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Honoria started. She’d been brushing her damp hair near the fire after a thorough washing. With her small bed so close, she hadn’t been able to stop her thoughts from straying to the bed she’d shared with Montagne the night before. She had lain stiff and awake for hours, half afraid he would ravish her.
Half afraid he would not.
And then when she’d wakened, the scent of sandalwood with the hint of citrus had seemed to surround her. It was his scent, his warm weight on the mattress beside her, his quiet breathing she heard intermingled with birdsong and the rustle of trees.
She could hardly fault him for staring at her when he’d finally wakened. She’d spent a good portion of the morning staring at him. He was a truly beautiful man. The mark on his temple had been all but obscured by a wave of chocolate brown hair. Though she couldn’t see his eyes, she knew they were the same color as the countryside in spring. His lips had been parted slightly, and the contrast of pink beside the black stubble made them look all the more delicious.
She’d wanted to kiss them, which made him all the more dangerous.
And Alex asked whathehad done toher.
“He didn’t touch me,” Honoria answered, looking over her shoulder.
Alex raised a skeptical brow, but Honoria bit back her amendment—very much.
Alex sat on her bed, crossing her legs on the mattress. It was a most unladylike pose, but as usual, Alex didn’t seem to care. “Then why have you decided to assist him?”
Honoria sighed. “I explained all of that.” She returned to brushing her hair. “At length.”
Indeed, she’d explained it more than once. First to Sir Andrew and Alex, then to Lord Anthony and Sir Edward Mackenzie, and finally to Lord Edward Hastings. Each member of the League had argued with her.
Sir Andrew’s argument had been that she was not prepared for the dangers of the mission. Honoria could not argue. Notwithstanding the past day, she had done nothing in Paris but forge documents in the peace and quiet of the safe house.
Sir Edward Mackenzie had argued that the princess was in no danger. The revolutionaries had no reason to kill her.
Lord Edward Hastings had argued that they would rescue the dauphin in good time and this attempt might ruin all their planning.
Finally, Lord Anthony had given his own opinion. “You have gone completely daft.”
“Even if you do manage to rescue the princess and the dauphin, how will you smuggle them out of France? The king and queen already failed once in their attempt to escape,” Alex said, reiterating her earlier argument.
Honoria scowled. “As you well know, that escape attempt was ludicrous. The royal family insisted on traveling together in large, luxurious coaches and the king was recognized after stepping out to dine in public. An idiot could make a better plan than that.”
“Then what is your plan?”
Honoria’s brush caught on a tangle and she winced. “I leave that to the marquis.”
“Yes,” Alex drawled. “He seems quite adept at evading capture.”
Honoria jumped to her feet. “Then perhaps those of you who have done this sort of thing countless times could lend some assistance. If you are all so afraid of me failing and exposing the League, why don’t you help me?”
“You forget that neither I nor Ffoulkes nor Tony have the final say in what we do or do not do in the name of the Scarlet Pimpernel.”
“Then we send him a missive.”
Alex rolled her eyes in the dramatic fashion that had made her so popular on the stage. “And you think that so simple? He is not in France at the moment. If you and the pretty noble would only wait a few weeks—”
“Everything could change in a few weeks. The children may be moved or die from abuse or neglect. We cannot afford to wait.”
“We cannot afford to fail, and we must plan this carefully.”
Honoria crossed to Alex and took her hands. Alex had small hands, as befit her petite, slender frame. “Alex, we are discussing children.Children. We cannot allow them to languish in prison. They are fatherless and will soon be motherless. The Scarlet Pimpernel would want us to act.”
Alex closed her eyes, her brow knit in consternation.
“If we cannot even save two innocent children,” Honoria whispered. “Then why are we here?”
Alex blew out a long breath. “When you put it that way...”
