To Love A Myth - Book 2: Mr. Higgs and the Lady 🎩✔️

28

"Isnae it a strange thing? I was so distraught about Edgar and Mr. Higgs was kind enough to go and retrieve him for me. I was so elated about his kindness that I just couldnae contain myself and planted a kiss right on him and weel... somehow it cured the Dullahan so... Tada!" she said, displaying Higgs' human form.

Elizabeth looked between Higgs and Merida, narrowing her eyes at Merida. A strange feeling seemed to crackle the air but it was the briefest of things as Elizabeth plastered on a smile.

"How quaint. It seems that your curse is quite the fickle one, isn't it? At first it was slightly amusing but now I think I need to be a little more firm in the matter: I am not one to be toyed with. Take your pick, Lord Northumberly: will you choose a woman of equal social ranking that comes from a long line of nobility such as myself, or will you choose a bushy haired Scotswoman with no title, not couth, and nothing for you to gain? Not to mention the fact that she is your employee. I will not play games with this ragamuffin and to be quite honest, it's insulting to the both of us. You say your curse can only be broken by true love's kiss, but yet both of us were able to break a curse? Are you sure you're not just saying things to get the woman you want? As the ones on the giving end, please do us both a favor and choose who you want, Lord Northumberly. I can see my own way out, thank you."

She left the room and Higgs out his head in his hands. He had to be only Northumberly in history to have two people vying for him and also cure a curse without messing it up.

"As much as I dislike her, Lady Elizabeth is right." Higgs looked up. "Tisnae fair to either of us in this strange turn of events. Dinnae ken what's going on with the curse, but ye need to choose the one ye want to be with and help ye get back to normal and stick with it."

"What if I choose wrong?"

"Ye cannae live ye life pussyfooting around decisions that need to be made. An ye knew what yer decisions held, ye'd always make the right ones... In this situation, I am (apparently) 'too good to be true', even when the evidence is right there on yer shoulders. But I can help ye choose: go to Lady Elizabeth."

"But-"

Merida held up her hand. "Listen to me carefully. My heart can only take so much of this wishy-washy business ye keep putting me through. I gave my time and effort to ye for four years and ye didnae take it. Ye chose to pursue Lady Elizabeth, and when she kissed ye, ye said it was a miracle; but when I kiss ye, I'm apparently impossible? I cannae live my life like that. I willnae leave, but I'm withdrawing from this. I thank ye from the bottom of my heart that ye were able to get my boy back to me. I will forever be in yer debt for that, but this has to stop. Just be with Elizabeth, ye have my consent. I'm going to get Ailers and see if he can help me put Edgar to bed."

She walked off and Higgs groaned, throwing his face in his hands. Things were so easy when it was just Elizabeth, but now everything became complicated again. Even though Merida said to go with Elizabeth, was that really alright? She had broken a curse too, a far more entwined one than the Naga... Higgs sighed and decided to think harder on the subject.

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Since the Dullahan was cured early in August and Merida had given up consent to him pursuing Elizabeth, he decided to spend most of the month begging her to forgive him and to prove that she was the one he wanted. Although it was a bit of a jab, Merida kept to her own promises and didn't get involved in anything that Higgs was doing regarding Elizabeth. She kept to her duties as his maid and took up trying to set up Edgar for going to live with Margaret. Things were looking alright at first, but then she announced that she would be moving into Jamison's manor, giving the current one to Fuchsia, and so it wouldn't be feasible to keep Edgar. Edgar promised he wouldn't do anything to compromise the tranquility of his mother's employer, happy enough to stay silent as a thank you for his rescue. Merida filled him in about what had happened when he was returned that night and at first Edgar wanted to throttle Higgs, but he realized it wouldn't do anyone any good. He was just happy to be with Merida, it was more than enough.