Page 55 of An Enchanting Dare

“I am that, miss, but I’m glad you had such a lovely day. Happy birthday to you again.”

Evie blew her a kiss in thanks and sighed as the door closed. Her bed was calling her and looked wonderfully inviting. She always slept better here at Swan Hall than in town, preferring the peace of the countryside and clean air. London was all well and good for parties and entertainments, which she enjoyed very much, but it was always a relief to escape it for a while, especially when the summer months made town so fetid and unpleasant.

Slipping off her dressing gown, Evie was about to climb into bed when a soft tap sounded upon the glass doors that led onto her balcony. She frowned, wondering if a cat or a bird could have made a sound like that, when it happened again. Perplexed, she moved to the door and drew back the curtains and had to smother a shriek of alarm in the instant she saw a man standing there, and then realised who it was.

“Louis!” she exclaimed, unlocking the door and opening it. “Whatever are you doing here?”

He grinned at her, holding out a prettily wrapped parcel. “Alors, ma petite, you did not think I had forgotten, surely?”

“Oh!” Evie gave a choked laughed, suddenly in the grip of a swell of emotion that made her eyes burn and her throat tighten.

“Evie?” he said, softly, frowning at her. “Mon Dieu, you did think I’d forgotten!”

She tried to smile at him, disconcerted to discover she might cry. Whatever had got into her, making such a silly fuss. Only she was so relieved to know he hadn’t been too busy with someone else to think about her. Embarrassed now, Evie shook her head in reply and snatched the present from his hands, trying to grin and pretend that had been all she’d been concerned about.

He laughed softly and followed her into her bedroom, closing the door behind him. Evie paused as she sat on the edge of the bed, composed enough now to speak to him.

“You climbed up the house,” she said in wonder, only now realising he was dressed all in black, like a burglar. The harsh colour suited him, making him look rather wicked. “Oh, Louis, you might have fallen and hurt yourself.”

He gave her a disgruntled look and waved this possibility away with an arrogant gesture. “Don’t be foolish. I climb like a monkey, remember?”

She laughed, nodding. “I remember, but please be careful.”

“I promise, but now open your present.”

He crouched down before her, his expression intent, his blue eyes gleaming with excitement, and she felt an answering tug low in the pit of her belly. Whatever he had bought for her was special, and he wanted to see her reaction to it.

Evie turned her attention to the box. It was square and shallow, wrapped in pale green tissue paper and tied with a dark green velvet ribbon. She tugged it undone, her suspicion that it was jewellery confirmed by the expensive-looking leather box she revealed. Except that would be most inappropriate and whenever would she wear it and… oh!

Evie blinked, staring at the necklace in consternation. She had seen nothing like it in all her life. No, that was not true. Duchesses and princesses wore jewels like this, and her wealthy father gave her mother such things on special occasions, too. All the same, it was quite out of the ordinary. The lavish necklace, composed of the finest, largest emeralds and diamonds she had ever seen in her life, sat on a bed of white silk and sparkled in the lamplight. Her breath hitched, her heart giving an uneven thud, and she forced her gaze up to Louis, though she was uncertain she wanted to. It was too much, too… overwhelming.

The quality of his gaze on her was not what she had expected. He looked uncertain, nervous even, and she did not know what to say, what to think, or how to feel.

“I wanted you to have something as beautiful as you are,” he said, his voice low. “For once in your life, I wanted you to believe that I see you this way. You are exquisite, Evie, just as you are. I do not want you to change, but to be happy, and to know that there is not a woman among the ton who can hold a candle to you. I am not being kind. I am not telling you this because I want something from you. I am saying it because it is nothing but the truth, and I want you to believe it, to believe in me.”

Evie could not speak, could hardly breathe. The jewellery box was a cool weight in her lap, and she did not know what to do with it, with the words he was giving her so earnestly, with the unsettling emotions crashing about in her chest.

“Do you like it?” he asked, his uncertainty audible in the question.

She made a choked sound which seemed to encompass the entirety of her vocabulary now and so she could only nod. For she did like it, she loved it, yet she could never wear it. Like the beautiful mechanical bird in a cage he had given her, she would have to hide it away and then… then what?

She wanted to ask him when and how he expected her to wear this impossibly lavish gift? What was she supposed to infer from it? It must have cost… she did not know how much. A king’s ransom. It was the kind of present a rich man gave a wife or a mistress and she did not know what he was implying, but she was afraid. The question burned on her tongue, but she could not make herself speak it aloud, could not force herself to say anything that would change things between them because she did not want that. She wanted her friend and for things to stay as they were and… and she really was going to cry now. Then he would not think her pretty at all, for it would be ugly and awkward, and what on earth was she to do?

“Evie,” he said, his voice snapping her out of her spiralling thoughts. “Don’t look so frightened. I am asking nothing of you but to believe my words. You owe me nothing. This is my gift to you, because if I achieve nothing else in my life, I will make you realise your own worth, and you are priceless. Joyeux anniversaire, ma petite.”

She felt the touch of his fingers beneath her chin as he raised her face and bent to press his mouth to hers. His lips only brushed hers for a moment, barely a touch at all, and yet her heart thundered, and her skin flushed, and she wanted to run away from him as badly as she wanted to make him stay. He did not wait for her to find her tongue, to unravel the messy tangle of emotions that were knotting up inside her and making her head spin with confusion. Instead, he straightened and walked away without another word, closing the door behind him and leaving as silently as he’d arrived.

Evie sat staring at the door for a long time afterwards, and if not for the fortune in jewels sparkling in her lap, she might have thought the entire scene a peculiar waking dream.

Chapter 19

Dearest Sylvester,

I hope this letter finds you well. God bless Biddy for sending it for me and for receiving those you send in return.

Do write and tell me more about Marcross and the work you are doing there. It sounds a magical place and I long to see it. You are quite wrong to cut short those parts of your letters. How can you think I would find such descriptions dull when you describe everything so beautifully and with such enthusiasm? I am glad you are happy in your work. It eases my mind to know that you have something that fulfils you.

I am working on a present for you and, if I say so myself, the embroidery is exquisite, quite the finest I have ever done. It pleases me to imagine you wearing it one day. I hope and pray that the day will come soon.