“Juliette. Catherine stays with Etchelet tonight because I am sure it’s best for both of you. If that wasn’t my belief, I wouldn’t have let Etchelet take her. The discussion is closed.”
“It’s not closed.” Juliette whirled toward the door. “I’ll get Philippe to—”
“No.” Jean Marc’s hand closed on her arm. “Believe me, this is one of those rare times when you arenotright. Give it up.”
She tried to pull away. “I can’t give it up. I madeher a promise. If something happens to her, I will have failed her. She needs me. I can’t—”
“Shh, it’s all right.” To his surprise, he found she was trembling with emotion. He could feel the tension, the flutter of her pulse on the wrist beneath his thumb, the feverish warmth of her skin. “Etchelet is a risk that had to be taken.”
“Risk? You don’t know what you’re talking about. You weren’tthere. You don’t know what they…” She broke away from him and turned and ran toward the stairway.
“Juliette!”
She glanced back over her shoulder. “If he hurts her, I won’t forgive you.” Her eyes were blazing in her white face. “I’ll never forgive you for making me guilty again. Do you hear me? I’ll never forgive you for the rest of my life.”
She dashed up the stairs and a moment later he heard the door of her chamber slam.
Jean Marc frowned thoughtfully as he looked up the stairs. Guiltyagain?
TEN
Ididn’t like those men,” Catherine said suddenly. Those were the first words she had uttered since the maidservant at the inn had brought their supper and left their chamber.
François sipped his wine. “Who?”
“Those men downstairs in the common room. They reminded me of—I didn’t like them.”
“I didn’t expect you to like them.” He met her gaze. “Did they frighten you?”
The intonation in the question was merely polite. He didn’t care if they had frightened her, she thought with resentment. He had deliberately lingered with those horrible men, encouraging their crude jests about brides in general and Catherine in particular until they had progressed from ribald to obscene. At first she’d only been vaguely aware of them in the same way she’d been aware of the other events of the day. Then, as François had notrushed to protect her from the abuse, she had gradually begun to catch a remark here and there and felt a tiny stirring of indignation and resentment. She repeated, “I didn’t like them.”
“You won’t have to see them again.”
“Thank you.” She looked at her food.
“You’ve not eaten more than a few bites. Eat your beef. The sauce is quite good. Georges Jacques arranged to have the meal sent over from the Café Charpentier next door. One of the reasons he began to frequent the café was the food.” A sudden smile lit his face. “The other reason was the proprietor’s daughter who cooked it. Now he has both.”
She didn’t pick up her fork. “I don’t wish to stay here any longer. May we go now?”
François studied her over the rim of his goblet. “No.”
Her long lashes rose. “I’m not comfortable here. I want to see Juliette.”
“You’ll see her tomorrow.” François set his goblet down. “Did you understand what I told Jean Marc?”
She shook her head.
“I didn’t think so. You’ve been walking around in a daze all day.” François’s hand tightened on the stem of his goblet. “If you didn’t understand, then why the hell did you come with me?”
“Jean Marc and Juliette said you wouldn’t hurt me.”
“And how do Jean Marc and Juliette know what I will or will not do?”
Her eyes widened. “Are you going to hurt me?”
“No.” He lifted his goblet to his lips, drained it, and then set it down on the table with a crash. “For God’s sake, stop looking at me like that. I mean you no harm.”
“Then why do you keep shouting at me?”
