UNDER THE PARISIAN SKY
by
Alli Sinclair
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Pub
Date: 7/25/2017
In
the City of Light, one dancer must confront her fears about love and
loss before she can step into a brighter future…
Lily Johannson has
returned to Paris, the city that broke her heart and destroyed her
ballet career, with two goals in mind: to overcome the grief
surrounding her fiancé’s death, and to make amends with her
estranged sister, Natalie, also a ballerina. But when Lily meets
charming composer Yves Rousseau, he is convinced she has a third
mission—as his muse…
Struggling to
finish a score about an infamous Ballets Russes dancer from 1917,
Yves believes Lily is meant to help him. Despite her resistance, she
is swept once more into the exhilarating arms of the dance—and into
Yves’ passionate embrace. But when her sister is cast as the
infamous dancer and begins to imitate her tragic life, she soon goes
missing. Now Lily and Yves must set out to find her—and along the
way face their own demons, while also discovering that art, like
love, should not be abandoned so easily…
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Making her way to the stage door, Lily’s heart bashed
against her chest when she realized the doorman was the same one from when she
was last here. She doubted he’d remember her as she’d only been with the ballet
three weeks, but seeing someone from her ballet days brought all the painful
memories back to the surface. Determined to keep it together, she put on her
best smile and said in cruddy French, “Hello. I am Natalie Johansson’s sister.
Could I please see her?”
He studied her from under a veranda of gray brows. “Lily?
Welcome back! It is nice to see you. The last time you were here I didn’t get
the chance to say I’m sorry for—”
“Thank you, Bernard,” she said. His English had improved
dramatically since the last time they’d met while her school-girl French had
deteriorated rapidly. “How is Maryanne? Fabien?”
His wide smile lit up his face. “They are very good, thank
you. Maryanne’s clothing business is doing well. Maybe I retire soon. Fabien is engaged.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful!” Although they had only known each
other a short time, she loved hearing about his wife and son. A tinge of
sadness fell on her, realizing the burgeoning friendship with Bernard had been
a casualty of the accident. “I am so happy for them. For you.” She fiddled with
the strap of her backpack, her lips pursed. “So, I was wondering if—”
“Your sister is in rehearsal room one if they have not finished already.”
He opened the heavy metal door with an ominous creak. She
stepped across the threshold, then stopped, her nose tingling with heady scents
from the past. When she’d fled Paris, she’d thrown out everything that reminded
her of ballet, including makeup and hair products. Yet here she stood,
voluntarily immersing herself in the aromas of a world she’d tried so hard to
escape.
Forcing herself to move, Lily kept her head down as she
navigated the narrow passageways she knew too well. Finally, she reached the
rehearsal room and halted out front. Ballet dancers sauntered up and down the
hallway, oblivious to the turmoil swelling inside Lily’s stomach. Classical
music drifted through the thin wooden door and her fingers hovered over the
handle. Could she deal with more rejection? Was it really worth all this trouble?
Of course it was. Even though Natalie had cast her aside
like a broken doll, Lily missed her sister. They’d lived, breathed, and loved
ballet together since they could walk. How many hours a week had they traveled
with their mother to attend ballet classes in the next district? How many
nights had they stayed up late, snuggled together in bed, talking about ballet,
dreaming, rehearsing? Lily had thought that special bond would never break. How
wrong she’d been.
Lily rapped on the door and it swung open. A tall, lean
gentleman with salt and pepper hair raised an eyebrow. “Yes?”
“Hello. I’m looking for—”
“Tell her I’m not here!” Natalie screamed from a hidden
corner.
Lily tried to edge her way through the door but the man
blocked her path. “Please, I’m her sister.”
“You are the Lily?” He stared down his nose. “She does not
wish to speak with you.”
“Listen, I’ve come all the way from Australia and—”
The door yanked open and Natalie stood in her mauve ballet
practice gear, a heavy scowl marring her delicate features, her blond hair
sticking to her olive skin. “I told you I don’t want to talk. Now go away!”
The door slammed with a resounding thud. Lily stared at the
wood that separated her from Natalie. The tiny ball of anger and frustration
swelled in her belly.
A couple of young dancers covered their mouths as they
giggled and scurried down the hallway. She didn’t blame the dancers for finding
amusement in the goings on, after all, temper tantrums from principal dancers
weren’t uncommon. In fact, Lily had been considered an anomaly due to her lack
of screaming and demands. That was one of the reasons the Bohème Ballet had
pursued her so intently. That, and her partnership on and off stage with Aiden.
It had been a coup for the ballet company to sign them together, especially as
Bohème had been competing against more famous and affluent companies. But the
allure of Paris, the City of Love, had been enough to convince her and Aiden to
fly halfway around the world and start a new life—a life that had only been in
existence for a moment in time until it was savagely ripped away in one stupid,
painful instant. And it appeared life hadn’t finished doling out more
difficulties.
After wiping her hands on her jeans, she adjusted her
backpack and negotiated the passageways one more time. There was no point in
hanging around. Natalie had made herself clear, yet again, and no amount of
stalking would get her to listen. Lily needed time to plan how to approach this
sister who felt like a stranger. Over the past couple years, Natalie had grown
bitter, selfish, and accusatory, so unlike the sweet girl who had once adored
her older sister. Now spite raced through Natalie’s veins and the pièce de
résistance had been when she’d joined the Bohème Ballet Company. Natalie had
deliberately pursued her sister’s dream, an act
that sliced through Lily’s heart. There had to be a reason for her
sister’s insane change of attitude and blatant disregard for Lily’s feelings.
What had snapped in Natalie? Lily needed to find out, no matter how painful or
difficult it would be. If she didn’t, she’d remain caught in the past, unable
to move into the future, whatever that may be.
Fighting back tears of frustration, she smiled at Bernard,
who opened the door.
“I hope we will see you again soon, Mademoiselle Johansson.”
“We will see, Bernard, we will see.” She squinted in the
bright sunlight, pulled out her sunglasses, and waved to the doorman as she
took off down the street.
Lily hurried back across Pont au Change, happy the theater
was behind her. Reaching the other side of the river, she kept her head down,
her feet pounding the pavement even though her lower back ached. Her legs and
arms pumped and she reveled in the free movement of her limbs, something she’d
once feared was lost.
The sun had dipped behind the tall buildings and Lily
shivered, the perspiration on her body multiplying the effect of the cool
evening air. With one rapid footstep after another, she powered on, barely
glancing at the crowds exiting their workplaces and closing up shop. It wasn’t
until she reached the neighborhood of Vanves, that she realized how far she’d
walked. With all the twisting and turning down avenues and alleys, she’d walked
for at least an hour. Sure, her back ached, but the rest of her body felt so
much better. Standing on the corner of Rue Jean Bleuzen and Rue Danton, staring
at the headlights of gridlocked cars, she realized where her feet had led her.
She sucked in her breath. Why had she allowed her body to dictate her actions?
Once, it had been a tool she’d used to express feelings, especially joy, but
this time, just like it had since the accident, her body had betrayed her.
If she walked a few blocks from where her traitorous feet stood, she’d be at Avenue Victor Hugo, the site
where she lost the man she’d planned to marry and share a bright and starry
future. Even Victor Hugo’s name made her shudder. Aiden had adored Hugo’s
works, especially The Hunchback of Notre
Dame and he’d insisted, in his charming and convincing way, that they should go
and check out the avenue named after one of his favorite authors. After a long
day of rehearsals, she hadn’t been in the mood but decided to go just to humor
Aiden. Perhaps if she’d dug her heels in more they wouldn’t have gone and he
wouldn’t …
A cacophony of horns drew her back to the present as
stationary drivers rolled down their windows and screamed at each other.
Grateful she’d halted her own progress on foot, Lily turned and started the
long trek back to the apartment. Even though she’d had plenty of time on her
flight from Melbourne to Paris, she hadn’t given any thought as to how a visit
to Aiden’s site would play out. She certainly hadn’t envisioned an impromptu
visit during Parisian peak hour but really, what would be the perfect way to
visit the place where she’d lost a piece of her heart forever? Her clammy skin
and thudding heart told her she was far from ready to go to the avenue, and
with nausea swelling in her belly, she suspected the timing was not right and
most likely never would be.
Alli
Sinclair is a multi award-winning author who spent her early adult
years travelling the globe, intent on becoming an Indiana Jones in
heels. She scaled mountains in Nepal, Argentina, and Peru, rafted the
Ganges, and rode a camel in the Sahara. Argentina and Peru became her
home for a few years and when she wasn’t working as a mountain or
tour guide, Alli could be found in the dance halls dancing the tango,
salsa, merengue, and samba.
All
of these adventures made for fun storytelling and this is when she
discovered her love of writing. Alli’s stories capture the romance
and thrill of exploring new destinations and cultures that also take
readers on a journey of discovery.
Alli
volunteers as an author role model with Books
in Homes,
promoting literacy and reading amongst young people.
Follow
the tour HERE
for exclusive excerpts and a giveaway!
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