Arielle Immortal Journey (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 5) (29 page)

“How are you feeling, Arielle?” Eva asked again, gazing at her intently.

“I’m a little nervous, but otherwise just as blissful as Gabrielle. I’m not sure how I’ll ever be able to thank you for something so amazing!”

“Are you ready to do this?” Eva asked, her expression serious. Arielle and Gabby’s eyes glimmered with excitement. They nodded and Arielle closed her eyes waiting for Eva to make the next move.

Chapter 21

“LET’S GO!” ARIELLE HEARD
Eva’s voice and snapped her eyes open. She was stunned. She gasped and heard Gabrielle inhaling deeply. An amazing black carriage had appeared right in front of them. They looked up and saw the driver dressed in black looking like a permanent fixture on that carriage. His hat was huge. It hid his face, so they weren’t able to see what he looked like. They could see
that he was well dressed. Gabby and Arielle knew that Eva had made him up, which freaked them out. They kept staring at him as
they climbed up and sat quietly.

“Does he know where we’re going?” Arielle whispered close to
Eva’s ear. Eva nodded but didn’t say a word. Gabby and Arielle
stared
into each other’s eyes in wonderment. They settled into their seats
and leaned against the leather cushions. They gazed out of the coach’s window at the road.

The carriage took off, rocking gently at first as they rode through
the narrow, winding streets of the medieval town. The girls were mesmerized by the sound of the hoofs on the cobblestones. The homes were built to withstand an invasion. They featured
Renaissance stained-glass windows that gave them a special kind of beauty. The carriage crossed a huge bridge that had three towers with impressive architecture. The trio rode through fields that appeared to stretch as far as the eye could see.

The coach rumbled steadily toward the Chateau Risban estate. They were on a long stretch for some time until they crossed through
a huge iron gate with several beautiful brass candleholders
embedded in the stonework. Arielle marveled at an impressive sign showing, “Chateau Risban.” Arielle felt a shiver down her spine, awestruck by the surroundings.

They arrived at a lavish estate on the outskirts of Calais. Arielle thought,
So this is where the love of my life lived centuries before we met
. The excitement was rising to an unbelievable peak. Eventually, the coach slowed down behind a long line of carriages. Arielle leaned forward to look out of the window. It was still dusk, but she could see that they had reached the front of a massive building. It looked
more like a castle than a home. Arielle inwardly snorted
remembering that every one of his homes had been colossal.

The place was brilliantly lit. Servants in stunning uniforms stood at the bottom of a huge staircase that led to the front entrance, their job to assist the ladies getting out of their carriages. There were also uniformed servants standing at either side of the door to check invitations, welcome guests, and announce their arrival.

When their coach finally came to a halt, each one of the girls
offered
a hand that was immediately seized by a servant who helped them down the small carriage steps. They then walked over to the side where they discussed in low voices how they wished to be
announced.

“Eva, let's just say that we are the Young sisters from Hampshire,
England,” Arielle said. “I got that name from a book I read last
month,”
she announced, filled with excitement and unable to hide her
eagerness. Eva and Gabrielle agreed.

“All right,” Eva whispered. “If anyone asks questions, here is the story we’re going to use, we’re here for a holiday and to do some shopping.” Eva wanted to make sure that they had their story straight. Eva started to walk ahead of them but suddenly stopped.
She looked around making sure no one was listening, and dropping her voice to a mere whisper, she added, “One more thing, if anyone wants to know where you are staying, the answer will be in town at the inn.” They both nodded in agreement. Eva smiled softly, and gazing at her friends, she asked, “Ready?” They drew in a huge breath and then let it out slowly as they gathered their skirts and slowly climbed up the stairs.

They reached the main entrance and handed their invitations to one of the uniformed servants. He in turn asked them politely to follow him inside, and shortly they found themselves standing on the top of the landing inside a huge foyer decorated with remarkable taste. The staircase had two banisters amazingly decorated with gorgeous designs. The spokes intersected at precise angles, and the joints were decorated with keystones. The staircase led down to a massive ballroom filled with jubilant people that were either dancing or standing around chatting and laughing. The conversations were loud, bouncing off the walls of the ballroom, creating a joyful mingle of reverberations.

Arielle chuckled to herself. The loud noise in the room seemed to surpass the sound of the lovely waltz melody that was being produced by what looked like a thirty-member band located on the
ballroom’s balcony. A massive ballroom chandelier hung in the middle of the colossal room. The servant stopped at the edge of the landing holding the invitations. He extended his left hand out in front of him and they heard his strong firm voice making the announcement.
“The Young sisters, Miss Eva, Miss Arielle, and Miss Gabrielle, from
Hampshire, England.”

They didn’t think anyone paid attention to the announcements,
but it seemed to be protocol for the upper class. They thanked him quietly and followed the newcomers as they descended the approximately one hundred stairs that led to a welcoming line.
Arielle saw figures that she assumed were the Gaulle family greeting their guests by shaking hands and making small talk. Arielle felt moisture in her fingers and a lump in her throat. As she got closer, she recognized the woman standing in the front of the welcoming line as Sebastian's mother, Syele Gaulle. She was startlingly beautiful, exactly like her portrait that hung in the Gaulle estate in St. Jean de Luz. The man next to her was undoubtedly Sebastian's father. Arielle wondered if she would see Sebastian's brothers, Anton and Marcus.

While standing in line waiting to be received, Syele’s gaze brushed over Arielle’s face for a fleeting moment and moved
unhurriedly to the
other guests. Arielle stilled, her eyes fixed on her and suddenly she was unable to breath. She swallowed hard and her stomach
clenched. For the first time, she thought that she wasn’t going to make it through
this charade. The floor shifted beneath her feet and she swayed lightly backward, losing her balance. Eva noticed and quickly
stretched her arms to grab Arielle and steady her.

“Get a hold of yourself,” she whispered in Arielle’s ear.

Arielle drew a shaky breath and clenched her jaw. She shot a thankful glance to Eva and nodded discreetly. By the time she
reached the family she had reined in her wits and was ready to meet them even though anxiety still emanated from her body.

Mrs. Gaulle gazed at the three girls with a warm look in her beautiful emerald eyes. A wide smile painted her attractive face as
she welcomed
each one of them in perfect English, using their first names. Arielle was floored to discover that in fact she did pay attention to the announcements.

Sebastian’s mother was gracious, courteous, and elegant. Eva was first to be received, then Gabrielle, and finally Arielle. When their gazes locked, the familiarity made Arielle shiver and her lower lip quivered slightly. Sebastian's mother looked astonishingly like her son, and all she wanted to do was lean in and give her a hug. She
restrained herself knowing the consequences. Syele took her hand
and
held it softly between her own in a graceful manner. Her next
statement was something that Arielle would never forget.

“Welcome, Arielle, enjoy yourself, joy is frail, and you need to
grasp it when you are young with every strength you possess.” Her voice was soft like silk and her eyes sparkled.

All Arielle could do was smile, and reply in a barely audibly whisper, “Thank you, thank you for having us.” Arielle’s eyes
averted
to Sebastian’s father. She was floored. Monsieur Gaulle was a distinguished gentleman with a handsome face and amazing blue
eyes. His handshake was firm and his smile captivating, however she could see nothing of Sebastian in his father's features.

“Bon soir,” he said softly. “And thank you for coming,” he added
in English, smiling at the three of them. “How is Hampshire this
time of year?” he asked politely.

“It’s warm and soggy,” Eva stated with a soft laugh. He smiled back, and as they walked away they heard him call out to them,
“Enjoy
yourselves while in France.” They smiled but kept walking toward
the other side of the room and away from the welcoming line.

Arielle had noticed that both parents were dressed in fine
clothing that didn’t just speak, but screamed, sixteenth-century elegance.

As they moved further into the ballroom, Arielle felt heated at the thought of meeting Sebastian as a mortal. The ladies made their way through the crowd and stopped by a sculpture of an astonishing male figure. They let their gaze race over the crowd in the ballroom. Arielle’s lips were dry. Her hands were shaking.
What would I do? What would I say?
Her thoughts twirled wildly in her head.

“Arielle, are you all right?” Eva whispered.

“Yes, just a bit nervous, that’s all,” she whispered back. She
looked at both her best friends with a mild frown. As they resumed walking,
it was hard not to notice that the women were dressed in expensive gowns made out of silk and muslin. The men looked elegant and
surprisingly sexy in their sixteenth-century outfits.

“There is something about tight pants on firm thighs and high boots on beautiful male bodies,” Gabrielle said quietly, barely
muffling a
chuckle. Arielle’s gaze slid sideways to Gabby. She couldn't keep
surprise from showing on her face.

“What?” she asked.

Gabrielle inhaled sharply and paused for a short moment. “Well, look at all those remarkable male bodies,” she said, waving her hand aimlessly toward the crowd.

“Gabby,” Arielle whispered, feigning admonishment, but she
couldn’t hold back a soft laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Eva asked, her gaze sweeping over Gabby and Arielle, a sparkle of interest in her beautiful eyes.

“Nothing is funny,” Arielle said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

“Then wipe that silly look off of your face,” Eva said, feigning caution.

“I can’t… I’m boy stricken just like Gabby,” Arielle said.

“Why ever for?” Eva asked.

“There seems to be a huge amount of gorgeous men in this
room,” Arielle emphasized, trying to suppress a snort.

“Oh, brother,” Eva muffled a groan. “If anyone is eavesdropping they might say that you ladies have never laid an eye on a beautiful male,” Eva continued, throwing up her hands.

There was a long moment of silence and suddenly they burst out into quiet laughter. Taking a look at the crowd, they decided to walk around the massive room and admire the architecture. The
sculptures set in each corner of the ballroom, clearly French renaissance period, captivated the women. Stunning sixteenth-century Flemish tapestries covered the walls, telling the story of the Gaulle family.

It wasn’t long before a handsome man approached them. He greeted each one of them graciously and reaching out he took their hands in turn. He brought each hand up to his lips while gazing into
their eyes.
How elegant
, Arielle thought. Eva was the last one he
greeted. He held her hand a lot longer as he became lost in her eyes. His eyes lowered in a slow inspection of her body, and the corners of his lips
kicked up. He then let his gaze slowly and seductively follow the
same path back up to her face. Gabby elbowed Arielle on her side softly,
trying hard to stifle a giggle. It was obvious that the guy was
stunned by Eva’s immortal beauty.

Soon, they heard his attractive voice, a bit shaky, ask, “Vous aiment
danser?” he asked. Eva looked at him, and then averted her gaze to Arielle, her brow furrowed. Arielle was the only French speaking
person in their little threesome.

Arielle leaned close and whispered, “He’s asking you to dance.”

Eva turned and smiled wide. “Yes, I’d love to dance.”

“Oh, you are English!” he exclaimed. He spoke English
beautifully. “How exciting!” He took Eva’s hand and led her slowly toward the
center of the dance floor. He kept his eyes fixed on Eva’s beautiful face. Eva gave a quick look back at her friends and winked
mischievously, making them laughed aloud.