He looked down at the wine in his glass. “Nothing.”
“There must be something you want. You’re very greedy.”
“Thank you.”
“Oh, I approve of greed. All the best artists were greedy. They took whatever they needed from life and from the people around them and put it into their work. It’s really quite fair when you consider what they gave back. That’s the most sublime form of avarice.”
He looked startled. “And is my greed sublime?”
“Well, perhaps not sublime, but I’ve never heard talk of you cheating anyone, so surely it’s a good, honest greed.”
He smiled faintly. “Well, since I’m afraid you don’t have anything to feed my greed, you’ll just have to go—”
“The Wind Dancer!” Juliette’s eyes were suddenly alight with excitement as she leaned forward in her chair. “Of course. You want the Wind Dancer!”
A flicker of surprise crossed his face. “And you don’t have it.”
“But perhaps I could think of a way to get it for you.”
His gaze narrowed on her face. “I thought you said Marie Antoinette had the right to keep her treasure?”
“It’s not doing her any good in the Temple, is it?” She was thinking quickly. “How much would you be willing to give to get the Wind Dancer back? I can’t remember how much you offered the queen.”
“Two million livres. Plus the loan I made to the king.”
“And you didn’t get any of the loan back?”
He shrugged. “I knew it was a risk.”
“Two million livres.” Juliette gnawed at her lower lip. “It’s a great deal of money. Would you pay me two million livres for the Wind Dancer?”
Jean Marc was silent a moment. “Yes.”
Her gaze flew to his face. “Youdowant it. It wasn’tonly your father who wished it returned to the family. You want it too.”
Jean Marc sipped his wine.
“You must want it very badly.” Juliette’s gaze was still fastened on his face. “Why?”
“I don’t like being thwarted.”
“No, I think it’s more than that.”
“If it is, then I refuse to let you probe it out of me. A man must have a few secrets.”
Jean Marc had more than his share and Juliette had never wanted more to uncover them than at that moment. In the candlelight his black eyes shimmered with cynical amusement and those beautifully shaped lips smiled mockingly. Yet, beneath it all, she sensed something…
He shifted his shoulders impatiently. “This conversation is useless. You’re trying to sell me something you don’t possess.”
“I’ll want two million livres for it,” Juliette said slowly. “And I want to stay in this house under your protection for as long as I wish. That’s my price for the Wind Dancer. Would you pay it?”
Jean Marc frowned impatiently. “You’re being ridiculous. You don’t have any idea who has the statue.”
“Would you pay it?”
“The revolutionary government has been searching for the Wind Dancer ever since it disappeared.”
“Would you pay it?”
