Bold text indicates the words were spoken in French but translated for the story
Chapter 45 The City of Light and Love
They were so excited about the prospect of spending the week in Paris; Elizabeth had visited as a young child, but really had little recollection of the trip. Lucas on the other hand, had been there several times over the years. He entertained her with memories of his visits, also telling her about all the places he would take her this week. As always, he made his "stories" so fascinating, and with the rich tone of his voice, he had her hanging on every word.
"Where do you want to visit first?" he asked. "We have reservations for dinner tomorrow evening, but you chose how you would like to spend our first day."
"Well, I once saw a painting of the West Rose window in Notre Dame Cathedral. If it is sunny tomorrow then I would love to go there first to see the sun shining through the three rose windows as the artist intended," she told him.
"A wonderful choice and judging by the trend in the weather lately, we will have another sunny day. I suggest we have breakfast on our way out and then visit Notre Dame. Afterward we can go to a nearby boulangère and buy a baguette and some local cheese at a market and then have our lunch on a park bench in one of the jardins nearby."
"That sounds like a lovely plan, darling," she said with a yawn. It had been a busy few days, and it was catching up with her. She looked forward to some leisurely time, alone with her husband.
He patted his lap encouraging her to lay her head down. She smiled and did as he suggested, raising her legs up on the train bench which was empty next to her. He stroked her hair in a steady gentle motion, and she was soon asleep. He leaned back against his seat and closed his eyes enjoying the rocking of the train and the soft curl in her hair and the faint scent of Tante's lilac soap.
Lucas had drifted away but awoke as soon as the train stopped on the outskirts of Paris. The sun was setting and dusk approaching, and he decided to wake Elizabeth. While she needed more sleep, he knew she would be disappointed at missing their entry into the City of Light at dusk.
"Elizabeth," he said softly, brushing her cheek with tenderness." We are entering Paris and I don't want you to miss it." Her eyes fluttered open, and she looked up with a sleepy smile, her eyes still partly closed.
"Have I been asleep long?" she asked as she wiggled up into her seat.
"Not quite an hour. I thought about letting you sleep longer, but the sunset is just beautiful, and the lights of the city will be coming to life."
"Thank you for watching over me, I love you Lucas and you never fail to remind me why," she said and raised herself up as he bent his head to meet her lips with his.
"You are my one true love, and I will never take that for granted. I learned from you that love needs to be nurtured and it just feels so natural to want you to feel happy and loved, after all your soul is entwined with mine. Even while I watched you sleeping, I felt that connection."
"As painful as it felt at the time, the ordeal with your mother and father turned into a positive for our relationship. Couples can take each other for granted and let love slip away, but we started out with this lesson already learned," she told him.
"Look, the lights ahead…." she exclaimed as she slid to the window pulling at him. He was on the door side, always taking the protective stance. He turned off the light in the compartment and then pulled her onto his lap as they pressed close to the window to marvel at the city as it came alive with light. They could see the shadows of a few of the famous monuments in the distance as they neared the station. She was gleeful and she smiled up at him several times to see if this was having the same impact on him. He too was so happy and smiled until his dimples were clearly showing, but it was more about her delight than about seeing the sight of Paris once again, as lovely as it was.
Elizabeth was nodding off in the hired car by the time they arrived at their hotel. Lucas helped her out as she sleepily held on to his arm as he led her inside. "Monsieur et Madame Bouchard," Lucas told the concierge.
"Bienvenue, Monsier… Madame." He handed the key to a young man dressed in uniform. "Alex, please see our guests to their suite."
The bellhop motioned to the lift and saw them to their room. "I will bring your luggage up right away. Is there anything else?" the young man asked.
"We haven't eaten but my wife is very tired from our voyage. Would you ask the kitchen to send up a light repass? Perhaps some soup and bread and salad and a light dessert? And a bottle of Chateaux Margaux, please."
"Why of course, sir. I will bring your bags and the kitchen will send up a server with your meal."
Lucas turned to find that Elizabeth had already curled up on the bed and fallen asleep. He went to her and removed her shoes. She was curled on her side; so he unbuttoned her skirt so that it was looser and folded the coverlet over her. He kissed her cheek fondly and left her to her sleep.
She had removed her jacket on the way to the bed; he picked it up and put it over a chair and then removed his own jacket and vest and rolled up his sleeves as he made his way to wash up. He was very hungry, so he decided to enjoy the light meal when it was brought up. He left hers covered in case she awoke during the night hungry. The soup was a potato pottage that would taste good even when cool. The dish of pastries said "Elizabeth" all over them. She would moan through those mini chocolate eclairs and lemon tarts, of that he was certain.
Their luggage had arrived, so he changed out of his suit into his pajamas and curled up on the bed next to her pulling her in close. He felt the movement of her breathing and the rhythm soon put him to sleep.
.
Elizabeth woke just as dawn broke; for a moment she was disoriented. Her husband was asleep, his regular beathing next to her ear, but she was almost fully dressed and not inside the bed. She was hungry and desperately needed to get up for a few minutes. She got her bearings and wiggled out of Lucas' hold trying not to wake him. She headed to the facility and then searched her valise and found her nightgown. She slipped behind the dressing screen and removed her clothes and was about to slip into her nightgown when she decided to bathe instead. She wanted to let Lucas sleep until the sun was up at least. She drew her bath and slipped under the warm water to wet her hair which she shampooed with the lilac soap that Tante had given her to take on their trip. She knew that Lucas loved the traces that it left in her hair. She had taken to using scents that they both enjoyed. There was also the orange blossom scent that Rosemary had used on her hair for her wedding and a light lilly scent that she used when they had first met.
Once her hair was washed and rinsed, using a pitcher of clean water she had prepared, she wrapped it into a towel in turban fashion and then added some bath salts to her bathwater. She leaned back to relax but her stomach growled reminding her just how hungry she was. She debated about waiting, but her stomach would not relent, so she got out of the bath, wrapped herself in a towel and tiptoed back to the table that had been set with dinner and grabbed the plate of the desserts that remained. She took one of each and left the remaining on the table and then tiptoed back to her bath. Lucas had heard her as she had rattled the cover over the desserts. He peeked out of one eye and grinned as she snuck toward the bathroom with her treasure. The towel barely covered her bottom, and he got a good look at her bare legs as she scooted across the room. He gave her a few minutes to situate herself and then made his way to the door. He leaned against the frame folding his arms and looked over at her as she closed her eyes and moaned over the delicious bite of éclair. He smiled and chuckled and she started as she realized he was watching her.
"I was really hungry," she said sheepishly.
"Well, quite the solution… bring dessert to your bath." He made his way over to her and kissed her on the forehead. "Solves two issues at one time, cleanliness and hunger pains."
She smiled cheekily and took another bite of her éclair. "Are you coming back to bed?", he asked.
"I am up and wide awake, so I think not. If you need more sleep, go ahead. I want to write in our journal so I could do that while you get more rest," Elizabeth told him.
"You sure you don't want to join me? I need a couple more hours so I will be fresh for our day. I will save a spot for you….", he winked at her.
"As tempting as that may sound, I am going to let you save that thought all day. Just wait until this evening my darling…it will be worth the wait," she said with a little smile as she licked chocolate off her fingers seductively.
He rolled his eyes, "Elizabeth, you need to stop that right this second before I come over there and haul you out of that water."
Elizabeth stopped licking and gave him a saucy smile as she eased back down lower in the water and gave him a little "go away" wave. He obliged after sighing deeply and headed back to try hard to return to the pleasant dream he had been having. She featured large in it of course…..
.
They had hired a car to take them to the cathedral dedicated to Our Lady,"Notre Dame". They admired the façade of the gothic period church and then entered to austere silence. There was no mass at this time and only a few worshippers scattered amongst the pews. They held hands and walked the naïve in awe of the beauty of this sacred place. When they reached about mid-point in the church, they had arrived at the place where the North and South rose windows were located above their respective entrances. They stood back-to-back, Lucas facing north and Elizabeth south. They were pressed against one another, their hands barely touching as they took in the breathtaking sights before them. After a time, they reversed their positions so that they could each take in the other window.
Lucas whispered to her, "the North Rose Window still contains the original glass from the mid-13th century; the glass on the south window was replaced at various times but always to match the original artists glass color and design."
"They are beyond beautiful; they do justice to the stories that they tell, and they remind us of the power of God and all that he has created," she said reverently.
Lucas continued, "the north window contains more blue tones and its rose contained an inner circle of 16 petals surrounded by an outer circle of 32. It depicts Mary enthroned holding the Christ Child, surrounded by kings and prophets from the Old Testament. The south window contains more red tones, and is composed of concentric rings of 12 petals. It depicts the Last Judgement and was a present from the king of France in 1260 about ten years after construction of the north window."
They admired the choir and the altar and then returned to the front of the church to admire the West Rose Window on the façade side of the church. It was the smallest and oldest of the windows and they decided to return to admire it when the sun had reached the west side of the church.
They left the cathedral, neither speaking for a while as the effect of the visit lingered with them both. They held hands as Lucas led them along the streets to seek out the market that the concierge had recommended. They bought some soft cheese, some plums, and a bottle of white grape juice as well as some madeleines for dessert. They also purchased a baguette from the boulangerie next door and then they made their way to a nearby park. They ate their lunch and discussed what they had seen at the cathedral that morning. After relaxing for a while watching some children at play, they made their way back to Notre Dame to walk the perimeter, admiring the gothic architecture of the 13th century structure. One of the interesting features were the flying buttresses that served to hold up the walls of the massive structure. It was truly an architectural marvel.
As the sun headed west and it was about time for them to return to their hotel, they reentered the old church to admire the West Rose Window as it was time for it to flaunt its glory as the afternoon sunlight brought it to life. At 33 feet across, it was the smallest of the windows and features mostly blue tones. The center of the window holds the Madonna and Child surrounded by a ring of 12 inner petals surrounded by 24 outer petals. They stood transfixed by the glorious tribute to Our Lady and the light that cast a magical glow throughout the interior. Reluctantly they left but promised to return before leaving Paris altogether.
;_
They arrived back to their room to rest before they ventured out again to dinner. Lucas had reserved a table at Maxim's, Paris' most famous restaurant. Elizabeth sat at a small writing table next to a window and took out their travel journal. She wanted to capture the impact of their visit to Our Lady while it was fresh in her mind. Lucas sat on the couch with a newspaper he had purchased on their way back. He was anxious to read about the Victory Parade that would be held in just a few days to commemorate the end of WWI, which had technically ended on November 11 (Armistice Day) the previous year.
After a time, Elizabeth set aside the journal and rose to begin to leisurely prepare herself for the evening. Her dress, which Lucas had not yet seen, had been steamed by the hotel staff while they were out. It was hanging in the closet she was using….just waiting for her. She wound her hair in rags as Rosie had shown her to create soft curls and then went to take another bath to freshen up. She wanted to feel her best before donning the beautiful dress that Rosemary had made for her. It was a special gift as were the undergarments that Rosie had ordered to go with it. She had seen herself during the fitting and knew that it looked good on her. She wasn't one for brighter colors, but she had to admit the dress made a sizzling statement that her husband would not miss. It was elegant, but with a touch of spice and nouveau style.
She put some lilac scented bath salts in the water, bathed and then donned a robe that the hotel had provided. She went back to the room and sat at the dressing table applying a touch of makeup. Lucas went to take his bath and then returned to get dressed for the evening. He looked dashing as always.
"Darling, would you mind going down to the lobby to wait for me? I think they serve drinks at this hour. I would like some privacy while I get ready," Elizabeth told him.
"This is quite the build up my dear," he said. "But your wish is my command."
"Would you ask the concierge to send a maid to our room? I will need help to fasten my dress."
"Are you sure you don't want me to stay and take care of that for you?" Lucas leaned down and kissed her shoulder breathing in her fragrance as he did so.
"I am quite certain, you are to wait for me to make my entrance," she told him firmly. "Would you carry my wrap for me?"
"Alright, I am on my way down." He left and took his newspaper and her shawl with him.
Elizabeth donned her undergarments, then stepped into her gown. She soon heard a knock on the door as the maid arrived and helped her with her dress.
"Madame, would you like me to help with your hair?"
"Yes, thank you, that would be very nice. I would like it brushed into a soft curl and left down."
"Certainly." The rags were removed, and her hair brushed into a cascade of soft curls that were brought over her right shoulder. She donned her earrings and had the maid assisted her with her choker.
"Madame, looks magnificent," the maid told her. She looked at herself in the mirror and thought she might agree.
"Merci, bien," she told the woman giving her a generous tip for her effort. She got her handbag and shawl, put on her shoes, and prepared to leave the room.
.
Lucas had struck up a conversation with several older gentlemen that were also sitting in the lobby waiting semi-patiently for their wives. They were discussing the war and the upcoming celebration that would be held on the 14th of July.
He had turned to one of the men to say something when the man looked up the stairwell and mumbled something under his breath…."mon dieu". Lucas turned to look and there she was slowly descending the stairs, a vision in red velvet. He rose to his feet and all of the men rose with him as he moved towards the stairwell to take her hand as she stepped down onto the lobby floor.
"No words," he told her with a catch in his voice. He raised her hand and kissed it taking his time to let her know just how much he appreciated her.
He stood upright and then led her over to where the gentlemen were all still standing.
"May I introduce my wife, Madame Elizabeth Bouchard," he told them, holding her around the waist so they weren't inclined to touch her.
A chorus of "enchante" was the reply to which she smiled and returned,
"A pleasure to meet you all."
"We will bid you good evening as we have a reservation to make,"said Lucas politely as they returned his sentiment, and they made their way to the exit. He knew that they were all watching as they walked away. He couldn't blame them for being a bit dazzled by this vision of womanhood. They had done their best to be respectful, especially as they realized she was his wife.
They arrived at the restaurant and Lucas helped Elizabeth out of the car. He wasn't used to seeing her legs in public as she still wore full length skirts. Rosie had made the front open about midway to her knees and when she stepped out her legs were in sight; she wore black stockings that were an open mesh. She was stunning. She took his arm, and they made their way into the restaurant and checked in and were promptly led to their table. Heads turned as the handsome couple made their way.
He helped her get settled in her seat and took his own. "That dress… what can I possibly say that would describe how you look. I am sure you can see heads turning. You are simply a goddess," Lucas said.
"Thank you darling, but the only head I want to turn is yours," she told him smiling. He wasn't sure if she was blushing, or it was the color of her dress reflecting on her cheeks.
"I love how you have done your hair and that necklace is quite lovely,
he continued his compliments.
"Remember, we purchased it in Union City when we took Laura shopping. It was in that antique shop."
"Yes, as soon as I saw it there, I knew it was yours," he smiled at her over his glass of wine that the maître de had just poured.
She smiled, feeling beautiful and excited about pleasing him. If he thought he liked what he saw now, she couldn't wait for him to see the rest of Rosemary's present.
They had enjoyed their dinner. Maxim's was the most respected restaurant of the city for a reason. The salmon en coute was sublime; it was accompanied by tender spring vegetables and creamy potatoes. They had shared pot de crème au chocolate for dessert followed by a small coffee for her and an herbal tea for him. He had passed on brandy this evening anticipating a late night.
They had their driver drop them off a few blocks from their hotel so they could stroll together back to their room. Both wanted to make the evening last and take in the romance of the City of Light and Love.
When they made their way back to their suite, Lucas took her wrap and bag and placed it on the coat rack by the door. As was his custom, he had ordered a Victrola to be brought to their room. He turned on the music and then took her in his arms and they danced, swaying to the music, enjoying the closeness of their bodies pressed together. The room was dark except for the city lights that cast a warm glow through the windows. Once the music ended, he went to start another record, removed his jacket and vest, and rolled up his sleeves. He spun her around a few times and then scooped her up and took her to a comfy armchair near the window. He set her down a handful of feet away and sat in the chair leaning back to enjoy the view before him.
"I want to look at you," he said in that velvety voice. "That dress has a quite daring hemline compared to your usual. Your legs look lovely."
She wasn't sure what to do with her hands, so she just let them drop to her sides. "Is it too daring?" she asked, worried that maybe he found her too forward in her outfit.
"Not at all; times are changing quickly and so are women's fashions. I like you any way you wish to dress, but I certainly like this fashionable Elizabeth. I was the envy of every man we encountered this evening."
"Well, I saw plenty of women taking a glance at you my dear, as always," she answered.
"I only have eyes for you. And speaking of that, you must thank Rosie for this gift."
"Ah, but this is only the first course," she teased. "You may come unbutton me and then return to your seat."
Lucas jumped out of his seat and turned her to unfasten what seemed like far too many buttons.
He returned to his seat and Elizabeth gave him a shy but knowing smile as she let the top of her dress fall. The skirt she still held at the waist but what Lucas saw before him was a sight to behold. She wore a black satin corset trimmed in red lace and ribbons. The swell of her breasts pushed over the top and her small waist was accentuated by the outfit. He motioned for her to lift the dress in front, and she obeyed him exposing her legs to just above the top of her stockings and allowing a peak at the garters. With the dress billowing around her she looked like a beautiful dancing girl of the French style Can Can.
"Elizabeth, you are truly a vision. I wish I could capture this moment in a photo, but let me assure you that it is forever etched in my mind."
"Well, that was the second course, and here…", she dropped the skirt and stepped out of the dress, "is the third."
Lucas groaned audibly, she had been teasing him all week and now she was upping her game. She sauntered forward, just within his reach. He now picked up her scent, the faint smell of lilacs and woman. He reached out and ran a finger under one of garters pulling it out and letting it snap back into place. He encouraged her toward him and ran his thumbs along the inside of her thighs as he held them in his hands, feeling the satin skin. She leaned forward and kissed him softly on the lips then eased back slowly so he could admire the swell of her breasts.
Normally, he would have savored her slowly until he brought her to her peak, but he was already at his own breaking point. He looked into her eyes, and he could see her need reflected there. "We can play and savor later my darling, please… I need you now," she all but begged him.
He didn't need any convincing as he quickly peeled off his outer clothes and then swung her up into his arms. He found her mouth as he headed to the bed, and they kissed with the urgency that had overcome them both after this long week of seduction. He arrived to the bed and tossed her onto it. He felt like a pirate ransacking the castle, but he didn't care. Just as he was about to join her, he realized…. "just one moment my love, I need to get something from my bag."
She reached out her arms for him, "no, it is fine, it is time we throw caution to the wind."
"Are you sure? It is that part of your cycle…..."
"Yes, it is, and I am quite sure. We are only two months from home, there is no longer any reason to be cautious" she said. He went to her then; the fact that they might make a new life added new meaning to their joining which was urgent, passionate, and utterly beautiful. Afterwards, he felt a new sense of excitement and hope. "I love you Elizabeth, with all that I am," he told her. She had felt it in his lovemaking, and she knew the words to be true.
"I love you too, Lucas, with my entire being, I am yours."