by Paige Elwood
Edouard held her to him, his breath tickling her ear as he whispered his response, “I feel it too. I’ve been questioning it for days, but it’s undeniable.”
She let out a captive breath. So, it wasn’t just her imagination. He felt the same undeniable force that drew them together. Physical attraction didn’t even begin to encompass it all. She’d been physically attracted to other men, but she’d never felt anything like this.
None of the men she’d dated had ever provoked anything like the emotion she felt between her and Edouard. She had always entered relationships with the expectation that it would be temporary, they would inevitably drift apart after the excitement wore off. She had been right too, until now. This was different. This was more than a temporary fling with a stranger to keep the loneliness at bay. This was… love?
She felt all of this, and they had yet to properly kiss. She understood now what people meant when they talked of love. She couldn’t believe that she’d been talking herself out of this feeling all her life, believing that it wasn’t possible. Or that it wasn’t possible for her. It was!
They re-entered the ball, so as not to seem improper by spending too much time alone outside. This time Sophie was completely blind to any stares or looks her way from women who obviously wished that they had Edouard on their arm. Instead, she just let go and enjoyed the dancing and spending time with this wonderful man.
When Delphine approached and said it was time for them to leave, her heart grew heavy. Delphine smiled at her disappointment. “I’m sure you could arrange to see Edouard tomorrow.”
“We can go for a walk, perhaps visit Notre Dame,” he said, his hand holding onto hers. Her heart leaped.
“Yes,” she said, squeezing his hand. “That would be lovely,”
“I will call after lunch,” he said. “I shall look forward to it.”
“So shall I!” she said breathlessly.
“Come along, then.” Delphine motioned to where Isabeau and Alice were waiting. “We’d better go.”
“Where’s your Maman?” Sophie asked.
Delphine’s eyes flashed with something inscrutable, and then she said, “She went home early with a headache, she’ll be fast asleep in her room by now.”
“Oh, poor Madame,” Sophie said.
“I’m sure she’ll be fine in the morning,” Delphine said. “Don’t be long.” She hurried over to her sisters, giving Sophie time to say goodbye to Edouard.
Sophie turned to face him, and he pulled her into an embrace. It felt so right being in his arms, like she was home. Her heart felt like it had unlocked, opened. He placed a quick kiss on her cheek and whispered in her ear, “I will see you tomorrow, my love.”
Her stomach did flip-flops at his words, and she reached up to caress his cheek, feeling the hint of stubble on his skin. His amber eyes held her own, as filled with emotion as she was. Her heart thumped in her chest at the passion she saw buried there.
“Tomorrow,” she whispered. After taking a deep breath to steady herself, she turned and walked towards the Petellier girls. She didn’t turn back to look at him because if she did she might not have been able to leave.
When they arrived home, Sophie quickly went off to her bedroom, not wishing to join in the chatter of the other girls. She needed to be alone with her thoughts and her pounding heart. When she entered her room, she caught sight of herself in the mirror, all flushed cheeks, bright eyes, and a beautiful ball gown.
She threw her head back and laughed. This was a wonderful night, the best night she’d ever had! She spun around and around, arms stretched out wide, catching glimpses of herself in the mirror as she spun. She felt like a real princess, and like she belonged here. In this time, with him.
She stopped and laid a hand on the windowsill to steady herself. What had always felt like hard, cold stone before now seemed to hum with life. She’d thought this century bleak and terrifying for the most part, but she’d been so wrong! It was wonderful, and romantic…and it was home.
That night she dreamed of another party where she danced again with Edouard, but this time there were laughs and claps and cheers for them. She was wearing a beautiful white dress and a wedding ring on her ring finger. The ring the old man had given her still graced her hand, and warmth flowed from the gold band.
Sophie touched that ring with the tips of her fingers. A feeling of contentment, of absolute peace, washed over her. This ring was made for her and her alone. It made her feel special, destined for a life blessed by love deeper than most people would ever experience.
Chapter 25
While the party cleared, the final stragglers making their way out onto the Paris streets, Edouard waited in the garden. He leaned against the wall lazily, admiring the expansive view of the city. When the sound of stones crunching into the ground drifted through the night, he stepped forward. A woman, dark-haired and plump, made her way through the garden.
She acknowledged someone behind her. Edouard leaned to check who she was waving to and was reassured when it was Sabine. The two women made their way down the path and stopped when they saw him.
“Everybody has gone home,” Madame Petellier announced. He nodded in acknowledgment.
“How did it go?” Sabine asked, straight to the point as always. Her directness reminded him on occasion of Sophie.
He shrugged. “It went well, I believe.”
“Do you think she is falling in love?” Madame Petellier clasped her hands in front of her, a delighted smile creeping across her face. “Do you love her?”
He answered with a half-smile. Did he love her? He was at least half in love with her. Just knowing they were destined for one another was enough to open his heart to her. The fact that she was beautiful, intelligent, kind-hearted, and strong helped too. He sensed that somehow, with each beat of his heart, with each mesmerizing sweep of her dark lashes, he was falling further than he'd ever thought possible.
His first task was to make sure the curse was broken. After that, he needed to make sure Sophie understood what they were to one another, that she would stay. It wouldn’t be easy. Sophie was headstrong, and stubborn. And Edouard knew he only had a few more days to accomplish everything.
“Do you think you will be able to break the curse soon?” Sabine asked, her arms folded across her chest.
“Yes,” he said. “I think we are close, I will take her to see the cathedral tomorrow, tell her how I feel about her. If I am right and she feels the same way, then…”
“This is excellent news!” Madame Petellier clapped her hands together.
“Do you think she will stay?” Sabine asked.
Edouard shrugged. “I do not know. If she finds out that I tricked her to get her here, she may decide against it.”
Madame Petellier’s face fell. “But she must stay. She must choose you, forever, to break the curse.”
“She cannot be forced to stay here once the curse is broken, regardless of what she wanted before. Even if she falls in love with Edouard and chooses to remain with him, thus breaking the curse, every decision she makes moving forward must remain hers. Edouard’s curse is not her own,” Sabine said. “Edouard, you just need to get her to decide before she finds out you tricked her.”
Edouard knew that, unlike him, Sabine wasn’t worried about what happened after the curse broke. If his curse was lifted, so was hers, and then she was free of all ties. It wouldn’t matter to her if Sophie stayed or if she didn’t. For him, it was different. She was the only person he was destined to love, according to the power of the rings. He would never feel as deeply for another person as he felt for Sophie.
He’d been skeptical at first. What did he know of true love? He’d seen his father’s love for his mother be torn away by death. He hadn’t understood the point of falling in love—it looked dangerous. He understood now how foolish he’d been. Yes, it was dangerous to fall in love, but he now knew it happened whether you wanted it or not. You didn’t get to choose.
And once l
ove chose you, you didn’t get to escape its grip by avoiding it. You’d be forced to grab it with both hands because the life you faced without your love by your side was a pale imitation of what you now knew you could have.
Knowing how he felt about Sophie worried him greatly. If he felt this strongly, she must also feel this unmistakable pull if they were fated to be true lovers. Yet he had come into this with his eyes wide open, knowing all of the truth. Her feelings were partly based on a lie. He’d thought he wouldn’t mind that. He’d stupidly thought that breaking the curse was the only thing that mattered. Now he saw how utterly selfish that was, and it gnawed at his gut.
He couldn’t tell her. Not because of the curse anymore, but because he was a coward and he just couldn’t lose her. With a little more time together he hoped she might be able to forgive him. He would tell her at some point. Just not yet.
“We cannot predict the future,” he said. “What will happen, will happen. I will take Sophie to Notre Dame tomorrow, and if all goes well the curse will be gone. What happens after that will be Sophie’s decision.”
He could only hope that if her love was strong enough to break the curse, it would keep her here no matter what. The alternative didn’t bear thinking about.
Chapter 26
Sophie was still buzzing the next day from the ball. She felt like she was floating on air, and she couldn’t wait until Edouard came to pick her up. She barely ate a bite at breakfast or lunch, much to Madame Petellier’s dismay.
“You must eat, ma Cherie,” she pleaded. “You will be unwell!”
Sophie didn’t feel unwell. In fact, she felt just the opposite. She felt euphoric, and food seemed like a silly, mundane thing that she just didn’t have an appetite for. “I’m just not that hungry, Madame. I promise I will eat more at dinner,” she assured her, taking her hands as she did.
The older woman nodded. “Very well. As long as you do!”
“I will,” she promised again.
“She’s lovesick!” laughed Delphine.
“I am not.” Sophie brushed her comments off, but there was probably some truth in them. She didn’t feel sick, though. She’d never felt better.
Delphine laughed again. “Look at you. Grinning from ear to ear like the cat that got the cream.”
“She is the cat that got the cream,” Alice teased. “Did you see all of the women and how they looked at her and Edouard dancing together? They were so jealous!”
“Stop it,” Sophie said. “They were probably just wondering who I am, don’t all the nobles know each other?”
“Yes,” said Isabeau. “You did cause quite a stir. I heard several different rumors. My favorite was that you were an Italian princess!”
“Really?” gasped Sophie, immensely flattered that anyone had mistaken her for a real princess.
“Yes, I thought that one was much better than the sour-faced old spinster who told me she’d heard you were a scullery maid who’d stolen a lady’s dress.”
Sophie clamped her hand over her mouth, aghast. “Did people really think that?”
“Who knows.” Isabeau shrugged. “Does it really matter? You gave them something to talk about other than the same old people. It was very exciting for them.” Isabeau took a bite of the warm bread that Cook had baked for them, and Sophie felt a little guilty not eating it.
Sophie laughed. “I suppose it was.” She wondered how many of them would even believe the real truth of the situation. It was much more plausible that she was an Italian princess than an American time traveler. They hadn’t even found America yet! It was a slightly sobering thought that her homeland hadn’t even been discovered yet, and here she was.
Edouard hadn’t arrived by the time everyone else had finished eating, and Sophie went out into the garden to walk off some of her nervous energy while she waited. She must have done several laps of the garden before Marta finally came out to inform her that she had a visitor.
Butterflies danced in Sophie’s stomach as she rushed through the house. She knew he was there before she saw him, her ring heating and alerting her to his presence. Her heart warmed too at the sight of his broad shoulders, strong arms, and captivating eyes.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
She nodded gleefully, taking the arm he offered, and they left the house together for the short walk into Paris. She was barely aware of the scenery or the walk itself. This time she didn’t even notice the permeating odor of urine, or the beggars that often sat at the street corners. She had no idea if they even passed any other people. She was simply basking in Edouard’s presence as they chatted and laughed and discussed the details of the ball the night before.
They crossed a bridge over the Seine, and Sophie was finally on the Ile de la Cite, with Notre Dame so close she could almost feel the energy emanating from the cold stone walls. It was strange to be up close after seeing it from her window each night, and she was almost as excited to go inside as she was to be with Edouard.
The steps of the cathedral rose in front of them and they ascended. They paused in the grand entrance for one brief moment to take it in. Sophie beamed with pleasure, having finally gotten to visit Notre Dame. She could feel the power in the stone all around her, and the energy from past and present all but crying out to her.
It was stunning inside, the ceiling so high that she felt like a midget underneath its vast expanse. The high altar rose before them, surrounded by arches, and the sun streamed in, highlighting the center as though God himself wished to throw a spotlight on the magnificent architecture.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered to Edouard, and he grinned back.
“Come,” he said. “Let’s see the reliquary.”
She let him lead her through the cathedral. “I hope we don’t bump into the hunchback,” she said, giggling.
“The what?” he asked.
“Never mind.” She shook her head. She’d never quite get used to this time, she thought.
He took her to a display where there was an array of relics of all kinds. Necklaces, crosses, objects she didn’t even recognize. There were boxes that were closed, and she wondered what they contained. A set of rings caught her eye. They looked a lot like her own ring, except they were set with rubies.
“Many of these items are said to have great powers,” Edouard said from behind her. His warm breath tickled against her neck and made her shiver.
“Like what kind of powers?” she asked.
“All kinds. To fight evil, to bring true lovers together, to bend the forces of time and distance. Each relic is said to hold power of its own.”
“My ring is supposed to be a relic from Notre Dame,” she said, holding up her hand.
“Is it?” he asked, his face inscrutable. “Well, maybe it has special powers.”
Caught up in the moment, Sophie placed a hand on his chest. Beneath her palm, his heart beat like a military tattoo. She felt safe standing so close to him. He stared at her hand and the ring on her finger. Then, his gaze traveled to her face. Intensity shone in his eyes, and in the next moment, he scooped her up and swung her around. The room spun, the arches and religious paintings jumping in and out of focus. Sophie clutched at the fine fabric of his tunic as he spun her. His joy seeped into her and filled her soul and her heart, until she found herself laughing and celebrating along with him.
He stopped spinning and the room stilled. The heady mood still swirled around them, and his arms were still wrapped around her. “I don't think I deserve this,” he mused.
“What?” she asked.
“Love, real, true love. With you.” Vulnerability permeated his words.
“Why shouldn't you deserve it?” she asked.
“I’ve made mistakes,” he began.
Her eyes were locked on his lips as he talked, and she leaned in to plant a kiss there, cutting his words short. His mistakes didn’t matter to her. Nothing mattered more than their love. It was love. She would do anything to be with this man. She’d stay here with
him forever. She was certain now.
It was the perfect kiss. Slow and soft at first, and then the emotion deepened until she could hardly tell where she ended and he began. She melted into him, the love from them both almost tangible in the kiss. She felt a soaring sensation, and she could have sworn her feet actually left the floor, but that was impossible, wasn’t it? It felt like they kissed for an age, but she was still sad when they broke for breath.
He stroked her cheek and she gazed up at him. He seemed somehow… more than he had been before. Almost glowing, divine. Something had changed in that moment. She smiled at him, and he seemed to hold the world in his hands. This love thing is really doing a number on my imagination, she thought.
She smiled, and he leaned in for another kiss. This one was even better that the first, and she wouldn’t have thought that was possible. They fit together liken they were literally made for each other, and each brush of his lips stirred more emotion in her than she had known she was capable of.
She just could not get enough of this man! She wanted him over and over, could not stop touching him, kissing him. She didn’t want him to ever be out of her sight or out of her reach. He completed something in her that she hadn’t known was missing. But now she knew what it felt like, she couldn’t be without it.
They visited all of the cathedral, and then walked the grounds, holding hands and stealing kisses like lovestruck teenagers. The sun began to set, and the shadows lengthened. It felt like they’d been there for hours and hours, and she still didn’t want to leave.
She thought of the reason she’d come to Paris: to have a fling. Now she’d found the man of her dreams, and actual true love. The idea of a silly little fling paled in comparison with the love she’d found with Edouard. Real love! That only happened in the movies, and romance novels, surely? Yet here she was, with him, and having the time of her life!
She thought of her dream last night and hoped that it would become reality. She could stay here and be Edouard’s wife. She wanted nothing more. She couldn’t believe she was even thinking this. She’d never really believed true love existed, and here she was completely head over heels for this wonderful man.
