Read Online Dancing On Air by Nicole Hurley-Moore - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Nicole Hurley-Moore
Ads: Link
Lisette answered with bitterness in her mouth.
‘Then why are you obligated to her?’
‘She raised me when my mother died. She has trained me to succeed and I have given her my word that I shall.’ Lisette took her hand from his. ‘We should not meet again.’
‘Do you dislike me that much?’
Lisette stared at Evander. His tone seemed tinged with disappointment and even despondency. It moved her and tugged a little at her heart. ‘No, no of course not. But I cannot give you what you wish and my aunt will be furious if she was to discover us.’
‘Give me a chance, Lisette, and I will make you fall in love with me.’
‘I daren’t.’ Lisette took a breath. Evander was charming. He turned her head and had the power to sway her to his will. She teetered on the brink and as she looked into his eyes, she wondered if he would be her downfall.
‘I promise I will not abandon you.’
‘For now, my lord, but you will, eventually. I’m sorry, I cannot risk it.’ Lisette steeled herself. She could not afford to risk her future for a promise — promises were easily broken and quickly abandoned.
‘If you do not risk, then you do not live. Surely there must be something beyond the walls of this theatre that you desire?’
His words wound around her resolve like the serpent in the garden, tempting and enticing her. He offered her affection and laughter; he was a bright flare in her otherwise dull world. It was true, she did live her life in half fear. She never went against her aunt and was almost a prisoner of the theatre. The only time she felt totally free was when she danced and the feeling of euphoria was always fleeting. In the darkness of the night, she would dream of being loved and having a family. Perhaps then she would be able to reclaim the happiness she had felt as a little girl, when her mother still lived.
‘Lisette, please,’
Lisette’s head snapped up. For an instant a rose-tinted picture popped into her head. Would Evander be kind? Could she trust him? Or possibly the biggest question was...could she trust herself?
‘Will you leave me wretched, ruined and miserable?’
‘I swear Lisette, on everything I hold dear, that will never happen. Come, Lisette, let me show you that there is more to life than this theatre.’
‘I can’t. My aunt is still here and she will be suspicious if I do not accompany her home.’
‘Tomorrow then. Tomorrow, where we first met and at the same time.’
Lisette was silent for a moment as she weighed up the risks. ‘Very well, I shall meet you at the Hearth Fire. Now you must go before someone sees you.’
Evander caught her hand and brought it to his lips. ‘Thank you, Lisette. You will never regret it.’
‘We shall see, my lord... We shall see.’
Lisette walked by her aunt’s side as they walked down the lane. The sun was shining brightly but there was a chill to the breeze. It swept past Lisette and made her shudder. She pulled her shawl closer and picked her way over the cobblestones. It was something she would have to accept. Autumn had arrived and very soon the sunny days would give way to rain and freezing winds.
Lisette opened the stage door and allowed her aunt to precede her. The theatre was dark and cold and empty. Tommy was not sitting at his station and, as they walked down the empty hallways, they did not encounter any of the company or even the stagehands. The only sound was of their footsteps and the beat of Aunt Marie’s walking stick against the well-worn wooden floor.
Lisette always enjoyed this part of the morning. When she had been a child, she always saw the empty theatre as her own private playground. She knew its nooks and crannies, from the bowels of the building right up to the Gods. Each staircase, trapdoor and half-forgotten door had been hers. Most of the girls of the corps de ballet were scared of the theatre and its so-called ghosts but Lisette always regarded it as her tattered and eccentric home.
Aunt Marie
‘Then why are you obligated to her?’
‘She raised me when my mother died. She has trained me to succeed and I have given her my word that I shall.’ Lisette took her hand from his. ‘We should not meet again.’
‘Do you dislike me that much?’
Lisette stared at Evander. His tone seemed tinged with disappointment and even despondency. It moved her and tugged a little at her heart. ‘No, no of course not. But I cannot give you what you wish and my aunt will be furious if she was to discover us.’
‘Give me a chance, Lisette, and I will make you fall in love with me.’
‘I daren’t.’ Lisette took a breath. Evander was charming. He turned her head and had the power to sway her to his will. She teetered on the brink and as she looked into his eyes, she wondered if he would be her downfall.
‘I promise I will not abandon you.’
‘For now, my lord, but you will, eventually. I’m sorry, I cannot risk it.’ Lisette steeled herself. She could not afford to risk her future for a promise — promises were easily broken and quickly abandoned.
‘If you do not risk, then you do not live. Surely there must be something beyond the walls of this theatre that you desire?’
His words wound around her resolve like the serpent in the garden, tempting and enticing her. He offered her affection and laughter; he was a bright flare in her otherwise dull world. It was true, she did live her life in half fear. She never went against her aunt and was almost a prisoner of the theatre. The only time she felt totally free was when she danced and the feeling of euphoria was always fleeting. In the darkness of the night, she would dream of being loved and having a family. Perhaps then she would be able to reclaim the happiness she had felt as a little girl, when her mother still lived.
‘Lisette, please,’
Lisette’s head snapped up. For an instant a rose-tinted picture popped into her head. Would Evander be kind? Could she trust him? Or possibly the biggest question was...could she trust herself?
‘Will you leave me wretched, ruined and miserable?’
‘I swear Lisette, on everything I hold dear, that will never happen. Come, Lisette, let me show you that there is more to life than this theatre.’
‘I can’t. My aunt is still here and she will be suspicious if I do not accompany her home.’
‘Tomorrow then. Tomorrow, where we first met and at the same time.’
Lisette was silent for a moment as she weighed up the risks. ‘Very well, I shall meet you at the Hearth Fire. Now you must go before someone sees you.’
Evander caught her hand and brought it to his lips. ‘Thank you, Lisette. You will never regret it.’
‘We shall see, my lord... We shall see.’
Lisette walked by her aunt’s side as they walked down the lane. The sun was shining brightly but there was a chill to the breeze. It swept past Lisette and made her shudder. She pulled her shawl closer and picked her way over the cobblestones. It was something she would have to accept. Autumn had arrived and very soon the sunny days would give way to rain and freezing winds.
Lisette opened the stage door and allowed her aunt to precede her. The theatre was dark and cold and empty. Tommy was not sitting at his station and, as they walked down the empty hallways, they did not encounter any of the company or even the stagehands. The only sound was of their footsteps and the beat of Aunt Marie’s walking stick against the well-worn wooden floor.
Lisette always enjoyed this part of the morning. When she had been a child, she always saw the empty theatre as her own private playground. She knew its nooks and crannies, from the bowels of the building right up to the Gods. Each staircase, trapdoor and half-forgotten door had been hers. Most of the girls of the corps de ballet were scared of the theatre and its so-called ghosts but Lisette always regarded it as her tattered and eccentric home.
Aunt Marie
Similar Books
