This is my longest chapter yet- which is not a tall order, to be honest. Hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: There's a reason this is called fanfiction.
If there was one word that Will had to use to describe Eva, it would be 'ephemeral'. She was as fleeting as sunshine in London. Over the years, he had come to know that this was her way. She would manifest out of nothingness, knock the wind out of him, and vanish just as mysteriously. Despite this, he was rather taken aback to see her perched on the chest against Jem's bed when he entered his parabatai's room.
Two heads swiveled to look at him. They appeared to have been interrupted in an intense discussion, despite Jem's easy smile and Eva's knowing head-tilt. His first, most terrifying thought was that she had come to tell Jem about his love for Tessa. Or worse, that she already had. But upon closer inspection, he realized that although their subject may have been impassioned, they both seemed completely at ease. The knot of worry in his chest eased a little.
"The bad penny finally turned up, didn't he?" Jem asked, his voice lilting. "Where on earth have you been, Will?"
Will swallowed, resisting the urge to glance at Eva. "Oh, just here and about. Met a rather fascinating Frenchwoman. Madeleine, I think her name was. Very enchanteur." He collapsed on the bed beside Jem, keeping his eyes trained on his brother the entire time.
He had meandered aimlessly through the streets of London from morning to evening, glamoured to the mundane gaze. The abhorrent, tinny voice of his conscience had chided him for his discourteous manner towards Eva, warring all the time with his own loathing. Having arrived well past dinner once again, he had swiped a few bites from the larder and come to his parabatai.
"I'm sure," was Jem's amused reply. Will extricated a cashew nut from his pocket and popped it into his mouth, feigning nonchalance as he queried. "Are you of the habit of inviting all the new residents of the Institute to your rooms, James? Or is it only the women? I'm sure Gideon Lightworm will be mightily disappointed."
Jem opened his mouth, probably to admonish him, when Eva beat him to it. "Jem was kind enough to allow me to voice my poorly furnished opinions on Bach. He even played his violin."
Will cursed he internally for compelling him to look at her. He did so, anyhow, meeting her unwavering- blazing- eyes with his own emotionless ones. "And did you find our musical prodigy to your tastes, Miss Morgenstern?"
"Ah, quite so. I am now incredibly jealous of Tessa," she flashed Jem a smile at that, but Will could see that his pointed addressal of her formal name had not gone unnoticed by her.
Jem laughed, seemingly unaware of the tension between the two. "Eva is in no way poorly furnished with knowledge when it comes to music. In truth, I have actually learned much about Bach from her. Does your German heritage have some bearing on this?"
Eva nodded, even that single movement as fluid as water. "Quite astute of you, Mr Carstairs. My father insisted upon my cultural training, but it wasn't limited to German culture. Ballet, painting, embroidery- I am a veritable mine of feminine pursuits." Her mouth twisted into a mocking expression.
Ballet. Perhaps that was the reason she appeared so comfortable in her own skin, Will contemplated even as he snorted at the slight derision in her tone. She grinned at him at the noise, and his resentment towards her ebbed slightly. Who else but she could have understood his innermost self?
She had never been one for tip-toeing.
Although she regretted having been so boorish in realizing Will's secret, she would not have been able to walk on eggshells around him for too long. For all her mysterious nature, she could be alarmingly straightforward. Which was why she hoped Will wouldn't take it too harshly- it was simply her nature.
Her little tête-à-tête with Jem had been fueled by the purpose of understanding Will better. No one could claim Evangeline Rosalind Morgenstern to be unversed with the art of subtlety- the entire time, she was delicately steering the conversation towards Will. Jem didn't seem to notice, but was more than content to talk about his parabatai. And in the course of two hours, she had learnt about his loathing for ducks, his ardent love for books and his considerable mastery over the broadsword. Perhaps one of these days she would spar with him. She had always loved seeing the shock on her opponent's face as they fell, dumbstruck at being defeated by a chit of a girl.
But Jem had no idea about Will and Tessa, which made her wonder if Will's feelings were even slightly reciprocated. It wouldn't be too hard to fall for Will- he was witty, challenging and had the features of a Greek god. And for all of Jem's virtues, Eva couldn't help but marvel at the fact that Tessa saw him past Will. Even if she hadn't shared this strange, bewildering connection with him, it would have been Will she would have chosen. Although, she suspected, her reasons would have been vastly different.
She traced his features with her gaze now as he louched on Jem's bed, seemingly unconcerned. His mouth was still tightly drawn and his eyes far away. Her eyes then flitted to the silver-haired boy, who was regarding her curiously. Unembarassed at being caught, she flashed him a Mona Lisa smile. What did the parabatai think of them? She was such a puzzle in Will's life- not his friend, his lover or even his acquaintance. Just a girl who shared an inexplicable connection with him. Did he find it an infringement on his existing bond with Will?
Tessa Gray didn't quite know how she felt about the new girl. Evangeline Morgenstern was delightful and entertaining at the dinner table, but the shape-shifter had a suspicion that there was much more to her than that. She wasn't as flippant and carefree as she gave out. Not to forget that when she mentioned the girl to Jem the morning after, a peculiar expression came over his face as he murmured that it was better to talk to Will about her.
Why Will? How did he know her? There seemed to be no such indication of the sort at their first dinner- the only meal where she'd seen Will and Eva together. It wasn't as if she could ask Will herself, she had thought mournfully. And Jem had been ensconced in his bedchamber with the very girl, discussing music and composers, subjects she had woefully inadequate knowledge on. Cheeks warm with embarassment, Tessa had slipped out, unnoticed.
Finally, her burning curiosity won out and she strode down the hall to her fiancé, deciding that he, at least, owed her some answers. Eva couldn't have been in there for so long, anyhow. As she neared his door, light spillng out from underneath the wood, she could hear an unexpected voice. Will. Her heart leapt in her throat at the thought of the Welshman as she pushed the door open.
It was evident that she had walked in on a joke of some kind. Jem was chuckling, even as Will threw his head back and laughed. That was astonishing enough for her, when she saw Eva still there, breathless laughs escaping her. An odd, prickling sensation overcame her as she realised just how much the girl looked like she belonged there, her oddly blue eyes sparkling in the firelight at Will.
"Tessa," came Jem's startled exclamation upon noticing her standing there. The other two dark heads swiveled towards her, and Tessa noted, with a sinking heart, the animation on Will's face fade into a stony mask. She tore her gaze back to her fiancé, plastering on a smile.
"I didn't know you weren't alone. I just came by to talk." She glanced a bit too pointedly at Eva here. The girl, to her credit, still looked on with the same aloof amusement.
"Ah, how reprehensible of me to cleave the lovebirds apart so. I'll take my gracious leave, now," She stood and waved away Jem's protests, arching a single eyebrow at Tessa as she passed by her to pause at the doorway.
"Thank you for a wonderful evening, Jem. It was very stimulating. And William," she added, her voice mirthful, "I truly hope to meet the lovely Madeleine someday." With a parting- and audacious- wink at the company, she waltzed out. Will followed not long after, muttering something unintelligible, leaving Tessa wondering...
Who was Madeleine?
The stories say that if you drop a review, she will update faster.
