Hundreds of works of art hung from the walls of the exhibition hall. Louis fairly gaped at the sheer number of paintings fit into the space between the chair rail and the ceiling as though someone had created an enormous, spectacular jigsaw puzzle. The canvases near the top, some of them five tiers overhead, tilted forward, and Louis assumed they were hung thus in order to better see them from their position on the floor.
He found himself craning his neck higher and higher until his eyes reached the huge, skylit windows that made up the ceiling of the space. He turned to Lord Styles to comment on this, when he realised that Lord Styles seemed to be looking at him rather than the art. He found himself left rather foolish with his lips open but no longer with words to speak.
Lord Styles cleared his throat and swung his gaze back to the paintings before them. “I apologise if I was–well–”
“Staring?” Louis answered before he could think better of it.
Lord Styles let out a bark of laughter that he quickly stifled. “Yes, I suppose I was. You look quite fetching today.”
Louis ducked his head and smiled. When he glanced back up, Niall and Lord Mendes had begun to circulate through the space to admire the artwork. Most likely, Niall had wanted to give him a bit of time to speak with Lord Styles without an audience.
🎀 Written by @allwaswell16 for @hlregencyvictorianficchallenge 🎀 Now with amazing art by @hazstylestrash for @1dfanworksforcharity
