A Powerful Little Love

Chapter 16

In technical terms, Amorette supposed that Aramis was a good kisser.  Amorette lacked experience in that department, but she could safely say it was the best kiss she had experienced in her short life.  The kiss was tender and gentle with one of Aramis' arms around her waist and the other hand lifting and supporting her chin as he kissed her.  When Amorette gingerly pulled away a few inches, for a few seconds they simply gazed at each other as they caught their breath.  At length they both turned to resume their stance at the wall but neither of them spoke.  Secretly Amorette hoped that Aramis felt the same way as she did about what had just happened.

"Well?" she tersely asked after a long time.

"On paper you and I are probably very compatible," muttered Aramis.  "Both of us are a little lost in love, and free and available so it seems only right that there may be potential between us.  I'm sorry, it's just...there's just nothing there."

Amorette breathed a huge sigh of relief.  "There was nothing there for me either.  I mean, it's not that you aren't a good kisser or anything like that; and heaven knows it would be easier for all concerned if there was a spark between us but..."

Aramis finished the sentence for her.  "But I'm not Athos."

Amorette felt her eyes narrowing at the sly comment and rebuked it with one of her own.  "And I'm not the Queen of France am I?"  Aramis reminded her of a fish in that moment.  His mouth opened and closed repeatedly as he searched for the words to say.  "It's alright Aramis, I won't breathe a word.  I've seen the way you watch her you know.  It's how any woman wants to be beheld by the man that she loves.  I should know, I've been waiting my whole life for someone to look at me like that and I feel it might never happen.  Perhaps that's why I've noticed it."

Aramis placed a hand on her shoulder.  "One day someone will look at you that way.  You're a beautiful young woman with intelligence and sensitivity, not to mention a vast fortune.  If someone comes along who does and they aren't Athos, don't shut them out.  Perhaps you should give them a chance.  Chances are you will fall head over heels for someone who is so wholly removed from Athos."

Amorette turned to watch Aramis has he looked out over the valley.  In some ways it was a shame that there was nothing between Aramis and herself.  He was certainly handsome, with his great height and brown eyes the colour of coco.  He was also a good, honest man.  Amorette couldn't explain exactly what it was that was missing from the kiss.  She had not shared many a kiss so she wasn't to know if the missing spark would even be there if she ever did kiss Athos.  The thought had her fretting a little.  Imagine mooning over a man for all of your life and then realising that there was nothing there in the first place when you actually got to kiss him.

A movement that caught the corner of Amorette's eye had her looking down into the narrow street below the house.  There sat Franc La Belisle astride his horse, staring up at them.  "What on earth is he doing here?"

It appeared that Franc had followed Amorette to Chartres in fear of her safety.  Amorette thought that it was more likely that he wanted to be sure that nothing happened between her and Aramis.

"Do you think he saw anything?"  Aramis asked from where he stood, saddling his own horse in the early morning sunshine.

Amorette was already mounted on her horse, looking towards the end of the street where Franc still sat atop his own horse.  "Who cares if he did?  That is, if you'd rather that people didn't know then I could ask him to keep it quiet.  But it's not something I'm worried about."

Aramis mounted his horse and brought it into line with Amorette as they broke into a light canter.  "I only asked because I thought perhaps it wouldn't be something you would want people to know about."