A Dove's Tale

Chapter 159

"Oh, that was so embarrassing."

I couldn't suppress the giggling any longer. It had been an hour since the ball began, which meant Theresa should have finished setting up Chevalier's private library for our dinner. I hadn't been watching the clock, of course, but Chevalier had, and it was easy enough to escape the crowd with his frigid glare on our side. It was funny how he could intimidate people so much with just a single look.

Or maybe that was just the champagne.

"Adèle is usually so prim and proper." I giggled again, picturing the usually elegant older woman pinching Jin's arm and flirting with everybody. "I've never seen her drink like that before."

"Today is the anniversary of her husband's death," Chevalier said.

Normally, a sentence like that would have ruined the lighthearted mood, especially since Chevalier delivered it in an even, impassive tone, with no inflection to tell me how I should interpret it. I saw the corner of his lip turn up just slightly, though, and that told me it wasn't something to take too seriously. So, I held onto my smile. And his arm.

Of course, that smirk could have had more to do with all my giggling than the implications of the day for Adèle.

"So, she's drinking to celebrate or to forget," I mused, resting my cheek against his arm.

"Or both."

I shrugged it off. "Well, it's something to keep in mind for next year. We won't have to worry about her for the rest of the evening, anyway. Whatever comes after dinner is up to you. Within reason," I hastened to add at his sideways glance.

He chuckled. "You really are too young for me."

I feigned a gasp and pulled back. "Not you, too!"

"You are the only one who never considered our age difference," he replied.

Something about that gave me pause. I tilted my head to the side and studied his teasing smirk. "You never mentioned it before. Did it really bother you? When you found out?"

He didn't answer immediately. I watched him curiously until he finally glanced down at me and said, "The circumstances of that revelation made it difficult."

"The circumstances...? Oh."

I suddenly realized what those circumstances were, and they were certainly difficult. It had been the day after Jack assaulted me. I remembered the surprise in Chevalier's voice when he made me tell him how long Jack had been harassing me, and then he'd asked how old I was, and my answer further astonished him. But I also remembered how much he'd surprised me by caring. There had been genuine affection in his embrace.

"I can see where that would have been a problem for you," I said slowly. "Because you already felt something for me, didn't you?"

He nodded. "The mere thought of another man touching you was distasteful before that occurred, and when I learned your age, I determined I had no business viewing you in a romantic light. It became another item on the list of reasons I shouldn't concern myself with you."

I leaned into his side, curling both hands around his arm. This was his birthday, and it was supposed to be fun. "A list?" I asked, deciding to focus on that detail. "What happened to that list?"

Judging by the mischievous sparkle in his crystal blue eyes, I made the right choice for a subject change.

"I discarded it when I realized I no longer cared."

I knew I was playing with fire now, but I had to ask. "And when was that?"

He smirked, and for the second time today, his eyes slid down me in a way that made my face burn. I smacked his arm.