not be translated easily? Just because she heard
harmonies in the breeze didn’t mean she heard things that weren’t being said.
Ian d’Olympe was simply a very… forceful… man. She would say intense except she sensed no tension
about him.
“Usually, Papa leaves me a speech or pamphlet to edit and
take to the printers. If he has not done so today, I’m at your disposal this
morning. My students arrive in the afternoon.”
Insanely, she was already squirming in her seat beneath
Ian’s penetrating gaze, wondering what he intended, if they could find a way to
steal off somewhere private…
She had to stop this.
“If it would not be too much trouble, I would enjoy a tour.
Perhaps you could show me this palace of your king. Are there other places I
should see while I am here?”
“If Papa is looking for Pierre and arranging for his
release,” Chantal said with an assurance she didn’t feel, “perhaps we could
look for them while we’re out and about.”
“Would you?” Pauline asked. “I’d be forever grateful.” She
still looked anxious.
As she had every right to be. Pierre must leave Paris if he still
refused to take the oath of loyalty. What would Pauline do then? Little by
little, all the royalists were fleeing France. If Pauline took the children…
Chantal would be deprived of all her family except her
father. Already her heart cried in loneliness.
* * *
Ian was now thoroughly convinced the gods meant to teach
him the humility of living without the power of his position.
On Aelynn, his rank and abilities gave him almost complete
control over his environment. If he wanted a woman, a woman came to him. If he
wanted the Council’s support, he could call on Aelynn to smoke and rumble. He
could ignite fires if he was cold.
That he generally chose to do none of these things was
irrelevant to his current frustration.
On Aelynn, he would have the status to order Chantal’s
father to a meeting of the Council where he could negotiate the terms of
marriage or amacara. That was a power he would use now, if he could. But
Alain’s deliberate disappearance prevented it.
On Aelynn, Chantal would be delighted to grace his bed
without question. Instead, he was forced to woo her with subterfuge and
promises, and even then, she remained frustratingly elusive. He had no idea why
she had vibrated so strongly with what felt like jealousy this morning, then
looked at him as if he were the dirt beneath her feet.
Despite her attempts to conceal it, the emotion in her voice
had been so strong that he’d actually sensed her desire for him to stand up and
had done so. He’d never acquiesced to the command of another in his life, not
even for his powerful sister, and it irked him immensely that he had now.
Still, although he had no certainty of how he could bind her to him, he was
determined to have this maddening female.
Of course, the one thing he had not been able to control on
Aelynn was Murdoch, and that remained unchanged here in the Other World.
Strolling through the garden of the Tuileries Palace, Ian
glared at the medieval stone buildings housing the king and his guards and knew
Murdoch was not inside. Ian was just realizing that France had many soldiers,
but they did not all share the same loyalty. He didn’t know which side Murdoch
was on. Although Ian had Seen Murdoch leading troops, he had sensed that his
nemesis did so outside of Paris. Last night’s efforts to Find him had been as
unsuccessful as earlier attempts.
He didn’t know if that meant Trystan was wrong and Murdoch
was now completely powerless, or if Murdoch was simply beyond the range of
Ian’s abilities in this world.
“Isn’t the garden lovely?” Chantal asked, strolling along
the riverbank and admiring the imposing view of gnarled old trees against
ancient stone.
She wore another confection of a hat today, one that
concealed her eyes but exposed the curve of her nape beneath her heavy chignon.
Ian wished she would let her hair
harmonies in the breeze didn’t mean she heard things that weren’t being said.
Ian d’Olympe was simply a very… forceful… man. She would say intense except she sensed no tension
about him.
“Usually, Papa leaves me a speech or pamphlet to edit and
take to the printers. If he has not done so today, I’m at your disposal this
morning. My students arrive in the afternoon.”
Insanely, she was already squirming in her seat beneath
Ian’s penetrating gaze, wondering what he intended, if they could find a way to
steal off somewhere private…
She had to stop this.
“If it would not be too much trouble, I would enjoy a tour.
Perhaps you could show me this palace of your king. Are there other places I
should see while I am here?”
“If Papa is looking for Pierre and arranging for his
release,” Chantal said with an assurance she didn’t feel, “perhaps we could
look for them while we’re out and about.”
“Would you?” Pauline asked. “I’d be forever grateful.” She
still looked anxious.
As she had every right to be. Pierre must leave Paris if he still
refused to take the oath of loyalty. What would Pauline do then? Little by
little, all the royalists were fleeing France. If Pauline took the children…
Chantal would be deprived of all her family except her
father. Already her heart cried in loneliness.
* * *
Ian was now thoroughly convinced the gods meant to teach
him the humility of living without the power of his position.
On Aelynn, his rank and abilities gave him almost complete
control over his environment. If he wanted a woman, a woman came to him. If he
wanted the Council’s support, he could call on Aelynn to smoke and rumble. He
could ignite fires if he was cold.
That he generally chose to do none of these things was
irrelevant to his current frustration.
On Aelynn, he would have the status to order Chantal’s
father to a meeting of the Council where he could negotiate the terms of
marriage or amacara. That was a power he would use now, if he could. But
Alain’s deliberate disappearance prevented it.
On Aelynn, Chantal would be delighted to grace his bed
without question. Instead, he was forced to woo her with subterfuge and
promises, and even then, she remained frustratingly elusive. He had no idea why
she had vibrated so strongly with what felt like jealousy this morning, then
looked at him as if he were the dirt beneath her feet.
Despite her attempts to conceal it, the emotion in her voice
had been so strong that he’d actually sensed her desire for him to stand up and
had done so. He’d never acquiesced to the command of another in his life, not
even for his powerful sister, and it irked him immensely that he had now.
Still, although he had no certainty of how he could bind her to him, he was
determined to have this maddening female.
Of course, the one thing he had not been able to control on
Aelynn was Murdoch, and that remained unchanged here in the Other World.
Strolling through the garden of the Tuileries Palace, Ian
glared at the medieval stone buildings housing the king and his guards and knew
Murdoch was not inside. Ian was just realizing that France had many soldiers,
but they did not all share the same loyalty. He didn’t know which side Murdoch
was on. Although Ian had Seen Murdoch leading troops, he had sensed that his
nemesis did so outside of Paris. Last night’s efforts to Find him had been as
unsuccessful as earlier attempts.
He didn’t know if that meant Trystan was wrong and Murdoch
was now completely powerless, or if Murdoch was simply beyond the range of
Ian’s abilities in this world.
“Isn’t the garden lovely?” Chantal asked, strolling along
the riverbank and admiring the imposing view of gnarled old trees against
ancient stone.
She wore another confection of a hat today, one that
concealed her eyes but exposed the curve of her nape beneath her heavy chignon.
Ian wished she would let her hair
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