“It’s only for a little while,” Catherine said. “And you may like Vasaro better than you think. When it’s safe for you to come back, we’ll send for you immediately.”
Nana hesitated, then shrugged wearily and turned. “Very well. I suppose it doesn’t matter.” She walked out the front door.
“She didn’t argue as much as I thought she would.” François frowned. “And she doesn’t look well.”
“How do you expect her to look? She’s borne the brunt of Dupree’s malice for the last few weeks,” Jean Marc said.
François nodded. “But she said he did nothing to hurt her.”
“We shouldn’t have believed her,” Catherine said. Nana had done so much for them. François had told her how Nana had suspected Raymond Jordaneau of being the traitor in the group and had contacted the Comte de Provence supposedly to ally herself with him in order to verify Raymond’s guilt. When Dupree had appeared on the scene she had insisted it was her place to turn Dupree’s plan against himself. Well, she had done it. But at what cost to herself they would probably never know. “Dupree managed to hurt all of us. Why should she have been different?”
“Dupree’s dead, Jean Marc,” François said quietly. “Nana saw him guillotined.”
“Thank God.” Jean Marc’s lips tightened. “I wanted to slice him into pieces myself this afternoon when I saw Juliette in that armoire.”
“You know you couldn’t do that. We would never have been able to get the boy out of the Temple without Dupree’s help,” François said. “Nana’s sent a message to the Comte de Provence saying the boy is dead. The count’s assassins won’t be searching for him. Robespierre won’t be able to make an overt search because he’llnot be sure if there’s any other evidence linking him to the escape. It was the best possible plan and you were right to play dead until Dupree left the lodgings.”
“You can say that now.” Juliette came into the room and smiled ruefully at Jean Marc. “But Jean Marc nearly frightened me to death. How could I be sure Dupree had used the same potion that Nana had switched? You were entirely too convincing, Jean Marc.” She turned to Louis Charles. “How do you do? My name is Juliette.”
“Hello.” Louis Charles drew closer to Catherine. “Catherine says you knew mymaman.”
“Very well.” Juliette smiled. “And you too. You liked me very much at one time. Of course, you were too young to have very good taste, but I’m sure I’ve improved since then. Did Catherine tell you how we’re going to get past the barriers and out of Paris?”
“Yes.” His expression was suddenly eager. “What a splendid idea.”
“I think so too. You’ll find Jean Marc is always very clever.” She turned to Jean Marc. “Why don’t you take him out in the garden and show it to him?”
Jean Marc looked inquiringly at the child.
Louis Charles straightened away from Catherine. “I’d like very much to see it, please.”
“I believe I’ll go too,” François said. “It’s time we lit the fire.”
Catherine nodded, her gaze fixed on Juliette. A moment later the two men and the little boy hurried out the back door.
Silence settled on the room. The two women looked at each other.
“Jean Marc says it may not be safe for us to return for a very long time,” Juliette finally said. “I wish you were going with us.”
Catherine shook her head. “You know that’s not possible.”
“I know.” Juliette blinked back the tears. “François wishes to save all of France. I don’t know why I encouraged you to love such a paragon of virtue. A man of ideals is much harder to live with than a roué like Philippe.”
Catherine laughed. “François is no paragon of virtue.”
“What is he, then?”
“Joy, strength,” Catherine said softly. “Gentleness.”
Juliette averted her gaze. “When will you return to Vasaro?”
“When there are no more battles to fight. When we’ve earned our garden.”
“I’ve changed my mind. It’s you who have become the paragon of virtue.” Juliette came toward her across the room. “Now I know I shouldn’t leave you. You and François will probably become martyrs.” She grimaced. “Or the most pompous of prigs. Either way, you clearly need me at hand to prick your consequence.”
Catherine rose to her feet. “Juliette, stop talking nonsense and let me tell you how much I shall miss you.”
“You always were overly sentimental. I refuse to turn this into a tearful parting. It’s not forever, you know. What’s an ocean between friends? I’m sure we will see—” Juliette suddenly rushed forward and hugged Catherine with all her strength. Her voice was thick with tears when she continued. “Send for me if you have need. I’ll come. I’ll always come to you.”
