Page 99 of The Midnight Book Club
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Itwasn’tuntiltheshop closed at five o’clock the following day that Aurelia finally put away the copies ofAnna Karenina.She’d stood at the table several times that day, resolved to pick them up, but each time she found herself unable to reach out her hands to do it.But with the shop closed, she started to worry that she’d miss some unknown window of time before midnight when she’d need to make the switch.
She carried the copies ofAnna Kareninato the back room, then brought out a single copy of the new book.Aurelia held it—her book, their book—in her arms and closed her eyes, wishing that the experiment would work and Vronsky would find the love and happiness they’d planned for him.Eyes open once again, she placed the book on the table and walked upstairs to try to sleep before midnight.
Rest was, in the end, impossible; she couldn’t quiet the thoughts and feelings that were keeping her from sleep.Giving in, she finally decided to wait downstairs for the fateful moment.As midnight approached, she hovered near her desk, wondering who, if anyone, would appear from her book.
When the mists finally materialized, she couldn’t be sure whether any were from her book and she stepped closer, trying to make out the figures as they came into being.
There were Marmee and Laurie, Elinor and Marianne, Sergeant Cuff and Rachel.And there… There was a man in a uniform that was similar to Vronsky’s, but with slightly different epaulettes across the shoulders.He was tall and solidly built, seeming almost too large for the shop, and he had a thick mustache and dark hair that was cropped close to his head.Although he looked imposing, he glanced around uncertainly, like he was shy to meet the small crowd gathered around.
Next to him, a woman had appeared.She had light brown hair and eyes that were somewhere between hazel and green.She was wearing a simple but elegant dress of grey cotton with a white shift underneath.Dashes of paint in various colors appeared on her dress and hands, and there was even a spot of paint on her neck.She looked lovely, her long hair pulled back into a loose chignon and a smile playing across her lips as she took in the shop.
“Vivienne?”Aurelia’s voice came out in a whisper.
The woman looked at her.
“Do I know you, mademoiselle?”
Aurelia gasped.It was one thing to see characters she knew from beloved books come to life, but it was something else entirely to see a character she’d created standing in front of her, talking to her.Vivienne’s inquisitive look helped to keep Aurelia in the moment.
“No, not yet,” she managed to get out.“My name is Aurelia Lyndham, and this is my bookshop.You are very, very welcome here.”She turned to the man in uniform.“And you’re Prince Yashvin?Count Vronsky’s friend?”
“Indeed, Miss Lyndham.It is an honor.”He snapped to his full height and gave Aurelia a stiff bow.
“Please, let me introduce you to the others.”
Vivienne and Yashvin seemed to have no trouble accepting their unfamiliar surroundings as everyone said hello.Aurelia was afraid to ask about Vronsky, to hear how he was doing and whether it matched up with the plans they’d made.Still, she was grateful when Marianne asked soon after the introductions were over.
“Can you tell us—how is Count Vronsky?He is an acquaintance of ours and we long to know if he is well.”
Elinor stepped closer to Aurelia, catching her eye and giving her an encouraging nod.
“Alexei is very well.”
Vivienne smiled as she absentmindedly ran a finger over a ring on her hand, reminding Aurelia that Vivienne and Vronsky were recently wed, living in Paris, and sharing a studio where they both painted.Yashvin had just joined them in Paris and planned to settle there to be nearer to his closest friend.
“Last week he was angry when my painting was praised above his at the Salon, but I quickly talked him out of that,” Vivienne added with a laugh.“Soon he was bragging that his wife had painted the best piece in the exhibition.”
“They have heated discussions, those two, but one cannot deny they are suited to each other.I have not seen my friend as happy in many years,” Yashvin joined in.
“He enjoys Paris, then?”
“Oh, yes, truly he does.His French is almost better than mine, but you must never tell him I said this,” Vivienne said.
Her ready smile was remarkable—it was just as Aurelia had written it.
“And do you walk along the Seine together?”Aurelia finally spoke up, though she knew the answer.
“We do, almost every night, in fact.Alexei says the lights reflecting on the water inspire him to keep trying to capture them on canvas.”
The characters crowded around Vivienne and Yashvin, asking more questions about Vronsky and their life in Paris.Aurelia’s heart was full as she watched the characters she knew talking with the two she’d written about in her book.They had done it: Vronsky was happy, in love, and making a life for himself in Paris.She looked around to find Sergeant Cuff standing nearby.He flashed her a very self-satisfied smile, then walked over to speak with Yashvin.
Although she would have liked to see Vronsky, to watch him catch Vivienne’s hand or tease her about whose work was best, she was thrilled to know that it had worked—that she’d given him a new chapter in his life to find love.
Aurelia smiled as she thought of Oliver, knowing that, in a way, Vronsky had done just the same for her.
