Page 48 of Unseen

MIDNIGHT MASS

C hristmas was upon us, and with it came the heaviest snow London had experienced in years. Decked all in white, the grounds of Linmere looked positively cheerful, and it made my first Christmas as Azriel’s wife feel somehow all the more special.

I gazed out the window on Christmas Eve as more heavy flakes began to fall, the promise of another strong dusting overnight, and sighed happily.

“Winter is almost bearable when it snows, is it not, Mary?”

She nodded with a bright smile, her cheeks bright and rosy. “It is indeed, madam. Nothing makes me happier than snow.”

“Quite so.” I looked over my shoulder at her, watching her as she stoked the fire. “I do wonder what Mr Caine has waiting for me under the tree.”

“He shall be doting on you, madam, I am sure of it.”

As though he had sensed he was being spoken of, the doors flew open, and in walked my husband. Azriel took in my appearance with a raised eyebrow, nodding his approval. “Good evening, beloved. You look beautiful.”

I posed coquettishly, lifting my shoulder and smirking at him. “I do think red is rather my colour, don’t you?”

“It is indeed. Extremely fitting for midnight mass.”

I blanched, and shook my head. “Azriel, you do not mean that.”

He crossed the room to sit beside me on the window seat, and took my hand.

“Any spies shall be occupied with the spirit of the season, beloved. And surely no one could object to us attending mass, at church? Like two good Christian folk ought to do?” His devilish smile was thoroughly disarming, and I rolled my eyes.

“You invite scandal, Azriel, have I ever told you that?” I giggled as he pressed a kiss to my cheek. “Alright, I shall go to church with you and have all the attendants scandalised right along with us.”

“Such an obedient wife,” he murmured against my ear, and I shivered. “I finally have the chance to show you off.”

“Show me off?”

He nodded, looking me up and down lecherously. “I intend to make every man in that church wild with envy, that I have you on my arm.”

I shook my head and nuzzled into him, breathing in his scent. “You are a cad.”

“That I am.” He kissed the top of my head. “Now, I have some matters to attend to, and I shall see you at dinner.”

“More matters?” I pouted at him as he rose to his feet, clasping on to his hand. “It’s Christmas Eve, and you’ve done nothing but attend to matters all week.”

He grinned at me, notching his fingers under my chin, leaning down to brush his lips against mine. “Then I shall have to attend to you very well after mass, won’t I, wife? ”

“You’d better.” I pressed a kiss to his lips, and he chuckled low in his throat.

“I shall be eating that delicious cunt until dawn,” he murmured, pressing a last kiss to my throat before striding out of the room.

It was with that lecherous thought circling my head that I went about the rest of my afternoon.

Mary wound my hair into a more modest style, befitting a visit to church, and fixed small pearl earrings to my ears.

I decided to keep the red dress on. It felt delightfully wicked and scandalous to be dressed so, the fallen woman on her first outing.

Perhaps Azriel’s nonchalance was finally rubbing off on me.

Indeed, I was so thrilled to finally be leaving Linmere, that by the time I donned my fur coat and muff, I was positively giddy. Azriel smiled at me indulgently, patting my hand as I kept it curled around his arm in the carriage.

“You seem rather excitable this evening, beloved,” he said, kissing my temple.

“It is a relief to not be locked up inside those walls any longer.” I leaned against him with a happy sigh. “Although the house does look rather more cheerful in all this snow.”

“Mmm, you are right.” He stroked his fingers over mine. “Would you wish to quit Linmere?”

I looked up at him, surprised at the question. “Is that even something you would consider?”

“Certainly, if it is what you wanted.” He raised my other hand to his lips, planting a kiss on the back of it. “If you could live anywhere else, where would you want to live?”

“America,” I said quickly, and Azriel laughed out loud.

“America? The poor sods who’ve just emerged from a Civil War? My goodness, Evie, you truly are adventurous.”

“You wouldn’t want to?”

Azriel shrugged, looking out at the snow as it flew past the carriage windows. “I have never considered it. I was never much fond of a country that considered it normal to own people.”

I leaned back into him, the carriage bumping over snow drifts that lined the cobbles. “But with the war that has all come to an end. It truly is a new world.” I gently dug my elbow into his ribs. “Just think of all the new opportunities to be had.”

Azriel smiled down at me. “We shall consider it. Fancy a ranch out in the west then?”

I pulled a face. “Certainly not. A pretty townhouse in Boston or New York, if you please.”

He kissed my forehead. “Whatever my queen desires, she shall have.”

The carriage pulled up by the church, amidst a flurry of activity. Children ran and played in the snow, amidst calls from their parents to not get their Sunday finest wet. Azriel smiled widely as he helped me down from the carriage, watching the children scamper by us.

I was so enamoured by his smile that I did not notice at first the relative hush that fell on the adults that were congregated outside the church, but as I looked about, I saw uncertain glances, and quick-moving eyes that darted away from me.

Conversations started again, and I kept my head down as Azriel escorted me into the church.

“Head up, Evie,” he murmured to me, and I clutched his arm tighter.

“Everyone is looking at us.”

“Yes, to see how beautiful you are, beloved, nothing more.”

It felt like a mistake now. My joy at finally being back out in the world, even if it was only the parish church, had decidedly dissipated.

I stared down at the muff encasing my hands as Azriel seated us at the end of a pew in the middle of the church.

A towering stained glass window stretched up beside me, and I felt like the very eyes of God were looking down at me, judging my shame.

“Caine!” A friendly male voice came from the aisle, and I looked up to see a slight man with thinning red hair. He was smiling widely, holding out a hand to Azriel, who took it with a jovial clap to the shoulder.

“Grantham, good to see you,” Azriel said, turning to me with a sweep of his hand. “Please, meet my wife, Mrs Evangeline Caine.”

“Splendid to meet you.” Grantham gave me a nod. “And a very merry Christmas to you, madam.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Lord Grantham is a business associate of mine, and a very poor one at that,” Azriel said, and Grantham laughed.

“Pardon me, your grace.” I quickly dipped my head, and Grantham waved a hand through the air.

“Ah, never mind all that, it is Christmas after all, and we are all equal in the house of the Lord, are we not?”

“Your good lady wife is not here this evening?” Azriel asked.

Grantham shook his head and sucked on his teeth. “No, she is unfortunately indisposed on account of her delicate condition. Felt it wise that she rest this evening.”

“Ah.” Azriel nodded. “Well, give her my best.”

“Now wait a minute, you and your lovely wife must come to our New Year’s Eve party.” Grantham lit up, his eyes landing on me. “I am sure it would be wonderful to present you both properly as husband and wife, don’t you think?”

I swallowed hard, not quite knowing what to say. “Oh dear, I would not wish to impose.”

“It’s no imposition, truly.” Grantham looked back to Azriel. “My wife throws the best parties, as you no doubt remember. ”

“She does indeed.” Azriel smiled down at me. “It would be lovely, wouldn’t it?”

“Whatever you say, my dear.” I took his hand. “So long as Lady Grantham is not too strained by the festivities.”

“Ah, Edith’ll be fine, she lives for a party.” Grantham looked about the growing congregation, and leaned closer to Azriel. “Just not so keen on church.” With a laugh and a hearty clap on Azriel’s shoulder, he made his way across the aisle to take his seat on another pew.

“Insufferable man,” Azriel muttered as he sat down beside me. “That, beloved, is one of the members of the fine society that you so want to impress.”

I dipped my head to sneak a look at Grantham’s retreating form, wavering ever so slightly on his feet, as though he had perhaps imbibed too much Christmas brandy on his way to the church.

“You are a cool liar, Azriel. Anyone would have thought you two are the best of friends.” I smirked at him. “And what makes Lord Grantham so very odious?”

Azriel leaned closer to my ear. “I once attended a party at their house, could you guess what was laid out on the table for everyone to see?” He raised an eyebrow as I shook my head.

“A mummy. Direct from Egypt. Apparently Lady Grantham developed a fondness for ancient Egypt and was so fascinated, she had to cart one of the poor sods back.”

I wrinkled my nose at the thought. “What on earth for?”

“To grind his bones to dust, served in cocktails to all attending.”

“Oh, how disgusting.” Bile rose in my throat at the thought. “Whatever did that taste like?”

Azriel snorted out a laugh. “I refused kindly. Didn’t quite suit my sentiments to reduce an Egyptian nobleman to an oddity stirred into absinthe. He was a human being for god’s sake. ”

I tilted my head as I gazed at my husband. “You are a strange man, darling. Such noble thoughts entwined with such depraved ones.”

Azriel smiled indulgently, leaning close to plant a furtive kiss on my cheek. “It is what makes me so interesting. Also…” He leaned closer to my ear. “I do like it when you call me ‘darling’.”

“It is so much more acceptable than ‘captor’, I suppose.” I attempted venom in my gaze, but all I could manage was coquettishness, and Azriel laughed under his breath, placing a hand over mine.

“Much more acceptable, on all counts.” He kissed the back of my hand, and the organ began to play a Christmas melody.