Page 36 of The Assassin and the Libertine
“How do we get there?”
“Three blocks down, then turn right. You’ll know it when you come to it.”
Daphne released the man’s arm and pulled the stake from his back. Brandishing it in front of her, she stood and took her pistol out and held it aloft for good measure. The man got to his feet slowly, threw a curse at the both of us and hobbled away. As he turned the corner to the street, I heard him mutter.
“May the ghosts take you.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
DAPHNE
October 20, 1765
Rue des Oubliés
“That was…impressive.You could have killed him!” Étienne remarked as we followed the drunk’s directions.
“Well, I should hope so, otherwise I’d be a poor excuse for an agent. You said The Order had tried to kill you before. Hasn’t everyone you’ve met with fought with the same skill?” I clutched his arm to avoid stumbling over the uneven cobblestones.
“No,” he said. “The way you fought was…well, Daphne, you were magnificent.”
A blush warmed my cheeks and I was grateful he could not see my face beneath my hood. His appraisal gave me immense pleasure, but I feared dwelling on it.
“Thank you.”
“How many—ah—assignmentshave you had?”
I sighed. “In the beginning, The Order used me for intel. I sent them reports on the happenings at Versailles. Nothing treasonous, mind you. They just wanted to know what peoplewere saying; the state of the war, who was sleeping with whose wife or husband, who was spending what on clothes, jewels, properties, that sort of thing. The whole time I had tutors coming to my home to teach me various fighting arts. My first few assassinations were newly infected vampires who preyed on young women—draining them and leaving their bodies in the streets, or making them disappear altogether. Housemaids and other servants, prostitutes, tavern maids, and the like. Women too lowly to attract much notice.”
I had to pause to calm my rising ire. Étienne’s arm rose as if he were going to reach out and touch me. Right now I wouldn’t be able to withstand his touch, so I went on.
“Those women deserved justice. The parasites I killed would’ve continued to murder and feed indiscriminately. Tell me, Étienne, how do you justify your fight for vampire rights when those you protect are, by their very nature, predators? How many young girls should die so that your vampires may live free?”
“I won’t deny that some of the infected are corrupt,” he said. “But to lay the blame at the blood plague itself is irresponsible. Murderers existed before vampires and will continue to exist after we’ve all been extinguished. I seek to bring education to the infected. If so many have been turned and are continuing to turn, they should know how to manage their supernatural state. Right now, the desperate feel they have no alternative and are forced into a choice that they’re not prepared to make.”
“Education. That’s what you’re after?” I said with surprise. “Not the total eradication of the nobility at the expense of your vampire majority?”
He laughed again, warm and genuine. “If that’s what The Order has told you, I’m afraid I have far less respect for your sources of intel. I don’t want to eradicate anyone. I have alreadyseen more death than I care to. My efforts have been topreventa revolution, not incite one.”
I was quiet in the wake of this revelation, realizing again that I’d once again misjudged him.
“Why did you join in the first place?” he asked suddenly.
The cold seeped in through my clothes and I huddled against him. I thought we were getting close—the air had changed. I considered his question. He’d been so exposed by our trip to Josephine’s, I felt like I owed him some of my own truth.
“Michel’s death devastated me, and I did want revenge,” I admitted. “But I suppose that’s not the whole reason. I wanted to be…useful.I wanted to have purpose. I wanted to be able to defend myself from men like Henri. I only learned about The Order a couple of years ago—whispered rumors at court about an old religious sect that had been revived to combat the blood plague and save the city, and perhaps the world. They did not want me to join at first. They said they had no need of women. Ha! With Philippe’s help, I convinced them to let me prove my usefulness.”
“Did the duc know?”
“No, he was gone by then,” I said. “Not that he would have known when he was here. We did not enjoy the same leisure pursuits and thus spent very little time together.” Cold sliced through me at the thought of Henri. The wind picked up, and I bent against the frigid breeze, then pulled up short with a cry of pain.The damn drunk vampire had probably cracked one of my ribs.Before I could react, Étienne’s strong arms encircled my waist and hauled me upright. I grunted in pain when he squeezed the tender spot on my abdomen.
He dropped his hands like he’d been scalded.
“Did I hurt you?” The concern in his voice startled me.
“No,” I huffed. “That damned drunk landed a kick in my side. It’s fine. I’ll have to forgo stays for the next couple of days, but it’ll heal well enough.”
“Are you certain nothing is broken?” He ran his hands along my ribs, feeling for swelling. My heart hammered in my chest.
