Arielle Immortal Fury (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 6) (4 page)

She slept soundly until a knock at the door startled her. Sitting straight up, she nearly fell out of bed.

“Who is it?” she called out as she tried to open her eyes.

“It’s me, Gabrielle.”

“Come in,” she said in a low voice as she plopped back on the bed and stretched leisurely. She didn’t want to get up.

“Good morning, sleepy head; ready to ride?” Gabrielle asked.
Arielle
looked at her, but her vision was blurry. She raised both hands and
rubbed her eyes trying to clear her view. She was shocked to see
Gabrielle standing in middle of the room looking amazing in an exquisite riding outfit.

“Wow! Where did you get that?” Arielle asked, pointing at her clothes.

“It was sent by Mademoiselle Gaulle. I’m sure there is one in
here for you,” Gabrielle said. She looked around and then pointed at the other side of the room. “There it is!”

“It wasn’t there last night,” Arielle said sluggishly. “The maid must have put it there while I was sleeping.” She got out of bed
slowly and
stretched her arms. She yawned lazily. Walking over to where the
outfit was laid out, she picked it up and pressed it against her body as she
moved in front of the only mirror in the room. She humphed out
loud and turning around she faced Gabrielle.

“How did she get the size so perfect?” Arielle was impressed by the way Gabrielle’s outfit outlined her beautiful curves.

“I can only speculate, but my guess would be that the three of us
are the same size as Mademoiselle Gaulle. She also seems to have an eye for perfection,” Gabrielle added chuckling. “Can you believe that all the time we have spent here is but a fraction of time in our
century?”

“I know! Every time I think about our amazing adventure, I have to pinch myself, because it seems absolutely unreal,” Arielle said.

“Arielle, you’ll not believe how beautiful Eva looks. She
definitely
has the sixteenth century look.” Gabby chuckled again softly. Arielle joined in. She was sure Eva would be strikingly beautiful. She
dressed slowly while Gabby sat on the bed watching her. When she finished, she took a look in the mirror and smiled, pleased with the dashing girl who looked back at her.

“Are you ready?” Gabrielle asked again.

“No, of course not. You know riding is not my favorite hobby, but I’ll go. I must admit that I have become quite good at this, thanks to Sebastian,” she said gleefully.

Gabrielle laughed out loud. “You and Eva are accomplished
riders, so there is nothing to worry about.”

“I’m not worried about it, Gabby. I know that Sebastian taught me well, but still, it’s not my favorite hobby.”

Gabrielle grinned. “You look beautiful!” she said.

Arielle smiled blissfully. They walked out of the room and went
across the hall to meet Eva. Arielle couldn’t hold back her
admiration.

“Eva, you are gorgeous!” she exclaimed. Eva walked over and gave Arielle a hug.

“Are you having a good time, Arielle?”

“Oh, Eva, words couldn’t explain the way I feel. I’ll never forget this for as long as I live. This isn’t just a gift; this is an amazing
adventure.” Arielle snorted and gave Eva another hug.

“The maid just notified me that she’ll be coming right back to
take us to the breakfast room,” Eva said. “The family has already
been seated, and they are waiting for us.”

She had barely finished her sentence when a short, attractive woman appeared at the door. “If you are ready, please follow me,” she said.

Chapter 3

THE GIRLS WALKED
out of the room and down the long corridor.
Reaching the end, they went down a long set of stairs, around a few
more
corners, and down a couple more short hallways. They found
themselves
in front of an epic entrance made from elegantly sculpted and painted wood. The maid stepped aside and motioned for them to enter.

Four stunning men with smiles on their beautiful faces rose from
their seats as soon as the ladies entered the room. Mademoiselle
Gaulle remained seated, a soft grin on her fabulous lips.

Soft whispers came from the Gaulle family as they watched the girls walk towards them. Smiles of approval spread across their
faces.
Arielle felt ten feet tall. Sebastian met her halfway. Anton and
Marcus did the same thing with Eva and Gabrielle.

Her eyes rested on Sebastian’s stunning face. A soft smile teased his luscious lips. She shivered with excitement, totally mesmerized.
He reached out and took her hand, escorting her to a seat between
him and his father.

“You look amazing,” Sebastian whispered in her ear.

Arielle smiled. She soon lost track of what was taking place around her. She was overwhelmed by exhilaration. She finally
peeled her eyes away from Sebastian in time to see Marcus walking on the other side
of the table holding Gabrielle’s hand. Arielle let Gabrielle take the
seat between him and his mother. Anton escorted Eva to the seat next to Sebastian, and he sat next to her.

They were all gathered on one end of an enormous table that
could
comfortably seat thirty people with Sebastian’s father at the head. The conversation was warm. The Gaulles asked questions about the
ladies'
parents and their home in England. Arielle let Eva reply to those
questions
as she was making up a great story. They wanted to know their
interests
and about their education. Each one of them spoke of their real
interests:
reading, music, and horseback riding. They couldn’t talk about
going to
the university since women didn’t attend schools in the sixteenth
century. They talked about studying at home. Everyone appeared to
be having a wonderful time.

Arielle took a moment to look around the room. She was in awe.
The room was brilliantly lit with windows made out of luxurious
stained glass. She was sure that a master glassworker had created
them. The room's light seemed to triumph over substance.

She turned her attention next to the huge fireplace across from their table. There were fabulous bookcases on either side decorated with foliage, roses, and angels holding volumes of books. There were two exquisite paintings above each one of the bookcases, and again
she was sure that they were masterpieces. Amazing tapestries
covered
the spaces between the floor-to-ceiling windows. The armchairs
around the table were French imperial-style covered with cordovan leather. Arielle found hers to be extremely comfortable.

“What are you thinking?” Sebastian’s voice was a soft whisper in
her ear. Startled, she turned to find his face a hair's width from her
own. She gasped softly and pulled back.
God, he's stunning!
A smile teased
the corners of his mouth. She cleared her throat and tried to steady
her voice before she replied.

“I was admiring this incredible room.”

“Do you really like the house?” he asked

“Like it? I don’t think that’s the right word,” she replied and
laughed softly under her breath.

“What word would you use?”

“I would use amazing, fascinating, stunning, or one of many
more appellations.”

“Well, I’m impressed,” he said and smiled wide. “You aren’t
eating anything,” he noted.

“I’m not very hungry. Maybe the excitement is too much for
me,”
she said. “There is enough food here to feed a lot of people.” She
exhaled
softly as she ran her eyes over the bowls filled with fruits, breads, and all kinds of delicious foods. The smell of eggs and bacon was
exactly the same as back home. The scent filled her heart with warmth.

“You are stunningly beautiful,” she heard again, his soft whisper making her smile in utter bliss.

“How did you sleep?” Monsiuer Gaulle asked.

“The beds were very comfortable, and we thank you for your
hospitality,” Gabrielle replied.

“Anytime you are in these parts of the country you are welcome to stay with us,” said Mademoiselle Gaulle.

“I couldn’t sleep at all thinking about seeing you today,”
Sebastian whispered. Arielle blushed and remained quiet.

Soon after, they were on their way to the stables.

“Do you ladies ride sidesaddle?” Mademoiselle Gaulle asked. Arielle thought how glad she was that not all women of the upper
class rode sidesaddle at this time in history.

Eva was ready with the answer. “We prefer to ride astride,
giving us a bit more control of the horse.”

Arielle held back laughter with extreme difficulty as she gazed
over at Gabrielle who looked to be doing the same thing. Eva would be the last person to discuss horseback riding.

“Excellent! That’s how I like to ride,” said Mademoiselle Gaulle
as she held on to the girth, grabbed onto the reins, and put her left
foot on the stirrup. With amazing gracefulness, she swung her right leg gently over the horse.

Arielle noticed Monsiuer Gaulle keeping a watchful eye over his
wife. Once on the horse, she turned her gaze to her husband. His lips
curved into a mesmerizing smile, leaving a tangible warmth
vibrating
between the two. Arielle swallowed hard, and her thoughts turned
to
her one and only desire: Sebastian. She let her eyes slide over him,
and she inwardly smiled.

“Do you ride well?” Monsiuer Gaulle asked, his gaze directed
toward Arielle.

“Somewhat,” she replied hesitantly.

“Who is the best rider of the three?” Marcus asked, glancing
between
Eva, Gabby, and Arielle. Instantly, Eva and Arielle pointed at
Gabrielle, breaking into soft laughter.

“Who is the least experienced rider?” he pressed, truly amused.
Arielle knew he was being polite by not outright asking which of the three was the worst. Eva and Gabrielle turned their gaze toward
Arielle
and smiled. There was a warm understanding between the three girls about how they were going to handle this, and Arielle nodded
softly.

“That will be me,” she said grinning. Sebastian pulled his horse
and
moved close enough for their arms to touch. His nearness made her quiver.

“Don’t worry; I’m a very good rider,” he said in a deep,
seductive
voice. “I’ll stay by your side.” His breath caressed her cheek, and she
shivered.

Arielle rested her eyes on his incredible face and almost lost her
train of thought. “Thank you. that’ll be wonderful,” she said, the tone of her voice a bit shaken. “I’m not a bad rider. I’m just a little
afraid of
horses. I have a great teacher back home who has spent countless
hours
helping me become better.” She chuckled, meeting his gaze.
Sebastian
had taken her riding several times in Brighton and while they were
on holiday in Italy.

“Well, that sounds great!” he said, watching her intently. “Truly, how well do you ride?”

“I know that you want to ask me how awful a rider I am.” She chuckled. His lips curved, and suddenly he leaned in and pressed
his lips against hers eagerly. Arielle nearly lost it.

“Would you like me to teach you to ride?” he whispered,
without
breaking the kiss. She blinked. She had stopped breathing. Closing
her
eyes, she let her senses enjoy the taste of his beautiful lips. She
sighed
lightly and moved into him. Attempting to regain her senses, she
coughed.

“I would like that, but we are leaving tomorrow for England,” she said. The closeness of him made her heart accelerate to a
dangerous
point. “I’m not a bad rider, however. Like I said, I’m a little afraid of
horses. I think they sense my fear. I’m improving as time goes by,
and I assure you that I can hold my own.”

He grinned joyfully and let her go, clearly unwillingly. He turned around and taking the reins, he pulled a gorgeous horse toward her.

“His name is Clair de Lune. He’s one of my favorite horses,” he added. He leaned over and gave the horse a couple of loving pats, making Arielle smile at his sensitivity. She walked closer and ran her
hand over the silky, soft mane. “So you’re Moonlight,” she
whispered
close to his ear. She gave Moonlight a couple of soft pats, too. She
was going to surprise him with her ability to ride. Inwardly, she smiled as Sebastian put his hands together for her to step on. He helped her
mount the horse. His left hand reached up and handed her the reins,
but his other hand was still resting on her hand. His gaze pierced
through
her as if he were trying to read into her soul. Arielle looked down at
him, causing his moist lips to curve up. The sight sent a hot
sensation
shivering through her. She loved him so much yet had to pretend
that he didn't turn her whole world upside down.