Midnight Pleasures

Elise wore the disguise of a Gypsy girl. Sarah Dobbs was a master at transforming Englishwomen into Gypsies. Sarah wore the same disguise in preparation to tell fortunes. The woman had explained to Elise that no one took an English fortune-teller seriously and that was why she darkened her skin with grease, her eyes with kohl, and wore a bright scarf tied around her head. The cockney accent was gone, and Elise stared in wide-eyed wonder at the crystal ball Sarah had placed on a small table inside of her wagon.

"Would you like your fortune told?" Sarah asked, her voice thick with another accent, a foreign-sounding one.

"Sterling said that you can't really see into the future," Elise responded. "Besides, I believe a person decides his or her own destiny."

Sarah lifted a brow and glanced down into the ball. "I see that you are running from someone. Someone who has not treated you kindly."

Elise gasped. "How did you..." She promptly closed her mouth. The woman could have found out from Sterling, or Elise supposed it was easy enough to guess her situation. "You are wrong," she clipped. "Good eve, and I guess good-bye. I am leaving the caravan." She turned to exit the wagon and heard Sarah laugh softly.

"You are not going anywhere. Sterling is your destiny."

The fine hairs on Elise's arms stood on end. She jumped down from the wagon. What did the woman know? Nothing, Elise assured herself. Sarah's fortune-telling abilities were all an act. Making certain the scarf covering her hair was still in place, Elise wandered through the wagons. A crowd had already begun to gather. Several torches lit the area. Elise saw that a cage of sorts had been erected. Sterling would no doubt perform inside with his cats.

"Gather round and witness sights to tantalize your senses." Philip, resplendent in one of his strange outfits, stepped into the circle of light. He began to juggle three balls, all of which caught the light from the torches and seemed to glow in the coming dark.

"I bring to you an exotic flower from the desert. A woman who can charm even the deadliest of snakes. The king of snakes. I bring you... Mora."

While Philip distracted the crowd with his juggling, Mora had stepped from the shadows and now stood in the circle of light, snakes draped from her neck and arms, a large basket at her feet. She lifted a strange instrument to her lips and began to play. The lid to the basket teetered. It fell away and the crowd all inhaled a breath at the same time. A large black snake rose from the basket. The snake's head suddenly expanded. His tongue slithered out and he hissed, but still Mora played.

The tune changed and the snake began to descend into the basket. Once the crowd could no longer see the cobra, Mora walked over, placed the lid upon the basket, and gathered it up. She bowed to a burst of applause, and coins were suddenly being tossed upon the ground. Dawn scrambled forward and began gathering the coins.

"Now to lighten your mood, the antics of Nathan and Iris!" Philip boomed.

The couple tumbled into the circle of light. They were dressed in wild costumes that immediately brought a smile to Elise's lips. She laughed out loud at their silliness and marveled over their skill at tumbling. The crowd did indeed laugh and applaud their efforts, all oohing when Iris did a triple somersault in the air and landed upon her husband's shoulders to end their performance. A shower of coins followed. Again Dawn moved into the circle and collected the bounty.

"Now, the bravest man in the world!" Philip stepped forward. "A man who can tame the savage beast, turn even the most ferocious animal into a loving house cat. I bring you the Beast Tamer!"

Torches suddenly leaped to life around the cage that had been erected earlier. Inside, Raja and Leena paced. The crowd went wild. A tall man stepped from the shadows. The firelight danced upon his golden head. He wore tights that hugged his muscled contours to the point of indecency, and two leather straps crisscrossed over his broad naked chest. Heat rushed to Elise's head, among other places. She heard more than one woman among the crowd sigh appreciatively.

Elise did not like it, the way the women ogled Sterling. He cracked a whip and made her jump; then he opened the door to the cage and stepped inside. The crowd grew deathly quiet. Sterling cracked his whip again, issued a command, and the cats took their seats upon two stools that were arranged inside of the cage. Raja growled and pawed at Sterling when he passed, causing Elise to suck in her breath.

Sterling shouted something and the cats sat up on their haunches. The crowd roared. He turned his back on the cats and bowed, which Elise thought was a frightfully stupid thing to do. The crowd appreciated his bravery, however, and coins flew to the ground. Since Dawn did not scramble forward to collect them, Elise assumed the performance had not ended.

Indeed, there was more to follow. Sterling commanded his cats to do all manner of tricks, from lying down on the ground and rolling over, to an impressive feat of jumping through a hoop that was on fire. Sterling also jumped through the hoop, which brought a spray of more coins. Elise felt like her heart was in her throat, but she couldn't deny the excitement that also coursed through her veins.

What she hoped was his last act of bravery was to open Raja's mouth and stick his head inside. The man was insane! Sterling emerged with his head, and more coins showered the ground. Again he turned his back upon the cats and bowed to the crowd. Raja suddenly attacked from the rear. Elise screamed. The tiger knocked Sterling to the ground. Man and beast wrestled and all Elise could do was stare on in horrified fascination. A moment later they were both up and Sterling hopped on Raja's back, riding the tiger.

The applause was deafening; the glitter of coins made the ground appear as if it were paved with gold. The torches around the cage were extinguished, and the crowd roared for more.

Philip stepped into the circle of light. "The night has not ended!" he boomed. "Know your future, find your fortune, or maybe discover if your wife has been unfaithful. Lady Fortune awaits you in her wagon."

The crowd grumbled, but many moved toward Sarah's wagon, which was now illuminated by bright torches. Elise stared at the darkened place where the cage had been erected, wondering what Sterling was doing. She noted that a few women also stared in the same direction. Would they seek out his wagon? No wonder he had thought she was there to find amusement with him that first night. He was handsome, devastatingly handsome. He would draw women like moths to the flame.

She would not stay and witness the fawning. Elise thought it was a perfect time to slip to the inn and secure a room. Most of the patrons were still milling about. She needed her valise, however, so she moved toward Sterling's wagon. She had only stepped into the darkness when a hand grabbed her arm.

"Hello, Gypsy girl," a voice slurred. "I saw you in the crowd and thought we might have a roll together."

She couldn't see the man, but his breath reeked of liquor. "Unhand me this instant," she snapped. "I do not wish to share your company."

The stranger yanked her up close to him. "Whether you're willing or not makes no difference to me. Who cares what happens to thieving scum like you?"

"I care."

The voice belonged to Sterling, and Elise was never so happy to hear it.

"Go about your business, man, and leave me to mine," the stranger said.

Elise tried to twist away from the drunken man's hold, but his fingers dug into the soft flesh of her arm.

"Let her go."

Sterling did not raise his voice, but his tone was deadly. A low growl sounded in the darkness and rose the hair on the back of her neck.

"Say, who's there?" the man asked, a tremor audible along with the slur. "Be you a man or a beast?"

No answer. Another low growl. The man released her and ran away. Elise might have relaxed, but the growl? What was it?

"Sterling?' she whispered. "Are you here?"

The silence stretched. Her heart began to beat at an alarming rate. She lifted a hand to her throat. A tall shadow suddenly stood next to her.

"Are you all right, Elise?"

"Sterling," she sighed. "Yes, I'm fine. The man..." Her voice trailed off. It was impossible, but when she glanced up she swore she saw the glow of an animal's eyes staring down at her. She shivered in the chilly evening air, blinked, and when she looked again, all she saw was Sterling's tall shadow against the night.

"What about the man?"

"He's run away," she answered. "I was trying to make my way to your wagon in order to fetch my valise."

"So, you are leaving?"

She had no choice in the matter. She'd paid for the privilege of sharing his wagon until nightfall, and night had fallen. "Yes. I am leaving."

He took her arm and guided her toward his wagon. "Best you go now while most of the patrons are still gawking at the sights and having their fortunes told."

"That's what I thought, too," she said. "Now I'm not so certain I want to make my way to the inn alone."

"No, I will escort you," he assured her.

"You are a noble man beneath the skin," she teased. "Even if you refuse to act the part."

"You have no idea what I am beneath the skin. But I won't see you molested."

They reached the wagon and Elise scrambled inside. She grabbed her valise; then they went off into the night, toward the muted glow of the inn.