Gabriel's Inferno (Gabriel's Inferno #1)(42)

“You’re lovely,” he whispered.

“I feel like Cinderella. Rachel bought my dress and my shoes.” Julia changed the subject quickly.

He withdrew his hand. “Do you really feel like Cinderella?”

She nodded.

“It takes so little to make you happy,” he said, more to himself than to her. “Your dress is lovely. Rachel must have known your favorite color.”

“How did you know that purple is my favorite color?”

“Your apartment is covered in it.”

She grimaced in memory of his one and only visit to her hobbit hole.

He wanted to make her look at him — only at him. “Your shoes are exquisite.” His eyes traveled from where the top of her head lined up with his chin and down to her feet.

She shrugged. “I’m worried I’ll fall.”

“I won’t let you.”

“Rachel is very generous.”

“She is. As was Grace.”

Julia nodded.

“But not me.” His remark came out almost as a question, and his eyes sought hers.

“I never said that. In fact, I think that you can be very generous, when you want to.”

“When I want to?”

“Yes. I was hungry, and you fed me.” Twice, thought Julia.

“You were hungry?”  Gabriel’s voice was rough, horrified, and he stopped dancing immediately. “You’re going hungry?” His eyes hardened into two icy blue jewels, and his voice cooled to the temperature of water gliding over a glacier.

“Not starving, Professor, just a little hungry — for steak. And apples.”

She glanced up at him shyly, hoping to soothe his sudden show of temper.

Gabriel was far too upset to notice the remark about apples. His very stomach was lodged in his throat as he contemplated the reality of graduate student poverty — a reality he was al too familiar with — and the poor and hungry Miss Mitchell. No wonder she was so pale and so thin.

“Tell me the truth. Do you have enough money to live on or not? I will go to the chair of my department on Monday and have him increase your fellowship if you tell me you need it. I’ll give you my American Express card tonight, for God’s sake. I won’t have you hungry. I won’t.”

Julia was momentarily silent, for his reaction astonished her.

“I’m fine, Professor. I have enough money if I’m careful. My apartment makes cooking a problem, but I promise you, I’m not starving.”

Gabriel slowly began dancing again, leading her gently across the floor.

He looked down at her lovely shoes. “Will you be selling those to buy groceries? Or to pay your rent?”

“Of course not! They came from Grace, sort of. I would never, ever, part with them. No matter what.”

“Will you promise that if ever you are desperate for money, you’ll come to me? For Grace’s sake?”

Julia averted her eyes, choosing to remain silent.

He sighed and lowered his voice. “I know I don’t deserve your trust, but I’m asking for it only in this one respect. Will you promise?”

She took a deep breath and held it. “Is it very important to you?”

“In the extreme. Yes.”

She exhaled noisily. “Then yes, I promise.”

“Thank you.” He exhaled in relief.

“Rachel and Grace were always good to me, especially after my mother died.”

“When did your mother die?”

“My senior year of high school. I was already living with my dad in Selinsgrove by then. She was in St. Louis.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Thank you.” She moved her mouth as if she was going to say something further, but stopped.

“It’s all right,” he whispered. “You can say it.” He gazed into her eyes encouragingly, and for a moment Julia forgot what she’d wanted to say. But she recovered herself.

“Um, I was just going to say that if you ever need someone to talk to — about Grace, I mean. I know Rachel is going back to Philadelphia.

But I’ll be here, um, obviously. Not that it would be very professional, but I’ll be around. Um. Yeah, that’s it.”

She avoided his eyes, and he felt her whole body tense as if she was steeling herself for something awful to happen.

What have I done to this poor girl? She’s terrified I’ll lash out at her or something.

Gabriel knew that he deserved her wariness, and so he resolved to lavish her with kindness…at least until the song ended and they inhabited their professional roles once again. Then he would be distant, but gentle.

“Julianne, look at me. You know, I don’t have any prohibitions against people looking me in the eye.”

She glanced up at him hesitantly.

“That’s a very kind offer. Thank you. I don’t like to talk about certain things, but I’ll keep you in mind.” He smiled at her again, and this time the smile remained. “You have both charity and kindness, two of the most important of the heavenly virtues. In fact, I’m sure you have all seven.”

Especially chastity, they each thought to themselves, independently.

And he thinks chastity is something to ridicule, thought Julia.

“I haven’t really danced like this before,” she said wistfully.