Chapter Five

CHAPTER FIVE

DAPHNE

December 25, 1765

Chateau de Champs-sur-Marne

I lay in bed that night, trying not to doze off. étienne and I had occupied ourselves for over an hour with spirited lovemaking, but now we were spent. After the day I'd had, I could feel the exhaustion creeping in. I wasn't sure how much longer I could wait for the jewel thief to strike.

I got up and went to the window of my bedchamber. Snowflakes were still falling, but much slower than the frenzied blizzard from earlier. The sliver of moon made the snow on the ground glow a pale blue. I opened the window and inhaled. There was a faint whiff of smoke from the hearths of distant houses, but everything else smelled cold and new and wet.

"I forgot how beautiful winter can be," murmured étienne. He'd snuck up behind me, padding silently across the carpet on stealthy feet. He wrapped his arms around my waist and leaned his chin on my shoulder. We continued to watch the snow fall in silence.

"It's long after midnight," I realized. "Merry Christmas, chéri. Do you want your present now?"

"Absolutely," he said. "But truthfully, Daphne, you're the only thing I need."

I tutted. "Don't be silly. This is important."

I went to my dresser and pulled out a small velvet box. étienne took it and eyed me curiously. He opened it slowly and exhaled.

"Daphne, what…" He picked up the ring and held it aloft in the moonlight.

"I know, it's a bit odd," I said, strangely nervous. "But after you turn me, you won't be able to drink from me anymore. I wanted you to have something to remember how it was."

The ring was solid gold with a small droplet of blood encased in crystal. In any light, it would look like a stunning ruby ring.

"It's wonderful," he said quietly. "I'm speechless. No one has ever offered me anything so precious. But darling, I could never forget how you taste."

"I just wanted to—shh! Do you hear that?"

Rising up from the ground below came the soft crunch of footsteps in snow. I stepped away from the window and looked around. I didn't see anyone.

étienne inhaled deeply. "Someone is near, but I can't smell them yet. The woodsmoke from the fire is too strong."

We heard faint scraping sounds of leather against stone—someone was climbing the wall beneath my window, which was an impressive feat considering my bedchamber was on the third floor. étienne motioned to me, and we melted into the darkness on either side of the window. I'd purposely left l'étoile d'Or out on a table instead of putting it back in the vault. The necklace glittered temptingly.

Two hands reached over the railing and hefted a body inside. Just as fingers closed around the jewel, étienne and I launched ourselves on top of the thief, knocking us all onto the ground.

"Unhand me!" cried a rough male voice.

I lit a candle and held it in front of the intruder.

"Robert!" étienne and I said at once.

étienne's butler grimaced at us.

"Robert," étienne repeated. "Oh, mon ami, how could you?" The sadness and betrayal in his face was almost too much to bear. I tied his hands behind him with one of my hair ribbons, cinching the knot a tad tighter than was necessary.

"It is not as it seems," Robert cried. Tears started to leak from the corners of his eyes. "Monsieur de Noailles, forgive me, please! Forgive me!"

"You're going before The Order, Robert. You'll have to ask them for forgiveness," étienne replied bitterly.

"Wait," I said. "What do you mean, ‘it's not as it seems'?"

"I still have the jewels!" he said. "All of them! I didn't want to steal them, Your Grace, I swear I didn't. They told me to take them. They said if I didn't, they'd tell Monsieur about my past."

"Your past?" étienne repeated, confused.

"Forgive me, Monsieur. I…I used to pick pockets, but it was a long time ago—before I found a job in service with the old Vicomte de Noailles. I'll admit I was a thief, but no longer, I swear to you! They told me if you found out the truth, you'd turn me over to the gendarmerie , or The Order. I don't want to leave your service, Monsieur, I don't! Please don't send me before The Order. I can return everything!"

Robert choked out a sob and my heart clenched. étienne looked less convinced.

"Who's blackmailing you, Robert?" I asked.

"I can't," he cried. "They'll ruin me."

étienne's expression softened a touch. "If what you say is true, I promise we'll keep you safe."

Robert considered us and blew out a miserable sigh.

"The Balays."

"I knew it!" I exclaimed, unable to stop myself. étienne and Robert looked at me in surprise. "Sorry," I whispered. "It's just that I suspected them. Do go on."

Robert continued. "I don't know how they found out about my past, but somehow, they did. Every few weeks, they give me a name and a jewel to steal. I'm supposed to give them everything next week—including your necklace, Your Grace. The marquise sent word to me this evening when she returned from the party."

"How were you supposed to deliver the jewels to them?" I asked.

"I was supposed to put them in a box on the back of their carriage when they leave for their country estate next week," he sniffed. étienne handed him a handkerchief.

Suddenly, Charlotte burst into the room wielding a fireplace poker.

"I'm here! Have you apprehended the—oh, merde. It seems I have missed out."

"Robert, étienne's butler, is the thief, but he is being blackmailed into it by the Balays," I summarized for her.

"I knew it!" she crowed. "I knew it had to be them, the rotten snakes."

"What are you going to do with me, Monsieur?" Robert asked.

"It's up to the duchesse. She's the one you tried to rob," étienne said. Robert let out a tortured wail.

"Calm yourself, Robert," I said, untying him. "I'm not going to turn you over to the gendarmerie or The Order, and it's very likely that Monsieur de Noailles is not going to terminate your employment. As for me, I'm going to see that the marquis and the marquise receive exactly what they're supposed to."

"You want me to give them the jewels?" Robert asked, astonished.

"Precisely," I said.

Several days later, étienne and I decided to take a leisurely evening stroll through the streets of Paris. We took our time, ambling along the sidewalk next to some of the more expensive townhouses in Paris. We watched people come and go, ducking the cold, snowy weather. A commotion in the distance attracted our attention.

"You know," étienne began. "I never gave you your Christmas present. After Robert broke into your home, time just seemed to get away from us."

"Oh?"

A group of eight uniformed men with the gendarmerie had stopped a carriage and were swiftly emptying trunks and chests right into the street. Fine gowns and suits of clothing spilled across the mud, as well as folios of paper, hatboxes, boxes of cigars and cases of brandy. We heard the loud screech of a woman nearby, as well as the booming voice of a man who believed himself to be in charge of the situation. We strolled closer.

"Yes," he said, handing me an envelope. I opened it and unfolded the paper within.

"It's…an architectural plan?"

"For a new set of apartments in your chateau. All underground—designed for us after your turning. I didn't want you to have to give up your family home as well as your humanity," étienne explained. He seemed anxious.

We neared the excitement in the street just in time to see an officer open a small wooden case with several priceless pieces of jewelry inside—some of which were strikingly familiar.

"I've never seen those before in my life!" The Marquise de Balay shrieked.

"Who the Hell do you think you're addressing? Do you realize we are related to the king?" The marquis shouted at the gendarmerie.

The officer shook his head in disgust. "I doubt His Majesty will be pleased with anyone that steals jewels from his courtiers, whether they're a relative or not." He shoved them both into a much less comfortable carriage—destined for the Bastille, I'd expect—just as étienne and I walked past. I caught the eye of the enraged marquise through the barred window. The look she gave me was sharper than any of my daggers.

I blew her a kiss.

étienne and I stood and watched as the carriage trundled away.

"Good riddance," étienne muttered.

I smiled to myself and sighed. "I'm glad that's over with."

"Daphne, if you don't like the plans, you can always change them," étienne said suddenly. "It's entirely up to you. I didn't want to overstep because it is your home, after all. I just thought that you might…"

"étienne, stop!" I laughed. "I love it. It's a wonderfully thoughtful gift. We'll begin construction immediately."

Relief washed over his face, and I leaned in to kiss him. He smiled against my lips and wrapped an arm around my waist. His tongue slipped out and caressed mine. Heat coursed through me until I was certain the snow was melting around me. I pulled away.

"You know, I didn't have any dessert this evening," I drawled. "And I believe I still have some blood oranges at home…"