Embrace the Night

Page 24



"So lovely." He held out his hand. "Would you go out with me, coral"
"Out?" She looked puzzled. "Out where?"

"Wherever you like."

"I couldn't… shouldn't… anywhere I wish?" "Anywhere."

"The ballet?" "If you wish."

She smiled, radiant with happiness. For as long as she could remember, she had longed to go to the ballet, to see Swan Lake, Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote. She had studied the lives of many of the great ballerinas, like Marie Taglioni, Fanny Elssler, Carlotta Grisi, Francesca Cerrito, and Marie Salle.

And now her dream was about to come true. Then she glanced down at her dress, and her happiness dissipated like dew beneath the sun.

"I can't go. I don't have anything suitable to wear."

"You will," he said cryptically, and before she could ask questions, he was gone. "Gabriel!" Shoulders sagging, she stared into the darkness, wondering if he was gone for the night.

An hour later, he was back. "For you," he said, and with a flourish, he reached inside his cloak and withdrew a gown of ice-blue satin.

Sara glanced at the dress, at Gabriel, and back at the dress, unable to believe her eyes. "For me?" "You don't like it?"

Not like it? It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. She looked up at him, too dazed to speak. "Can you… shall I…" He swore softly. "Will you let me help you change?"

She felt her cheeks flame as she nodded. Deftly, he helped her out of her dress and into the gown, lacing her up with such casual nonchalance that it eased her embarrassment. The satin was smooth and cool against her skin, a sharp contrast to the heat of his touch.

There were slippers and gloves to match. He pulled them from beneath his cloak, making her wonder if he was conjuring them from thin air.

She felt like the princess in a fairy tale. "How do I look?"

"See for yourself," he said, and lifting the mirror from the wall, he held it in front of her.
She did look like a princess, she thought. The gown was a study in simple elegance, the bodice fitted,