The King's Falcon (Roundheads & Cavaliers Book 3) (67 page)

‘I don’t mean to.’

‘I know.
 
That’s the devil of it.’
 
She laid her cheek against his and drew a long breath.
 
‘All right.
 
I’ll get you the clothes you need and I won’t tell Athenais.
 
But you can rest assured that I’ll be giving Ashley a piece of my mind that he won’t forget in a hurry.’

‘Excellent,’ said Francis.
 
‘I’ll look forward to it.’

*
 
*
 
*

Ashley returned to inform Francis that Monsieur de Bergerac would be gracing them with his presence that evening once the ladies were occupied at the theatre.
 
Francis responded by saying that Pauline would like a word with him – and then sat down to enjoy the spectacle of his love stripping away the Colonel’s skin, layer by layer.
 
Fortunately, Ashley had the good sense to let her and merely stood, mute and humble, beneath the lash of her tongue.
 
And when she was done and had swept militantly from the room, he looked helplessly at Francis and said, ‘Christ. Why couldn’t she simply cut off my balls and have done with it?’

‘I think she just did,’ replied Francis cheerfully. ‘Splendid, isn’t she?’

*
 
*
 
*

Athenais was still struggling with the laces of her gown when she heard Ashley’s footsteps on the stairs.
 
Her stomach dipped with a mixture of shyness, pleasure and anticipation.
 
Last night she’d finally overcome what had seemed an insurmountable hurdle and had been surprised by how very easy it had been.
 
He’d held her in warm, passionless arms until she was ready to sleep and she’d felt safe for the first time in weeks.
 
Then he’d kissed her hands, given her a slow, beautiful smile … and left her alone.
 
When she’d woken up this morning, he’d already gone out and she’d spent a good deal of time lurking in the parlour, hoping to see him only to find that, in the one brief hour she’d been required at the theatre for rehearsal, he’d come in, spoken to Francis and gone out again.
 
Had Francis not said that Ashley was running tedious errands for the King, the shadow of uncertainty that still lingered inside her might have tempted her to wonder if he was avoiding her. As it was, she chose to ignore it and believe Francis.

Ashley tapped at the door and waited her for her to answer before he entered.

She said awkwardly, ‘You don’t need to do that.’

‘Yes, love.
 
I do.
 
You took a huge step last night … so let’s just be content with that for a while, shall we?
 
There’s no hurry.’

Forgetting that her gown was only half-laced, Athenais turned to the mirror and started pinning up her hair.
 
‘You’ve been very busy today.’

‘Yes. Chancellor Hyde, His Majesty … all manner of trivia and more still to come.’
 
He took a step towards her and met her eyes in the glass, his expression carefully veiled. Then, deciding to test the solidity of the ground beneath that giant step, ‘Shall I finish this for you?’

‘What?’
 
For a moment, she couldn’t think what he meant.

‘Your laces. There appears to be a knot.’

He sounded so natural … except that only a few weeks ago he wouldn’t have had to ask.

Flushing a little, she said, ‘Oh.
 
Yes, please.
 
I couldn’t seem to reach.’

Ashley closed the space between them and set about deftly freeing the tangle, whilst making sure his knuckles didn’t brush the creamy skin of her back.
 
He glanced briefly at her face in the mirror and said quietly, ‘Don’t look so worried.
 
We just have new rules today.’

‘We do?’

‘Yes.’
 
His mouth curled in a half-smile and he started drawing the laces tight.
 
‘I set the pace … until you tell me differently.
 
I won’t be taking anything for granted and will always ask permission.
 
If you want more from me, you need only say so.
 
How does that sound?’

‘More than fair to me … less than fair to you.’

‘My choice.’
 
He finished his task and immediately stepped back.
 
‘Unfortunately, I have another meeting this evening but I could walk to the theatre with you if you’d like me to.’

Athenais turned, her face lit with shy pleasure.

‘Yes.
 
I’d like that very much.’

Her smile made his heart lose its customary rhythm.
 
He’d feared he might never see it again.
 
He said, ‘Then I’ll wait downstairs while you finish your toilette.’

‘You needn’t go.’

I do if I’m to pull myself together
, he thought.
 
But said lightly, ‘I know.
 
But I want a word with Jem before we go out.
 
Assuming he hasn’t disappeared again.’

Athenais watched the door close behind him.
 
His manners, as ever, were impeccable.
 
But she missed the teasing and the laughter … and wondered, with a sigh, how long it might be before she saw it again.

*
 
*
 
*

Slouching in his chair, Cyrano de Bergerac listened in silence while Ashley outlined both the problem and his plans for dealing with it.
 
Francis, who had already heard it, was content to keep his mouth shut; Jem, who hadn’t, muttered the occasional muffled curse.

Finally, Ashley poured the Frenchman a third cup of wine and said, ‘I realise I have no right to ask you to help us.
 
I also realise that I’m already in debt to you for saving my life and that, asking you to risk yours, isn’t adequate repayment.
 
But I hope
you’ll
realise that, in telling you what I have, I’ve just trusted you to a level far outside my normal practice.’

Cyrano’s expression remained enigmatic.

‘What made you take the risk?’

‘Instinct coupled with lack of viable alternatives.’

Laughter stirred.
 
‘I’m generally wary of gut-feeling but I know all about last resorts.
 
Assuming that this King of yours lives long enough to get his crown back … is he likely to do a better job than the last one?’

‘I hope so,’ said Ashley. ‘What you’re asking is if he and his brother are worth saving.’

‘And are they?’

‘More so than myself.’

 
‘Saving you cost me nothing.
 
Saving Charles Stuart is another matter.
 
Fortunately for you, there’s an element to all this that attracts me.’

‘Death?’ queried Francis brightly.

‘Hazard,’ came the reply.
 
‘A touch of theatre, followed by a good fight.
 
Something to make a man’s blood flow faster.
 
The last month has been damned dull.’

Ashley eyed him thoughtfully. ‘You’re saying you’ll do it for fun?’

‘It’s as good a reason as any,’ Cyrano shrugged.
 
‘But don’t let that worry you.
 
The only way this will work is if we all stick to the plan.
 
So maybe we should address the holes in it – starting with the place where the four of us meet up to make the switch, perhaps?’

~
 
*
 
*
 
~
 
*
 
*
 
~

By the time Cyrano took his leave and Francis set off to escort Athenais and Pauline home from the theatre, most of Ashley’s concerns had been laid to rest.
 
The rendezvous point had been fixed for a village just outside Louviers where de Bergerac knew the innkeeper and he’d also engaged to supply a pair of retired musketeers who owed him a favour and knew how to keep their mouths shut.
 
These would take Cyrano and Francis from Paris and then see Charles and James safely back by a circuitous route.
 
This, since Pauline had reluctantly agreed to provide appropriate clothing, left Ashley with little more to do than see to the hiring of a coach, acquaint Hyde with his other needs and await for the arrival of the second letter.
 
Once that came, he could look forward to a difficult and probably acrimonious interview with Charles … after which events were likely to overtake them.

Using his own cypher – which he was pleased to find came as easily to him as it had done two years ago – he listed everything that had been agreed, followed by a list of the minor details still to be addressed.
 
Then he sat back and contemplated the fruit of his efforts, searching for any possible loop-holes.
 
It
looked
water-tight enough.
 
He hoped to God that it was.

Hearing the front door open, he folded his notes and slid them inside his coat.
 
He stood up, automatically giving his right thigh the usual stretch and strolled into the hall, hoping to see Athenais smile.
 

She didn’t. Her face was white and tense and she stared at him helplessly for a moment before crossing to his side and staring up at him.
 
Ashley put an arm around her and looked past her at Francis and Pauline – both of whose expressions were a peculiar mixture of interest and smugness.

Ignoring them, Ashley looked down at Athenais and said, ‘What’s wrong?’

‘They found a body,’ she muttered, into his coat.
 
‘In the river.’

 
‘In private, I think,’ suggested Francis, opening the parlour door.

Once inside the room, with the door shut behind them, Ashley said, ‘Francis?’

‘A body has been pulled from the Seine and they think it’s d’Auxerre’s.
 
Something to do with a scar on his shoulder.’

Frowning, Ashley shook his head.

‘That’s not possible.
 
By now, there won’t be enough left of him to identify.’

‘
We
know that.
 
They obviously don’t.
 
And from what I heard tonight, this fellow can’t have been in the water more than three or four days.’

‘The wrong body?
 
Good.’

‘Since no one’s seen the man in more than five weeks, I imagine they’ll eventually work that out,’ remarked Pauline. ‘Meanwhile, the Cardinal has ordered an investigation.’

‘So?’
 
Feeling Athenais’s fingers flex convulsively, Ashley looked reassuringly down at her and said, ‘It’s all right.
 
There isn’t anything to connect the Marquis to this house and nothing here for anyone to find. Francis and I were very thorough.’

She looked up at him.
 
‘Are you sure?’

‘Perfectly.’
 
He shot an irritable glance at Francis.
 
‘You know as well as I do that there’s nothing to worry about.
 
Why didn’t you tell her?’

‘He tried,’ said Pauline. ‘For some reason, she wanted to hear it from you.’

Suspicion stirred in Ashley’s mind but he put it to one side.
 
He said, ‘Athenais, listen to me.
 
D’Auxerre’s body is never going to surface now and the fact that someone has mistakenly identified a fresh corpse will muddy the waters even further. No one is ever going to know what happened to him and you are completely safe.
 
I guarantee it.’

She sighed and let her hands relax.
 
‘Thank you.
 
Everyone at the theatre was talking about it and all I could think was that I killed him and I – I ought to be sorry. But I’m not.’

‘I’m not sorry either,’ said Ashley.
 
‘In fact, if you want the unvarnished truth, I’m proud of you.’

*
 
*
 
*

Upstairs in her room whilst taking the pins from her hair, Athenais said thoughtfully, ‘Proud of me, Ashley? For killing a man?’

‘No.
 
Proud of you for taking control back and not letting the bastard get away with hurting you.
 
And you didn’t kill a man, darling.
 
You exterminated vermin.’

She stopped what she was doing and stood for a moment, turning the hairpins over and over in her hands.
 
‘Do you ever dream about the war?
 
About battles?’

‘Sometimes.’

‘And the men you’ve killed?’

‘Yes.’
 
But not those in battle.
 
‘It will get easier, love.
 
But, until it does, if you have nightmares, call me.
 
I’ll always come.’

‘I know.
 
I know you will.’
 
She summoned a smile and finished letting her hair down.
 
‘Are you going to be busy again tomorrow?’

‘Probably.
 
And for some days after that, I suspect.’
 
He reached for her hairbrush.
 
‘Sit down and let me do this tonight.
 
Time to put aside unpleasant thoughts.’

She did as he asked and felt him section off her hair, then drawn the brush though it in long, slow strokes.
 
For a time, neither of them spoke but, after a while, she said, ‘I wish … I wish I could tell you that I …’ She stopped helplessly.

‘I know.
 
I wish it, too.’
 
His brain had a firm grasp of what was possible between them but sometimes his body disagreed and, when that happened, he had to make sure she never saw any sign of it. ‘But you’ll tell me when you’re ready.
 
And we have plenty of time.’
 

And, like his water-tight plan, he hoped to God that it was true.

*
 
*
 
*

During the course of the following morning, a message arrived from Cyrano de Bergerac confirming the assistance of the ex-musketeers and offering to deal with the hire of the second coach.
 
Pauline and Francis examined the theatre wardrobe and set selected coats, cloaks and hats together so they could be easily retrieved when the time came. And Ashley considered, then decided against, visiting Hyde to ask for servants’ liveries and coin for expenses.
 
He was averse to revealing his plans any sooner than he must and was fairly confident that, if and when another letter came, there would be at least a day’s grace in which to finalise the arrangements.
 
Unfortunately, he found that waiting made him edgy and had to work hard at not letting it show.

He spent time helping Athenais learn a new role.
 
Froissart wanted to re-cast her role in
M
é
nage Deux
so she’d be free to take the lead in the next full-length play.
 
Having initially agreed to the change, Athenais had started fretting over it and received a stern lecture from Pauline as a result.
 
When she told Ashley about this he grinned and said, ‘Pauline has her back to the wall and is taking it out on the rest of us.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Francis says he’s going to marry her.’

Athenais’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

‘Really?
 
She didn’t tell me
that
.
 
She more or less admitted that she’s in love with him but wouldn’t say whether he loved her. And all the time, she knew
that
… and never said a word. I could murder her.’

‘I gather she hasn’t said yes yet – which means that Francis is probably plaguing her.’
 

‘Good.’
 
Athenais made a little sound half way between annoyance and laughter.
 
‘She
deserves
to be plagued. Goodness knows, she’s forever sticking her nose into my affairs. Do you think Francis might appreciate a little help?’

‘I’m sure he’d be delighted,’ grinned Ashley.
 
And then, ‘I take it that you think she ought to accept?’

‘Yes.
 
Don’t you?
 
I mean, I know she’s an actress and he’s a Viscount, but --’

‘That’s of no importance whatsoever.’

‘Isn’t it?’ she asked, not without a tiny hint of wistfulness.

‘No.’ Something inside his chest curled up tight. ‘What matters is whether Pauline is as utterly besotted as Francis.
 
If she’s not, their relationship is unlikely to last.’

‘You’re very gloomy,’ observed Athenais.
 
‘Why shouldn’t she be besotted?’

‘Why isn’t she saying yes?’ countered Ashley.

‘Because he’s handsome and charming and talented and a Viscount, of course.
 
And she doesn’t believe she’s good enough for him.’

‘It’s that simple?’

‘Yes.’
 
I know exactly how she feels.
 
Particularly now.
‘She doesn’t want … she wouldn’t ever want to be less than he deserves.’

The thing in Ashley’s chest turned into a cold, hard lump.
 
He said, ‘I suspect we’re no longer talking about Pauline and Francis.
 
And if that’s so, I have only one thing to say.’

‘What?’

‘I’m neither talented nor titled – or even particularly charming.
 
And you are the light of my life and the only thing that gives it true meaning.
 
So don’t ever think yourself unworthy.
 
You’re not.
 
I’m the one who is undeservedly fortunate.’

*
 
*
 
*

The day dragged by with immeasurable slowness.
 
Although he didn’t think there would be any new developments, Ashley recognised the wisdom of not stirring from the house in case he was mistaken.
 
Francis escorted Athenais and Pauline to the theatre and stayed there.
 
Jem wandered off on some pursuit of his own.
 
Ashley paced the hall and grew increasingly restless.

He found himself envying Francis.
 
Envying the confidence with which he’d offered Pauline his name and his certainty that the future would take care of itself in exactly the way he wanted.
 
From time to time since Archie’s death, Ashley had contemplated asking Athenais to marry him.
 
He had no more to offer her now than he’d ever had but he knew she would say yes without a second’s hesitation.
 
And that was why he didn’t do it. He knew that she could and should do better; and the knowledge held him back.

He would be indescribably glad when this Honfleur business was over.
 
Aside from the fact that the waiting was killing him, he found himself going over and over the details – even though he knew there was no point to it since he could already recite them to music.
 
Even more pointless were his attempts to second-guess the enemy’s plans.
 
Once he had the final piece of information, he might make better progress with that; but, for the time being, all he could count on was the fact that there wouldn’t be less than four assassins – and could be six or even eight.
 
Four shouldn’t be difficult ; six might require a little extra effort; eight would be a challenge.

Francis walked into the parlour alone, saying quietly, ‘Anything?’

‘No.
 
Tomorrow, hopefully – before I start climbing the walls. Where are the girls?’

‘In the kitchen – arguing. You told Athenais I intend to marry Pauline.’

‘Ah.
 
Has that created a problem?’

‘Not for me.
 
Or not yet, anyway.
 
She’s too busy fending off Athenais to drop rocks on my head for telling you in the first place.
 
Doubtless she’ll get round to that later.’

Ashley shook his head.
 
‘I don’t know what there is in that to look so pleased about.
 
After yesterday, she scares the hell out of me.’

‘And rightly so,’ agreed Francis blithely. ‘But you don’t have the fun of talking her round and the intense pleasure of making up afterwards.’

‘True.
 
All I have is a sense of self-preservation that’s warning me to make a strategic retreat before I get caught in the cross-fire.
 
If Athenais asks, I’ll be upstairs.’
 
And he went.