“Don’t let go,” she pleaded, reaching back for him.
It was very much what Céleste had been tempted to say as he’d pulled away after kissing her. She likely would have sounded just as desperate. Thank goodness she hadn’t entirely lost her ability to protect herself.
“I need to get you your nightdress,ma petite douce. You need to sleep. We have to get on another boat tomorrow.”
“A big boat?”
Aldric nodded and smiled at her. Céleste already missed those smiles.
“Will you be on the big boat with us?” Adèle asked, a little worried.
He pressed a very avuncular kiss to Adèle’s forehead. “Of course I will. We’re going all the way to my house.”
“To see the flowers?” she pressed.
“To see the flowers.”
Adèle was very amenable after that, though she wouldn’t let Céleste help her change for the night.
Céleste stood in the same corner she’d placed all their things and waited. She wasn’t needed. She wasn’t even certain she was wanted.
It was too late for playing her violin. It likely wouldn’t have helped anyway. What she needed was a good cry, followed by a firm steeling of her resolve, but she wouldn’t have that luxury for a while.
She’d have to content herself with leaning on the other skill she’d gained over a lifetime of rejections: pretending she didn’t care.
Chapter Thirty-Two
“Someone was asking about you.”The innkeeper tossed that out just as they were leaving the next morning, as if it wasn’t a jarring bit of information.
Aldric stopped a step from the door and turned back, breath catching. “When?”
“A little less than an hour ago. He described you all well enough that I knew you were who he was talking about.”
Céleste spoke before Aldric could. “What did he want?”
“As near as I could tell, he was trying to find you.”
Aldric held tighter to Adèle’s hand. “Did you tell him we were here?”
The innkeeper shook his head. “He sounded Parisian. Nothing’s coming out of Paris just now but trouble. I told him there wasn’t anyone staying here matching who he was looking for.”
He sounded Parisian.The extortion victim, most likely.
“Did this Parisian seem to believe you?” Aldric asked.
“Asked where else someone might lodge for the night in Le Tréport. I sent him to a few houses that take boarders.”
“We don’t have a lot of time, then.” Céleste looked to Aldric.
“Do you know of any ships leaving for England this morning?” Aldric asked the innkeeper.
“Findl’Horizon.It’ll sail this morning.” The innkeeper turned directly to Céleste. “Are you heading somewhere you’ll be happy?”
“I don’t know yet.” Her quiet response sounded resigned and heavy. Everything had felt that way since they’d nearly lost Adèle the morning before.
Céleste had spoken with some degree of hope for her future in recent days, even in the midst of uncertainty. That was entirely gone now.
I failed her.The guilt of that was eating away at him.
