To give credit where it’s due, someone inside Fern Vale did, ultimately, hire tutors to expand my education beyond what Welty could teach me. It was meant to be a secret arrangement, but I make it my business to know most things. I can concede that the advanced education has been crucial to my success in life.
But not so crucial as the foundation provided by Linus Welty. And that is why I’m risking my life to recover him and—more importantly—that is why I tore myself from you. Perhaps it seems bitter or harsh to ignore the letters of Viola Nancarron, but try to understand: My childhood was not spent in the loving care of Miriam and Silas Dinwiddie and fifty cats. It was as different as you can imagine. I was only spared a truly wretched existence—in fact, I was spared certain death—because of a chance encounter with a shipwrecked boatbuilder who was willing to open his life to a terrified, lonely boy.
Right. I’ve said too much. And now I have added incentive to survive the attack on Surcouf’s castle. I cannot die with “terrified, lonely boy” as your final impression of me. A cleverer man might invoke swimming in open seas for days or fighting sharks, but I haven’t the time. Our rescue mission is a little more than a fortnight away. The men I hired have returned, and we’ve begun tireless training and strategy. We’ve decided to forgo any diversion and will dress simply as members of staff.
Danielle, I am so incredibly eager to leave France. I’m eager to cease my charade as a Bavarian. I’m eager to do everything in my power to, if I survive, earn your forgiveness and the opportunity to be near you—to be with you always; your husband in earnest. You mentioned a tone of “indulgence” in my letters. Please know that indulging you is all I want in life.
If I do not survive, I’ve left instructions with your new steward for how to claim the remaining value of my estate and also your dowered land in France. I take solace in the knowledge that your new and old family will look after you. But allow me to cease the allusions and be perfectly clear: I want to look after you myself.
For the first time in a year, it is my very strong preferencenotto die. I thought I had no reason to live, and then you made me want life. So very much. Honestly, I thought Ideservedto die. But then it dawned on me: Maybe, possibly, remarkably, I survived for the purpose of being a proper husband. To you.
Now, off I go to, God willing, survive another day.
With love, your husband,
Luke
P.S. Thank you so very much for the ring. It will never leave my hand.
Chapter 24
Danielle d’Orleans Bannock returned to France the same way she’d left it: in a blind rush. At the age of two, she’d run for her life; at twenty-two, she raced to save her husband’s. She didn’t know who secreted her out of France all those years ago, but she knew the band of conspirators who returned her. Lord Fernsby, out for blood. Dani’s brother, Gabriel Rein, who joined them in Calais. Marie, the fierce nun who had served as protector to Elise d’Orleans Crewes, had become Dani’s personal bodyguard for this endeavor. Overseeing them all was Dani’s brother-in-law, Killian Crewes. Killian had been reluctant to embark on a rescue mission to salvageanotherrescue mission, but when Dani would not be deterred from going after her husband, he was given little choice.
The four of them had crossed the Channel from Dover, convened with Dani’s brother, Gabriel, and swept through Calais in the middle of the night. From Calais, they’d ridden hard for the village Luke had described in his letters. Repeatedly, Killian and Marie had implored Dani to take some rest—an hour on the side of the road, or a night spent in an inn—but she’d refused. She would reach Luke and Chateau d’Oiron by the night of his raid.
Their journey was populated by drunken sailors, French military patrols, and wary locals. To a person, the French were suspicious of the odd band of foreigners who spoke a mixture of native and schoolroom French—or, in the case of Killian, hardly any French at all. But Killian bade them keep eyes averted, engage only when necessary, and hand out bribes to anyone who challenged them. They were never in one place for more than a half hour.
Dani hadn’t traveled farther than Maidstone since she’d been two years old, so crossing the Channel and streaking through France was a little like being plunged into a cold stream. She’d barely noticed. Since the day Luke’s last letter had arrived, she had thought only of going to him. With tears in her eyes, she’d raced to Elise and Killian, laying out the letters that detailed his plan. They’d set out the next day.
In the end, they’d reached the village of Lumbres with seven hours to spare. The extra time was spent in a barn near the Chateau d’Oiron. Killian had bribed the farmer, and the man and his wife brought food and a washtub, vowing to say nothing about their curious guests. After they’d washed, eaten, and donned disguises, they’d gone over their loose strategy again. Everyone served the group with the part they played, even while each team member harbored his or her own, personal goal.
Dani had wanted her husband to survive, to rescue his friend, and to shame Vincent Surcouf. Fernsby had wanted to recover Luke and to kill Surcouf. Sister Marie and Killian only wanted Dani safe. Gabriel, too, wanted Dani safe—but also to appraise the Orleans family lands that were part of Dani’s dowry.
All of these hinged on infiltrating the castle without raising suspicion and moving freely inside of it. To achieve this, Killian suggested that the men layer two separate disguises so they might choose identities and change as needed. They would dress as French officers in uniform to enter the gates; inside, they would be peasant servants from the kitchens. Dani would go as herself and wear a silk ball gown. Sister Marie, in the role of Dani’s chaperone, wore her nun’s habit.
The moon was high and bright when they joined the queue of guests waiting to enter Chateau d’Oiron. The night was warm, and the smell of burning torches mixed with the perfume of the elegant partygoers. Anticipation crackled among the guests, anxious for a party.
“First time inside a castle, Danielle?” Killian whispered, moving forward with the line.
Dani nodded. “Yes. Also, I’ve never been to a proper ball. And I’ve not been in France since I was a baby.”
“So you haven’t. Well, the journey here was not for the faint of heart. You’ve been very stalwart, indeed. Forgive me if I’ve seemed reluctant. I want to help you; honestly, I do. And I’d be lying if I said there’s no appeal in the adventure of it, for old times’ sake.” A sigh. “But my previous life, which never lacked for adventure, also never held so much to lose. Being a husband and a father changes things.”
Dani nodded. “I know we’ve put everyone at risk. I’m so grateful. I couldn’tnotcome for him. I simply could not. And he is here, Killian. On the grounds, tonight, this moment. I can sense it.”
“Sense it, can you?” said Killian. He glanced at Sister Marie with a knowing look.
“Stay close to Marie,” Killian coached, speaking lowly. “She fights as well as any man. She once rescued me from a fire, and I’m not even an Orleans. She’s sworn an oath to protect your family and she takes it very seriously.”
“Sister Marie has vowed to protect the Orleans family,” Dani repeated softly. “And Lord Fernsby owes a life debt to Luke. And I have my vow of marriage. There are so many obligations to see through.”
Killian cracked his neck to the side. “Obligation or no, what we need isluck. We’re endeavoring to steal a prisoner from a Frenchman inside his own bloody castle. As an offensive, it’s under-planned, ill-timed, and wants several more men. The odds are not in our favor. Your brother, Gabriel, is our fail-safe, God love him. He’s disavowed his title of prince, but he’ll go through the motions if we get in a bind.”
For the hundredth time, Dani wished her brother hadn’t felt duty bound to enter the castle. He could’ve waited on the edge of the forest and ushered them to safety when they fled. He’d refused. Where his baby sister went, he’d said, so would he go. The loyalty made her heart swell, and she prayed that the very great risk they all took would not end in injury, or capture, or—God forbid—loss.
The group of revelers ahead of them moved forward, their voices raised in a lively song. Dani understood the French words, but she didn’t know the tune. It felt odd to be surrounded by so much unrelenting French conversation. Dani spoke the language fluently; Miriam and Whittle had arranged tutors who were native speakers. But conversing with a tutor was different than hearing the language in country. For Marie and Gabriel, of course, French had been their first language. Lord Fernsby had taken a lifetime of French in the best schools. Only Killian’s French was weak; but he looked mature and distinguished in his French uniform. His lapel dripped with medals and his shoulders were marked with the bars of a highly decorated officer. His plan was to play the role of silent, stoic man of few words.
“Remember,” Killian whispered, “our priority is to gain access and move about without raising suspicion. We’re not here to attack anyone. If we achieve anonymity, the goal becomes to extract Bannock. He’ll also be endeavoring to blend in. As a career smuggler, one can only guess he’s rather good at it. In his last letter, he claimed his team would dress as staff. It’s as good a plan as any. As we search for him, remember that footmen, musicians, and guards tend to share a similar expression. They’ll look compliant and bored. We’re searching faces for the opposite bearing. Bannock and his team will be alert and motivated. They’ll project a certain intensity. Also, they’ll be walking the opposite direction of everyone else.
