*Evangeline*
He is smiling when he comes to get me. Truly smiling. Not one of his sardonic twists of the mouth. Not one of his mocking smiles. Not a sneer or an insolent pout.
I had not expected this reaction. I hadn’t even thought him capable of it. I had expected him to be miffed that I have taken his money, expected to find him in a foul mood. But his eyes are lighter than I have ever seen them, as though there is suddenly a brightness inside him.
He leads me through the now-familiar dark corridor to the back door, where his coach waits on the other side. For the first time since we began our nightly ritual, he keeps the coach lantern lit inside. The curtains are in place, preventing anyone from peering in. He settles back in the corner, and while I know I should be embarrassed by hi
