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Twenty-Two
Laurent grabbed thehamper from Honoria and threw it in the guards’ path. It wouldn’t slow them much, but it would give him and Honoria a head start. He knew several paths to the dungeons, and he took the most circuitous, hoping to lose the guards before they reached the dungeon. The last thing he needed was for them to discover the secret passage. He would need it if he were to make another attempt to rescue the dauphin.
They ran past stone walls, some covered with frayed tapestries, but most bare. Doors were closed on either side, and few lanterns burned, so that they were all but shrouded in gloom.
But Laurent knew exactly where he was. All those nights he’d spent with Charles Philippe in this drafty building had paid off. He would save Honoria and himself. She had fallen behind him, and he reached back and grabbed her hand, pulling her to keep pace with him. Finally, he rounded a corner and pushed her against a wall. “Shh!”
He listened intently for the sound of booted feet following. He heard nothing but Honoria’s gasps for breath. “And...I...wanted to...be more...than...a pretty face.”
“You are that, my sweet,” he said, kissing her quickly on the lips. “Come on.” He took her hand and pulled her after him again. He hated leaving little Louis Charles, but he had no choice. He would see Honoria safely away, see Marie-Thérèse settled in Vienna, and then come back for the dauphin. “Down these stairs,” he said, motioning at the landing before them.
“I’m hopelessly lost,” she said.
“We’re almost there,” he reassured her, though after descending the stairs they would have to cut across the main floor of the Temple and then back to where the dungeons lay. He hadn’t taken this route before because the chance of encountering guards was greater, but there was no point in worrying her. He wouldn’t allow her to fall, whether from a building or into enemy hands. He would get her out because he’d said he would.
And he always made good on his promises.
They started down the steps, Laurent first and Honoria right behind him. The steps curved around, making their path down a blind one. Unfortunately, that meant as soon as they rounded a corner, they spotted the guards waiting for them on the other side.
“Back up!” Laurent yelled. “Back!”
Honoria lifted her skirts and ran back the way they’d come. This time the echo of boots and shouts ofhaltwere almost deafening.
But Laurent wasn’t out of tricks yet. There was more than one secret passageway.
When Honoria made to leave the stairs at the landing, Laurent took her waist and pushed her up higher. “To the gallery,” he said, indicating the open air walkway the royal family had been allowed to use at one time. She ran higher, but she was flagging, and he passed her, grabbing her hand and pulling her. When they reached the gallery, Laurent closed the door, but there was no way to bolt it from the outside. “Run across!” he directed.
She followed him, and Laurent tried to ignore the shouts of pedestrians on the streets below. They were seen now, but they would disappear soon enough if he could only reach the far side of the gallery and the turret.
The door behind them slammed open, spewing forth guards, just as he reached the other side. He yanked the door open, pulled Honoria inside, then slammed it shut. This time he bolted it. He pulled her down the narrow steps until he reached the landing. There he pulled on a wall sconce, and a panel in the wall opened up.
“Another secret passage?” she gasped.
“Yes. This one leads to the main building. From there I can find my way to the dungeon and back out.” The passage was very narrow, and only one person could fit at a time. “I’ll go first and you follow.”
She jumped as the guards who had been chasing them reached the opposite side of the gallery and attempted to break the door down.
“What about the door? The guards will discover it.”
“Artois and I were never able to discover the mechanism to close it from inside. It only opens and closes from the sconce. There’s nothing to be done for that.”
She shook her head and took a step back. Panic rose in Laurent’s chest. Was the pounding of the guards growing louder? “Honoria, hurry!”
“Go, Laurent,” she said, looking far too calm. “This is the only way. Get out and take Marie-Thérèse to Vienna. We’ll never make it if the guards discover the secret passage.”
“No!” He held his hand out. “I don’t care about that. Come with me.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, stepping out of his reach. And then she pushed the sconce back and the door slammed shut.
***
LAURENT STOOD COMPLETELYstill for three hard heartbeats, staring at the wall now separating him and Honoria. Why the devil had she done it? Why had she doomed herself to capture?
