Page 44 of The Doctor and the Devil
Josephine cleared her throat. “Duchess, Comtesse, I take it you both have come up with a plan?”
“Well,of coursewe have,” Charlotte said with an effusive smile.
Daphne frowned.
“We havemostof a plan,” Charlotte corrected.
Daphne chewed on her lip, her needle-like fangs coming down nearly to her chin.
“Some of a plan?” Charlotte queried. Then, after a beat— “Very well. We havean idea!”
Noises of disappointment and frustration erupted in the room as the news settled over the group. If the two most senior agents had been unable to formulate some course of action, I hated to think what that would mean for our chances of success. Formychance of success—and Laszlo’s life.
“If everyone would please calm down,” Daphne shouted. “We can tell you what we know, and what we want to do. Then, it will be up to us—all of us—to determine how to proceed. It is not that we feel this is a lost cause, but moving against the Order will require craft and cunning unlike we’ve ever needed to muster thus far. It will take all of us working together.”
Somewhat mollified, the ladies sat back in their chairs and waited expectantly.
“If anyone here is not set in our task or this new plan of action, I would ask that you excuse yourself now. You’ll be in no danger from the rest of us, but I know what we’re asking, and we don’t ask it lightly. You all have your own lives, and the road ahead is rife with danger. If you wish to bow out, do so now,mes amies,” Charlotte offered, looking pointedly at Françoise. The younger woman shrugged and reached for another eclair.
“I don’t have any particular loyalty for His Highness,” Signora Russo declared. “But I have loyalty to you,miei amici. If we are to bring down the bastards in the Order, I’m all in for a bit of fun.”
When no one else spoke up or moved for the door, Mina’s fingers slowly threaded through mine beneath the table. She didn’t risk a glance in my direction, but the corner of her beautiful lips lifted ever-so slightly, and it was enough to cheer me from my melancholy.
“We’re not going after the Order just yet,” Daphne said, the relief evident in her tone. I wasn’t certain if she had expected her recruits to abandon her in her hour of need because she doubted them, or herself. Either way, I was comforted that she’d been proven wrong, and this band of delightful, dangerous women seemed to be agreed upon helping me rescue Laszlo.
“We are, however, going to break into the mausoleum and—ahem—reacquireRafael’s long-lost brother,” Charlotte finished.
“It will require many of you using your not inconsiderable feminine wiles and talents to keep the dusty prats entertained—distracted—for an evening,” Daphne said.
“And how are we going to do that?” Josephine asked.
A wicked grin split Charlotte’s face as she looked at her. “Dearest Josephine, I amsoglad you asked.”
* * *
The meeting carried on into the small hours of the night, when purpling skies and the faint trills of birdsong heralded the approach of dawn. Due to the rampant exhaustion plaguing the assemblage and the necessities of the supernatural set, our meeting was adjourned before all the final details had been worked out.
I had to hand it toles Dames Dangereuses—their plan was simple, bold, and brash. Of course, that meant there were about a thousand ways that it could, and probably would, go spectacularly wrong.
After bidding the other guests a good morning, I walked Mina to the door to her guest suite. She hadn’t slept more than a few hours in the last couple of days, and likely less than that before my arrival. I cursed myself for keeping her up yesterday when I should have been encouraging her to rest. The dark hollows beneath her eyes gave her a somewhat frayed look around the edges, tugging at my absent heartstrings.
She paused at the threshold to her bedchamber, just long enough for me to make my decision. As she turned to me with what was certainly a “good morning” on her lips, I picked her up and carried her into my own guest room.
“Rafael,” she gasped. “What do you think you are doing?”
“Was Charlotte correct earlier when she said you hadn’t been eating or sleeping lately? Were you going to lie down and rest the moment I left? Or were you going to stay up, pacing your room, flipping through your medical texts, and trying to come up with some solution to the mystery of the blood plague that you hadn’t considered before?” I inquired, plopping her down on my bed.
She blinked at me, the lie taking form in her mouth.
“No—never mind,” I said. “Mina, why did you allow me to take so much from you? You need rest, nourishment.”
I bent to remove her slippers. She pulled away at first, frowning at me.
“I can take care of myself, Rafael,” she said petulantly. “I have been doing so for ages before you came back into my life. In fact, I’ve gotten quite good at it.”
“Yes, you’re so good at it that you’ve completely forgotten how to address your human body’s needs,” I tutted, grabbing her feet once more.
“I’m a doctor, for God’s sake! I know how to address myhuman body’sneeds,” she gritted out, but allowed me to tug her slippers off and massage the arches of her feet.
