turn the subject away from the subject of our relationship, I asked, "Do you play an instrument, then?"
"Yes, my dear. I am a cellist, and my beautiful bride is a violist. We enjoy playing together when Mikhail is in town, but alas—we lack a second violinist to form string quartet. I don't suppose by chance that you play violin?"
"No, I'm a farmer, not a musician."
"Indeed? I never would have imagined Mikhail falling for someone that was not musical."
"She does play the violin, as a matter of fact," Mikhail interjected with an amused expression, "just not professionally. As an amateur, however, she is quite talented. I've been giving her lessons recently…."
His friend raised an eyebrow, commenting with smirk, "Yes, I'm sure you have."
I blushed even pinker at the innuendo, but before I could speak, a large, glittering woman swooped in and wrapped her arms around Mikhail in a suffocating embrace. "Mikhail!" she shrieked in a rather strident voice. "Imagine seeing you here! How delightful!"
"Hello, Mrs. Bennett. How do you do?" Mikhail murmured, gently freeing himself from her grasp.
She clicked her tongue, saying, "Now, now, Mikhail—how many times have I told you? You must just call me Mary. There's no need to be so formal!" Turning to look behind her, she called out, "Lizzie! Look who's here! Come say hello, darling!"
A rather skinny, shy-looking girl with fair hair and pale eyes wandered up. "Yes, mama?" she asked, in a quiet voice.
"Darling, it's Mikhail! Isn't it wonderful? Oh!" she exclaimed turning back to him. "I've had a marvelous thought! There will be dancing in a little while, won't there? Why, you can dance with Lizzie! I'm sure she'd be delighted! Isn't that right, dearest?"
"Ahh, sadly, I will have to decline," Mikhail said, firmly but with a ghost of a smile playing around the corners of his mouth. "You see, my dance card is full, so to speak. One dance with the bride, of course, then the rest of the evening will be devoted to my fair companion. Alice," he said, turning to me, "allow me to introduce you to Mrs. Mary Bennett and her daughter, Elizabeth. Mrs. Bennett, Miss Bennett—Miss Alice Tremayne."
Mrs. Bennett turned towards me with a baleful glare. "And just who is she, then?" she asked, pulling herself up to her full, not-insignificant height.
I smiled sweetly at her, and replied, "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm a very old… friend… of Mikhail's. We've known each other for many years, since we were teenagers."
"Really. How very odd that I've never seen you or heard him mention you until tonight," she replied stonily.
Mikhail stepped in, his eyes twinkling at me, and said, "Alice owns two farms, both of which are quite some distance from here. One of them is located outside the town where I spent most of the past year. This is the first vacation she's taken in who knows how long, and of course I am thrilled that she chose to spend her valuable time in my company."
The older woman again glared at me, then with nothing more than a loud "Harumph!" turned on her heel and stalked away, dragging her beleaguered daughter, who looked back at us wistfully, along behind her.
I looked at Mikhail, and started to giggle, trying without success to stifle it. He grinned broadly, then he, too, began to laugh. We enjoyed a good laugh together, then, still chuckling, he guided me to the refreshments and selected two glasses of champagne. As he handed a glass to me, there was a call to order and the best man toasted the newly married couple.
Afterwards, there was a light buffet in the garden, followed by dancing on the terrace. Mikhail danced every dance he could with me, and when it was his turn to dance with Elena, Stuart took his place.
Stuart was an entertaining fellow, and he regaled me with stories of his and Mikhail's exploits. The two apparently enjoyed a firm friendship, despite the fact that they saw each other for just part of the year. Stuart lived there in town, but Mikhail only spent summers there. He went on to describe how the boisterous Mrs. Bennett had been chasing after him for a few years now, attempting to "land" him for her daughter—but that he was having none of it. "And now I see why," he added with a smug grin. "Who would ask for water when one might have champagne?" Just then, the dance ended, and Mikhail appeared at my elbow to reclaim me for the next dance.
"What is that look for?" he inquired as we slowly circled around the stone terrace to soft music.
"Oh, just something Stuart mentioned while we danced," I said, grinning at the apprehensive look that came over his face. "You look worried," I teased. "Are you afraid of what he might have told me? Have you been keeping some guilty secrets from me?"
Ignoring that last part, he asked, "Well, what was it that he told you that had you looking at me like that?"
"Like what?" I asked innocently.
"Like a cat toying with a mouse," he said rather drily. "Come now, what was it that he said?"
I laughed and said, "Tell me if this rings a bell: a new moon, a 'slightly unpaid for' jug of wine, a coal chute, and a mastiff?"
He cringed and groaned, though I caught a sparkle in his eye. "I knew it was a mistake to leave you alone with him. I can still feel that animal's teeth!" he replied ruefully.
"Yes, it must have been some time before you could sit down properly!" I laughed.
"Indeed. And the icing on the cake? I had a performance two nights later—I had to sit still for over an hour on a hard chair and look exalted."
"Poor you," I murmured up at him, trying hard not to giggle at the mental image. "And I bet that the wine wasn't even worth it."
"It was not," he replied emphatically.
After the bride and groom departed and the reception ended, we strolled along the boardwalk towards my guest house. When we were about halfway there, I stopped at a bench and sat down, looking up at him. "Mikhail… there was something else that Stuart mentioned." He sat next to me, putting his arm around my shoulders and looking down at me. I knew he was anticipating my question; I could feel the tension in his shoulders.
"The times we've kissed—and more—I've wondered… it seemed to me that you weren't exactly inexperienced, like you knew very well what you were doing. And then tonight, Stuart mentioned… he mentioned a few women and implied that you… well, that you knew them rather well."
He sighed, then looked out across the water. After a few minutes, he spoke in a low voice. "During that time after Emil and I left, when I both hated and loved you… I turned to other women in an attempt to… to forget you. I found that older women in particular were attracted to me, and I learned quite a bit from them as a result. Of course, it failed—no matter who I was with, nor how many, you remained at the forefront of my mind. It was all just so… meaningless. I learned to please others, yet none could please me—simply because they weren't you." He turned to me again, asking, "Do you despise me for that? Are you repulsed by my actions?"
I looked away, considering before I answered him slowly. "I'm not sure. I don't quite know how I feel. You see, I swore to hold onto my virginity solely to avoid being used and hurt by someone who wanted nothing more from me than sex. And now you tell me that you've used women in just such a way yourself. So I don't really know what to make of that. Right now, I feel a little disturbed at the thought, and a little hurt, and, well, kind of betrayed to be honest—not because there were others, more because you kept it from me and because of how you used them. I also wonder, now, about those times when you tried to push me into giving you more than I wanted to give—what you would have done with me afterwards if I had given in to you. Yet at the same time… I-I find myself curious about your experiences." I stood up and turned towards the boardwalk, then looked back at him. "I need some time to process all this. I'm not angry, but I am confused and just need to think it over and, well, adjust to the idea. So I think I'll head back to my room now."
He sighed and nodded, then stood up. "I understand. I'm sorry. I know I should have told you sooner rather than waiting until you found out—I just couldn't quite bring myself to do so. I'm not especially proud of it. And for what it's worth, those women used me as much as I used them. They were nearly all bored, lonely housewives or widows or career women, and they were all older than me, most of them by several years. That's why it was just so meaningless—afterwards, nothing had changed. Not for them, nor for me. That doesn't excuse my actions, I realize, but still I wanted you to know that it wasn't, well, all one-sided." He stepped over to my side, and tucking my arm into his, said, "At least let me walk you home. This town is fairly safe, but I'd still feel better seeing you to your door than having a pretty young woman like you wandering around alone at night."
When we reached the front door, I turned and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. "I need to write some letters tomorrow as well as do some shopping. Would you like to join me for dinner? Then afterwards we can discuss all this. Are you free?"
He nodded, saying, "Yes, I'd like that. And Alice, I truly am sorry—not just for what happened in the past, but also for the manner in which you learned of it. Now that I've found you again, though, I can say with absolute certainty that no other woman will ever do for me. You're the only one I want."
I frowned slightly as I looked into his eyes. "That's… a rather strong statement to make, Mikhail. What if I end up choosing not to marry you? What then?"
He placed his hands on my shoulders and kissed my forehead. "Then, my dear Alice, I will remain alone and celibate until the end of my days. I will never again attempt to settle for less." And he turned and left me standing in the doorway, watching as he disappeared into the night.
Disclaimer: Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, and most locations and characters in this story belong to Natsume Inc. and MarvelousAQL Inc. The story's plot and some characters & locations are my own invention.