Page 81 of The Assassin and the Libertine
Who would be foolish or greedy enough to steal such high-profile items? The stolen jewelry was well-known at court, so the thief wouldn’t be able to sell it as-is; they’d most certainly have to break it down into singular stones. Would the average aristocrat be smart enough to figure that out?
I stared hard at the list. Right away, I was able to eliminate a few suspects I didn’t think were imaginative or resourceful enough to carry out such bold crimes. Three names remained—all families that had recently suffered embarrassing financial losses, or so the gossips said. At the top of my list were the Marquis and Marquise de Balay.Not for any personal reason or petty jealousy,I thought to myself. I knew the marquis had serious gambling debts and that the marquise was unparalleled in her ability to navigate the politics of court with selfishness and malevolence. Her star had faded of late, partly because of her idiotic husband’s gambling debts and partly to do with her outmoded attitude of disdain toward the growing vampire population in France. Embarrassing the court with a series ofbrazen jewel thefts was not beyond comprehension when it came to the devious couple.
Following the Balays were the Comte and Comtesse de Cagné, a pair of desperate aristocrats I knew would stop at nothing to improve their influence but didn’t have the wealth required. Then there was Madame Catherine, the embittered wife of a lauded French war hero who did not return from his last battle. She was a ferocious and virulent gossip, who didn’t let something as insignificant as the truth derail her from her aims.
They all had motives, as well as the intelligence and opportunity to carry out the thefts. Most disturbing was they all shared the same sense of disgust at the king’s slowly changing attitude about the blood plague. They resented the shifting power dynamic and despised vampires—but not enough to ignore a coveted invitation to dine with one at myréveillon.
The Order wanted me to catch this criminal, and to do so I needed to set an impossible-to-resist trap.
I lay in the large copper bathtub devising my plan until the water had gone cold and most of the morning was over. I dressed plainly and went to the library, where I was unsurprised to find Charlotte bent over an account book. She had her own estate not far from mine, but after the recent fiasco with her husband, she preferred to spend her days with me. Even though I had Étienne now, it was lonely here during the day and I was glad for the company. She looked up when I entered.
“Daphne! I’m glad you’re up. How did it go last night? What did The Order want?”
I poured myself a cup of chocolate from the still-warm pot on the sideboard and took a long, fortifying sip before answering her.
“It was only a little better than I expected,” I sighed.
“So…no death threats, but an evening surrounded by irritating old men?”
“Precisely,” I snickered.
“And the Christmas Eve party?” she prodded. “Are we still allowed to carry on?”
“Yes. In fact, it’sencouraged.They summoned me about a jewel thief who seems to have some kind of set against the king. We’re to uncover the culprit and keep everything as discreet as possible. The fewer people know about this, the better,” I explained.
“What do you have in mind?”
“We’re going to lay a trap. You and I will be the bait. I’ll need you to wear your rubies tomorrow night. I’m going to wear my mother’s diamonds.”
Charlotte’s eyes widened. “You’re going to wearl’Étoile d’Or?”
I nodded. I’d only worn the necklace once in my life—during my first appearance before King Louis at Versailles a decade ago. The famous necklace was a chain of seventy-two perfectly cut white diamonds that encircled a 36-carat yellow diamond. It was an ostentatious display of wealth, which was why I normally kept it locked away in the family vault. It was also why I intended to bring it out to catch the attention of our burglar. No jewel thief worth his salt would be able to resist such a prize.
That afternoon, I filled Charlotte in on the rest of the plan’s details. We would divide the suspects between us—Étienne would watch Madame Catherine, Charlotte would charm the Comte and Comtesse de Cagné, and I would keep my eyes on the Balays. Once we’d finished preparing ourselves for every eventuality, I sent word to Étienne.
I strolled to the large library window that overlooked the grounds. It should be about sunset, but a fierce snowstorm had rolled in, whiting out the sky and covering everything in thick, sparkling powder. Charlotte went over to the fireplace and poked idly at the blazing logs.
“I can’t remember the last time we had a white Christmas,” she mused. “Every one of them over the last few years has been wet, gray, and muddy. Not very festive, if you ask me.”
“No,” I agreed. “But we haven’t had many festive holidays over the last few years.”
“That’s true. Perhaps we will now. You’ve still got me, and Étienne, of course.”
I smiled at her. Charlotte could always cheer me out of my melancholy.
She shrugged nonchalantly. “And failing that, I suppose, you’ve still got your bastard dead husband’s whole wine cellar to drink through. Should we go make a celebratory start on that?”
“That is, without a doubt, the best idea of the day.”
CHAPTER FOUR
ÉTIENNE
December 24, 1765
Château de Maintenon
I rememberthe last time I attended aréveillonon Christmas Eve. I’d been a young man—not yet a vampire—and it was one of the last times I’d been in the room with my father without us having an argument. It had been a magical evening filled with family, food, and an exchange of small gifts. At midnight, we looked outside and saw huge, fluffy snowflakes falling, and my mother insisted on us going out to play in it. It remained one of my favorite memories of my life before everything changed…before my turning, my father’s disgrace, then his death. In the years that followed, I wouldn’t celebrate Christmas.
