an ice princessa

7/28/2019 An Ice Princessa

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The Ice Princess - A Short Love

Story by Sky Taylor - Page 1

A Victorian cottage, a bottle of wine, aroaring fire - all the elements forromance. Yet how could Kate feel

anything but contempt for her husbandafter seeing him locked in a passionateembrace with a woman young enough tobe his daughter?

It was a winding road that led to the tinyVictorian cottage, nooked into a hill.

Katy watched Vance with gilded eyes,scanning the handsome face, the bold'Stewart' nose, finally resting on theinset dimple locked into his rugged rightcheek.

"Maryland is gorgeous this time of year,eh Kate?" he queried, glazing his lipswith a charming smile as he addressedher. "Almost perfect, wouldn't you say?"

Kate reverted her attention to the lovelydrive, trying to focus on anything otherthan her unrequited lover. How could he


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just sit there so cool? So collected?Five years she'd given him. It deeply

grieved her to know that he had casuallytossed those wonderful years away forthat-that rag muffin of a girl.

Rather, Lani Darling, as she'd overheardVance refer to her.

Three months ago, she would have

trusted him with her life. Of course, allthat had been washed away. The firstencounter occurred when she had paid asurprise visit to Lance's office, hopingthey could enjoy a romantic lunchtogether. There was an Italian 'hole-in-

the-wall' that she'd went to with a friendone day, and the establishment servedthe best rosemary bread she'd evertasted.

There, on the side of his desk, had

rested Lani Darling in a red, low-cut

dress supporting a silk scarf that Katewanted to strangle the woman with.She had been whispering to Vance, and

Kate could never erase the disturbedreaction on his face if she lived to be a

thousand!


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Oh, but Vance was slick. He hadnonchalantly soothed over the moment,passing Lani off as abusiness acquaintance. Like an idiot,Kate had swallowed his ludicrous story,

hook, line and sinker.

One month later, upon visiting that out-of-the way Italian restaurant, she caught

them huddled together in a dark corner,their hands locked beside a wax-coatedbottle, only the light of the flickeringcandle illuminating Vance's face as Kateslowly made her way to the table.

Awkwardly, he had attempted to explain

the cozy situation, failing miserably.Lani had discretely vanished. Two

weeks later, Vance had her eating out ofhis hand again, Kate feeling ridiculousand childish for ever believing he could

cheat on her.

But everything changed last week. Katemade a decision to postponeher business trip and surprise Vance athome. He'd been so wonderful to her

lately, especially by planning the


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romantic trip to a lovely Victoriancottage in Maryland.

Kate hurried home that day, pausingat the market to gather some fruit,

cheese and wine. Vance and her weregoing to have the most romanticweekend!

She remembered everything. That'show it always is in the end. One takes

in every sight, every sound, everymovement.

She turned her key in lock of the quaintmanor she and Vance called home, then

entered, the pungent smell of rosesmingling with the air. Laughter, fromthe den. Then silence as Kate made herway towards her worst fears. The kiss,Vance, Lani.

She turned, unnoticed, slipped out thedoor, vanishing into the fog of the earlyevening, a million thoughts circling inher head.

"Kate? Katy!"


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Kate heard herself ease out a painfulgroan, then looked at Vance as he drewher back to the present.

"Darling, you're crying," Vance

observed, his brow tensed in confusion.

Vance felt utterly helpless. She wasdoing this again, this new crying sagathat had seemed to become her familiarstage these days. Hell, what was wrong

with her? Harmones? She was tooyoung to be experiencing 'the change'.Wasn't PMS either. Well, whatever it

was he wished to God that the Kate heknew and loved would soon resurface.

Surely she wasn't still obsessing overLani? Jealously wasn't a 'Kate trait'.Besides, Lani was young enough to be

his kid sister.

He reached over to clasp her hand,shocked when she suddenly pulledaway.

Grimacing, he eased out, "My dear Kate,you're becoming the perfect Ice Maiden.

It seems that every time I touch you."


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"Look, we're almost there," she jerkedout, whisking away her tears andpointing to the lovely cottage in thedistance. She needed to focus onsomething other than Vance right now.

Besides, he couldn't possibly care whyshe was crying.

How romantic! A scape of blue clouds

surrounded the cottage, the elegantwindowpanes mirroring the rays of theevening sun. A beautifulherb garden rested beside the house,the towering lavender waving in the coolbreeze of the northern winds.

Vance and Kate spent the next couple ofhours settling into the cottage, bothfeeling acutely miserable. The owner ofthe cottage had set out a beautifulbasket of fresh fruit. In the

refrigerator a meal of chicken a la

orange, baked potatoes, and juliennebeans had been prepared for theirevening meal. Homemade bread restedon a wooden board to accompany theromantic meal. However, at this point,

neither Vance nor Kate felt like eating.


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Vance had started a warm, cozy fire inthe small den, asking Kate to join him.At his request, they settled in front of

the fire and she tensed as he eased outthoughtfully, "There's a reason I brought

you here, Kate. This seemed like theperfect spot and as we can both see, thebrochure did not lie."

My God, he was going to do it! He wasgoing to tell her about his rendezvouswith that Lani slut. Suddenly, she couldsee, hear, smell, feel everything abouther so intensely for this was the end -the flickering fire, the wood as it drifted

up through the chimney shaft andcracked loudly - her heart wildly quakingas it suddenly felt close to shattering

She inwardly reeled as Vance continuedhis stabbing words, rising to collect

something as he spoke to her. "Kate,

this may not be the moment to do this,because I feel there's something askewin our relationship. Perhaps, it's aphase. Perhaps you don't loveme anymore."


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How could she not love him? He waslike "Sara Lee"- nobody didn't likeVance Stewart!

"Nonetheless, my surprise can't wait a

moment longer," he continued,collecting a rather large sealed packageas he spoke that Kate hadn't noticeduntil now.

He drug the object over to their 'sitting'

place, the fire being their only light.

"For you, my darling," he eased out witha twisted smile.

Kate shook her head, mystification

meshing with her confusion.

"Well, open it, darling! Hurry, or I'llhave to do it for you!" Vance laughed,encouraging her as he beckoned her.

Kate's hands shook. She was confused.What could this be? Vance was going to

end their marriage, right?

Carefully, she eased away the packing,an exquisite full-length

painting surfacing into view. Gracing a


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glance over the face of the portrait, Katereeled. My God! It was her - Kate!

Her gaze flew to Vance, his deepwonderful laugh filling the room. "I do

hope you like it, darling? Lani hasindeed performed a masterpiece, don'tyou agree?"

Lani? Kate's eyes filled with tears, thesituating dawning on her. My, all this

time Vance had been meeting with Lanito secure this painting of her! Thiswonderful painting!

Vance was immediately beside her,

taking her sobbing form into his arms."Darling," he sighed, uncertain as

to what to do. "Please, tell me what'swrong? I just want things to be likethey were before. I feel as if I can't doanything to help. I-I feel so lost, so

helpless without you."

He had to strain his ears as she jerkedout between sobs, "Oh, darling, Ithought you were.you-you were having

an affair with her."


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weren't you? In the wings, nosingaround."

He paused, taking time to wipe awayone stray tear. "Kate, I understand

everything so clearly now. This wouldhave been a lot simpler if you'd justcome to me. Nonetheless, when I sawwhat a wonderful masterpiece that Lani

had created, yes - I grabbed her andkissed her cheek! You must have saw,right?"

"Yes, I've been soso naughty, darling.Oh, how could I? I-I love you so much,

words just aren't enough."

"Ssshhh," Vance told her, placing anindex finger over her warm lips. "I loveyou too, darling. I must admit, you hadme worried. I thought my fair maidenhad turned into an ice princess."

"Yes, darling, I did. But see these tears?You've melted all the coldness away."

The warm fire crackled beside them butit could not match the warmth they felt

for one another.

an ice princessa

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