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“Why else would Madame du Champ visit so infrequently?”
He couldn’t resist asking. “And what do you think now?”
She put her arms around his neck and kissed him. Too easily, the annoyance of a few moments ago dissipated. “Now I think if I ever see Claudine du Champ again, I will have to kill her. I want you all to myself.”
She was beautiful under the light of the moon with the jagged chimneys and roofs of Paris behind her. Up here, he could almost forget about the committee and the guillotine and the fact that she was in league with the Scarlet Pimpernel. Up here, it was just the two of them, and when he held her in his arms, nothing else mattered. He returned the kiss and immediately wished he hadn’t been so eager to leave her bedchamber. Truth be told, he’d been shaken by their lovemaking. When she’d opened her arms to him, it had been more than the tempting curves of her body that drew him. He wanted more time with her. He craved it.
And he’d been afraid that if he gave in, he would never want to leave her.
But he couldn’t afford to close himself off to what was happening in Paris. Robespierre must be stopped. The documents he’d unwittingly provided the Scarlet Pimpernel were one step toward that goal. Freeing the little boy was another. The former dauphin was a living symbol of all that had gone horribly wrong with the revolution. Tristan could not make it all right, but he could save one little boy.
The action would probably ensure his death; Alexandra’s too. And that was another reason he couldn’t allow himself to care for her. If he did, how could he allow her to sacrifice herself as they would all do in just a few short days?
She pulled back from the kiss and studied his face. “You’re thinking too much.”
“It’s a bad habit.” He rested his chin on the top of her head and looked out over the city he loved. The towers of Notre-Dame were visible near the river and just beyond that the Hôtel de Ville.
“Care to tell me what you’re thinking about?”
“How we will all die trying to save this boy. Although, you and I might die tonight.”
She stepped away from him. “You won’t die. I won’t let that happen.” She took his hand and led him to the next crossing. As he watched her leap across the space between the buildings, he almost believed her.
***
AN HOUR LATER THEYreached the gardens of the Tuileries, after having made their way almost exclusively via the roofs. Tristan would not have believed it possible, but it was clear Alexandra had done it many times. She had ropes, planks, and even ladders in position. Now, looking at the darkened edifice of the Tuileries, he felt less confident. In such a large palace, where so many committees met and where it seemed the guards were always about, Tristan didn’t see how they could enter without being seen and stopped.
“Where is your office?” she asked, peering at the palace from behind the trunk of a tree.
The former palace was mostly dark. The republic could not afford the extravagance of lighting such a large building, but a few lamps burned here and there. Tristan pointed to the Salle des Machines. “There is where the committee meets. My office is adjacent to Robespierre’s.” He squinted. “Right about there.”
“Ground floor?”
“Yes.”
“That makes it easy then. We simply open the window, slip inside, then once we have the pass, we slip back out again.”
“And what if someone is walking by? The guard has patrols and members of the committee may be about.”
“We keep to the shadows.”
“If that does not work?”
She started for the next tree, stepping into its shadow with Tristan following closely. “You worry too much. I told you. Nothing will happen to you. When we’re closer, point out the window. I’ll climb in while you keep watch from the garden. We’re fortunate your office isn’t in the front. We’d have no gardens then.”
“Robespierre wanted a view of the gardens.”
“Of course, he did. Wretched little man,” she muttered. “Come on.”
Faster than he would have liked they crept closer to the palace until the once manicured gardens left little shelter. “It’s that window, correct?” She verified the one he’d pointed out for the last time.
“I should go with you.”
“Stay here,” she said. “You’re more valuable to the league than I am. If anything should happen to me, do not try and interfere. Go straight home and stay there. If I don’t return tonight, the league will know something has happened.”
“I don’t like this.” He didn’t like watching her go into danger or having to stay back as though he were some sort of coward.
She nodded. “I know the feeling, but sometimes the most important task is to be the one who stays behind so the fight can continue another day.” She waved a hand. “Not that you should worry. I’ll return in a few moments. Where is the pass?”
