by Lily Silver
They moved in with their quirky entourage three days after making the purchase. Fortunately, the house came with most of the furnishings. Servants were hired and Adrian did his best to indulge Tara in every way he could think of.
The mansion had been updated by the previous owners to include that new invention known as electric lighting, and modern plumbing had been installed. There were twelve water closets in the place, and full running baths in all the second floor bedrooms.
While she sorted out room assignments for everyone during the big move, Tara kept finding her husband in one of the many water closets. He just kept studying the basin that had running water to wash one’s hands, and the big porcelain chamber pot that flushed the waste away with the pull of a cord. He was like a child, needing to repeat the flushing to allow his brain to comprehend this new sanitary invention. She and Dan shared some gut roiling laughs over Lord Dillon’s fascination with modern toilets.
Their master suite looked out over the garden and the river Seine. It was larger than their entire apartment in Montmartre. Adrian’s favorite past-time seemed to be taking long hot baths with Tara in their large claw foot bathtub surrounded by rings of candles. He insisted candlelight was more romantic than the bright electric lights, and Tara agreed with him.
Throughout the summer, Tara and Adrian returned to the Exposition on a weekly basis. Dan came with them a few times, as did Gisele. The modern inventions captivated Adrian. Unlike Tara and Dan, who saw the displays as very primitive models of devices they had come to enjoy in the twenty-first century, Adrian saw them all as a rapid move forward from his own time in the eighteenth century. He bought a camera and took lessons from a local photographer to learn how to use it and how to process the negatives. A darkroom was set up in their home for his amusement.
Tara’s favorite day out in Paris was visiting the local art galleries. She met Vincent Van Gogh just once, at the gallery his brother Theo managed. Van Gogh was distracted, and a little off putting as he was so gregariously friendly and enthusiastic, almost like a child who didn’t yet know how to temper his excitement when meeting adults.
She and Gisele encouraged Dan to pursue his dream of becoming an artist. He had been torn between medical studies or art, but in the end admitted that he’d already seen plenty of gore as a surgical nurse and then as a paramedic in the future. Art seemed more soothing and cerebral, as he put it. Tara hosted a little housewarming party for some of the artist and writer friends Dan made while they resided in Montmartre. Dan bought paints and went to classes at a studio where a master artist instructed American students.
Riley’s heart was crushed when the Green Fairy, Artemisia, confessed she did not wish to become entangled in another love affair. Artemisia was still feeling the burn of having a lover betray her by imprisoning her for his own gains, so she told him she wanted to enjoy her freedom. They parted ways sadly. Riley confessed to Tara that he was now bound to Arthur Bellows for the next several decades so it was probably best they parted company as the Green Lady would not wish to accompany him to England to watch over his human and protect him.
Mick was content to just hang out at the mansion, pose for George and go for long walks along the river to commune with the earth spirits. His place was near Adrian, as he was responsible to watch over him until the time came when he was officially released from the bonds of blood that bound them together. Tara wondered if there was a way to undo the magic, as she preferred to believe Adrian was hers alone. She decided not to ask Mick just yet if there was an unbinding ritual, as she feared he might not tell her the truth about it due to his fondness for her husband. She’d ask Riley one day, or perhaps another wise one of their race.
Dan married Gisele a month after their move. They had a church wedding attended by the family and Dan’s many friends in Montmartre. Dan and Gisele seemed just right for one another. She was all soft and cuddly, and she was devoted to the big guy. It eased Tara’s heart to know Dan finally had someone special in his life, too. Together, they were a family.
All seemed to be going along at a pleasant pace, with each person under their roof finding their path to peace and fulfillment.
And then as the tranquil summer drew to an end and the magic of Paris life was slowly fading, Adrian rekindled his desire to go off to enjoy a romantic honeymoon.
“I’ll tell you this,” Tara scolded as they lay naked in each other’s arms in their great bed. “I don’t find the idea of going to Ireland in the middle of a rebellion, even one that will succeed this time, a romantic holiday. That rebellion was quite violent as I recall.”
“All rebellions are violent by their very nature, darlin’,” he sighed into the darkness, and rubbed Tara’s hip with the palm of his warm hand. “I see your point. Where else would we go?”
“How about the Renaissance era? We could visit that Paris, or 16th century Venice?”
Adrian gave a weary sigh. “I think not. All those Italian city-states vying to control each other? We could easily encounter war there. Let’s think on it and take our time choosing the right place. We want a relaxing holiday trip, not another enchanted folly.”
The End
About the Author
Lily Silver lives in the Northwoods of Eastern Wisconsin on the shores of Green Bay. She lives in a lovely old Victorian house with plenty of character with her husband, their three cats and a Maltese named Gizmo. Lily studied history at UW-Green Bay and has a B.A. in that discipline as well as one in Humanistic Studies with an emphasis in Ancient and Medieval Research. She enjoys writing historical romances with paranormal themes. If you enjoyed this book, send her an email. She loves to hear from readers.
Contact Lily Silver through her website:
http://lilysilver.webs.com
Sign up for Lily’s Newsletter, The Silver Pen for news of new releases. You’ll receive timely news about special sales and some free books. Sign up today and receive a free copy of Dark Hero, Book One in the Reluctant Heroes Series.
Lily Silver’s Author Newsletter
Lily’s Historical Romance Blog:
http://romancinghistorylove.blogspot.com
Follow Lily on Twitter: Lily Silver @ timeless_lovers
Authors Note
This book was incredibly fun to write. My fascination with the impressionists of the late nineteenth century was the spark to ignite the events of this time travel story. I have always loved this era of history and particularly Paris of the time and the lives of artists.
I remember reading Lust for Life by Irving Stone when I was in high school. I’ve since re-read the book numerous times, watched the movie dozens of times, and love them both. Little did I know as a plucky sixteen year old girl reading Lust for Life on a blanket in the backyard that summer that I would go on to pursue advanced degrees in History with a minor in Art History because of my fascination as an adolescent with the lives of Impressionist Artists.
This book is not so much about the artists as it is a reflection of the times they lived in. The flamboyant lifestyle of the artists in Montmartre and their obsession with Absinthe blended with my desire to feature another fairy in the storyline to connect with my heroine, Tara. Artemisia is my own creation, based on legends of the Green Fairy that merged in my mind with a legend regarding the invention of Absinthe. In the legend a viscount was said to have escaped the French Revolution by hiding out in the Alps. While there, he encountered two sisters who had culitvated the herb wormwood and made it into a tonic. He brought the recipe back to France and started his own distillery at the turn of the 18th century. This legend fit in to my plot and so I borrowed from the legend and blended it with my own version, of the Green Fairy actually giving him the recipe. By 1889, Absinthe was the drink of the times, and it was considered a stimulant to aid creative abilities, widely used by artists and others.
There were numerous nightclubs in the area of Montmartre. The most famous is the Moulin Rouge, of course, but it was not opened until October of 1889. Since my bo
ok takes place in the spring of that year, I had to come up with an alternative setting for the club scenes. The Blue Rooster (Le Coq Bleu) is a fictional place. It’s a mixture of The Moulin Rouge and the Moulin Galette, both actual clubs in Montmartre. These clubs catered to men’s tastes, and had every delight you could imagine.
The Moulin Rouge was the most decadent, resembling an elaborate, sensual circus with shows on several stages, from trained seals, magicians and vaudeville shows to female singers in pink tights. The main attraction was the big show—the can-can dancers performing high kicks at eye level to excite patrons. Outside the Moulin Rouge was a large garden with a 2 story stucco elephant. Patrons walked past fountains and watched bare breasted women riding donkeys. They could climb the spiral stairs inside the elephant’s leg to the belly of the beast, where young girls in Arab dress swayed and danced as entertainment ‘for gentlemen only’. The Moulin Rouge boasted crowds of up to 2,000 nightly. The spirit of the times was truly a celebration of life.
The Paris Exposition of 1889 was also an enormus celebratory event that drew millions to the city of Paris in the summer of 1889. The Eiffel Tower was completed on March 31, 1889, and was the centerpiece of the expo. It was painted a bright red, and was lit with electric lights for the first time. The exposition featured exhibts from nearly every nation, and the granduer of the expo grounds is something that cannot be adequately described in a book. If you are interested in seeing a slide show of this extraordinary event to gain a feeling for what Tara and Adrian might have seen during their visit, here is the link;
youtube video of 1889 Paris expo grounds
Thanks for reading. I hope you were entertained by my excessive imagination.
Lily Silver
Books By Lily Silver
Some Enchanted Waltz, A Time Travel Romance
Seasons of Enchantment Book One
Ireland, 1798—Lord Adrian Dillon needs a bride, immediately. A violent storm deposits a strange woman on his doorstep, a woman from the future with no memory of how she came to be in his home. He takes her into his protection and offers marriage to save her reputation. Her fairy features and the strange impressions of wings on her back make it clear she is of fae descent. Time is running out for Dillon and the rebel militia he commands. Can Tara, a woman from the 21st century, prevent her new husband from dying for cause destined to fail?
Look for Book Three in the Seasons of Enchantment Series in Early 2016
Some Enchanted Folly!
The Reluctant Heroes Series:
Bold Men, Independent Women; finding true love was never in their plans.
Book One: Dark Hero, A Gothic Romance
Book Two: Bright Scoundrel
Book Three: Gallant Rogue
Book Four: Noble Assassin (Coming Autumn of 2015)
Books related to Reluctant Heroes Series:
A Dark Hero Christmas Trilogy; (titles available separately or in a boxed set)
Christmas at Ravencrest; features married couple from Dark Hero
The Widow’s Christmas Wish: Alicia, mother of hero in Dark Hero
++A Christmas Kiss: features Chloe, support character in Dark Hero.
++Prequel to Gallant Rogue.
The Widow’s Christmas Wish, A Dark Hero Christmas
A mother’s hope and a widow’s secret wish collide at Christmas, as the magic of the season takes hold. Alicia Beaumont journeys to her childhood home on Christmas Eve. She’s expecting another dismal holiday to be endured with her reclusive son. She’s unprepared for the changes sweeping through her former home as the magic of the season opens hearts and brings family together as never before. All she wants is for her son’s dark heart to be opened to the healing power of love. If she’s not careful, the ice around her own heart may melt in the tropical heat. Can Alicia resist the charms of the gallant Giles St. Vincent?
The Rock Star Next Door, a Modern Fairytale
Contemporary romance featuring a rock star as the hero and reincarnation of lost lovers. The moment he saw her, Lex recognizes Jessie. He knows they were lovers in a past life and their souls are destined for a reunion. Can he convince Jessie they belong together?