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“I think you do know. I could use a woman with your talent for theft.”
She stiffened. “You must have mistaken me for someone else.” She could almost see the door handle now. The lock would be relatively easy to pick. She needed to reach into her hair and grasp a pin…
“You are exactly who I think you are. Only, I don’t want you to merely steal necklaces. I want you to steal people.”
“People?”
“No. Don’t turn around,” he warned. “It’s better if you don’t know my identity, because what I’m asking you to do will endanger your life. If you accept my proposal, you could end up forming an intimate acquaintance with Madame Guillotine. And she is a most unforgiving creature.”
Gabrielle swallowed. “Are you the—“
“Shh,” he whispered. He was closer now. She could feel the heat of him behind her. “Don’t say it. I have a mission for you, Lady McCullough.”
Gabrielle shook her head in disbelief. The Scarlet Pimpernel had a mission forher? Until now, she hadn’t been certain he existed. “But what can I do?”
“Oh, a great deal. There’s a woman, the comtesse de Tonnerre and her infant daughter. I was able to smuggle the comte de Tonnerre out of France, but circumstances prevented the comtesse’s escape. Even now, she and the child are imprisoned in La Force. I have managed to bribe certain officials to put off the day of their execution, but I cannot hold off the mobs forever.”
“But surely the child will not be executed.”
“No, but what chance does she stand in a filthy prison, my lady? The child will surely die if we do not act quickly.”
Gabrielle no longer felt fear or dread for herself. She thought only of the mother and child, awaiting certain death. “I ask again, what can I do?”
“The revolutionary government knows of me and my League.”
Gabrielle’s breath caught. Now there could be no question that the man speaking to her was the Scarlet Pimpernel.
“They are suspicious of any men entering Paris right now. But women are still relatively free of suspicion—as free as anyone can be in that hell of a city. I need you to sneak into Paris and steal a bracelet. This particular bracelet has sentimental value to a certain revolutionary official. The bracelet will buy the life of the comtesse and her daughter.”
Gabrielle felt her heartbeat kick. She was intrigued despite—or perhaps because of—the danger. “What bracelet?”
“Le Saphir Blanc.”
She drew in a breath and shook her head. “Impossible. The White Sapphire is only a myth.”
“It is no myth, my lady.”
Gabrielle allowed this information to sink in. The bracelet was real. What she wouldn’t give to see it, a cuff encrusted with jewels, at the center of which lay a perfect white sapphire. It was commissioned by Louis XIV, the Sun King, and was the stuff of legends. The latest rumors were that it disappeared during that final raid on the royal family at the Tuileries, but others thought it had been taken during the looting of Versailles.
“I know where it is,” the Pimpernel whispered seductively. “But I warn you, it is heavily guarded.”
Gabrielle blinked. What had she been thinking? She couldn’t steal le Saphir Blanc! “Impossible. I’m no good at skirting guards or skulking about in strange cities. Why, I haven’t been to Paris in years. You ask the impossible.”
“I would have thought stealing Lord Grenville’s bust of Caesar impossible, but you managed it.”
Gabrielle started in shock. How did he know about Caesar’s bust?
“You are a clever woman, Lady McCullough. You will find a way.”
“But I don’t think—“
“Shh.” His hand on her shoulder startled her. “Don’t answer now. Think it over. If you decide to join my League, I will send you more detailed instructions tomorrow.”
“But how will you know what I decide?”
“I’ll know. My instructions will be marked with my signature, a humble wayside flower. Scarlet, of course.” He lifted his hand.
“I see. But how will I know…” She paused, noting the absence of his presence behind her. “Sir?”
