PHANTOM IN TIME by Riley Eugenia

Author:Riley, Eugenia [Riley, Eugenia]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2012-02-24T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-two

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Bella’s days became filled with song. Every time she heard Jacques LeFevre sing, she felt he sang only for her.

Following the electrifying night when he had taken her to the bordello, she found it increasingly difficult to resist him. With each day that passed, her defenses weakened considerably. As he continued to woo her both inside and outside the theater, she realized he indeed stirred her very soul. Jacques, music, and passion had become inexorably enmeshed inside her, growing and blossoming like a glorious bud too vibrant to contain, and all were demanding complete expression, total consummation. Her life, her feelings, seemed beyond her own control. Bella found herself singing more and more when she was alone, even fantasizing about performing duets onstage with Jacques.

And she found herself accepting that she might remain permanently in the nineteenth century. Of course she still worried about Gran, longed to see her again, and hungered to tie up the loose ends she'd left behind in the present. Yet Jacques's safety also loomed prominently in her mind. Kaleidoscope would premiere before long, and she was no closer to finding the person who would kill him. She often debated whether or not she should come right out and tell him about the danger, tell him about her journey through time. Instinct still held her back—especially since she doubted he would believe her.

And she realized she still had some time. Although Kaleidoscope would make its debut on July 25th, the article she'd read in the present had stated that Jacques was murdered in August. How she wished she'd looked up the exact date of his death before leaving the present—surely it wouldn't have been that difficult to find—but of course she'd never envisioned being in a situation where she'd need to know precisely when he would be killed.

But knowing he would likely be safe until August did give her some measure of comfort. She could even save her trump card until after the premiere. Perhaps if she laid all her cards on the table then, she might scare Jacques into leaving the opera and saving himself. In the meantime, she might still discover who intended to kill him.

Sometimes she feared that, regardless of her actions, this little tragedy would play itself out and she would be powerless to change the dire denouement. Yet she knew she must see her own operatic melodrama through to its climax and resolution.

In the meantime, music and Jacques consumed her . . .

One afternoon, Bella was alone in the dressing room when the urge to sing surged within her again. She raised her voice in “After the Ball,” pulling out all the stops as she filled the room with song. She was on the final chorus when she heard the door fly open behind her. At once she stopped singing and whirled—

Helene and Maria Fortune stood there, both women appearing as if they had just seen a ghost.

“My God, Bella, was that you singing?” asked Maria, her voice the merest whisper.

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