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He turned his back, and Ernestine and Marie-Thérèse quickly traded outer garments. Madame Élisabeth and Honoria helped with pins and tapes and soon Ernestine stood beside the king’s sister and the princess stood beside Honoria. Laurent turned and the little princess rushed into his arms, sobbing.
He whispered to her and patted her shoulder, then he motioned to Honoria. She opened the door and peered outside. The two guards were exactly where they had fallen. She nodded to him and with a last goodbye and a word of thanks for Ernestine, the three exited the room and closed the door. Honoria stifled a sob at the thought of Ernestine inside the prison cell, but she would think of that later. At the moment, her concern was helping Marie-Thérèse to safety.
She handed the hamper to the princess. “Take this. Keep your head down and don’t speak to anyone.”
“Follow me,” Laurent said. He led them deftly through the winding maze of the Temple, leading them back down into the dungeon. When they reached the entrance, they opened the door and called to Lord Anthony. He sprinted up the steps and bowed to the princess.
“Madame Royale, if you would accompany me, I will help see you safely away from here.”
“But Montagne?” she asked, looking at Laurent.
Lord Anthony gave Laurent a warning look. “Don’t do anything foolish, monsieur.”
Laurent ignored him and put a hand on Marie-Thérèse’s shoulder. “I must go back for your brother. I will join you soon, and you and Louis Charles will have a joyous reunion, yes?”
She nodded, tears in her eyes.
“I knew you would never follow the plan. You’ll get yourself killed. Miss Blake, come with us.”
Marie-Thérèse looked at Honoria, then Laurent. Honoria stepped back. “I’ll go with the marquis. He’ll need my help if we’re approached by guards.” She bent and lifted the hamper.
“Honoria, don’t be a fool. Come with us,” Lord Anthony demanded.
“You should go,” Laurent added. “It’s safer.”
“Is Mademoiselle de Lambriquet safe?” she demanded. “Will you be safe?” She shook her head. “I will see this through.”
Lord Anthony swore. “I’ll send the princess ahead with Mackenzie and see if I can secure another conveyance for you. I’ll give you an hour. After that, I’ll assume you’ve been made a permanent resident.” He offered his arm to the princess. She looked at Laurent, then reached up and kissed his cheek.
“Thank you,” she whispered. She looked at Honoria. “Both of you.” Finally, she took Lord Anthony’s arm and descended the stairs into the dungeon.
Laurent closed the door and looked at Honoria. “One more time. This time we strike first. We give the guards no chance to ask us questions.”
“Agreed.”
She hefted the hamper and carried it in front of her as she followed Laurent. She would not be able to carry it back down. The original plan had been to secrete the dauphin inside it, using the linen to make a lump in his bed so the guards who looked in would think the boy asleep. But even the weight of the young dauphin would make the hamper too unwieldy for her to manage. Perhaps no one would see them and wonder why a guard carried a hamper instead of a maidservant.
Although this was her second trip to the Tower, she still did not recognize the path Laurent took. She followed him blindly, concentrating on keeping the hamper from dragging on the floor. Then Laurent rounded a corner and stopped abruptly. Honoria all but ran into him before looking up and past him.
“There they are!” The older guard from outside Marie-Thérèse’s cell pointed to them. A half dozen other guards turned to look at them.
“Merde,”Laurent said. Then, “Run!”
