Page 67 of Evie and Louis: The Story so Far

Chapter 31

An Enchanting Dare

15th July 1841, Swan Hall, East Sussex, Kent.

Evie smothered a yawn as Rachel brushed her hair out with long, firm sweeps of the brush. It was soothing, making her sleepy after a long and lovely day. She was nineteen years old today and her family had celebrated with her. It had been an almost perfect day.

Almost, because she had not heard from Louis and, though she hated to admit it, for it made her sound very spoiled and ungrateful, it had taken the shine off her happiness. Usually he found a way to get her gift to her, even if he could not see her in person. She wondered if perhaps he had forgotten this year, though he had always given her such wonderful gifts in the past. Ruefully, she had to admit to herself it wasn’t the gift she was missing, but his attention. She liked it when he made a fuss of her, liked being the centre of his attention. Not that she disliked the presents either, for he had such exquisite taste, always seeming to know what she liked better than she did herself.

Perhaps he really had found someone special, as she had suspected. She had nagged him for years to find himself a wife and settle down, for she knew he was lonely. Had he finally taken her advice? The idea made her stomach feel peculiar, a strange empty sensation like when the carriage rolled over a small hump in the road at speed and your belly dropped away. If he married, he might not be her friend as he was now. It would not be surprising if his wife did not like or understand their friendship, though she knew if she married, a husband would like it even less. Louis’ beautiful wife might not see Evie as a threat after all, and Louis’ wife would undoubtedly be beautiful, for he could have anyone he chose. But whoever Evie’s husband turned out to be, he would not like a man as sinfully handsome as Louis to have such a close friendship with her.

Oh, bother. It had been such a lovely day, and now she was feeling all out of sorts. Evie scolded herself for being foolish and reminded herself of how very blessed she was. Mama had arranged a splendid family party, and Papa had spoiled her dreadfully as he always did. Her older sister Florence had come with Henry and their new son, Oscar, who was simply adorable. Evie had enjoyed playing auntie to her nephew and holding him in her arms had confirmed her hopes for the future. She wanted a big family, with lots and lots of children. A mad, chaotic, wonderful mess of a family who would cause havoc and noise and let her love them and organise them and make them happy. Perhaps, she thought sadly, if she had all that, she could come to accept the loss of her dearest friend.

Whoever she married must understand and support her in that endeavour, though. She could not choose a man who thought children should be seen and not heard, who thought the nannies should be responsible for everything and his children presented to him for five minutes before bedtime, all pink-cheeked and smiling.

“Shall I plait it for you, miss?” Rachel asked, setting the brush aside.

Evie shook her head and patted Rachel’s arm. “No, thank you. I can manage. You can go now. I’m sure you must be tired, too.”

“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.