Read Online The English Heiress by Roberta Gellis - Free Book Online
Authors: Roberta Gellis
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we are thieves?”
“There won’t be guards on the wall. Why should there be? France may be at war in the north, but there’s no present danger of invasion here. As to the people in the houses—in that part of the town we’re more in danger of being stopped to share what we have stolen than of being reported to the authorities. If anyone questions us, we need only say we’re escaping criminals—and surely we look the part. They’ll likely help us.” A bitter laugh shook him “We’ll not even have to lie. It’s true. To those who rule now, we are criminals.”
Leonie was a good deal less sure of this wall-climbing notion than of her father’s previous idea. She had been hoping that her father would suggest a house in town where it would be safe to hide. Apparently he did not believe that would be possible. There had to be a better way than attempting to climb the wall.
“The offices of the civil guard are here in the Hôtel de Ville,” Leonie suggested. “Perhaps we could write passes for ourselves so that the guards would let us out the gates?”
“That’s a good idea,” Henry agreed, ‘‘but I don’t know the forms they use now or what excuse anyone except a messenger could have for leaving in the middle of the night. If we were decently dressed and had a horse and carriage… But for a man and woman afoot and in rags… No, Leonie, I don’t think it will work. However, if we have time, we could try to find something. Perhaps there will be passes we could copy or even steal. Henry’s eyes brightened. ”Perhaps there will be weapons we could steal.”
Henry was catching fire at the notion of action after such a long and bitter hopeless state. Leonie was delighted to see him “alive” again, but she did not wish to be swept away by his enthusiasm and hurled into a new trap. She could see that if they could obtain weapons, they could get through the gates by killing or threatening the guards. Well, that or over the wall. She would try anything, but to make their escape successful they would need money, and Leonie did not believe her father would steal. Louis had a few francs around, and she had every intention of taking those, but it was a very small sum. If Louis had more money, either it was not in his room or it was well hidden.
“If we cannot go to your friends,” Leonie said, shelving for the moment the problem of how to pass the walls and raising the new idea that had hit her, “the question arises of how to live and how to get far enough away that Jean-Paul cannot seize us again. We will need money, Papa.”
“Yes, and clothes and horses—but those can be bought with money. We have money, Leonie. There’s money at the château.”
Leonie caught her breath and looked aside. Did her father think the château would be as he left it? Did he think the peasants had not run amok over it as soon as he had been seized by Jean-Paul?
“No, my love,” Henry said gently, seeing what she feared in her face. “I’m not living in a dream world of the past.” His eyes shadowed. “Of course, if they have burned it to the ground… Well, let’s hope part is still standing. There was a secret strong room just behind the chimney in the library—that would be the last place to go even if the château was set afire. The wall slides out from behind the mantelpiece. Even if they have burned and sacked the house, I don’t believe they would have found that room.”
That was probably true. Leonie herself had not known there was such a room. Seeing her surprise, her father smiled.
“I didn’t tell you or François because your mother—” His voice wavered and the smile died, but he took a breath and continued steadily, “Your mother had this terrible fear that you might think it was a place to play and lock yourselves in, in some way. It didn’t seem important that you should know.”
It was not. Nothing in the past was important except the money, if it was there, and the danger involved in
“There won’t be guards on the wall. Why should there be? France may be at war in the north, but there’s no present danger of invasion here. As to the people in the houses—in that part of the town we’re more in danger of being stopped to share what we have stolen than of being reported to the authorities. If anyone questions us, we need only say we’re escaping criminals—and surely we look the part. They’ll likely help us.” A bitter laugh shook him “We’ll not even have to lie. It’s true. To those who rule now, we are criminals.”
Leonie was a good deal less sure of this wall-climbing notion than of her father’s previous idea. She had been hoping that her father would suggest a house in town where it would be safe to hide. Apparently he did not believe that would be possible. There had to be a better way than attempting to climb the wall.
“The offices of the civil guard are here in the Hôtel de Ville,” Leonie suggested. “Perhaps we could write passes for ourselves so that the guards would let us out the gates?”
“That’s a good idea,” Henry agreed, ‘‘but I don’t know the forms they use now or what excuse anyone except a messenger could have for leaving in the middle of the night. If we were decently dressed and had a horse and carriage… But for a man and woman afoot and in rags… No, Leonie, I don’t think it will work. However, if we have time, we could try to find something. Perhaps there will be passes we could copy or even steal. Henry’s eyes brightened. ”Perhaps there will be weapons we could steal.”
Henry was catching fire at the notion of action after such a long and bitter hopeless state. Leonie was delighted to see him “alive” again, but she did not wish to be swept away by his enthusiasm and hurled into a new trap. She could see that if they could obtain weapons, they could get through the gates by killing or threatening the guards. Well, that or over the wall. She would try anything, but to make their escape successful they would need money, and Leonie did not believe her father would steal. Louis had a few francs around, and she had every intention of taking those, but it was a very small sum. If Louis had more money, either it was not in his room or it was well hidden.
“If we cannot go to your friends,” Leonie said, shelving for the moment the problem of how to pass the walls and raising the new idea that had hit her, “the question arises of how to live and how to get far enough away that Jean-Paul cannot seize us again. We will need money, Papa.”
“Yes, and clothes and horses—but those can be bought with money. We have money, Leonie. There’s money at the château.”
Leonie caught her breath and looked aside. Did her father think the château would be as he left it? Did he think the peasants had not run amok over it as soon as he had been seized by Jean-Paul?
“No, my love,” Henry said gently, seeing what she feared in her face. “I’m not living in a dream world of the past.” His eyes shadowed. “Of course, if they have burned it to the ground… Well, let’s hope part is still standing. There was a secret strong room just behind the chimney in the library—that would be the last place to go even if the château was set afire. The wall slides out from behind the mantelpiece. Even if they have burned and sacked the house, I don’t believe they would have found that room.”
That was probably true. Leonie herself had not known there was such a room. Seeing her surprise, her father smiled.
“I didn’t tell you or François because your mother—” His voice wavered and the smile died, but he took a breath and continued steadily, “Your mother had this terrible fear that you might think it was a place to play and lock yourselves in, in some way. It didn’t seem important that you should know.”
It was not. Nothing in the past was important except the money, if it was there, and the danger involved in
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