Page 56 of Evie and Louis: The Story so Far

He repeated the words like a mantra, threatening himself with dire consequences if he took the slightest liberty. The moment hung suspended, as if they had stepped out of time into some other place. Louis caressed her cheek with fingers that were not entirely steady and then tilted her head up. Evie closed her eyes and Louis thought his heart might break the moment was so impossibly sweet. He was undeserving of her trust, surely, but he did not care. He would have this.

Slowly, he leaned down and pressed his mouth to hers, gently, kissing first that full bottom lip, and then that perfect cupid’s bow, and then settling his lips a little firmer upon hers as emotion and desire swept through him, stealing his breath. Mon Dieu. Longing was a searing pain in his chest, the need to share his life, his body, the darkest corners of his soul with this woman, something he could neither explain nor fight. How long must he wait for this to be his alone? He gathered her a little closer, finding no resistance, and had to battle fiercely against the overwhelming desire to pull her against his body and kiss her properly, deeply, with all of his heart and soul, the way he wanted to.

Louis forced himself to draw back. Not stealing another kiss, and then another, and then all her kisses, was undoubtedly the hardest thing he had ever done in his life before, but he was laying the foundations of a future, building a deeper, binding trust between them, which he prayed she would return to when the time was right.

Her eyes fluttered open, and she stared at him, unblinking, lifting her fingers to touch her lips.

“Oh,” she whispered.

“Better?” he asked, wishing he didn’t feel like the rest of his life hung in the balance.

She nodded, the motion a little jerky. “M-Much better.”

Louis let out a breath.

Needing the distraction, Louis tucked her arm in his and they carried on into the maze. They walked in silence for a while until he felt her gaze upon him.

“I suppose you’ve kissed a great many women,” she said. “So you have had a vast amount of practise.”

In that moment, Louis wished that were not true, but she already knew it was, and he was not about to tell her lies. More lies. For he was keeping the secrets of his heart from her, was he not? “I suppose so,” he said, feeling every bit the wicked satyr leading an innocent nymph astray.

“Well, it was certainly very different from Mr Cooper, much… nicer.”

“Nicer?” Louis quirked an indignant eyebrow at her.

“You’re fishing again,” she observed, with perfect accuracy.

Louis laughed. “I can hide nothing from you, my sweet girl.”

“Well, it was nice. Very nice. Thank you.”

“Nice,” Louis repeated in disgust, shaking his head. “I wish to banish this word from the English language.”

Evie giggled. “Oh, very well. It was lovely, truly lovely, thank you. You are very kind to be so patient with me when I know you must think me gauche and silly. I am so pleased you are my friend, Louis.”

Louis sighed, knowing it was likely the best he could hope for in the circumstances. “You are neither gauche nor silly, and I am glad to be your friend too, Evie.”

For now.

Chapter 26

Just a Little Daring

Nic,

I have had the strangest sensation of late. I cannot put my finger on it, but I sense I am being watched, perhaps followed.

Tell me I am being paranoid.

―Excerpt of a letter from Louis César de Montluc, Comte de Villen to his brother, Monsieur Nicolas Alexandre Demarteau.. Translated from French.

22nd April 1841, The Royal Gardens, Vauxhall, London.

“Papa knows the fellow doing the balloon ascension, and he has offered us a closer look,” Evie said, grinning at her. “We can even get in the gondola. That’s what the bit they stand in is called, apparently.”

Vivien turned back to frown at the gondola. The idea of going miles up into the sky in a construction like that with nothing but an enormous balloon to hold one up… her stomach turned a somersault.

“How nice,” she said faintly.