Esther peered through the edge of the drawn carriage windows at the gaslit darkness outside, no doubt trying to guess the surprise he had in store for her. She wouldn’t be able to guess it, but that didn’t stop her from trying. He had never seen her so enthusiastic about something. It made her eyes sparkle and her whole face glow. And she hadn’t even seen the surprise. When she did, would she recoil in fear or jump ahead full of excitement? He hoped it was the latter.
She had changed so much in the few short weeks they had been working together. He doubted she noticed the changes, but he could see them plain as day. She was bolder, more daring. A youthful exuberance bubbled in her, ignited perhaps by the hope of regaining her mobility. He prayed to God he’d be able to help her achieve her goal, because he couldn’t bear for that light that glowed in her eyes to be extinguished.
“You’ll see soon enough,” he replied to her earlier question.
“You are the most vexing man, did you know that? I’m perishing with curiosity here, and you give nothing away.”
He chuckled. She was so adorable when miffed.
“It won’t be long now, Esther. I promise. In fact…” He peered through the curtains himself.
“What?” She leaned forward, bracing a hand on his knee to place her face next to his by the window, attempting to see what he was seeing. Did she realize how comfortable she was touching him? She did it with the absentmindedness of long familiarity, whereas for him, the innocent touch had him hardening all over.
“If you look farther down that lane, you’ll see the object in question.”
The huge round shape was barely visible, a darker shadow amid the predawn darkness, illuminated by the fire used to make it fly.
She looked in that direction and then gasped at the mammoth balloon perched in the middle of an open field. “Oh! Is that a hot-air balloon?”
“Indeed, it is, my lady.”
“How marvelous!” She exclaimed, clapping her hands. “You brought me to witness a balloon ascent, since we missed the one at Cremorne the day we visited.”
His smile avoided correcting her. He hadn’t brought her here to see a balloon ascent, but to ascend in said balloon. He wanted her to experience flight and see the world unfurl at her feet. She wanted her to have the exhilaration of soaring.
The coachman turned down the lane, heading towards the balloon. Wang jumped out as soon as the coach stopped, a mere few yards from the balloon, and reached in to help Esther descend.
“Oh, I can watch it from here. My wheelchair is going to get stuck in the lawn.”
“That is why I’m going to carry you,” he replied smoothly, still extending his arm.
“I know, Kai. You have carried me everywhere my clunky wheelchair cannot navigate. But there’s no need to inconvenience you further. I have a pretty good view from here.”
“The thing is, I did not bring you here so you could watch. I arranged for us to ride in the balloon.”
If her eyes opened any wider, they would pop out of her face. Her mouth moved, but no words came out, as if the faculty of speech had deserted her.
“Kai… You can’t be serious.”
“I am. You said you wanted to ride in a hot-air balloon. You said that’s what you looked forward to the most.”
“But… I was only half jesting. It’s not like I had thought it through. Besides, I said when I regained my ability to walk. That hasn’t happened yet. I couldn’t possibly.”
“You don’t need to walk to fly in the balloon. I’ll carry you there, and I arranged for a chair to be placed inside the basket. I’ll be there with you to hold you and protect you. Don’t you want to fly?”
She didn’t respond, but her gaze shifted towards the balloon, observing it with longing apprehension.
“Is it safe?”
“Nothing is entirely safe, my lady. Accidents happen every day while doing the most mundane things. But I made inquiries and found the balloonist to be experienced and reliable. He’s never had an accident or mishap.”
“Are you sure I will be able to ride? With my limitations?”
“Mr. Coxwell, the balloonist, said he doesn’t see why not. As long as you can hold on to the basket.”
She contemplated the balloon again for the space of several heartbeats, while he waited patiently. He had done all he couldto reassure her. Now it was up to her, and he wouldn’t pressure her to ride if she wasn’t ready.
Her chin came up in that way he had learned to recognize as determination, and she declared.
