Page 26 of The Assassin and the Libertine
“And I did not kill Madame de Pompadour.”
“Oui. As you say, Monsieur,” he said, his expression unreadable.
I didn’t know why, but it bothered me immensely that Daphne’s household thought ill of me. They likely believed I was as much of a villain as the duc.As much as Daphne does.
My mood was dark as I went downstairs.Damn The Order. The sooner I can find Jeanne’s murderer, the sooner I can put this mess behind me.It might be time for me to take an extended trip abroad and leave Paris entirely. Perhaps ride out the winter months in the south of France, or even Italy. Even if I couldn’t enjoy the sunshine, I could enjoy the warmth of an evening, orthe smell of the sea. They were better substitutes for light than the stifling candlelit ballrooms of Versailles.
Daphne cleared her throat behind me.
“Are you ready?”
Even with her drawn expression and her severe gray attire, she was still the most luminous thing I’d seen since I’d been banished from the sunlight. Her self-assurance and confidence emanated from every curve of her body in a way that seemed positively magnetic. The determination in her violet eyes hid every other emotion I knew she kept contained, daring me to try to rile her—to remind her of our kiss.I would not.We had work to do—and she was not for me. I could not afford to let her presence distract me and keep turning me into some mindless, rutting beast. I was above that.
“Indeed. After you, Duchesse.”
We got into her waiting carriage and crunched down the gravel drive. She stared out the window, avoiding conversation, until the feel of the street changed, and we rumbled into the louder, grittier neighborhoods around Paris. Sounds and smells changed to an earthiness that I doubted Daphne had experienced before.
“We’re going to the jeweler first,” I said. “Perhaps you should wait in the carriage for me.”
“Why?” she asked.
“Because I don’t want to worry about protecting you while I’m trying to focus on getting information from this man.”
“Protecting me?” she scoffed. She stuck her hand in her pocket and I heard the unmistakable click of a pistol cocking.
I rolled my eyes. “Are you any good with that thing?”
She cut her gaze to me disdainfully, then flicked her wrist. A small silver dagger shot forth and embedded itself in the seat half an inch to the left of my head.
“Almost as good as I am with that thing,” she said with a cheeky smile.
“Very well, then. I suppose I should have known better. No offense meant.”
She lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “No offense taken. I am used to being underestimated.”
The carriage stopped outside a small shop on the main street. We got down and knocked on the door, seeing only darkness inside. Some minutes passed with no one coming to let us in.
“Perhaps they’re closed for the evening?” Daphne suggested. “It’s very late.”
“No, it isn’t. Most of the shops and vendors have changed their hours to keep pace with their increasingly vampiric clientele. You’d be hard pressed to find an establishment that closes before midnight around here.” I gestured to a sign by the door—a hastily scrawled,We welcome our immortal brethren.
Daphne’s brows rose in surprise, but she said nothing. Finally, the bobbing light of a candle broke through the gloom and a corpulent man in a leather apron unlocked the door.
“Ah, Monsieur l’Émissaire!How fortunate to see you here this evening. And I see you brought a new—ah—friend!”
“Bon soir,Georges. Duchesse de Duras, allow me to introduce the finest jeweler in all of Paris—Versailles included,” I wheedled. I hoped that Daphne would take my wink as instruction to follow my lead.
She did, indeed. Tilting her chin up haughtily, she sniffed.
“We shall see about that.” She offered Georges her hand to kiss and I noticed him instantly eyeing the necklace of expensive black pearls at her throat. His piggy eyes sparked with hunger.
Georges led us into his shop and went around lighting all of the candles. Jewelry and unset gemstones glittered up at us from velvet-lined cases atop a counter.
“How may I be of assistance, Your Grace?”
When he turned to open another box of necklaces, she caught my eye and I nodded to her encouragingly. If she could get information out of him without me having to use force, so much the better. Besides, I was curious to see how well this lady agent handled herself.
“I’m looking for something special—very special. I have a new gown being made for an upcoming ball at Versailles and it’s in the loveliest shade of pink. A soft pink, like the inside of a shell, you know. Normally I would pair a pink gown with my pink diamonds, but I feel as though I need something new and dazzling. Something to win the right amount of attention from His Majesty, you understand. I couldn’t go to the court jeweler, of course—he is already designing pieces for several other ladies and I simply cannot wait. I thought I was forsaken! Then, as luck would have it, Monsieur l’Émissaire told me that he knew of just the man to accept such a commission.” She blushed prettily and gently touched his arm. He reddened to an unflattering, mottled purple and stared up at her with pure adoration.He was hooked.
