He took her hand, patted it. ‘All right. Let me see what I can arrange.’
6
Outside the Au Petit Suisse
Camille yanked the knife out of the letter, struggling to bring herself to close her hand around the hilt. She didn’t want to touch the knife that had killed Molyneux. But she needed to read the letter.
In a spidery hand it revealed that Ada was held at the duc’s pleasure and would be released in exchange for Olympe. Their ruse had failed – they knew Olympe was alive, and now Camille had to choose.
Ada or Olympe.
Her mind scrabbled like a rat in a trap. She was playing, and losing, a game she didn’t understand.
The door opened, and James stood in front of her.
‘Oh, thank goodness you’re back.’ He paused, taking in the tears streaking down her cheeks. ‘That bad?’
She pushed the letter into his hands.
The light faded in his blue eyes as he read.
‘I told you something was wrong.’ She snatched the letter back to read it again, frantic for any hint of where Ada was, what she could do to make this right.
Other than hand over Olympe. Give up on everything they’d fought for.
James put his hand gently on her shoulder and nudged her inside.
‘Ada’s smart. She can look after herself. She’ll be okay.’
He tried to slide his arm around her, but she pulled back. She didn’t deserve comfort.
‘I messed up. I messed everything up again. What made me think everyone would behave like good little chess pieces and stay where I placed them on the board? I’m an idiot.’
‘Hey, no—’
‘I ruin everything. They trusted me and I got them hurt. I’ve lost everyone. Al, Ada, Maman, Papa, Uncle Georges…’
She desperately didn’t want to cry but it hardly felt like a choice. She’d been hiding all her fear and grief and loss for so long it felt as if it had rotted her from the inside out and now she was ready to burst and spill foul, putrid tears over anyone who saw her. And that person was James.
‘I’m alone,’ she said into his jacket. ‘Everyone’s left me and now I’m alone.’
He pushed her hair out of her face so he could look her in the eye.
‘No, Camille. You’re not. You’ve got me. You’ll always have me.’
‘Oh, god, please stop saying that. You don’t understand.’
‘You keep saying that but what is it I don’t understand, Cam? What’s going on? What changed with us?’
‘Ada. IloveAda. I’m in love with her. I have to save her because without her I don’t know who I am any more. I don’t know how to have a life without her.’
‘Oh.’ He stiffened, brows knit together in confused. ‘I … see.’
‘I’m sorry. I didn’t want to lie to you. Not about something this important.’
‘I suppose you did say things had changed.’
She scrubbed her tears away. ‘You can hate me if you want, just please say you’ll still help me.’
