"I remember, cara." With an effort, he withdrew from her arms. "I must go now."
"You'll come tomorrow night?"
"If you wish."
"I do, very much. Will you meet me outside the opera house? We could go to dinner."
"No. I shall come to you here. At midnight."
She rose with him, her eyes shining with happiness because she would see him again. "You won't change your mind?"
"No, but your maid, Babette, must not be here."
Sara nodded. She supposed it was natural that he wouldn't want anyone else to see him. "Won't you... will you... ?"
Gabriel frowned at her. "What is it you wish, cara? You have only to name it, and it's yours."
"Won't you kiss me good night?"
He nodded slightly, intending to do no more than brush his lips across hers. As if suspecting as much, she stood on her tiptoes, her hands gently cupping his ravaged face as she pressed her mouth to his.
Light exploded through him, brighter than the glow of a thousand candles. It flowed through him, clean and pure, filling his mind with images of warm summer days and sun-kissed mornings bright with dew.
Stunned, he stumbled backward, and after murmuring a hasty farewell, he took his leave before she could see the blood-stained tears that dampened his cheeks, before he fell to his knees at her feet and begged her to see past the monster he had become and love the man who no longer existed.
PART One Chapter Twelve
"What do you mean, you can't see me after the show?"
Maurice stared at her, his brow furrowed, his eyes mirroring his confusion.
"I have an appointment," Sara replied.
"An appointment? With whom?"
"An old friend." An exasperated sigh escaped Sara's lips. "If you must know, I'm meeting Gabriel."
Understanding replaced confusion in Maurice's eyes, but only for a moment as jealousy quickly took its place. "So, he's finally come to see you after all these years."
"Yes."
"Do you think it's wise for you to meet with him alone?"
"What do you mean?"
"How will it look, the two of you being alone together in your room?"
Sara felt a blush stain her cheeks. It wasn't proper to entertain a man alone in her apartment. But Gabriel wasn't just any man. He was her benefactor; but, more than that, he was her friend, the closest thing to a family that she had. But it wasn't that thought that brought the flush to her cheeks. It was the knowledge that she wanted to be more to him than a protegee. Much more.
"It will be all right," Sara said, keeping her voice carefully cool and calm. "After all, he's been supporting me for the past five years. I can hardly refuse to see him." She hated lying to Maurice. It wasn't Gabriel who had insisted on seeing her. Quite the opposite, in fact.
"Someone should be there with you," Maurice insisted. "A chaperon, if you will."
"Babette will be there," Sara lied.
Maurice laid his hand on her arm. "I love you, Sara. I only want what's best for you."
"I know." She gazed into his eyes, wishing she could return his affection, but she belonged to Gabriel heart and soul, had been his since the first time she saw him on her veranda.
"Marry me, Sara," Maurice implored. He dropped to one knee and took her hand in his. "I know I'm not nearly good enough for you, but you'll be rich in love if nothing else, I promise you that. Only say yes."
"Maurice..."
"It's him, isn't it?" Maurice rose to his feet, his eyes blazing with anger and jealousy. "You're infatuated with that old man."
"What makes you think he's old?"
"Isn't he?"
Sara frowned. She'd never given any serious thought to Gabriel's age. Thinking of it now, she realized she truly had no idea how old he was. To look at him, one would guess him to be in his late twenties, and yet he seemed much older, much wiser.
"Sara?"
"I don't know how old he is, and I don't care. I'm not running off with him, Maurice. He's only coming by to see how I'm doing."
"Then it won't matter if I'm there."
"I'm afraid it will matter very much."
"Sara..."
"I don't wish to discuss it any further, Maurice. Quick, give me a kiss for luck. There's my music."
She danced that night as never before, certain that Gabriel was somewhere in the audience. Her solo was for him and him alone. When she looked at the prince, it was Gabriel's face that loomed in her mind; it was Gabriel's kiss that awakened her from her enchanted sleep.