Night School: Legacy

At least Sylvain cared about her. Sylvain wanted her.

‘You can take it back,’ she said suddenly. Sylvain stared at her with open surprise. Before she could change her mind, she ran across the space that divided them. His jacket slid from her shoulders, pooling forgotten on the frosty ground.

‘Let’s just take it all back.’

She could see the doubt in his eyes, as if he didn’t believe this was really happening.

Reaching up, she traced the outline of his lips with her fingertips. He closed his eyes. Then, sliding her hands around his neck, she pulled him down to her.

At first she was distracted by how differently he kissed than Carter – his lips were softer, more assured. It felt strange. Wrong.

But she wasn’t going to chicken out. Instead of pulling away, she leaned into him and the kiss – which had been tentative at first – strengthened as Sylvain realised she was serious about this. Hesitantly, his hands slid down the silk of her dress to her waist – when she didn’t pull away he drew her more tightly against him. When her lips parted for him, he groaned softly at the back of his throat; her bones seemed to soften and she leaned into him as his arms tightened around her. She was so close to him, she could feel his heart thudding as if it were beating in her own chest.

Allie poured all the loneliness of the last five weeks into that kiss. The pain of Carter breaking up with her. Blaming herself for everything. The long nights with no one to talk to. Longing for something she wasn’t supposed to want.

As if he sensed this, Sylvain cupped the back of her head to kiss her more deeply. Gasping against his lips, she slid her hands up to tangle her fingers in the soft waves of his hair.

Heat radiated from his body as if he had a fever; Allie wasn’t cold any more. She wasn’t alone any more.

There was no logic to this – no plan. Maybe this was a bad idea. She didn’t care any more.

His lips moved down the side of her face to her ear then on to her neck and, breathing in short gasps, she dropped her head back. But something soft and delicate – like feathers of ice – tickled her face, distracting her.

Opening her eyes, she saw white crystals whirling against the darkness, and she straightened with a small cry. ‘It’s snowing!’

Still wrapped in each other’s arms, they looked up into the infinity of snow falling from a night sky. The world seemed to hush around them.

‘It’s a sign,’ he said. A few snowflakes had settled disarmingly on his eyelashes and his white teeth flashed as he smiled.

‘A sign of what?’ She wondered if she looked that happy to him.

‘That this is right.’


As they walked through the snow to the front door – Allie picking her way carefully in Jo’s foolish shoes – she told him her plan to meet Lucinda.

‘What will you ask her?’ His arm was tight around her waist, his body warm against hers.

‘That’s the problem,’ she said, as they reached the door. ‘I don’t know.’

‘She’s your grandmother – she’ll understand.’

Inside the warmth that had seemed so claustrophobic before was now welcome. The party had not abated, and the cacophony crashed over them like a wave.

‘I’m going to run upstairs just to fix ..’ She gestured at her face.

Smoothing the snow from her hair, Sylvain smiled into her eyes then he brushed his lips against her cheek so lightly it made her shiver. ‘Come and find me.’

‘Where will you be?’

‘In the great hall.’ He let her go with a regretful sigh. ‘With my parents.’

Dashing through the crowd, Allie ran up the grand staircase hoping she’d get a chance to be alone with him later, after his parents had left. Maybe this time they could go somewhere warmer. And start where they’d left off.

I’ll just clean up my mascara and then …

She never finished the thought.

At the top of the stairs, Isabelle was talking to someone – even from here, Allie could hear the tension in her voice. Then a strangely familiar, powerful voice floated back to her. Looking up, she saw Isabelle – she was standing next to Lucinda.

Frozen in place on the stairs, Allie felt dizzy with excitement and fear. They were speaking too quietly for her to make out most of the words but she knew they were angry. She was still deciding what to do when she heard Isabelle’s shoes tapping out a furious pattern as she walked away.

Holding her breath, Allie stood still to listen. She could hear nobody else up there. Was it possible Lucinda was alone?

Slowly at first, then with increasing speed, she ran up the stairs. But when she reached the wide landing her heart sank. It was empty. Lucinda must have left so quietly she hadn’t heard.

Crushed, she was just turning away when a faint sound made her turn. That’s when she saw Lucinda, standing in a nook, half hidden by a heavy curtain as she looked out the window.

Closing her eyes to summon her courage, Allie stepped closer to her. ‘It’s snowing.’