My Brother's Crown (35 page)

“Does it make you wish you could stay?”

Grand-Mère's eyes grew watery but she shook her head. “
Non
. I am just happy God made it possible for us to visit.”

On the Pont Neuf they paused at the base of the statue of Henri IV, bareheaded on his horse, posed as if in motion.

“What a contradiction he was,” Catherine said, gazing up at him.
“Such a good king, and yet his personal life…” She shook her head as her voice trailed off. He was rumored to have had more than fifty mistresses in his lifetime.

Grand-Mère sighed. “The relationships of kings can be very complicated.”

Catherine nodded. Was not Madame Maintenon's relationship with Louis XIV proof of that?

“We have tried to shelter you as much as possible.”

“Grand-Mère, I know how the world works.”

A wry smile fell across Grand-Mère's face. “Goodness, I hope you do not entirely know how the world works. I hope you never will.”

On the way back, they stopped by Notre-Dame so Catherine could take a quick peek inside. The cathedral was indeed beautiful, but she did not feel the same warmth there as she did in Saint-Jean-Baptiste in Lyon. Or the harmony she had felt at the Temple of Charenton
.

When they arrived back at the house, they found Eriq and Uncle Laurent in the lounge, waiting for them.

“Madame Gillet,” Eriq said to Grand-Mère, looking tall and confident as he rose to greet the two women, “I have your brother's permission to take your granddaughter on an adventure. If she is interested, that is.”

He gave Catherine a sparkling smile, and she realized with a start that he was no longer a boy. Somehow, he had transformed into a man without her even noticing—until now.

“
Oui,
” she said, looking to her grandmother for permission. “I am interested.”

“It's all very safe, Yvonne,” Uncle Laurent added. “Eriq has run the entire plan by me and I approve.”

Grand-Mère seemed ambivalent, but she gave her assent. Thus, after taking a few minutes to freshen up, Catherine found herself back on the street, this handsome man at her side.

“Mademoiselle?” he said, crooking his elbow toward her.

Suddenly shy, she took his arm. “
Merci.
” As they started walking, it struck her that
he
was the one she wanted to be with in this moment.

Whether his brother was a traitor or not.

C
HAPTER
T
WENTY

Catherine

A
s Catherine and Eriq made their way along the busy Paris street, she grew even more self-conscious about her dowdy gown. “Where are we going?”

“We have one matter of business and one of pleasure,” he replied happily. “Business first, of course.”

As he didn't seem to care that she was the most somberly dressed young lady in Paris, she would do her best not to think of it either.

They walked along in front of the Louvre, and at the end of the palace grounds, they entered a formal park which Eriq said was the Jardin des Tuileries
.

“I met Monsieur Olivier here yesterday. We only had a moment—he was on his way to mass—but he said to come back today and bring you with me.”

“Why me?”

Eriq shrugged. “You impressed him when he saw you at the inn. He was interested in your family. He remembers your grandfather.”

Halfway through the garden, past the first pond, Eriq pointed to a bench. They sat and chatted as they watched people, mostly couples, stroll by. The women were all dressed much more fashionably than
Catherine, but none of them seemed to notice her, although a few stole looks at Eriq. He had definitely blossomed in the last few weeks away from Lyon. Away from his brother.

Finally Monsieur Olivier approached, apologized for being late, and, after kissing Catherine's hand, thanked them both for meeting with him. “This is strictly informal, understand. But after Eriq told me about the family property in Lyon, and once I found out you are Sir Delecore's great-niece… well, I had to see you again. Of course, I remembered how beautiful you were from when we met on the road.”

Catherine, taken aback by the flattery, gave Eriq a questioning look.

“Under normal circumstances, I would not be able to help you, but because you are the niece of a respected solicitor, and a nobleman at that, perhaps I can,” Monsieur Olivier said.

Catherine shook her head. “I have no need of your help.”

Eriq took her hand. “I told him about the print shop and warehouse.”

“I was only in Lyon for a day, but I took the liberty to go by the property and your family home also.” Monsieur sat on the other side of Catherine.

Her face reddened, and she pulled her hand away from Eriq. “I am not at liberty to discuss any of this.” Her heart raced at the thought of Monsieur Olivier spying on her home. “And you should know I do not have any influence with my brother in regard to these matters.”

Monsieur Olivier leaned closer. “Women always have influence. Especially beautiful sisters who need to be kept safe.”

A knot began to form in Catherine's stomach. “You would have to speak to my brother.”

“I plan to.” He smiled. “I will be back in Lyon next month. Would you be willing to introduce me to him?”

“Perhaps…” Catherine stood. She wanted her family to go to London, and she knew their properties would need to be sold in order for that to be possible, but she was not sure she trusted the man. Maybe Eriq had not grown up as much as she thought. She turned toward him. “It's getting late. We should be going.”

After a moment of silence, Monsieur Olivier said, “My dear, forgive me, I have intruded, obviously, and made you uncomfortable. Please
reconsider, for I do believe I can help your family. But I cannot do so without an introduction from you or your grandmother. Or perhaps from Sir Delecore?”

Catherine shook her head. That was the last thing Grand-Mère would want, she was sure.

“I see.” Monsieur Olivier turned toward Eriq. “Speak with your own brother and Mademoiselle's family too, though that will slow the process, which may prove to be a tragedy.” He shrugged. “Feel free to contact me if the circumstances change.” He thanked her again, kissed them goodbye, and then excused himself, saying he had another appointment.

Catherine remained silent until he was out of hearing distance. Then she said, “I cannot speak for my family.”

“Of course not,” Eriq said. “I am just exploring options. I wanted to include you, that's all.”

Catherine took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

“I simply thought if we came up with a buyer, then Jules and Pierre would be more likely to agree with us,” Eriq said.

She appreciated that. Perhaps it was not as bad of an idea as she had initially thought. Besides, she had to admit that it was refreshing to be consulted on something—anything. Pierre hadn't even bothered to talk to her about moving to Switzerland, yet here his little brother had been considerate enough to bring her in on a business matter.

“It's fine,” she said, and she meant it.

Eriq offered her his arm again and she took it. Dusk began to fall as they strolled out of the park and continued on to the bridge and across the river.

“What do you think it would be like to live here?” he asked as they went.

“In Paris? It's a beautiful city—more so than I ever imagined.” If she did not think about the poor. “And it's wonderful not to have to worry about the dragoons,” Catherine added. “Although if we stayed for long, they would figure out who we are. We would put Uncle Laurent in a perilous situation too.”

“Not necessarily.”

Catherine narrowed her eyes. Did he know something she did not?

Before she could ask more, he came to a stop and announced that they had reached their destination. “Dinner at the most exclusive new café in town,” he told her, “compliments of your great-uncle. He knows the owners.”

“What?” Uncle Laurent had already paid for the clothes. Now he was treating them to an expensive meal too?

Eriq opened the door and they stepped inside.

Students and businessmen lined the tables. A few women—ladies, to be sure—sat with the men. The waiter led Eriq and Catherine to the back. “For young lovers,” he teased as he showed them to a small table by a window, pulling out the closest chair for Catherine as her face grew warm. She sat, tucking her skirt around her.

Eriq ordered wine. After some discussion with the waiter, he also ordered
hors d'oeuvre
,
rôti de boeuf
,
legumes
,
salade
, and
fromage
. Catherine worried about the cost, but Eriq did not seem concerned.

They talked easily as they ate, and she found herself admiring his sense of adventure. Clearly they had a lot in common, as Pierre had said, but she realized now that that was a good thing, even if her betrothed had meant it as a caution. The meal was more sumptuous than she could have imagined, but when they were finished, the waiter surprised them with the most delectable treat of all, a special dessert called
pots de crème au chocolat
.

“
Très bien!
” Catherine cried as he set it on the table in front of them. She'd heard of chocolate from Janetta, but she'd never dreamed of actually tasting it herself.

As the waiter took the lid off the pot, a rich, sweet smell enveloped Catherine. She took a bite of the creamy mixture, and it tasted even better than it smelled. The two ate every drop in silence, it was that good.

“
Merci
,” she said to Eriq when they were finished. “For all of this. It was simply
délicieux.”

Clearly he was pleased. After instructing the waiter to put the dinner on Uncle Laurent's bill, he led Catherine from the café into the warm spring evening. As they slowly strolled back to the house, she
linked her arm in his. Her only regret was that she had not had one of her new gowns to wear on such a special evening.

The next day it rained again and Eriq stayed home, spending time with Catherine in the lounge, playing chess. Jules had taught both of them as children. They were evenly matched and traded games back and forth for most of the morning.

Grand-Mère spent hours with Uncle Laurent in his office, finally coming out when it was time for luncheon, but she gave no indication as to what they had been discussing.

Wednesday dawned bright and sunny. After breakfast, Eriq said he was going out and asked Catherine to join him, but Grand-Mère shook her head in disapproval. She hadn't been happy about the expense of the dinner at the café, citing how many families back home they could have fed with that money.

Later that morning the boutique owner's assistant dropped off the new clothes. Eriq returned at dinnertime, and Versailles quickly became the topic of conversation. Uncle Laurent had sent a message to Suzanne, saying they, including himself, would visit the next day, Thursday. Grand-Mère seemed none too pleased that her brother planned to accompany them, though Catherine was not sure why.

“Suzanne didn't extend an invitation to spend the night,” Uncle Laurent added, “which means it will be a long day, considering that it's a three-hour carriage ride each way.”

“Better that than spend the night in another questionable inn,” Grand-Mère replied. “We will have enough of that on the way home.”

Unable to contain herself, Catherine asked, “Will we see Madame de Maintenon? Or the king?”

Uncle Laurent chuckled. “I wish I could say His Majesty will join us, but he will not, and I doubt that Madame de Maintenon will either. Do not get your hopes up, my dear.”

Grand-Mère didn't seem the least bit upset by that, but Catherine
felt disappointed. She certainly hadn't expected to actually meet the king, but she had hoped to at least glimpse him at a distance.

The next morning the maid entered the suite at first light to start the fire and bring in pitchers of warm water. Grand-Mère and Catherine both bathed and put on their corsets and petticoats. The maid then helped Grand-Mère with her hair, which did not take long. Then she helped Catherine, first circling her locks with an iron that she heated and then piling them atop her head, leaving a large strand in the back flowing over her shoulder.