“Mmm,” Bram returned, leaning back in his seat. He clearly saw right through me, that I wasn’t a servant any more than he was. But he was polite enough to move on and allow me my secrets.
For now.
“And how far from the château did you find it?” the tall gendarme with the bushy mustache asked, scribbling in a notepad hurriedly. His partner, a short, squat man with an upturned nose, squinted at the hand lying on the table before them. With only the indirect light of the room, the bluish-white hue of the hand made it look like stone. Something about it lying there, naked and exposed, made me uneasy, like I was observing something perverse. But nobody else in the room seemed to share the sentiment.
I held myself still, as I had throughout the interview. As if by moving I might draw unnecessary attention to myself. I felt a bead of sweat drip down the nape of my neck, but I ignored it. “It wasn’t far. Maybe a five-minute walk from the stables.”
“And it was just off the footpath?”
“Yes, sir.”
The tall gendarme exchanged a look with his partner, and I tensed, waiting for them to dive into questions aimed at me: What I was doing there, who my last employer was, where my parents lived. But those questions never materialized. The tall gendarme closed his notepad and nodded his thanks to me. “Very good, Mr. Dupont. If we have any further questions, I assume we can find you at Château le Blanc?”
“Of course.” Relief swept through me and my shoulders relaxed.
Bram frowned. “You will want me to examine the hand, I’m sure?”
“No need.” The short gendarme tossed a cloth over the hand and swept it into a box. “He was clearly the victim of a wild animal. No one from town has been reported missing, and unless they are, I expect this will remain the case of an unfortunate stranger passing through who encountered some bad luck.”
“Bad luck?” I echoed, swallowing hard. “What sort of animal wrenches a man’s hand from his arm?”
“A bear, most likely. Although it could have been any number of animals. The woods aren’t safe to wander alone at night. You’d be wise to remember that, Mr. Dupont.”
I shuddered as my imagination conjured a bear surprising me in the woods, its muzzle opening wide, dripping saliva. What a horrible way to meet one’s end.
“I could perhaps narrow down the offending creature for you with a proper examination,” Bram persisted. The gendarmes shared another look. The tall man straightened. “We won’t waste your time any more than we have already, Monsieur Valancourt. If we have any further need of your services, we’ll contact you. But this is a clear case that need go no further.”
“Good day, and thank you for bringing this to us.” The short man tipped his hat before disappearing into a back room with the box. The tall gendarme sat down at his desk and began to rifle through some paperwork, making it clear that we’d been dismissed.
I left the room feeling uneasy. I was relieved, of course, that they hadn’t asked any personal questions, but the lack of any questions was odd.
When Bram closed the door behind me, I noted the tight set of his jaw and knew he felt the same. We’d been humored. aThe gendarmerie had never had any intention of investigating the matter. Whether it was a lack of thoroughness on their part or something more sinister, perhaps a crime they were already aware of and were looking the other way …
“Come along, Emile.” Bram placed a hand on the small of my back and guided me forward. “There’s nothing more to be done here.”
My legs obeyed, and I felt an electricity hum through my body at his touch, although he could have hardly felt the same. When I looked up at him, it was to find him clearly distracted. His hand on my back had been an automatic reaction, not some form of intimacy. Of course. It would have been silly to imagine otherwise.
We left the station and headed back to his carriage, but Bram paused as we reached it, and seeming to remember himself, withdrew his hand from my back and straightened. He considered me for a moment. “I don’t suppose you have to go back right away?”
I licked my lips. “Grimes did say that he was covering for me today.”
A smile broke out over Bram’s face. “Then you simply must accompany me to dinner. I haven’t been to my club in ages, and I do hate going alone. You can be my excuse. It’s just in Saint-Baldolph.”
My stomach flipped at the thought. I hadn’t eaten in a club in ages. To be waited on, to go out and enjoy someone’s company … it was so tempting. But it would take an hour, at least, to reach Saint-Baldolph. “I … I’m sorry, Bram, but I don’t think I would be back in time. I still have to assist with valet duties tonight.”
The smile on Bram’s face never faltered for an instant. “Your next day off then. Come, promise me.”
“I … yes. I would love to,” I agreed, returning the smile.
“It’s settled then. In the meantime, we can get a bite to eat at a pub.”
“That would be perfect.”
Satisfied, Bram clapped a hand on my shoulder and led me away from his carriage and up the avenue in the opposite direction. I tried not to glow from the attention, but it was hard to keep from beaming. Here I was about to have dinner with a handsome doctor’s apprentice. Perhaps I hadn’t completely ruined my life, after all.
I was still high from my time with Valancourt when I returned to Château le Blanc.
Bram, I reminded myself, as I was let into the servants’ entrance. He wants you to call him Bram.
