Epilogue

EPILOGUE

CHARLOTTE

October 31, 1767

Palace of Versailles

I watched Daphne and étienne twirl around the ballroom, their eyes never straying from one another. Daphne—newly-turned vampire and soon to be the Duchesse de Noailles, thanks to étienne's newly bestowed title—was still the main topic of courtly conversation tonight. As the first titled woman to willingly succumb to the blood plague, she had shocked the court to a dangerous degree, but had weathered their disapproval with grace and aplomb. While her decision to ally herself with the supernatural set pushed her firmly to the fringes of the tonne , she didn't seem to mind in the least. I wondered if Daphne had even noticed , honestly, considering how starry-eyed and in love my cousin seemed to be.

To both Daphne's and my surprise, the Order had handled the news of her turning with eager anticipation. As I'd suspected, her increased stealth, strength, and speed were extremely beneficial for her work with the organization, and Daphne's progressive influence on the attitudes of the upper circle had started to turn a few minds to her new vampire rights cause—gradually, but with conviction. The Order seemed to be undergoing a change of nature, as well, or so I hoped.

The allemande ended, and the band struck up a lively minuet . All the couples on the dance floor—save for Daphne and étienne—changed partners and began anew. Unsurprisingly, they had enjoyed a scandalous courtship, even by Versailles standards, and they'd eschewed propriety yet again by attending this year's All Hallow's Eve masquerade in matching Persephone and Hades costumes.

Really , I thought with a smile. Can't they keep their affections to themselves for an evening?

The dance ended and I watched them kiss, oblivious to the whispers around them.

I didn't bother to hide my grimace. I was happy for them, truly, especially after everything they'd been through, but it didn't stop the pang of envy that shot through me. I thought I'd had love once. Well, not love, really, but at least affection. The lovers I'd had after Philippe's imprisonment had all been temporarily satisfactory but had proved wanting in the end. Observing Daphne and étienne on the dance floor now made me realize that the thing I'd been missing—the thing I'd been longing for—was a love of my own. A love like Daphne and étienne's, a love that would defy the laws of nature and humanity and…well, any other laws.

Sadly, as I looked around the luminous ballroom, I reasoned I wasn't likely to find a love like that within the walls of Versailles. That was fine. Really, it was. I had my duties to the DD to occupy my mind and my time.

Speaking of which, I should really get back to work. My target tonight made Philippe's crimes look like child's play, and I was determined to see him brought to justice. Multiple counts of rape and abuse—including children—had been levied against him, and the DD had gathered enough evidence to warrant action from The Order. I was that action. I saw Daphne flick her fan twice in my direction—the signal that my target had arrived.

I climbed down from the perch in the beech tree from which I'd been surveying the ball, grateful for the freedom that my costume allowed. I certainly didn't enjoy donning men's attire as often as Daphne did, but one had to admit, breeches did make it easier to skulk around in the dark. Initially, I was disappointed that I wouldn't get to attend the masquerade in an outrageously expensive gown, but once I'd received the details of my assignment, I'd sort of come around to my Cupid costume.

I brushed the dirt from my toga, adjusted my mask and wig, and sauntered into the hall through the open glass doors. It didn't take me long to find my target in the crush of people—the Marquis de Sade stood out like a sore thumb. I wound my way around the edges of the ballroom, making my way to the vile man. He was dressed as a wolf—something that felt uniquely perverse to me, given all the innocents he'd preyed upon. I approached him with a glass of champagne in hand.

"Monsieur," I said, lowering my voice in what I hoped was a masculine timbre. "You look like you could use a drink."

The marquis eyed me appreciatively. "Most gracious of you, dear boy. Have we been introduced?"

I smiled shyly. "No, Monsieur. But I am most anxious to remedy that. My name is Latour."

"Latour. I am Donatien." Sade's eyelids began to droop—a sure sign that the sedative I'd slipped him was already beginning to take effect.

"Donatien," I said, taking his arm. "Might we find a quiet place to better get acquainted? I find these ballrooms can be most stifling, don't you?"

Sade blinked slowly and murmured his assent, allowing me to steer him outside toward the hedge maze. Out of nowhere, Daphne intercepted me, shoving a square of parchment into my hand. As quickly as she'd been there, Daphne melted away into the crowd. I pulled the marquis hurriedly through the garden and darted a look at the note.

Someone else has been watching the target. étienne spotted him and is on his trail. Guard yourself well!

" Merde ," I swore.

"What's that, Latour?" Sade tripped over his feet and I almost fell. " Mon Dieu, I do feel peculiar… Where are we going, my friend?"

I reached the hedge maze and thrust him forward. "How about a little game, Monsieur? I'm sure you'd enjoy that. I know how fond you are of games."

Sade chuckled and mumbled something unintelligible. I made a left, a right, then two more lefts inside the labyrinth until I was absolutely certain we were alone.

"All out here on our own, are we?" Sade slurred. He began to pluck at the falls of his breeches, unsuccessfully attempting to remove them. "Come on, then, boy, let's play that game of yours…"

I unclasped the thick black cord from my neck that would serve as my garrote, but before I could pounce on the man, I heard a high-pitched whistling, followed by a soft thump, and then a groaning wheeze. Sade collapsed forward on top of me and we crashed to the ground. I shoved the marquis off me and swallowed a scream—protruding from his chest was a long, thin arrow shaft. Blood seeped out from the wound, staining his brown velvet waistcoat.

Panicked, I ducked down behind one of the bushes and cast my gaze around wildly. Where did the arrow come from? Who else is here? Who else wants Sade dead?

I waited long minutes for any other sound but heard nothing. Satisfied that I probably wasn't in any danger—the arrow could have hit us both, but it hadn't—I crawled forward to check Sade's pulse. The arrow, it seemed, had pierced his heart. He is dead.

Suddenly, I heard a crashing noise behind me. Before I could escape, a man tumbled out of the bushes and stood over me, a crossbow raised to my chest. A long, black cloak obscured his face and his form, giving him an air of menace.

"Do not move, boy," came a voice from beneath the hood. "Or I shall kill you, as well."

Irrational anger replaced my fear. I stood, throwing my shoulders back and finding my haughtiest aristocratic tone.

"Who the Hell do you think you are?" I snarled. "Do you realize what you've just done?"

The man threw back his hood and glared at me. My jaw dropped open. He was the most beautiful man I'd ever seen. He didn't have the dark, seductive beauty of étienne, but rather a rugged self-possession that bordered on dangerous. Waves of chestnut hair fell across his face, mussed from wearing his hood. Dark slashes of brows and long, gossamer lashes set off vibrant green eyes. His strong jaw hadn't seen a shave in several days, his nose had been broken and reset at least once, and he carried a thin, crescent-shaped scar from his brow to his cheek. I felt my knees wobble a bit when the man sneered at me, his full lips drawing back to reveal a set of perfect white teeth.

"Ungrateful fop," he hissed. "I just saved your life. Don't you know who this man is? He eats young lads like you for breakfast."

Finally coming to my senses, I remembered my disguise and pitched my voice low again, growling at him in fury. "He was mine. You have no idea what you've done."

Disgust twisted the man's face. "Yours? Well, I'm certain you'll be able to find another demon to entertain your desires. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be off. I don't want to be around when the guards find his body."

I couldn't help it; I snickered at the man's choice of words—a demon to entertain— oh, if he only knew . My irritation returned, however, when the man turned to leave out the back gate.

"So, you're just going to leave me here to clean up your mess? I don't think so! I had my own plans for dispensing with the body, but since you were so insistent that he be your kill, you deal with it."

The man cocked his head in confusion. "Dispensing with the body? Wait—are you… You were not his lover?"

I threw my head back and laughed. "Certainly not! I was here to see that he pays for his crimes. I had everything worked out until you arrived and mucked it all up. How am I supposed to explain an arrow to the chest, then? I can't, you idiot! If only you'd let me finish my job and strangle him properly, it would have been easily made to look like an accident. But no! Typical man, running into a situation without thinking it through and then leaving me to clean up. Well, not this time, Monsieur!"

"Wait—your job? ‘Made to look like an accident?' What are you talking about, boy? Are you well?" He looked at me like I was mad.

"Yes, yes, and yes. Don't you know? He was particularly fond of throttling during sex. We have numerous statements testifying to that. One small slip and, oops! Quel terrible accident! No one would be the wiser."

I glared at the man, beyond irritated that he'd ruined my assignment and my evening, and had so unsettled me that I'd muttered on about my plot to kill the marquis. Hopefully he's too thick-headed to pay much attention to me. Still, it's probably best to make use of this disguise and let him think I'm some mad dandy.

I took in the man's impressive stature and form—purely to see what I was dealing with, of course, and not because I enjoyed looking at him—and reasoned he must be the man that Daphne and étienne had gotten wind of, but that begged a much bigger question.

Who was he?

THE MAN

I continued to stare, trying to make sense of the lad's mutterings. Who was this fop? In the gloom of the hedge maze, all I could see was a small, lean figure clad in some kind of ridiculous Roman costume; a pleated silk toga, small, feathered wings, and a bow with a quiver of arrows. A wreath of golden flowers and hearts sat atop a queue of short brown hair. The lad had a sweet enough face—big brown eyes, mink-like lashes, rosy cheeks, and a cupid's bow smile—but that could have been the beauty of youth. Was he a bit off in the head? What was he doing out here? Was the boy a guest of the masquerade? Was he one of Sade's men?

I shuddered at the thought. If he was with Sade, he would need protection. I started to say so when we heard the crunch of footsteps along the gravel path.

Someone else is coming!

We could not be discovered here with the dead marquis—especially with the young man and his quiver of arrows. I swallowed an oath. I should have been more careful. If I didn't act now, the boy would likely be blamed for the marquis's death. I cannot have another death on my hands. I did the only thing I could think to do. I whacked the boy on the back of the head with my crossbow, knocking him out. I slung the boy's body over my shoulder—quite a sturdy young thing—and snuck back through the bushes to the drainage grate in the wall. Once I was through the wall, I picked up my pace, not bothering to stop when I heard the pair of voices discover the body of the dead marquis.

" Mon Dieu, étienne! An arrow? It's not one of hers, is it? Where is she? What do you think happened?"

"I don't know, Daphne, but I smell someone else here. I think—I think she's been taken."

To be continued in book two of the Vampires in Versailles series, The Agent and the Outlaw