In Julia's arms, I found greater comfort than I had ever known existed. On the night of our wedding, I imagined us staying completely intertwined, a tangle of arms and legs, mingling breaths, and our bodies as one for that night and forever.
We were insatiable, our love and need for one another evident in every kiss and caress. I needed her in every way a man could possibly desire a woman, and throughout the night, she made me feel as though I were the only man to ever see or touch her. I fell in love with her all over again and could not imagine being parted from her…until my arm turned numb beneath her body as she slept.
Sometime during the night, however, she thankfully moved to her own side of the bed. My arm, which had been lodged beneath her head, regained feeling, and when I looked at her sound asleep beside me, I couldn't help myself. I leaned over, brushed a kiss across her forehead, and pulled the covers up to her chin. She smiled in her sleep…and she smiled only for me.
I found peace with Julia. Despite how long I had known her or how many nights we had shared her bed, this night was different. I woke twice that I recall and not once did I feel a sense of panic as I had for most of my life. When I saw her asleep at my side, I felt as though I finally had what I had wanted for a lifetime.
Julia was the rest of my life, and we would start our marriage with our honeymoon. Wide awake shortly after dawn, I realized I knew none of the details pertaining to our shared lives, particularly where we were staying, how long we intended to be away from home, and what arrangements had been made for our stay.
In short, I felt as though I knew absolutely nothing regarding my future life, as my days were apparently governed by my wife. This struck me as somewhat unsettling. I sat up and swung my legs over the side of the bed. Bending, I reached for my clothes, which had been left in a heap on the rug, and stood. Julia turned over, her sleep disturbed by my movement and the bed creaking.
"Good morning, Monsieur Kire," she said, her voice sleepy.
"Madame Kire," I replied as I looked over my shoulder at her. The sound of her new name almost made me forget my trepidation of being kept completely unaware.
"Please tell me you aren't leaving bed yet," she said as she looked at me with one eye open. Her tone and expression made her wickedly seductive. With her hair loose and spread across the pillow case, she drew me back to bed.
"Never," I replied as I knelt over her, kissing her on the lips until I felt her arch her back and link her hands at the back of my neck. The covers fell away, her body like satin against my hands.
"I didn't think so," she replied, her tone low and inviting. She unlinked her hands from behind my neck and reached for the top button of my pajama shirt. In an instant she threatened to unravel me.
A large crash from somewhere on the main level made us both freeze. Julia sat upright and clutched the quilt at her chin as though somehow this would protect her.
"What was that?"she questioned.
"Stay here," I warned, keeping my voice low as I reached for my hairpiece and mask.
"Erik," she whispered back, her face white as the pillow case behind her. "I'll go with you."
"Absolutely not," I argued as I buttoned up my shirt and tied the silk string to my pajama pants. In luxurious silk, I felt anything but threatening—until I looked at Julia and saw the fear in her eyes.
For too many years she had felt fear within her home, by the hands of her first husband. Perhaps I hadn't said as much in our vows, but I had sworn to keep her safe and protected for as long as I would live. No one would harm her. No man would raise a hand at her. No person would threaten to hurt her.
"Don't go alone," she warned.
"Julia—"
Take something with you," she suggested. "A candle stick holder."
I looked away from her, realizing she was afraid for me and not herself. "Of course," I agreed.
As deft as a cat, I made my way to the bedroom door with my weapon in hand. I glanced back once to make sure she stayed put. Eyes wide, she remained on her side of the bed.
The house fell quiet again once I entered the darkened hallway. From where I stood, I saw a shadow across the floor from the kitchen and waited, listening to see how many intruders were within the home.
With only a glance, I couldn't tell if whoever had sneaked into the house was large or slender. If Max had dared to enter and ruin our first day as husband and wife I would kill him. He had done far too much to Julia and I would tolerate no more.
Of course, I doubted he would confront me alone. If he threatened to take Julia, he would bring friends or other members of his family with him in order to steal her away. He would not succeed in taking her, not while I was alive. Surely he understood I would die before allowing him to take her.
Every damned step creaked beneath my weight, though the person rummaging through the kitchen didn't seem to notice. I heard cabinets open and close, drawers thrust open and slammed shut. A thief, I suspected, looking for bank books, hidden money, or jewelry stowed in unlikely places. Her brother would not have bothered to sift through her kitchen. He would have stormed up the stairs and demanded she leave with him at once.
"Would you be still?" I heard a familiar voice whisper.
Brow furrowed, I walked down the rest of the stairs and peered into the kitchen where I found Lisette perched on a chair that Alex stood steadying. Neither one of them saw me, which was probably a good thing as I imagine Lisette would have flown off the chair at the sight of me looming in shadows.
"You be still," Lisette told Alex. She grabbed a pan and jumped off the chair, hitting the ground with a loud thud. Looking quite proud of herself, she flipped her hair over her shoulder and marched toward the stove.
"You'll wake them!" Alex complained.
"What does your father like to eat for breakfast?" she asked, ignoring his words.
"His favorite is a cinnamon muffin with melted butter and strawberries covered in raspberry sauce with peaches and sometimes honey," he rattled off without so much as taking a breath.
Lisette dropped her shoulders. "I don't know how to make muffins," she said with a frown. "What if we toast some bread and spread jam on it?"
"I know how to make muffins," Alex replied.
I sincerely doubted his statement as I had never seen him put any effort into cooking. On the occasion that Meg asked for his assistance, he gave her one or two half-hearted stirs of batter or a fairly good punch of his fist to a ball of dough before he tired of culinary endeavors and begged to leave the kitchen.
"I'll make my father breakfast and you cook for your mother," he suggested.
Lisette looked aghast at his suggestion. "We make breakfast together for our parents," she said firmly. "Our mother and father."
Alex paused at her words. At first his expression seemed unreadable, but his lips formed a wide grin and he nodded. "Will she make sweets for us after supper? A plate of cookies every night like she does for my father?" He paused and gave a sheepish grin. "Our father."
"Not every night," Lisette said, sounding like a perfect miniature of her mother.
"I cannot wait to tell everyone we meet we're on holiday from Paris," Alex beamed proudly. "And that I am visiting with my mother, my sister, and my famous composer father."
His words made me smile as I watched him stand with his arms crossed over his chest. He gave a nod as though to accent his words. With his lack of interest in music over the years, I hadn't expected him to think much of my music, let alone to refer to me as his famous composer father. I suspected he would eventually add, "and I am well on my way to being a famous violinist". The thought made me chuckle.
"Well, we won't be traveling anywhere until everyone is fed," Lisette pointed out.
I watched for several minutes while Lisette ordered Alex around the kitchen and he begrudgingly did as she requested. He dragged his feet and eyed her in misery as though she had sentenced him to death. Clearly the two of them had no idea what they were doing, but they made a valiant, albeit messy, attempt.
Just when I prepared to step in and stop them, Ruby flew through the backdoor out of breath. She had her hair wound in a bun threatening to topple from her head and I suspected she had just come in for the morning when she noticed the two of them missing.
In the distance, I heard Bessie baying and assumed she was furious with me, both children and the cook for abandoning her.
"Goodness!" Ruby gasped. "What in the world are the two of you doing? Do you have any idea what hour it is?"
"We're baking!" Alex proudly answered.
"Cooking breakfast," Lisette corrected.
Ruby made a face and motioned them to the back door. "Neither one of you should be intruding," she admonished. "Especially at this hour. Not even the birds are up," she added dramatically.
"But we aren't intruding," Lisette protested. "I have lived here my whole life."
"Yes, but…well, for the time being…" Ruby said, completely flustered by her words. "You leave the cooking to me. And out of respect, you knock before entering the room."
"Why?" they asked in unison.
"Because I said so," Ruby answered firmly.
"But we wanted to make something special," Lisette pleaded. "As a surprise for mother and father."
Her words were spoken with great ease, which made me realize all my time spent avoiding Lisette had been unnecessary. She was a remarkable child, as curious and gregarious as my own son and as compassionate and accepting as her mother. I stood for a moment with my back against the wall and marveled at the children Julia and I would raise together.
A daughter had never crossed my mind. Of course, neither had the possibility of a son until Alex had been placed in my arms.
I heard footsteps behind me and turned, finding Julia making her way down the stairs. She reached the last step and stood with her hand on my shoulder. Together, we watched in silence as Ruby planted her hands on her hips and shook her head at the two children.
"Come with me," Ruby ordered. "Your mother doesn't want to wake to a mess in her kitchen."
The two turned and trudged through the kitchen toward Ruby, who looked from them to the hall where Julia and I stood. She smiled and ushered Alex and Lisette out the door.
"An hour until breakfast," she announced before the three of them disappeared. She looked straight at me and smiled. "That's about as long as I'm able to hold them."
I nodded and sighed to myself, wondering how many late nights and early mornings I could tolerate. Already the circus entering and leaving the kitchen was exhausting.
Once the back door closed, I turned and found Julia smiling. "So these were the intruders?" she questioned, clearly amused by their antics. She turned to fully face me and pulled my mask off.
"Apparently, yes. I believe if we have intruders in the future, they should be the type that cook."
"Well, seems we're safe from intruders for an hour," she mused as she kissed me on the lips. Her hand found mine and she leaned in closer, the heat of her body and scent of her perfume irresistible.
"Uninterrupted," I reminded her as we returned upstairs hand in hand.
