As we say, Joyeux NoÙl!

[Adrienne Elkins]

Adrienne observed her father with affectionate eyes as he went back to the game he had been playing with her eldest brother, who had remained very quiet. But that was not unusual for Etienne, as he was the quietest of all of them. She look down at the drink settled between her hands until she could sense a presence close to her.

She lifted her eyes to Mr. Elkins, nodding politely and smiling. "Of course." She replied, reaching over to pull her skirts in closer to herself to give him more room. She took a sip of her brandy, smiling at the warmth working its way down her throat and into her chest.

"Yes, I've missed it desperately. I wish you were staying for Christmas, I would insist upon showing it to you in the daylight." She replied sweetly, turning slightly to face him a bit more. "But, of course, that gives me an excuse to invite you back, doesn't it?" Her voice was a bit more teasing now, playful, and flirtatious.

She batted long lashes at him, waiting a moment before speaking. "Would you like a tour of the house?"

  

[Roderick Elkins]

"I am sure that I'll be able to see it in the daytime at least once," He told her in a slightly teasing tone. Little did she know that he would see France much more than just this once. He fully intended on purchasing a vacation home for her here, although it may have been far down the road. He had yet to discuss with her the fact that her father had agreed for Adrienne to marry Roderick. They didn't have a wedding date and he could not plan to purchase a house just yet.



Adrienne certainly knew how to use her beauty. The way she looked at him through her dark lashes was addicting. Everything she did was addicting, he realized. Perhaps he was losing the control about himself more than he had wanted. He was much more fond of her than he had ever wanted to allow himself to be.



"I would love a tour," He said with a smile.

  

[Adrienne Elkins]

Adrienne could not help but smirk flirtatiously as his tone turned into something slightly more teasing. That meant she was getting to him, and it boosted her ego a little. "Well, I'll make sure you do." She teased, a smirk on her features. She moved so her upper half was leaned towards him in a far more intimate way, almost forgetting the rest of her family was in the room.

She was quickly brought back to earth when Etienne's voice spoke from across the room for the first time all evening. "Down, Adri." His natural baritone teased and Adrienne immediately turned a bright red and sat back, putting her hands in her lap and staring at them almost jadedly. She only looked back up when he agreed to a tour of the house.

She stood and smiled, putting back on her suave, elegant nature. "Of course." She replied, waiting until he stood before moving to the door of the parlor.

"Don't let her corner you in a room, Mr. Elkins!" Dimitri teased from the floor, playing with the puppy. Adrienne's hand twitched towards the heavy book on the table not far from her hand, desiring to sling it at him. After a moment, she forced herself to calm down and pull her hand away from it.

She then turned her face back towards Roderick and waited for him to follow.

  

[Roderick Elkins]

Roderick found her nearly irresistible. If it had not been for the presence of the others in the room, he may have been unable to refrain from kissing her again - and this time not quite as chaste as the first. The tension was broke however, and rightly so, by her brother. A pleasant smile settled about his lips as he tried to find the balance between being accepted by her family members and being accepted by her. He did not laugh at her, but he did not remain serious either.



The reprimanded Adrienne was a sight that saddened him. He did not like the look about her, nor the way her head was bent. She had brightened when he'd agreed to the tour however. He stood quickly, just as one of the brother's uttered a teasing comment. Roderick turned back and gave them a knowing wink.



He turned to face her once more with an affectionate smile and motioned that she should begin, "If you would begin the tour, Miss de Marque?"

  

[Adrienne Elkins]

Adrienne smiled as he stood to come and meet her at the door, however, the sweet smile turned into a teasing one when Roderick turned back to wink at her brothers. "You're as bad as they are!" She teased accusingly. She then lead him into the parlor, ignoring the mistletoe still plastered all over the ceiling and hoping he wouldn't. To be honest, she would love another kiss.

She smiled slightly. "We can start upstairs and work our way down. By the time we get done dinner should be ready." She glided over to the foot of the staircase, skirts rustling behind her. She moved one hand out to rest carefully on the dark wood banister, turning her head to look over her shoulder at him, posing in the most proactive way possible.

She rocked all of her weight onto one leg so one hip popped out slightly, accenting the long line of her her tiny waist, curving out into the side of her bust. "If that's all right with you, of course." She continued, her voice now a low, seductive purr.

  

[Roderick Elkins]

"Sounds like a lovely plan," He told her, unable to stop himself from admiring her curves for a moment. There had to have been a corset underneath her dress - there was no way that a woman could possess such curves without one. He cleared his throat, ashamed that he had thought of the things that lay underneath her dress. It was not at all appropriate.



He moved so that she was not directly in his line of sight, which worked out well. He planned on going up the stairs next to her, rather than behind. That way he could only see her out of the corner of his eye and would not be distracted. The warning from her brother rang in his mind - he needed to keep his wits about him if they were to be alone in a quiet part of the house.



"Shall we?" He asked and offered her his hand for balance.

  

[Adrienne Elkins]

Adrienne waited until he came up beside her, the perfect picture of poise and elegance as she waited like a cat for him. The minute he offered his hand, she took it, wrapping long pianist's fingers around it carefully before moving up the stairs at his side.

Once they reached the top of the landing, she looked around absently, trying to decide where to go first. Mostly bedrooms held the space in the upstairs. Not including the library of course, which happened to be two floors. She glided over to the first door across the hall, which happened to be her own bedroom.

She pushed the door open quickly. She figured it would be appropriate to show him her room, but of course not let him inside. She loved her room, down to its very foundations. In one corner was her baby grand piano and a violin sitting beside it. Not too far from it, her vanity with her wardrobe next to it. In the opposite corner of the room was her four poster bed, decorated in tones of teal and gold. Murals lined the walls, painted perfectly. Against the back wall was the doors to her veranda, looking out over the property.

She turned to smile at him, a sweet smile on her face. "This is my room."

  

[Roderick Elkins]

Roderick couldn't help but feel a bit tense as they reached the staircase's landing. There were very obviously, bedrooms upstairs. In most houses, it was where they were located. It was the same for his own home. He needed to be careful here, since they were alone. He did not want anything to happen that might compromise Adrienne's reputation should, for some reason, their engagement be broken.



He stood a respectful distance back from the doorway, but leaned forward in order to get a better view of the room. He took it all in for a moment. "It is very peaceful," He told her as he straightened, "I am envious that you have such a room — mine is incredibly plain compared to your own."



He didn't doubt that once she moved into his estate, she would be doing some redecorating. Or just plain decorating, even. There wasn't much decor in his home. He felt there wasn't any need of it. Being a single man, he hardly ever had visitors. Generally, he was the one doing the visiting. That would all change once they were wed however.

  

[Adrienne Elkins]

Adrienne smiled almost as if at a fond memory as she observed her room. Though her room in England was as lavish, if not more lavish, than this one, it was not her childhood room. She had no wrestled with her brothers on the wood floor in here, fallen asleep on the rug with the wolfhounds, or curled up under the comforter on the bed with a stuffed lion, waiting for her father to come home.

"I love my room." She replied softly, observing the room for a minute longer before closing it slowly, almost as if she hated to part ways with it. "I was the only girl and the youngest, Papa made sure I never wanted for anything." She stopped to take a breath. "I can never repay him enough for that."

She then turned her eyes to him and smiled mischievously. "Well it had better be pretty. I plan on spending the rest of my life in this room." She teased. "I doubt that a girl like me will ever will ever find someone she likes enough to marry." She shrugged and then moved back down the hall to the next door.

She turned the knob on that door and pushed it open. "The second floor of the library." She explained, smiling.

  

[Roderick Elkins]

The fondness she felt for her room was obvious to him, not only by her smile or the look in her eyes, but they very words that she spoke. He hoped that the teasing words merely teasing and did not hold a bit of truth in them. If it was honest, he would need to be worried about what she might think of marrying him.



"Surely not every man has cause for your dislike?" He quipped back. It was a subtle hint at his hopes to hear what she thought of him, disguised under yet another tease.



The library was shown to him and he took the chance to ask her, "Does it get much use by you, Miss de Marque?" If so, he would need to have the maids dust his library a bit more thoroughly. While he used the desk inside as a personal office, the books that lined the walls were long forgotten. He wasn't even sure what most of them were.



It was what happened when you had an occupation that kept you incredibly occupied - you didn't have much free time.

  

[Adrienne Elkins]

Adrienne laughed softly. "It's hardly the men; it's more my own faults." She replied simply. "I'm very bold, opinionated, stubborn to a fault, and far too flirtatious for my own good. I scare most men off." She replied before turning dark, seductive eyes to him. "I never claimed to be a saint after all." She kept her eyes trained on him for a moment.

"But," she continued. "if the right one made the right offer, I could hardly say no." She then turned back in front of her to continue down the hall. "Someone older with their head in the right place, able to be loyal to one woman for the rest of their life. Someone that could worship me and I could worship them." She paused, smiling only slightly. "I'm spoiled, I know. But unless I find someone like that, I'll forever be a spinster."

She nodded to his question. Adrienne loved her books, very much. "Yes, actually. The only room in the house that has more books than my room is this one." She looked around the room for a moment, her eyes fixing upon her favorite chair, the large leather arm chair perched just by the loft rail. She walked a little farther into the library and ran her hand fondly over the chair. "This was Papa's chair. I would sit on his lap here and he would read to me for hours."

She blushed at how rueful her voice sounded. "Pardonnez-moi. I don't intend to seem so longing, I just miss my childhood. Things were simple then." She flopped happily down into her father's arm chair, gesturing to the one next to her. "Will you sit with me a while?"

  

[Roderick Elkins]

At least she knew that she had faults. Many women believed they were perfect and thus, did not admit when they were wrong. Most often, they were wrong, and it was difficult to convince them of this. However, Roderick quite admired her for knowing the pieces of her that set her apart from being the perfect high society lady.



She rattled off her requirements. The list was short and concise. Roderick was pleased to be able to mentally check off each item as she said it. He could certainly do the things she asked. Loyalty would be no issue for him, nor would growing bored of her. While he didn't think he'd allow himself to 'worship' her per say, he could certainly shower her with many gifts. "I am certain a woman as beautiful as yourself would never be forced to become a spinster," He teased, his dark eyes on hers for a moment.



It would have been a perfect time to bring up their engagement, that perhaps he could be good enough for her - Heaven itself knew he was - and the two could have an engagement party after the New Year. He was getting ahead of himself however.



"I'm afraid I wouldn't want to tarnish your reputation as a lady, Miss de Marque - I fear I may become too familiar with you," He told her. Some of it was honest, but it was really not proper for them to sit in a room alone together. She did not know that they were engaged, and even if she did, he didn't want to ruin her reputation should their engagement meet a tragic end. "Perhaps we ought to go and see if dinner is ready?" He asked her gently.

  

[Adrienne Elkins]

"I am actually looking forward to my life as a spinster." She teased in reply, batting long lashes back at him. At least now he was playing her game, and the flirtation was a little less one sided. That meant he did favor her as she was finding herself beginning to favor him. As much as she did hate to admit it, she did like it.

When he denied her request, she sighed pitifully. She allowed her eyes to go slightly wide and bottom lip to poke out slightly in a pout. She put on her best, pleading puppy face, looking much like the puppy no doubt playing with her brothers downstairs still. "S'il vous pla?t." She purred in her native tongue, trying her best to work him over.

"And what on earth is wrong with being familiar with me?" She asked before slowly standing from her father's chair and sauntering towards him. She stopped when she was directly in front of him, close enough that each breath caused her breast to brush his own chest ever so slightly. "I could understand that it would be a problem if we disliked each other." She did not turn her eyes up to him yet, and simply stared at the plum vest he wore, inspecting the small and various hairs Adolphe left on him.

"But I must admit that I find myself enjoying your company, Mr. Elkins and..." Only then did she turn dark eyes up to him, gazing at him from beneath her thick lashes. "I would like to think you feel the same about me."

  

[Roderick Elkins]

The way she responded when he denied her request was familiar to him. It was how she had convinced him to spend Christmas Eve with herself and her family here in France, as well as allow her to visit him for his lunch the following day. It was a look that - although he didn't want to admit it - softened his resolve.



Roderick had to look away from her in order to regain his control. When he looked back, she had risen from her chair and approached him. She did not stop where etiquette told him to however, and soon she was nearly against him. He could smell the perfume she wore quite clearly and he forced himself to politely avert his gaze to keep himself from staring.



The admittance that she spoke made him meet her dark gaze once more. It was sultry in a way that took his breath from him for a moment. He fought to keep his thoughts respectful, although she was making it incredibly difficult for him. "Indeed I do," He told her in a low-voice. The man struggled to keep the desire out of his gaze, but he couldn't hold everything back and a sliver of it slipped through, "I enjoy your company more than any others."



My, how she tested him! He knew he ought to separate himself from her, but for a long moment, was unable to. His eyes traveled from her eyes to her lips and then down to a quick glance at her chest as it pressed up against him. Mentally, he shook himself. Get control! Roderick slipped his hands up to her elbows, and leaned forward slightly to press his lips against her forehead. It wasn't entirely chaste, for his lips lingered a bit too long, but it was all he could offer her at that moment. With a great deal of inward strength, he stepped back and offered her his arm, "To dinner, my lady?" Hopefully, it would only be a few more months of such tempting before he would be able to give in.

  

[Adrienne Elkins]

Adrienne could not help but feel her heart flutter slightly in victory at the low voice that responded. She was sure of it now, she had gotten to him. Her own voice slipped down into a low purr, much like a lioness laying in waiting as her prey comes slowly closer. "Mmmm, I'm glad you do." She replied softly, forcing her hands to stay at his side and not touch him. That might be pushing it too far.

She watched his face as his eyes traveled down to to her lips, the long line of her neck and down to her chest. When his eyes found her gently curving decolletage, she subtly breathed a little harder, her breast pressing against the green fabric a little more, making it look a little fuller. However, his gaze did not last long.

His hands grasped her elbows and he leaned in towards her. She lilted her face up slightly, almost expectant of a kiss before he pressed his lips to her forehead. It was not what she had expected, but it was desperately sweet and...she did enjoy the long moment while it lasted.

She stepped back as he did as well, breathing hard to shake the affection welling up in her from the affection of his actions. She favored him yes, but she did not want to find herself liking him enough to marry him. She looked at his offered arm and smiled, reaching a hand out to gently wrap through his arm. "Yes, let's." She replied before stepping closer to him.