Page 27 of The Agent and the Outlaw
I stared down at her, perplexed. Her manner had me rattled. She almost spoke as if she knew this man, but that was impossible. She turned back to look at the stranger, darting a glance at me. She seemed more anxious about my presence than the man approaching.
She’d been right about him. He was dressed in dark green wool coat that was plain but well cut. He wasn’t poor, but he wasn’t an aristocrat, either. He’d obviously been traveling at some speed for some time, given how high the spattered mud reached on his clothes. I noted a few droplets of it on his cheek, as well—though with his dark eyes and placid expression, that seemed to be the only remarkable thing about his countenance. All in all, he was not unpleasant to look upon, but rather forgettable. He pulled up alongside us and I watched them greet each other with a guarded smile.What the devil?
“Bonjour, Monsieur,”I said.
The stranger inclined his head at me but spoke again to her.
“Your companion?”
“Yes,” Charlotte said, a touch anxiously. “I, too, go only where my masters send me. It’s all right. He travels with me. Do you have news?”
The man reached into his coat. I laid my hand on my pistol, but Charlotte shook her head.
“It’s okay, Antoine. This man is an…acquaintance,” she said, fumbling for the right word.
So, she does know him.Irritation and irrational jealousy sparked, and I clenched my jaw.
“An acquaintance?” I echoed, incredulous. “Out here? Impossible. What the hell is going on? Who are you?”
I wasn’t sure if I directed that last question at the stranger or at Charlotte, but it didn’t seem to matter as they both ignored me.
The man’s expression didn’t change as he handed her a letter. It was almost as if he wore a mask of humanity and it made me uneasy. Charlotte took the letter and nodded.
“Some miles back, there’s an inn with a lovely innkeeper—she has a message for my cousin. Please see that she gets it. And tell her that I’ll send a full report as soon as possible. We go to Gévaudan,” she said, now focused on the letter in her hand.
“Charlotte!” I hissed. I couldn’t believe she’d just revealed our plan.
Still, she ignored me. The stranger seemed to take this as his cue to leave, however, and he raised a gloved hand to his tricorn hat.
“In the darkness…”
“And in the light,” Charlotte returned without looking up. She was engrossed in her letter, her brow furrowed.
The stranger winked at me, turned his horse around, and galloped back in the direction he’d come. Lucky for him that he’d managed it before I could yank him from his saddle and demand a rational explanation for this bizarre exchange. I reasoned, however, there was only one explanation—rational or not—and I’d known it since the very beginning of my encounter with this woman.
“Youarea spy! You lied to me,” I practically shouted.
She sighed, folding the letter carefully and tucking it into her bodice. The small action distracted me momentarily from my anger.
“Yes, yes. All right. I’ll explain some things to you, but we must keep moving. Things are dire and we need to reach Gévaudan before nightfall, if possible.”
The worry in her voice was genuine, but I didn’t spur Tartuffe on just yet. The tangle of my emotions grew tighter and more knotted as I tried to sort things out in my head.Charlotte lied to me. You lied to her, too, Antoine.Had I? Not really.Lies of omission are still lies, you fool, and it’s your fault you’re in this mess with her to begin with.Anger surfaced again, but it was unclear if it was at myself or at this deceptive woman. I chose to direct it at the latter.
“Start talking,” I growled.
“I’m not a spy,” she said slowly, choosing her words carefully. “I am an agent of the Order. Not just the Order—les Dames Dangereuses, to be more specific.”
I barked out a laugh. “Come now, you don’t expect me to believethat.”
She tensed with affront. “And why not? You have been accusing me of as much since we met, you oaf.”
“The Order is an absurd conspiracy—some portentous bedtime story to prevent people from rising up against the king.Don’t speak ill of His Majesty, lest the Order hear you!Stay away from the vampires, lest the Order come stake you! Don’t forget to eat your vegetables, children, lest the Order find out!”
Thunder rumbled in the distance, prompting me to kick Tartuffe into a trot.
I could feel Charlotte’s frustration in her posture, but her tone was dismissive.
“Believe me or don’t—you’re the one who wanted an explanation.”
