Page 56 of Angel's Flight

“I like you,” Christine laughed as they sat.“I do need to practice my English though.If we are to stay.”

“Do you intend to linger in London or somewhere else on this dreary island?”Letitia asked with delight.

“I honestly don’t know.I don’t dislike it so far.”

“But you were in Florence before?And Paris!Oh, I adore Paris.”

Christine knew Letitia meant it kindly, but it only made her heart ache.“It’s a wonderful city.What did you do there?”

“Why, it’s where all the best women of my persuasions learn their skills,” Letitia said with a wink, and Christine suppressed a guffaw.There were still women looking at them from all around the room.

“Do these ladies here know your...gifts?”Christine asked.It had been Letitia’s idea to come here, but they had not been served at all yet.

“Oh, yes.Their husbands even more,” Letitia replied.“Though they would never admit it.I like to come here once in a while to remind them all that I’m still here and still thriving.”

“How delightful.I think you’ll like Adèle and she you.”

Christine stopped.Adèle had once been brazen in her pursuit of lovers who could advance her career and keep her comfortable, until one such lover had turned on her in the vilest way because of Christine.Adèle said she forgave her, but would she want to see Christine after everything?

“Did you know her as a musician?Were you a singer too?”Letitia asked.

“I was.I performed at the Opéra with her,” Christine confessed, and Letitia looked adequately impressed.“I met my husband there.He was my teacher, but I decided I wanted a different sort of life.”

“What sort is that?”Letitia asked kindly, only for Christine to sigh.

“You see, that has been our problem.We needed a different life, but we weren’t specific in our petitions to fate of what exactly that meant.So we wander.”The honesty was a relief.Erik had never been one to plan ahead far, and while Christine had nurtured many dreams before, they had not been solid, realistic things.Just dreams.

“Well, now you’re in the land of practicality and propriety.I’m sure it will encourage some realism,” Letitia laughed.“Though that would be a shame, I think.Magic and mystery are so much more fun.”

“One can’t live on those,” Christine murmured.

“You’d be surprised.Come, it’s time for our appointment.I have my carriage – well, Bernard’s.He’s quite accommodating.”

“Don’t you want to wait for tea?”Christine asked, but as she looked around, the disapproving looks sharpened.

“They’ll never serve me here.And I’ll tell you a secret,” Letitia replied, and took Christine by the arm.“I hate tea.”

“So do I,” Christine giggled so loudly that one old woman looked ready to faint.

Letitia whisked them away to the waiting carriage, smiling all the while.She was like a beam of summer sun with her yellow dress and blonde hair, and it made Christine feel warm to be near her.

“Erik loves tea.He makes some himself,” Christine volunteered when they began to roll along.

“What an interesting and mysterious man your husband is.A Frenchman with the name of a Viking and an Irishman.”

“His mother was Irish.”Christine wondered if that information was wise to volunteer in this city.

“So was mine,” Letitia replied, and Christine relaxed.“Though I keep that quiet among the upper crust.A whore they can tolerate, but an Irishwoman enjoying life in their midst is something beyond the pale.”

“Is the prejudice really so bad?”Christine knew there was no love lost between the nations – one occupying the other – and that had been why it was such a shock to find herself here with him.

“Certainly.Worse in America though, I’ve heard.I have friends that went there for a fresh start and it’s been a struggle.Everyone seems to be leaving Éire,” Letitia said with deep sadness.“But here I am, in this lovely town, trying to make it as wild as I can, bringing a bit of Dublin and Paris to the mix.”

“Tell me more about your life here?”Christine asked hopefully.She didn’t want to think about America and all the places she couldn’t be.Only the place she was.“Are all your parties as exotic as the one last night?”

“Far more so,” Letitia grinned.“I have various circles of friends and acquaintances.Some, I invite to salons to bare their minds and souls in music and conversation, but the genuinely interesting ones I invite to enjoy bare asses and rare entertainments from other friends.”

“My goodness,” was all Christine could say, blushing to imagine such an event.

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