Another lie. Every time I ask Lucien about the size of Jacob’s debt, he remembers an additional payment my brother owes or shows me the interest accruing in eye-watering amounts. But what choice do I have? I can’t leave Jacob like this.
“You should run, Gideon. Get out of Paris. Don’t you see?” Jacob’s eyes widen with fear. He scratches a sore on his neck. “Now that he knows how good you are, Lucien will never let you go. And he has his uses for me too, tied up like this.”
“I’m not abandoning you again.”
I hate myself for leaving him. I escaped our small village as soon as I was old enough to work. Labouring is hard, but honest. I may not have had the elegant attire or fine lodgings of Lucien’s gang, but I had money for food and board and no longer feared my drunken father returning home to drag me out of bed for a beating. I thought that Jacob would be safe – our father never touched him, as he was the favourite. Instead, Jacob followed Dad into the darkness.
He drank too much, gambled too much, and owed too many bad debts to Lucien Vega. Even then, I might not have come to Paris to help him, but when I received Jacob’s letter begging for help, he hinted that the things Lucien made him do frightened him. The envelopewas stained with blood. So I came with my meagre savings, thinking I could clear Jacob’s debts, but it wasn’t enough for Lucien, especially not once he got a taste of how good I was at his line of work.
“It’s the least I deserve.” Jacob’s body sags. He lets out a series of wet, hacking coughs. “Pass me another bottle, brother.”
I don’t want to give him more wine, but whatever Lucien is doing to Jacob, he needs to be drunk to endure it. I never could deny my baby brother anything. I hand him a pinot noir from the shelf just as a scraping noise and voices upstairs reach my ears.
“That will be the Devil and his minions now.” Jacob waves a hand at me. “You’d best run upstairs, so he doesn’t think we’re conspiring to escape him.”
“We wouldn’t dare.” I pat my brother on the head and turn away, unable to look at him any longer. He looks so much like our father after one of his beatings, all broken and sorrowful, filled with self-loathing. His chains clank and the wine in the bottle splashes as I drag myself up the narrow stone steps.
Lucien sits at the kitchen table, his eyes two bright lamps in the gloom.
“Hello, Lucien. I didn’t expect you back for some time.” He doesn’t usually return during the night. His lips are swollen, stained with red from the wine he’s been drinking. He shifts in his seat, putting me instantly on edge. “I was just giving Jacob some food.”
“I came home to check on my Little Prince.” Lucien’s smile is all teeth and menace. “You are back late. And what has happened to your face? A quarrel with your dear brother?”
“The old man attacked me.”
Lucien’s eyes flash. “He should not have been awake. I told you to go during the daytime!”
“It’s fine. I got the job done. Payment received.” I drop the old man’s purse on the table, next to one of his fingers. The leather of the purse bears my bloody handprint.
Lucien looks me over, his gaze lingering on my throat. I swallow. His smile grows wider, and the dark is playing tricks on me because it appears as though two of his teeth have grown into sharp, curved fangs.
“Excellent work, as always.” Lucien sips his drink, his expression turning thoughtful as he studies me. “I have a new job for you. I know I can trust you to get this done. Last night’s excursion was not simply for enjoyment. I was conducting an investigation. Do you recall the courtesan you spoke to?”
“Arabella Macquart.”How could I possibly forget her?
Something of my feelings must show in my face because Lucien’s lips curl back with disdain. “Do not allow her pretty looks or elegant manner to fool you. She is dangerous.”
I lean forward, intrigued.
“You saw the necklace she wears around her neck, no?”
“The paste?”
“No, not paste. That woman wears the Antirhodos Collar – jewels that once adorned the neck of the last queen of Egypt. The scarab in the centre of the necklace is made from lapis lazuli, the snake set with emeralds and rubies. It’s said that it is worth more than all the money in the world because of its magic. Legend says that the person who possesses the jewels will be blessed with long life and good luck.”
If that’s true, how did the collar end up around Arabella’s neck?She might have been the finest woman I’ve ever laid eyes on, but she’s a madam and owner of a theatre of ill-repute in Montmartre – a far cry from an Egyptian queen.
Everything Lucien has said makes me more intrigued by Arabella Macquart.
“Imusthave the collar,” Lucien continues. “I have been seeking it for some time. But your usual techniques will not work on Arabella Macquart.” He regards my bloody handprint with amusement. “She is already intrigued by you. Use that to your advantage. I will provide money so you can gain her trust with trinkets or flowers. But whatever you do, don’t allow her to bite you.”
“Tobiteme?” I laugh. “I don’t play those games with women, Sir.”
“I am serious, Little Prince. If she sinks her fangs into you, she will have you under her spell. I don’t like it when people take what’s mine.” He reaches for the bottle and pours himself another glass. The stenchof his wine itches my nostrils – a metallic tang that turns my stomach. “You’ve worked hard for me, Gideon. You are one of the best I’ve ever had, and I have taken advantage of you. I don’t want you to think that your hard work is without its rewards. If you do this for me, then I will set Jacob free.”
“You will?” I’m wary now, wondering if Lucien overheard my conversation with Jacob. But that would be impossible – he would have had to come down the staircase to listen in, and I would have heard him, seen him.
“I will wipe his debt clean. He will be free to leave the city, with my blessing. It’s the least I can do.” Lucien holds out his hand. “One final job for me, Monsieur Rougon. Do you agree to my terms?”
