His jaw tightened. As her husband and her protector he ought to stand firm over this. His instinct was to forbid it, to take her home immediately, put armed guards at every ten paces around Oakley Court and then go and run Genet through so he couldn’t endanger her again. Thought of the latter gave the Earl particular satisfaction. However, Claudia’s words gave him pause. It was clear now that she had other motives for her actions which had nothing to do with defiance of him. Could he criticise her for loyalty; for wanting to keep faith with others? Could he refuse to listen; ignore the earnest plea that he saw in her eyes? If he did that she would never forgive him, and any chance he might have had to build bridges would be gone. In spite of his anger, in spite of everything, he knew in his heart that he did want to build bridges. It was weakness but he couldn’t help himself. Somehow Claudia always found the chinks in his armour.
‘Very well. You may speak to Madeleine Fournier but that is all, do you understand?’
Relief found expression in a tremulous smile that was reflected in her eyes. ‘I understand. Thank you.’
‘You will not go alone either.’
‘If I do not she may well refuse to speak.’
‘I’ll wait outside.’
‘Then you...you mean come with me?’
‘Yes, I do mean to,’ he said, ‘and the point is not negotiable.’
Claudia lowered her gaze. ‘Of course. Whatever you say, Anthony.’
If he hadn’t known better he might have thought her demeanour just then to be the epitome of meek wifely obedience. However, meek, obedient and Claudia never came together in the same sentence. He reached for her chin and tilted her face towards his.
‘Look at me.’
The dark eyes met his unswervingly. ‘I will keep my word.’
‘Your life may depend on it,’ he replied.
‘What do you mean?’
It hadn’t been his intention to worry her with his earlier discoveries but, as things stood, she needed to know the truth, so he gave her a précis of his conversation with Matthew. Claudia paled a little.
‘Then what happened today wasn’t an accident.’
‘No, it wasn’t. Nor do we know who our enemy is. That makes things doubly dangerous.’
‘You think that whoever was responsible will try again.’
‘It seems likely. For that reason we can’t afford to take any chances.’
‘I understand.’ Suddenly she really did, and it put an entirely different slant on his earlier anger. Far from being merely dictatorial it suggested that he really did care. ‘I won’t take any foolish chances, Anthony, but, by the same token, nor should you.’
‘I’ll be careful.’
‘I’ll hold you to that.’
She smiled; an expression that held a familiar trace of mischief and something deeper that set his heart to beating a little quicker. At the same time it somehow enhanced the notion of her vulnerability. He wondered whether he had done the right thing in acceding to her request, but his word was given now. To go back on it would be unthinkable because it would break her heart, and he could no more do that than he could fly to the moon. All the same he intended to take every possible measure to ensure her safety, whether she liked it or not.
‘Can we go and see Mademoiselle Fournier tomorrow?’ she asked then.
‘The sooner the better,’ he replied. ‘Then you’ll be done with the wretched business once and for all.’
* * *
The address that Genet had given her took them across town to a narrow and dirty street lined with old half-timbered houses whose weathered and dilapidated frontages were testimony to many years of neglect. Like most of its neighbours, the house in question had been subdivided into smaller apartments, reached by a narrow wooden staircase. Stale cooking smells pervaded the dingy hallway. Claudia paused and turned to Anthony.
‘I hope Mademoiselle Fournier still lives here.’
‘Well, we’ll soon find out, won’t we?’
‘I think I should go up alone.’
He hesitated a moment, then nodded reluctantly. ‘All right. I’ll wait for you here.’
‘I won’t be long.’
She climbed the stairs and reached a landing. Four doors led off it, none of which bore any indication of who the occupants might be. Claudia sighed. She had hoped not to draw attention to her arrival but now there was no choice but to ask. A knock on the first door elicited no reply. The second was opened by an old woman. Strands of grey hair straggled from beneath a dirty mob cap. A frayed woollen shawl was wrapped over a shabby brown dress. A strong smell of liquor clung to both. She regarded her visitor with ill-concealed suspicion.
‘What do you want?’
‘Do you know where I might find Mademoiselle Fournier?’
‘Maybe I do and maybe I don’t.’
Claudia took a coin from her reticule. A clawed hand took the offering and the woman jerked her head towards the apartment opposite.
‘Over there. Only she isn’t in. She works during the day.’
‘Works where?’
‘Laundry. Down by the canal.’
With that the old woman shut the door in her face. Claudia sighed and retraced her steps. Hearing her descent, Anthony looked up.
‘Well?’
‘No luck, I’m afraid.’ Briefly she recounted what she had learned.
‘Well, we have two choices. Either we come back later or we visit the laundry.’
‘Let’s try the laundry.’
He smiled wryly. ‘I had a feeling you were going to say that.’
In fact the premises weren’t hard to find being only two streets away. The strong smell of lye soap and festoons of wet linen would have given it away in any case. A discreet inquiry of the stout matron by the door elicited the intelligence that Madeleine Fournier did indeed work there.
‘I need to speak with her for a moment.’
‘She’s busy. Besides, the boss won’t be pleased if he finds out.’
Claudia returned a conspiratorial smile. ‘I won’t tell if you don’t.’
The woman shrugged. ‘I’ll fetch her.’
A few minutes later another figure emerged from the courtyard. Claudia had an impression of a woman in her late twenties. She was of average height and build, and her face might have been pretty, save for its gaunt lines. It was framed by untidy brown hair. She halted several feet away, regarding the visitor warily.
Claudia smiled. ‘Mademoiselle Fournier?’
‘Who are you? Why have you come here?’
‘My name is Claudia Brudenell. I need to speak to you about Alain Poiret.’
The blue eyes registered suspicion and unease. ‘What do you know of Alain?’
‘I know that he’s dead and that he was betrayed.’
‘I can’t tell you anything.’
‘Mademoiselle, I want to find out who was responsible, to bring a traitor to justice.’
‘I told you, I don’t know anything.’
‘Even the smallest little detail may be significant. Whatever you can remember.’
‘Alain never discussed his work and I never met any of his colleagues. I’m afraid I can’t help you.’
‘I see. Well, if you do think of anything, you can find me at this address.’ Claudia handed her a small card.
‘It won’t be of any use.’
‘Please take it. Just in case. One small detail might prevent others from sharing Alain’s fate.’
After a small hesitation her companion took the card and slipped it into her pocket. Then she turned and walked away. She didn’t look back.
Claudia sighed and then retracing her steps, rejoined Anthony in the street. He regarded her shrewdly.
‘I take it that Mademoiselle F
ournier was not forthcoming.’
‘She was as tight-lipped as a clam.’
‘You cannot be surprised.’
‘She’s scared, Anthony. I’d swear to it.’
‘Probably she is, and with good reason.’
‘I wish I could help her.’
He shot her a piercing look. ‘You’ve done what Genet asked of you. That’s the end of the matter, Claudia.’
She sighed. ‘Yes, I suppose it is.’
They walked together back to the fiacre waiting at the end of the street. He handed her in and then took his place beside her. For a little while neither one spoke. Then she turned towards him.
‘Thank you for coming today.’
It took him unawares, like the tone of her voice and the expression on her face just then. ‘You’re welcome.’
‘All the same, I feel I’ve let the side down.’
‘You have never let the side down,’ he replied. ‘Your brother would be rightly proud of you.’
She reddened a little. ‘Thank you. I should like to think so.’
‘You need not be in any doubt, Claudia.’
The sincerity in his voice was unmistakeable and it caused her pulse to quicken. Uncertain how to respond and keenly aware of that undivided attention, she lapsed into silence. The mission might have been a failure, but he had supported her beyond all expectation. When she thought of what he might have done instead she could only feel deeply thankful.
Just then another thought struck her, something so obvious she couldn’t believe she had missed it. She shot her companion a sideways look.
‘Anthony, I wonder...’
‘What do you wonder?’
‘Well, you remember the two agents who fled Paris.’
‘Yes. What about them?’
‘Would it not be a good idea to talk to them?’
‘Don’t even think about it, Claudia.’
‘Oh, I didn’t necessarily mean me, but you could speak to them.’
‘And?’
She bit her lip. ‘Then you could tell me what they said.’
In spite of himself he laughed. ‘You artful little baggage.’
‘Please, Anthony. It might be important. They might hold the clue as to who betrayed the group in Paris.’
‘They might, but even if they did the matter would no longer involve you.’
‘What matters is that the traitor should be discovered.’ She laid a hand on his arm. ‘Won’t you please go and talk to them?’
‘All right. I’ll go, but you will remain at home.’
She hesitated. ‘It wouldn’t be dangerous for me to go along if I were with you.’
‘You are not going along. I’ll not have my wife frequenting gaming hells.’
Claudia shot him a sideways glance. ‘What a pity it wasn’t a bordello. I’d have been all right there.’
‘You certainly would not.’
‘Anyway, how did you know to find them in a gaming hell? You must already have made inquiries.’
He sighed. ‘Yes, I made inquiries.’
‘You were planning on going without saying anything to me, weren’t you?’
‘I would tell you if I learned anything significant.’
‘Oh, really?’
‘I swear it.’
‘Let me come with you.’
‘No.’
‘Why not? I’ve been in gaming hells before.’
His expression became steely. ‘You may have been before, you little jade, but you won’t set foot in one again, under any circumstances. Is that clear?’
She lifted her chin. ‘Quite clear.’
‘I mean it, Claudia.’
For a moment she was silent. Then her expression grew contrite. ‘You’re right of course. A gaming hell would be quite inappropriate.’
‘I’m glad you’ve seen sense at last.’
‘We could arrange to meet them somewhere else. At an inn, say, or in the park, or...’
‘Claudia, which part of you’re not going, is still unclear to you?’
‘You don’t intend to give in, do you?’
‘You realise it.’
‘Well, I had to try.’
‘I’d have expected no less, my sweet.’
‘You know you can be utterly infuriating at times.’
‘Only at times?’ he asked.
It drew a reluctant smile. ‘Most of the time, you odious man.’
* * *
While Claudia went shopping the following morning, accompanied by Lucy and Matthew, the Earl took himself off to see Jean Lebrun and Auguste Saunière. Having encountered them both in Paris on several occasions, he wanted to hear their side of the story. For that reason he arranged to meet them in a quiet tavern. It had a garden behind it where they could speak undisturbed.
Lebrun and Saunière were cousins but it was not evident from their appearance. Although both were of average height and build, Lebrun was dark and bearded, a distinct contrast with his companion’s mousy brown hair and angular clean-shaven face. Both of them greeted Anthony courteously enough although their expressions gave little away.
‘Weren’t sure as we’d see you again, Duval,’ said Lebrun. ‘Thought you might have been arrested with the others.’
‘It was a close-run thing,’ replied the Earl. ‘From what I hear you had a narrow escape yourselves.’
‘Too damn narrow for my liking. While the police were breaking the doors down front and back, we were climbing on to the roof. It was the only other way out. Almost broke our necks half a dozen times before we got far enough away to risk coming down again.’
‘And then?’
‘We knew the roads out of Paris would be watched so we made our way down to the Seine and offered our services to a bargee in return for a ride. Then, when we were well clear of the city, we cut off across country and made our way to the border.’
‘I’m impressed.’
‘What about you, Duval?’ asked Saunière.
‘I got out by boat from St Malo.’
The other man nodded. ‘Lucky, then.’
‘Luckier than the poor bastards who ended up in police custody,’ replied his cousin. Small dark eyes locked with Anthony’s gaze. ‘So what we want to know is who peached?’
‘That’s what I mean to find out,’ said the Earl, ‘but to do that I need to know what Poiret was on to.’
His two companions exchanged glances and some unspoken agreement passed between them. Lebrun leaned closer. ‘We saw Poiret two days before the arrests, see. Said he’d got wind of a planned assassination; someone high up in the Coalition.’
‘Who?’
‘Dunno. That’s what he was trying to find out. Said he couldn’t do anything till he had a name.’
‘I see.’
‘Seems the plan is to make it look like the killer’s linked to the Coalition in some way.’
Anthony’s jaw tightened. ‘And thus destabilise allied unity.’
‘Looks like it.’
‘With the Allies divided it would leave the way clear for Napoleon to march through Europe virtually unopposed.’
Lebrun spat into the dirt. ‘That’s about the size of it, I reckon.’
‘Did Poiret say anything else?’
‘No. That’s it. We never saw him again.’
The Earl nodded, digesting what he had learned. Then, tossing some coins on the table to pay for the ale, he rose from the table. ‘I’ll be in touch.’
Saunière smiled, revealing stained brown teeth. ‘You know where to find us.’
* * *
Since he had given his word to Claudia that he would keep her abreast of his findings, the Earl determined to do so as soon
as might be. On returning home however, he discovered that she was still not back. It was another half an hour before she put in an appearance. He stood in the doorway of the salon, watching her divest herself of spencer and bonnet. Her excursion seemed to have agreed with her; she looked as relaxed as he’d ever seen her. Moreover, the sunshine and fresh air had enhanced the bloom on her cheeks and put a sparkle in her eyes. It was altogether a beguiling image.
Claudia turned and suddenly became aware of his presence. Under the power of that quiet scrutiny she felt her pulse quicken. ‘Anthony. I didn’t realise you were back yet. Did you have a fruitful morning?’
‘Indeed. Would you like to hear about it?’
‘Of course.’
She came to join him and he closed the salon door after them. Claudia sat down on the couch, clasping her hands in her lap, waiting expectantly. He stood by the hearth and leaned casually on the mantel, surveying her steadily.
‘I went to see Lebrun and Saunière.’
Her eyes widened slightly. ‘And?’
As he summarised what he had learned her expression grew more sombre. If Poiret’s information were accurate, it had serious ramifications indeed.
‘Someone became suspicious of Alain or of his informant,’ she said, when Anthony had concluded his account.
‘It would seem so.’
‘What do you intend to do now?’
‘Keep an ear to the ground, as always.’
She nodded and then sighed. ‘I feel so useless.’
‘You have no cause to. You have done your part and more.’
‘I hate the thought that somewhere, perhaps not far away, is a traitor who threatens everything. If Napoleon is not stopped who knows where his ambition may take him next. England, perhaps?’
‘I think you need have no fears on that score. He’d have to get past the British navy first.’ He grinned. ‘He’d also have to get past you, so I wouldn’t rate his chances very highly.’
It drew an answering smile. ‘I’d love a chance to get the horrid little man in my sights.’
‘I’m sure you would.’
‘Do you think Lebrun and Saunière are to be trusted?’
‘Until we find out otherwise.’
She sighed. ‘You’re right of course. All the same, this whole business leaves a nasty taste.’
The Caged Countess Page 17
