Read Online Sweet Unrest by Lisa Maxwell - Free Book Online

went off to their first Quadroon Ball with stars in their eyes and ended up with a white man’s babe in their belly.
    His smile faltered when he realized she was pulling away. “I’m visiting my sister Josephine and her husband, Roman Dutilette, at their plantation a few miles up river,” he said. “She has been quite taken by the wonders of Monsieur Lyon’s new portraiture, and I thought I might procure one of her and her husband as a sort of wedding gift.”
    “I see.” She knew of the family. He was most definitely, then, not one for her. She forced herself to regain her business persona. “Will they come here for the sitting, or will they require Mr. Lyon to come to their home?”
    “What would it entail, exactly?” he asked, his eyes sharp as he took as step toward her. “Coming to their home?”
    She nodded. “He simply brings the camera obscura into the home and finds a place with generous light. They would stand or sit while he exposes the plate for a few minutes.” She gestured at one of the pieces of equipment he’d been examining. “And then he returns later with the finished portrait. It’s perfectly easy.”
    “Show me.” He took another step toward her.
    “Excuse me?” She stepped back again, feeling once again like she was being hunted by some much bigger and more dangerous animal. She wondered for a second what it might be like to be caught. “Show you what?”
    “Show me how you do it. Take one of these portraits now, and prove it is safe. I will not have my sister put into any sort of danger.”
    Livid at being herded like some dumb rabbit, she squared her shoulders. “Truly, it’s no different than posing for a painted or sketched portrait. The most that will happen is the subject will become bored. And, I daresay, boredom isn’t fatal or even dangerous.”
    “And yet you refuse to demonstrate.”
    She huffed out a sigh of exasperation. “The materials are very costly, monsieur. We can’t simply demonstrate the process for anyone who asks.”
    “I will gladly compensate you.” He stepped forward again. “Please.”
    She studied him carefully, refusing to cower or back up even with his large body crowding hers. “It’s that important to you?”
    He nodded, his eyes hard and serious.
    “Very well. Why don’t you have a seat over there, and we’ll begin.” She turned to get the camera, but a large hand latched onto her wrist. Its warmth sent a shock of awareness up her arm, and when she turned to look at him, he looked just as thrown off as she felt. He took a breath and released her but did not step back.
    “You misunderstand, mademoiselle . I wish for you to demonstrate by taking your own portrait.” He leaned over until his scent enveloped her again and she could feel the sweet warmth of his breath. “That will not be a problem, yes?”
    She felt an absurd burst of pleasure when she realized why he was asking. “Oh! Don’t tell me you think these portraits really are magic?” She couldn’t keep the humor out of her voice. So many who didn’t understand the science of the process believed that the daguerreotypes were dangerous. So starkly perfect were the likenesses produced that many of the uninformed believed they could steal a person’s soul.
    Alex’s mouth tightened and the tips of his ears pinkened adorably, but he remained stoically silent, not admitting or denying the truth behind his concerns.
    “Of all the things. Here, I will show you how to do it.”
    “Me?” he asked, confused.
    “Yes, of course. How else do you expect me to sit in front of the camera? You may think me a witch,” she said, trying to suppress a smile, “but I assure you, I have no magical powers to work that piece of equipment from across the room.” She pointed to a lever on the side of the camera, pleased with how calm her voice sounded. “When you are ready, you simply depress this. After three minutes, lift it back up.”
    With a deft swish of her skirts, she moved to a