Page 8 of The Mistletoe Dare

“Yes, of course,” she said, impatient to know his opinion of her horrid pink dress. “Now, what do you think of it? Isn’t it vile?”

She turned in a circle to give him a good look and gasped as the room tilted.

“Evie!”

Strong arms caught her around the waist, and Louis hauled her against his muscular, warm body. Evie gasped in shock, still too dazed to respond, as he lifted her as though she weighed nothing, which was certainly not true.

“I—” she said, disorientated and giddy. She put her hands to her temples and closed her eyes, too weak to protest as Louis carried her and laid her carefully down upon a settee.

“Merde! What the devil have you been up to, you little fool?” he demanded, his voice hard and angrier than she had ever heard it.

“Nothing!” she protested, not understanding what she’d done to deserve such a scold.

“Rien!” he retorted, shaking his head. “That is a lie. You barely ate a mouthful at dinner, and don’t tell me otherwise, for I was watching. You’ve lost weight, far too much, and you’re so pale. Mon Dieu, Evie, what were you thinking?”

Evie’s eyes prickled with embarrassment and humiliation at his words. “W-Why shouldn’t I try to lose weight? Everyone else does it and Madame Blanchet said—”

“Madame Blanchet? She told you to starve yourself? Well the wretched woman can go to the devil, and so I shall tell her,” he raged, his eyes sparking blue fire.

“Oh, no! No, Louis, you must not,” she said, reaching out to clasp his arm. “Think of the scandal. It’s not at all appropriate.”

His expression was rather daunting as he turned on her, for she had never seen him angry with her. “And since when do you give a damn about propriety? You are here alone with a man who could ruin you, and do you care?”

Evie put her chin up. “You would never hurt me.”

“So much you know,” he said savagely, tugging his arm free and walking away from her. He stood staring down at the fire, his shoulders rigid.

“Louis?” she said, uncertain now, never having encountered her friend in this kind of mood before. There was a long silence, followed by a muttered curse. Louis ran a hand through his hair and then turned back to her.

“I am sorry, Evie,” he said, his voice low. “I beg you will forgive me. I ought never have spoken to you so harshly.”

“It was nothing, please, let us forget it…” she began, but Louis crossed the floor and knelt beside her, taking her hand.

“Non! It is not nothing, and neither is that dreadful woman making you feel anything less than beautiful nothing. She has no right to make you unhappy, and neither do I. My only defence is that it makes me furious to see you make yourself ill, and for what? To look like another dull little debutante, just like all the others, when the world already has its fill of those.”

Evie felt her eyes burn again and looked away, embarrassed. She had long been accustomed to being the plain, plump one among a bevy of beautiful women, but to have to discuss it with Louis… How mortifying. Yet, he was her dearest friend, and who else would she speak to?

“I was j-just tired of the constant comments. ‘Oh, Evie, you’d be so much prettier if only you’d lose some weight.’ ‘Oh, Evie, I found the most wonderful diet—I’ve lost six pounds, you must try it!’ ‘Oh, Evie, do you think you ought to have another piece of cake? It’s dreadfully fattening.’”

She blinked hard as her vision blurred, startled to hear a volley of furious French as Louis muttered beneath his breath.

“What?”

“Nothing,” he said, his voice terse.

She waited as he took a deep breath and let it out again. Despite her best efforts, she felt a tear slide down her cheek. Louis saw it and his jaw set again, but he reached out and wiped it away, his touch gentle.

“Evie, do you trust me?”

“Of course, I do. You know I do.”

He snorted and shook his head. “Oui, far more than you should, ma petite, but if you trust me, you will heed my words and believe them. Do you promise?”

Evie frowned. “Well, I shall try, but I don’t know what they are yet.”

Louis shook his head. “That is not how this works. You will listen, and you will believe me, because I am telling you the truth. You are every bit as beautiful as any woman you wish to compare yourself with.”

Evie let out a huff of laughter. Well, if he was going to be silly about it….