Page 64 of The Disgraceful Mr. Ravenhurst

‘Now, Nell,’ he gasped and she opened her eyes on to his intent face, on to the eyes that held her soul. ‘Come with me, Nell.’ And she was. The twisting, surging pleasure he had taught her was there, all wrapped up in something bigger, more intense, something that was the essence of the two of them, together.

‘Theo!’ She thought she screamed his name, heard his shout, and then there were colours and pleasure she could never have imagined and finally soft, sweet blackness and the feel of his arms holding her safe, bringing her back into harbour after the storm.

‘I love you so much,’ Theo murmured into her hair.

Unable to speak, she burrowed up against his chest until she could take his face in her hands and see the brightness of tears in his eyes and press her lips against the strong line of his jaw. ‘Always,’ she managed. ‘Always.’

‘Madame.’ Eva’s dresser came back from answering the tap on the door. ‘Madame, that was Annette. She says Mademoiselle Ravenhurst’s bed has not been slept in.’

The Grand Duchess fastened one perfect diamond eardrop and turned her head to check her reflection in the mirror before answering. ‘Well, thank heavens for that,’ she said with a touch of complacency. ‘Please ensure that Monsieur Ravenhurst is not disturbed before dinner time.’

Afterword

Neglected throughout the eighteenth-century, the basilica at Vezelay slipped into near dereliction during the Revolution. By the time Theo and Elinor visited it was very dilapidated, and in 1819 the principle bell tower was consumed by fire. In 1834 Prosper Mérimée, French Inspector of Historic Monuments, saw it and was appalled. But he could find no one willing to take on such a colossal work. Finally, an unknown architect, 26-year-old Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, accepted the commission and in less than twenty years rescued this wonderful building. In 1979 the church where St Bernard preached the First Crusade was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The verse from Petrach is from Sonnet 28, To Laura in Life, translated in 1795 by an unknown poet.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com