Arielle Immortal Journey (The Immortal Rapture Series Book 5)

by Lilian Roberts

  “Eva!” she cried out, as memories seared through her brain and made her quiver. “Wha…What…” she struggled to say, her voice weak. Glancing over Eva’s shoulder she saw Gabby looking disoriented. Something is just not right, she thought to herself. Lowering her gaze she noted that she was still holding hands with Eva. She frowned, and then looking up she stared into Eva’s eyes without saying a word. Numerous questions and emotions scattered about her head. She seized the moment to take another look around but just like the first time nothing registered. Shocked and thoroughly baffled, she turned to face Eva once again. “Wh…where are we? What happened?” she stammered.

  Gabby’s yelping drew her attention and, glancing over, she noticed the excited look on Gabby’s face. She was about to look back at Eva when Gabby started to jump up and down like a small child clapping her hands and giggling uncontrollably.

  Arielle’s jaw dropped at the sight. “What in bloo–?” she started to say when Gabby began to call out over and over again with overwhelming excitement, “Oh. My. God. Eva! You did it…you did it…you bloody did it!” A wave of excitement slammed into Arielle and she realized that her ability to sense Gabrielle’s thoughts and feelings had returned.

  Arielle’s mind wondered at Gabby’s words until Eva’s restrained voice reeled her back. “Calm down, Gabby, you’re scaring Arielle.”

  You’re scaring Arielle? Eva’s words slammed into Arielle’s brain waking up every nerve in her body. Arielle pressed her lips together and straightening up she took another careful look around.

  They were standing in the middle of a poorly lit street that didn’t look familiar at all. She was sure that they were not in Brighton any longer, but where in bloody hell were they? She didn’t finish the thought because a range of intense emotions disconnected her from her surroundings. Astonished she looked back at Gabrielle, thinking she would explain, but she was wrong. Averting her gaze to Eva she was surprised to find her smiling blissfully.

  “Eva, where are we?” Arielle whispered, totally stunned. She kept looking around in perplexity. She was too scared to make any assumptions. The street looked like an old city built hundreds of years before their time. Happy people were buzzing around them shouting in French, dressed in outfits of a different era.

  Arielle squeezed Eva’s hand and started to say something when she was suddenly yanked aside by Eva’s strong arm to avoid being trampled by a couple of carriages that rode passed. Eva’s strong hands held Gabrielle and Arielle steady as their jaws dropped. They both felt completely dazed. Arielle dragged in a gasp.

  “Eva, where in bloody hell are we?” she finally asked, finding her voice again.

  “Happy birthday, Arielle,” she heard both Gabrielle and Eva say in unison with ecstatic voices. Their wish seemed to go by unnoticed because Arielle’s mind was too occupied trying to grasp her surroundings.

  “I don’t understand. Where are we?” Arielle asked again completely out of breath.

  “We’re in Calais,” Eva said excitingly.

  “Calais, France?” Arielle shrieked.

  “Yes,” Eva’s voice pressed on with a hint of humor. “This is the calendar year of our lord fifteen hundred,” she announced, laughingly waving her hand vaguely, her voice that of an MC at an important celebration. A bright smile touched her lips.

  “Fifteen hundred?” Arielle screamed as her breath hitched, and she felt Eva’s hand softly pressing hers.

  “Keep your voice down,” she said feigning scolding.

  “But how?” Arielle couldn’t find the right words to ask the questions that were burning her thoughts.

  Eva turned to face her. She took her hands in hers and explained in a few words where they were and how they got here. “We are here for the sole purpose of attending the annual Gaulle ball.” Arielle watched Eva in disbelief that was slowly being replaced by excitement. Fascination overtook her.

  “Are you saying that we are here so I can meet Sebastian before he became an immortal?” she asked, intrigued.

  “Yes, that’s the whole purpose of the gift,” Eva chuckled.

  “And what do I say?” she asked. Fretfulness consumed her.

  “You are forbidden to tell him anything about our present lives and the fact that you know him at all. You are here to observe and interact if you wish as someone that he just met for the first time.”

  “Oh, my God, how am I going to be able to treat him like a stranger?” Panic shot through her.

  “That’s exactly what you have to do, Arielle, you can’t alter history or you’ll jeopardize our lives, and the ability for us to get back to our lives as we know them. Do you understand?” Eva studied her carefully. “If you can’t do that you must tell me right now, and we’ll not even bother to do this.” Eva’s face was serious.

  Arielle hesitated for a short moment, and gathered her wits. She said nervously, “No…no…I...I can do it.” She took another slow glance around staring at the people around them that were chatting enthusiastically. She leaned closer to Eva and pressed her hand. “I can’t believe it,” Arielle said, in a hushed voice. “Are we going to meet his family?” Her eyes fixed on Eva.

  “Yes, Arielle, that is exactly what we’re going to do,” Eva said calmly. “Furthermore, we’ll meet Sebastian when he was a simple mortal,” she said gleefully. “What do you think about that?”

  Arielle was silent, trying to imagine Sebastian as a mortal. She drew a deep breath, and exclaimed, “This is extraordinary!” Eva and Gabrielle laughed aloud. “This is the kind of dream that fairytales are made of.” Her voice dropped to a mere whisper.

  “Eva did a little research and found out something very interesting about Sebastian. Do you want to hear it, Arielle? ” Gabrielle asked.

  “What?” She gazed upon her two best friends inquisitively.

  “Well, he is a marquis, and if that isn’t enough he has inherited the whole Gaulle fortune,” Gabby said excitedly.

  “Rubbish?” Arielle said, and laughed aloud. “Do you really expect me to believe that? Because if that’s what you’re thinking save it.” She laughed again and rolled her eyes.

  “Arielle, your fiancé is beyond rich, he is mega rich,” Gabrielle pressed on.

  “Oh, get out. That is bloody crazy,” Arielle said, and broke out into a hearty laugh. Neither one of her friends laughed with her. Gabrielle turned away from Arielle and faced Eva.

  “Eva, tell her,” she pleaded.

  “That’s absolutely true. Sebastian is a marquis,” Eva said in a low voice.

  “You are serious? Aren’t you?” Arielle stood, gazing between Eva and Gabrielle.

  “Well, he doesn’t want us to know about this, so let's keep it that way all right?” asked Eva’s supple sweet voice.

  Arielle’s head was spinning. She thought she knew everything about him. She knew he was rich, but she never knew how rich. She didn't know that he held titles. He never talked about himself in that way. Eva’s voice got her out of her dreaming stage. Eva was ready to move to the next step of their adventure. She looked at Arielle and Gabrielle with an easy smile fixed on her lips.

  “All right, here are the invitations that I manifested, and I’ll manifest a carriage to take us to the estate. Are you both ready?”

  “Yes,” Gabrielle and Arielle exclaimed as she handed them each an invitation. Arielle tried to read it, but it was twilight already and the faint moonlight spread over the poorly lit streets, making it impossible to read. She moved a few feet away and stood under a lamppost. She took a closer look at the invitation. It was handwritten in French in beautiful calligraphy.

  “Why is this handwritten?” Gabrielle asked, surprised.

  “That is the way invitations were written when it came to high society,” Eva stated, chuckling. Arielle held it closer and run her finger over each word that caressed her soul with incredible warmth.

  M. et Mme Marcus Gaulle

  Invitez-affable vous cette année de notre seigneur

  Quinze s
oixante-quinze à la nuit annuelle de gala

  D'a du plaisir et au plaisir

  Au château Risban

  32 rue Brassese

  Calais

  “What does it say?” Gabrielle asked. Arielle walked back and stood next to Eva and Gabrielle. She started to translate for her friend in a low voice, “It says, Mr. and Mrs. Marcus Gaulle affably invite you this year of our lord, fifteen seventy-five, to the annual gala, a night of pleasure and enjoyment at the Chateau Risban, thirty-two Rue Brassese, Calais.”

  Arielle was deep in thought when Eva’s voice startled her. “Arielle!”

  “What?” she said, and flashed her a smile.

  “I need to tell you about the portals and that we need to stay close so we are in agreement when we have to leave. We have now used the portal of five in the afternoon to come here, and we will have to leave at exactly five tomorrow afternoon.”

  “Oh, but what about the guys back home?” Gabrielle asked.

  “Won’t they wonder where we are?” Arielle asked.

  “No, of course not, time here is just a fraction of the time back in our century year. Even if we were to spend a couple of days here it will still be a matter of minutes in our time,” Eva spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.

  “Wow!” Arielle exclaimed. “I just can’t even begin to imagine how that works, but I am very excited to be involved in this adventure.” Gabrielle was beaming with enthusiasm.

  “How are you feeling, Arielle?” Eva asked again, gazing at her intently.

  “I’m a little nervous, but otherwise just as blissful as Gabrielle. I’m not sure how I’ll ever be able to thank you for something so amazing!”

  “Are you ready to do this?” Eva asked, her expression serious. Arielle and Gabby’s eyes glimmered with excitement. They nodded and Arielle closed her eyes waiting for Eva to make the next move.

  Chapter 21

  “LET’S GO!” ARIELLE HEARD Eva’s voice and snapped her eyes open. She was stunned. She gasped and heard Gabrielle inhaling deeply. An amazing black carriage had appeared right in front of them. They looked up and saw the driver dressed in black looking like a permanent fixture on that carriage. His hat was huge. It hid his face, so they weren’t able to see what he looked like. They could see that he was well dressed. Gabby and Arielle knew that Eva had made him up, which freaked them out. They kept staring at him as they climbed up and sat quietly.

  “Does he know where we’re going?” Arielle whispered close to Eva’s ear. Eva nodded but didn’t say a word. Gabby and Arielle stared into each other’s eyes in wonderment. They settled into their seats and leaned against the leather cushions. They gazed out of the coach’s window at the road.

  The carriage took off, rocking gently at first as they rode through the narrow, winding streets of the medieval town. The girls were mesmerized by the sound of the hoofs on the cobblestones. The homes were built to withstand an invasion. They featured Renaissance stained-glass windows that gave them a special kind of beauty. The carriage crossed a huge bridge that had three towers with impressive architecture. The trio rode through fields that appeared to stretch as far as the eye could see.

  The coach rumbled steadily toward the Chateau Risban estate. They were on a long stretch for some time until they crossed through a huge iron gate with several beautiful brass candleholders embedded in the stonework. Arielle marveled at an impressive sign showing, “Chateau Risban.” Arielle felt a shiver down her spine, awestruck by the surroundings.

  They arrived at a lavish estate on the outskirts of Calais. Arielle thought, So this is where the love of my life lived centuries before we met. The excitement was rising to an unbelievable peak. Eventually, the coach slowed down behind a long line of carriages. Arielle leaned forward to look out of the window. It was still dusk, but she could see that they had reached the front of a massive building. It looked more like a castle than a home. Arielle inwardly snorted remembering that every one of his homes had been colossal.

  The place was brilliantly lit. Servants in stunning uniforms stood at the bottom of a huge staircase that led to the front entrance, their job to assist the ladies getting out of their carriages. There were also uniformed servants standing at either side of the door to check invitations, welcome guests, and announce their arrival.

  When their coach finally came to a halt, each one of the girls offered a hand that was immediately seized by a servant who helped them down the small carriage steps. They then walked over to the side where they discussed in low voices how they wished to be announced.

  “Eva, let's just say that we are the Young sisters from Hampshire, England,” Arielle said. “I got that name from a book I read last month,” she announced, filled with excitement and unable to hide her eagerness. Eva and Gabrielle agreed.

  “All right,” Eva whispered. “If anyone asks questions, here is the story we’re going to use, we’re here for a holiday and to do some shopping.” Eva wanted to make sure that they had their story straight. Eva started to walk ahead of them but suddenly stopped. She looked around making sure no one was listening, and dropping her voice to a mere whisper, she added, “One more thing, if anyone wants to know where you are staying, the answer will be in town at the inn.” They both nodded in agreement. Eva smiled softly, and gazing at her friends, she asked, “Ready?” They drew in a huge breath and then let it out slowly as they gathered their skirts and slowly climbed up the stairs.

  They reached the main entrance and handed their invitations to one of the uniformed servants. He in turn asked them politely to follow him inside, and shortly they found themselves standing on the top of the landing inside a huge foyer decorated with remarkable taste. The staircase had two banisters amazingly decorated with gorgeous designs. The spokes intersected at precise angles, and the joints were decorated with keystones. The staircase led down to a massive ballroom filled with jubilant people that were either dancing or standing around chatting and laughing. The conversations were loud, bouncing off the walls of the ballroom, creating a joyful mingle of reverberations.

  Arielle chuckled to herself. The loud noise in the room seemed to surpass the sound of the lovely waltz melody that was being produced by what looked like a thirty-member band located on the ballroom’s balcony. A massive ballroom chandelier hung in the middle of the colossal room. The servant stopped at the edge of the landing holding the invitations. He extended his left hand out in front of him and they heard his strong firm voice making the announcement. “The Young sisters, Miss Eva, Miss Arielle, and Miss Gabrielle, from Hampshire, England.”

  They didn’t think anyone paid attention to the announcements, but it seemed to be protocol for the upper class. They thanked him quietly and followed the newcomers as they descended the approximately one hundred stairs that led to a welcoming line. Arielle saw figures that she assumed were the Gaulle family greeting their guests by shaking hands and making small talk. Arielle felt moisture in her fingers and a lump in her throat. As she got closer, she recognized the woman standing in the front of the welcoming line as Sebastian's mother, Syele Gaulle. She was startlingly beautiful, exactly like her portrait that hung in the Gaulle estate in St. Jean de Luz. The man next to her was undoubtedly Sebastian's father. Arielle wondered if she would see Sebastian's brothers, Anton and Marcus.

  While standing in line waiting to be received, Syele’s gaze brushed over Arielle’s face for a fleeting moment and moved unhurriedly to the other guests. Arielle stilled, her eyes fixed on her and suddenly she was unable to breath. She swallowed hard and her stomach clenched. For the first time, she thought that she wasn’t going to make it through this charade. The floor shifted beneath her feet and she swayed lightly backward, losing her balance. Eva noticed and quickly stretched her arms to grab Arielle and steady her.

  “Get a hold of yourself,” she whispered in Arielle’s ear.

  Arielle drew a shaky breath and clenched her jaw. She shot a thankful glance to Eva and nodded discreetly. By the time she reached the family she h
ad reined in her wits and was ready to meet them even though anxiety still emanated from her body.

  Mrs. Gaulle gazed at the three girls with a warm look in her beautiful emerald eyes. A wide smile painted her attractive face as she welcomed each one of them in perfect English, using their first names. Arielle was floored to discover that in fact she did pay attention to the announcements.

  Sebastian’s mother was gracious, courteous, and elegant. Eva was first to be received, then Gabrielle, and finally Arielle. When their gazes locked, the familiarity made Arielle shiver and her lower lip quivered slightly. Sebastian's mother looked astonishingly like her son, and all she wanted to do was lean in and give her a hug. She restrained herself knowing the consequences. Syele took her hand and held it softly between her own in a graceful manner. Her next statement was something that Arielle would never forget.

  “Welcome, Arielle, enjoy yourself, joy is frail, and you need to grasp it when you are young with every strength you possess.” Her voice was soft like silk and her eyes sparkled.

  All Arielle could do was smile, and reply in a barely audibly whisper, “Thank you, thank you for having us.” Arielle’s eyes averted to Sebastian’s father. She was floored. Monsieur Gaulle was a distinguished gentleman with a handsome face and amazing blue eyes. His handshake was firm and his smile captivating, however she could see nothing of Sebastian in his father's features.