“I wanted to give them the livres right away and you had to go to see Monsieur Bardot yesterday.” Juliette bit into her croissant. “So I decided to go by myself.”
“With two million livres. In case you’re unaware of the fact, Paris is teeming with thieves who’d like nothing better than to slit your throat fortenlivres.”
“All went well.” Juliette sipped her hot chocolate. “I need to go out today to purchase paint and canvas and it’s becoming troublesome hiring a carriage every time. Now that we don’t have Dupree to worry about, will you purchase a carriage and hire a coachman?”
“You’re changing the subject. Are you trying to distract me?” Jean Marc asked.
“Yes,” she said bluntly. “And I’ve already told Robert to hire whatever help we need for the house.”
A faint smile touched Jean Marc’s lips. “You’ll not be scrubbing any more floors?”
“I’ll be too busy.” She pushed back her chair and stood up. “Now I must go upstairs and get the letter I wrote to Catherine last night. I want you to send a messenger with it today.”
“I sent a message to Vasaro the day we arrived to tell her we’d arrived safely,” Jean Marc said.
“You didn’t tell me.”
“We don’t seem to be communicating in any fashion these days. It can’t last, Juliette.”
“Yes, it can.” She tried to keep the desperation from her voice. “It must.” The late-morning sunshine streaming into the breakfast salon gilded the night-black of Jean Marc’s hair with indigo highlights and revealed the beautiful shape of his lips. She wanted to keep staring at him, but then, she always wanted to do that these days. It was as if, since she’d forbidden herself his touch, she couldn’t get enough of looking at him. She forced her gaze away from him and started for the door.“I’ll go get my letter. Even though there’s no urgency now, I’d still like it sent today.”
He caught her wrist as she passed his chair. “I’ll purchase a carriage for you today.” He lifted her wrist to his mouth and his tongue caressed the sensitive blue-veined flesh.
Juliette inhaled sharply. The tingling in her wrist was spreading through her arm, her entire body. “Let me go, Jean Marc.”
“Why? You like it.” His teeth pressed against her wrist, nibbling delicately. “I like it. Do you know why I haven’t touched you since we left the Ile du Lion?”
“Because I told you—”
“Because I decided to show you how hungry we’d both be if we were deprived of each other,” Jean Marc said thickly. “In truth, I didn’t expect the hunger to be so sharp. You said you liked the way I pleasured you on the island. Come upstairs and I’ll show you a much more interesting—”
“No!” She wrenched her hand away and stepped back. “I won’t do—”
“Monsieur Etchelet would like to see you, Monsieur Andreas.” Robert stood in the doorway, carefully avoiding looking at Juliette’s flushed face. “I’ve shown him to the Gold Salon.” He hurriedly left the chamber.
“François.” Juliette’s gaze flew to Jean Marc’s face. “What’s he doing here? How did he know we’d returned to Paris?”
“Danton probably told him. I saw a few members of the convention when I called on Bardot yesterday.” Jean Marc rose to his feet “And I imagine he’s here to express his displeasure at the way I parted company with him.”
She frowned. “He’s a dangerous man. I’m going with you.”
“To protect me?” His brows rose. “I’m touched you’re willing to lay down your life, if not your body, in my service. But I assure you, I’d far prefer the latter.”
“Don’t jest.”
“I’m not jesting.” Jean Marc turned and strolled toward the door. “Come along if you like. I don’t think François will become violent”
François nodded at both of them with a cool smile when they entered the salon. “Welcome back to Paris. I trust you had a successful trip?”
Jean Marc nodded. “Quite successful. I regret you became too ill to accompany us. I hope the indisposition was only temporary?”
“An extremely bad head and a worse temper. However, I got over both in time.”
“I hoped you would.”
“The object you sought is safe?”
Jean Marc looked at him innocently. “What object?”
