Marriage is Murder

"What makes you think I haven't been there already?" Marcus asked. "I've been married. Twice. And I have children."

"And other women," Khaat remarked.

He flashed an amused grin at her. "Now how did you know that?"

"You're entirely too polished not to be a lady's man," she said. "And you're actually much better undressing women than dressing them." He laughed out loud, enjoying her ability to be entirely candid with him. He looked at Brant.

"Don't read into that," he told him. "I've had to assist all my clients at one point or another. Male or female. Part of the job."

"Especially when one's husband walks out," she shrugged. "It was unavoidable, I'm afraid." Brant mentioned tea. She only glanced at the menu. "Tea is fine," Khaat was just glad to sit down. She handed the menu to Marcus.

"Agreed," Marcus said, keeping a wary eye out. "Tea is good. Khaat, you want any cookies or anything? Do you need something in your stomach?"

"No," she said, tired enough that she felt nauseated.

"Don't worry," he told her. "I'll fix it when Brant brings the tea." He had remembered to bring her potion in his pocket.

"I should have brought just a bit of rejuvenation 'serum'," Marcus said, careful not to use the word 'potion'.

He drew the little vial of her usual potion and poured a bit in her tea. He stirred it lazily for a moment. He commented to Brant, who was asking for pointers.

"Its like anything else," he said. "What you put into it is what you get out of it--most of the time anyway. That's not the case with my current wife, but, well, she's...not most men's cup of tea, to begin with. Probably why we've been separated for years. Being a lady's man does not make me necessarily good at marriage. In fact, it probably makes me very poor at it."

"And that's why we get along," she said.

"Indeed," he agreed, laughing. "There's not even a pretense of romance in it. That would just ruin the whole thing."

Marcus added a drop of the rejuvenating potion to her tea. He was willing to try anything to keep her on her feet just awhile longer. He hadn't been happy with her decision to go out anyway. He said the tea in front of her while pulling his own cup closer to himself.

"That should help," he told her quietly. "Do tell me you have nowhere else you want to go. Do tell me that you'll let us finish the rest of this after we get you home."

"I..I am a little tired," she said, sipping the tea.

"The tea will help, but not overly. Its not going to do what you aren't doing for yourself. Its only a boost and you know that."

"Yes, I know," she said. "And I'm done. The art glass was the one thing I wanted to do for him. He seems to have an idea that he can display it in a way that the artist never even dreamed of. He's talked a lot about that piece. And when he found out the artist only made one of that piece, Brian got more determined to get it."

"We'll pick it up and get it home--after we get you home. Don't worry. Besides, that gives Brant a chance to figure out how to flirt."

"Its okay," Khaat said, "Men aren't always so easy to understand either, you know."

"Depends on the man," Marcus said. "And the woman. You, for example, are just not that tough to figure out."

"Are you saying I'm shallow?"

"Not at all. You have the heart of your uncle, the powers of your mother, and the fight of your father. Its not that hard."

"That makes me sound like a nut," she said. He laughed.

"You," he said, "are tired. Finish your tea, and let's go. Eyes sharp, Brant. Let's see if we can't get out the way we came, shall we? Its getting busy in here, and I'd feel better if we were out."

"Well done, Guenivere,"Marcus said.  "I'm not going to help you out, Brant.  In fact,..." he gestured to a large ball of mistletoe hanging by red ribbon from the ceiling.  It was several steps away in the middle of the room. "Go act like you know what the hell you're doing, Brant, and create a distraction with Guenivere here.  Follow us downstairs after we're gone--if you aren't otherwise occupied."

He didn't give Brant a chance to argue. He merely cast a glance at Guenivere and then escorted Khaat a few steps away to pretend to look at some winter scarves for a moment to allow them to cause their distraction.

"Be ready," he told Khaat softly. "We're leaving."  She nodded.