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.I’ll send Amya up with your tray.”She nodded and climbed the stairs, went into Raul’s bedchamber, and shut the door behind her.Going to the sofa, she stretched out and wearily rubbed the stiff muscles of her neck.As she suspected, the etiquette lesson had been an unmitigated disaster.Raul’s people resented her, resented the notion that they could be improved, and Prospero had made it clear that he wouldn’t take instruction from a foreigner.She covered her eyes with her hand, trying to block the memories.Raul would be pleased to know this room was now her sanctuary.The click of the lock woke Victoria from her unplanned slumber.Candlestick in hand, Raul stumbled in.He looked young, handsome, happy, rakish, with his jacket off, his white shirt unbuttoned, his collar and cravat flapping.When he saw her eyes were open, he put his finger to his lips in a shushing motion.With elaborate care, he shut the door behind him.She lifted herself on one elbow.“Where have you been?”“What a wifely question.If you’re going to ask wifely questions, you have to perform wifely duties.” He leered at her.“Want to?”Her eyes narrowed on his flushed face.“You’ve been drinking.”“Is it obvious?” He cupped his hand in front of his mouth and blew, then pretended to wither from the smell.She stifled her amusement.He waggled his finger at her.“Be careful, Miss Cardiff; you almost smiled.”“You’re amusing.” When Amya had come in with the dinner tray, she had gently woken Victoria, pulled the pins from her hair, helped her into her nightgown, coaxed her to eat a few bites of bread and butter, then pulled the blankets over her and covered the dinner tray with a clean white napkin.While Victoria sought escape in sleep, Amya built up the fire, then quietly shut the door behind her when she left—and Victoria had heard the key turn in the door.Even Amya locked her in.But now the fire had burned down to a pile of glowing embers, and no light slid through the window.Victoria squinted through the shadows toward the clock on the mantel.“It’s late.”“Very late.” He smiled blissfully.“I was at the casino.”“What were you doing there?”He put the candlestick down on the bedside table, then came to loom over her in that exasperating, irritating way he had.“I was gambling.” So suddenly she blinked in astonishment, he plopped himself down on the carpet and grinned into her face.“And I was stealing.”All trace of her sleepiness vanished.“Stealing what?”“Everything!” He gestured widely, wafting the smell of whiskey toward her.“Every last bit of wealth the Tonagra gambling hall has won for the last month.” He grinned triumphantly.“You did this?”“No.My people did it.” He pouted like a little boy who’d been cut out of the game, then brightened.“But I planned the whole thing.”Grasping the blanket to her chest, she sat all the way up.“You really stole their entire take for the month?”“Every last gold franc and lire and pound.Every banknote.Every voucher.The de Guignards were going to transfer the hoard to their accounts tomorrow, but now all they’re doing is running around looking foolish and trying to convince the frightened tourists that they’re safe and should remain in the country.” Happiness spilled from him in wild exuberance.“What were you doing while your people were pulling off this theft?”“I was gambling.And winning.At the tables.In plain sight, and without a care in the world.And after my people were done and the money was secure, I found out”—he grinned—“that I couldn’t collect my winnings, so I threw the biggest tantrum you’ve ever seen.” He wore his hair tied back in a black ribbon; now he pushed his fingers through the strands and tore the bow from its moorings, then winced in pain.But that didn’t stop him.He waggled his finger at her.“Jean-Pierre de Guignard doesn’t like me.He’s the one who got me drunk.”“Why?” she asked in alarm.“He was trying to appease me, he said, assure me I could collect my winnings as soon as they discovered the lousy rotten thieves.I asked how long that would take.He assured me it would be soon.I said soon wasn’t soon enough.” Raul frowned as if he couldn’t quite make sense of his own sentence.“Was he possibly suspicious of you?” Did this man know no fear?“He’s suspicious of everyone.If he’d really suspected I was behind the theft, I’d already be missing my teeth and my eyes, and all my fingers would be shattered and my balls would be ripped off and I’d be screaming in agony and—”“Please!” She held up a hand.“No more.”“Sorry.” Catching her hand, he kissed her knuckles.“Sorry.You’re so easy to talk to, I forget you’re a lady.”She sighed at his less-than-flattering explanation.“Yes, I see how you would.”“Here’s the thing.Here’s my strategy.I know there’s one thing authorities never expect, and that’s that the thief will call attention to himself, so I just kept complaining.Loudly.Over and over.You should have heard me! To shut me up, Jean-Pierre finally put me in his own carriage and sent me home.” Raul flopped flat on his back on the floor and laughed uncontrollably.She leaned over the edge of the sofa and laughed with him.She didn’t know why.In the normal run of things, she didn’t approve of theft.But he was so pleased with himself, so unguarded.He was almost innocent in his pleasure, and something about his spirit called to her.When he finished laughing, he looked up at her.“Do you know what I’m going to do with that money?”“Fund the revolution? Buy more firearms?”“No.No, no, no.This money is for after the revolution.This money will fund the government, feed the people, get us through the first winter until we can reassure the tourists that they’ll be safe here.When they’re back, we’ll use them to become a rich country.To be secure from the large countries that would absorb us and use our income for their people rather than ours.” He laughed again.“The theft—it went better than I could ever have imagined, and Jean-Pierre will be busy for the next fortnight trying to track me down [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.I’ll send Amya up with your tray.”She nodded and climbed the stairs, went into Raul’s bedchamber, and shut the door behind her.Going to the sofa, she stretched out and wearily rubbed the stiff muscles of her neck.As she suspected, the etiquette lesson had been an unmitigated disaster.Raul’s people resented her, resented the notion that they could be improved, and Prospero had made it clear that he wouldn’t take instruction from a foreigner.She covered her eyes with her hand, trying to block the memories.Raul would be pleased to know this room was now her sanctuary.The click of the lock woke Victoria from her unplanned slumber.Candlestick in hand, Raul stumbled in.He looked young, handsome, happy, rakish, with his jacket off, his white shirt unbuttoned, his collar and cravat flapping.When he saw her eyes were open, he put his finger to his lips in a shushing motion.With elaborate care, he shut the door behind him.She lifted herself on one elbow.“Where have you been?”“What a wifely question.If you’re going to ask wifely questions, you have to perform wifely duties.” He leered at her.“Want to?”Her eyes narrowed on his flushed face.“You’ve been drinking.”“Is it obvious?” He cupped his hand in front of his mouth and blew, then pretended to wither from the smell.She stifled her amusement.He waggled his finger at her.“Be careful, Miss Cardiff; you almost smiled.”“You’re amusing.” When Amya had come in with the dinner tray, she had gently woken Victoria, pulled the pins from her hair, helped her into her nightgown, coaxed her to eat a few bites of bread and butter, then pulled the blankets over her and covered the dinner tray with a clean white napkin.While Victoria sought escape in sleep, Amya built up the fire, then quietly shut the door behind her when she left—and Victoria had heard the key turn in the door.Even Amya locked her in.But now the fire had burned down to a pile of glowing embers, and no light slid through the window.Victoria squinted through the shadows toward the clock on the mantel.“It’s late.”“Very late.” He smiled blissfully.“I was at the casino.”“What were you doing there?”He put the candlestick down on the bedside table, then came to loom over her in that exasperating, irritating way he had.“I was gambling.” So suddenly she blinked in astonishment, he plopped himself down on the carpet and grinned into her face.“And I was stealing.”All trace of her sleepiness vanished.“Stealing what?”“Everything!” He gestured widely, wafting the smell of whiskey toward her.“Every last bit of wealth the Tonagra gambling hall has won for the last month.” He grinned triumphantly.“You did this?”“No.My people did it.” He pouted like a little boy who’d been cut out of the game, then brightened.“But I planned the whole thing.”Grasping the blanket to her chest, she sat all the way up.“You really stole their entire take for the month?”“Every last gold franc and lire and pound.Every banknote.Every voucher.The de Guignards were going to transfer the hoard to their accounts tomorrow, but now all they’re doing is running around looking foolish and trying to convince the frightened tourists that they’re safe and should remain in the country.” Happiness spilled from him in wild exuberance.“What were you doing while your people were pulling off this theft?”“I was gambling.And winning.At the tables.In plain sight, and without a care in the world.And after my people were done and the money was secure, I found out”—he grinned—“that I couldn’t collect my winnings, so I threw the biggest tantrum you’ve ever seen.” He wore his hair tied back in a black ribbon; now he pushed his fingers through the strands and tore the bow from its moorings, then winced in pain.But that didn’t stop him.He waggled his finger at her.“Jean-Pierre de Guignard doesn’t like me.He’s the one who got me drunk.”“Why?” she asked in alarm.“He was trying to appease me, he said, assure me I could collect my winnings as soon as they discovered the lousy rotten thieves.I asked how long that would take.He assured me it would be soon.I said soon wasn’t soon enough.” Raul frowned as if he couldn’t quite make sense of his own sentence.“Was he possibly suspicious of you?” Did this man know no fear?“He’s suspicious of everyone.If he’d really suspected I was behind the theft, I’d already be missing my teeth and my eyes, and all my fingers would be shattered and my balls would be ripped off and I’d be screaming in agony and—”“Please!” She held up a hand.“No more.”“Sorry.” Catching her hand, he kissed her knuckles.“Sorry.You’re so easy to talk to, I forget you’re a lady.”She sighed at his less-than-flattering explanation.“Yes, I see how you would.”“Here’s the thing.Here’s my strategy.I know there’s one thing authorities never expect, and that’s that the thief will call attention to himself, so I just kept complaining.Loudly.Over and over.You should have heard me! To shut me up, Jean-Pierre finally put me in his own carriage and sent me home.” Raul flopped flat on his back on the floor and laughed uncontrollably.She leaned over the edge of the sofa and laughed with him.She didn’t know why.In the normal run of things, she didn’t approve of theft.But he was so pleased with himself, so unguarded.He was almost innocent in his pleasure, and something about his spirit called to her.When he finished laughing, he looked up at her.“Do you know what I’m going to do with that money?”“Fund the revolution? Buy more firearms?”“No.No, no, no.This money is for after the revolution.This money will fund the government, feed the people, get us through the first winter until we can reassure the tourists that they’ll be safe here.When they’re back, we’ll use them to become a rich country.To be secure from the large countries that would absorb us and use our income for their people rather than ours.” He laughed again.“The theft—it went better than I could ever have imagined, and Jean-Pierre will be busy for the next fortnight trying to track me down [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]