“Not with you,” he said thickly. “Not this time. Try to rest. Jean Marc’s ridden to Grasse for a physician.”
“Jean Marc…” But Jean Marc was in Paris, wasn’t he? He was in Paris protecting Juliette. He mustn’t leave Juliette.
“No, François, he mustn’t—”
The thought slipped away from her as blackness returned.
Catherine’s lids slowly rose to see sparkling brown eyes, blessedly familiar.
“Juliette?” she whispered.
“Of course.” Juliette smiled down at Catherine as she dipped a cloth in a basin resting on the table beside the bed and gently bathed Catherine’s temple with cool water. “It’s about time you woke up. It’s been two days and we were beginning to worry.”
“You’re here.” Catherine reached out to clasp Juliette’s hand. She frowned in puzzlement as she looked up at her. “Something’s different. Your hair…have you had the fever?”
“No, it just got in my way so I cut it off. You’re the one who has been ill.”
“Have I? I’m so glad you’re here. It’s beautiful here. You can paint the sea.…”
“Presently. First, I have to get you well.”
“That’s right, you said I’d been ill.” Catherine was suddenly aware of an excruciating soreness in the small of her back and shoulders and memory flooded back to her. “I was bleeding.…”
Juliette’s lips tightened. “You slipped on the stones and rolled down the hill.” She paused. “You lost the child.”
Catherine froze. “Child?”
“You hadn’t realized yet?” Juliette paused. “You were with child, Catherine.”
Catherine closed her eyes as shock rolled over her. The tomb. A child from that tomb tearing itself from her body as those men had torn into it. “I…suppose I should have guessed. I didn’t think about it,” she whispered. “Or perhaps I didn’t want to acknowledge it could happen to me.” Her eyes opened. “You knew, Juliette? That’s why you made me marry François?”
Juliette nodded.
“You all knew. I should have been told.”
“You were ill. We did what we thought was best for you.”
“It was my body, my life. I should have had a choice.” She paused. “Philippe knew too…”
Juliette muttered an oath. “I wanted to kill Philippe when we saw you on that wagon.”
“Wagon?”
“Philippe was afraid to move you on his horse so he came back to the manor and got a wagon to carry you back to the house. Jean Marc, François, and I had arrived only moments before he drove the wagon up to the front door of the house.”
Green eyes glittering with anger staring down at her.
“I remember François.”
“He carried you upstairs while Jean Marc and Philippe rode for the doctor.”
“But why is François here?”
“It’s a long tale.” Juliette grimaced. “And one with which Jean Marc isn’t at all pleased. We’ll discuss it later.”
“Very well.” Anything that displeased Jean Marc was too much for Catherine to cope with at the moment. Her strength seemed to be ebbing away with each word. “Where’s Jean Marc now?”
“He and François went to Cannes to see if Jean Marc’s ship had arrived from Marseilles. He sent a message to his shipping agent before we left Paris telling him to send…” Juliette trailed off and shook her head. “You’re falling asleep again. The doctor said you might want to sleep a great deal in the next few days. I’ll go and let you rest.” She hesitated. “Philippe wants to see you, Catherine.
