Page 78 of The Assassin and the Libertine
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“At first, it was smaller items from less notable families. As time has passed, the thief has gotten bolder—larger items from families tied to the king. We are loath to name names, but I will say that the last theft was from the king’s second cousin.”
“Why has thegendarmerienot been involved? Jewel theft seems more their speed, as opposed to a group of agents with other, more important functions,” I asked.
“We’re not certain thegendarmeriecan be trusted,” the second man replied. “Having a thief in our midst has made us all jump at shadows, so to speak. We’ve decided to put the matter to bed ourselves.”
“What do you want me—us—to do?” Daphne asked.
The first man smiled beatifically at her. My hackles rose a fraction.
“We’ve become aware of your Christmas Everéveillon.It’s possible the thief has, too. In fact, he or she may be on your guest list already,” he said.
“And you want me to hunt for a thief at my own party?” Daphne sounded incensed.
“No, no,” said the second man. “That’s not what we’re saying, exactly. We simply want you to be on your guard. You may, in fact, be the next target.”
“That’s absurd,” Daphne huffed.
The first man raised a placating hand. “You must admit you are uniquely positioned to help resolve this matter,” he said. “Your holiday feast gives us a perfect opportunity to draw out the thief, and your impressive skills as an intelligence agent and field operative would make this particular assignment relatively easy for you, no?”
I could tell Daphne wanted to refuse, but whether the older man had appealed to her vanity or her sense of duty, she merely pursed her lips and nodded.
“I’ll sort it out,” she said tightly. “But I will want some things in return. Starting with your list of suspects, the previous victims, and the items that were taken.”
“Of course. Naturally.”
I scanned the other faces at the table, noting a mixture of relief and doubt beneath the other masks.
I cleared my throat. Several sets of disapproving eyes cut to me.
“I’m happy to help out here, but I must ask you, Messieurs, why did you send for me as well?” I wondered.
The second gentleman narrowed his eyes at me, and the smile of the first man dropped. The changes in their manners seemed to bode ill for me. My muscles tensed, waiting for what was surely bad news.
“As it happens, Monsieur, we thought you might be of assistance to Her Grace. You see, there is a name on this list of suspects that you will find familiar.”
Ah, merde.
“Yes. We thought you would be able to help eliminate the Marquise de Balay from our inquiries, since previously youknewher so well,” the first man said.
“Or perhaps persuade her to share her thoughts on the matter,” the second man said. “We hear that’s a specialty of yours.”
My fangs lengthened reflexively at the challenge in the man’s sneering tone, but I kept them covered. It was only recently these bastards had deigned to stop trying to kill me, and I didn’t want my behavior to reflect badly on Daphne. Instead, I smiled at the men.
“Bien sûr,”I said in a silken tone. “I’m happy to help in whatever way I can.”
“I’m sure you are,” hissed the second man under his breath. Anger rose from within, and it was a Herculean effort for me to swallow my outraged reply. Daphne’s hand on my knee beneath the table was the only thing that kept me calm. Her stormy eyes promised we’d discuss my past tryst with the wretched marquise, but I’d take a thousand jealous Daphnes over any discourse with these men.
She must have sensed my patience ebbing, because she stood abruptly, forcing the entire assembly to their feet, as well.
“If you’ll excuse me,” she said. “It’s been a long night and I have much to do. The list, if you please.”
She held out her hand expectantly. The older man took a folded piece of paper from his pocket and hesitantly handed it over.
“The utmost discretion,” he repeated.
Daphne nodded once and took my arm. When we were back in the corridor with the door closed behind us, my supernatural hearing picked up the delightful things they had to say about me.Bastards.
