"I have no idea," Cassie answered.
"Then I shall tell you. Set a trap. Confirm the Duke's suspicion and provide myself with an ally as dedicated to destroying Danemount as I was myself. Therefore, I allowed the Duke's spy to observe your father's 'murder.' Charles swam under water until he thought it safe, then returned to the bank and made his way to my house as planned." He smiled at her father. "The waters of the Seine are colder than your warm seas, eh?"
Her father nodded. "But the clothes you provided when I reached here are much finer than any I've worn these many years."
"It was my pleasure." He turned to Cassie. "So, you see, when the Duke comes after me, he'll have another unexpected foe with which to contend. The unexpected is always the most deadly. Don't you think it was a clever plan?"
She shivered. "Very clever."
"Enough," her father said. "This talk of death and murder is upsetting her."
"Forgive me, I forget how sensitive ladies are prone to be. But I admit to being curious regarding her knowledge of your 'death.' In fact, her very presence here in Paris amazes me. You told me you had left her safely at home in Hawaii, and yet suddenly she appears asking questions of David." He smiled at Cassie. "Both your father and I were completely bewildered. I called at your flat to assure you all was well with your father, but I must have missed you."
Assurances? She wondered what else might have occurred in that pension. Cambre was everything she remembered him to be. She felt as if a cobra were gliding beside her. "I don't see why it should surprise you. I followed my father from Hawaii because I was concerned."
"But your knowledge of our little staged charade on the Seine bothers me. I'm sure there's some reasonable explanation, but only the Duke's man saw me roll Charles into the river. Now, unless you have a connection with His Grace, I can't see how you'd assume your father was dead."
"Stop questioning her, Raoul." Her father put a protective arm around her shoulders. "As you say, I'm sure she has a reasonable explanation, but she doesn't have to give it now. She needs rest and a bath."
Raoul gazed at her for a moment and then shrugged. "You're right, of course, my friend. I'll wake the servants and have them send hot water and a tub. I believe I have some female garments about somewhere to replace those extremely odorous trousers." He opened the French door and bowed to Cassie. "But I insist you join me for breakfast in an hour's time. If I have to wait any longer, I'm certain I'll perish of curiosity."
A state much to be desired, Cassie thought as she watched him light a candle from the sideboard by the door, then stroll away from them.
Her father didn't bother lighting a candle but took her arm and led her through the dark house. He was very comfortable in Cambre's fine mansion, she thought in despair, as comfortable as he was with Cambre himself.
"I told you I'd take care of this myself," he said. "You were supposed to stay home. I wish for once you'd obeyed me."
"I couldn't do that. I had to help." She burst out, "I don't understand any of this, Papa. Why were you waiting in the garden? Why did you think anyone would come?"
"Raoul set a spy on the spy. He knew the Duke would eventually come to Paris himself. When Guillaume met with the Duke and his uncle at a tavern, Cambre's man hurried back here to report to him." He had stopped and opened a door. "After Danemount's years of searching, Raoul thought he would probably wish to strike at once."
He had been right. If Lani had not prevailed on Jared to wait, he would have walked into the trap. "You would have killed him?"
"We'll talk of this later." He lit the candle on the table by the door before crossing the room and throwing back the pale-blue silk curtains. "Isn't Raoul's house beautiful? It was kind of him to give me such a fine room."
She glanced around the room. The entire chamber was decorated in ice-blue and ivory and shades of beige, the furniture finely crafted and elegant-but there was little color or warmth. "I don't like it. I don't like him. "
He didn't seem to hear her; his gaze was fixed on the sky. "It's beginning to get light. Dawn is different here in Paris, paler, more delicate. All the colors are less vibrant here. Raoul's garden is lovely, but I miss our orchids and ginger blossoms."
"Then let's go back," she said eagerly. "Let's leave this place right now."
"I can't leave." His eyes never left the garden. "I have something to do here."
"You can't kill Jared. I won't let you." She crossed the room to stand beside him. "I know you're afraid of him, but I won't have him murdered."
"Mon dieu, I haven't heard such emotion in your voice since the night the king said he was going to have Kapu killed."
"Look at me." Her hand grasped his arm. "You can't do this. Can't you see Cambre is only using you? You're not like him. You're no murderer."
"But I am." His tone was sad. "I had a long time to think when I was on that American ship. All these years I tried to tell myself that I wasn't guilty because those deaths were out of my control, but it was a lie. I did kill them."
She stared at him in horror. "You couldn't have betrayed them. Jared said that his father called on you because you helped another family of aristocrats to escape."
"That was before I caught the fever. You don't know what it was like. It was… intoxicating. Every man had a revolutionary cockade in his hat and a story to tell. We sat in taverns and toasted the free republic and Marat and Danton. We sketched our heroes and sang the Marseilles. Then one night Raoul came along and told me how I could help the republic as a true patriot should. The Committee of Public Safety had discovered I'd helped a family of aristos to escape, but I was to be forgiven. I had only to prove my loyalty by notifying them in case I was asked to help again." He smiled sadly. "I had a wife and child; it seemed the right thing to do. Raoul was very persuasive. He promised me that any aristocrats I told him about would have a fair trial, and if they were found innocent of acting against the republic, they would only be stripped of their estates."
She stared at him incredulously. "And you believed him?"
He said simply, "I was young and I had the fever."
"But it wasn't only the Compte and his wife who were sent to the guillotine. Jared's father was murdered by Cambre's men."
"Raoul told me he had sent Jared, his father, and the Compte's baby daughter to their ship under escort. Unfortunately, they were attacked by bandits on the road and Jared's father was killed." At last he turned to look at her. "I know, I should have questioned the tale, but it was more comfortable not to. We both know I've always had a fondness for the easy way."
She felt sick. She had desperately wanted to believe Jared had been mistaken. Yet there was no surprise; somewhere deep within her she must have known this was a possibility.
"I hoped I'd never have to see you look at me like that," he said wistfully. "Don't hate me, Cassie."
Not bad, only weak and willing to blind himself to the terrible harm he was doing. "I don't hate you." She went into his arms and laid her head on his chest. No matter what he had done those many years ago, he was her father. The loving memories Lani and she had resurrected only hours before had made that clear to her. "I couldn't ever hate you."
His arms tightened around her for an instant before he released her and pushed her away. He smiled. "I do appreciate the gesture of affection, but I can't bear another minute of that terrible odor. I must see why the servants haven't arrived with that tub." He started across the room. "And when I return, we'll have to think of a good reason for your knowing about my supposed demise. We mustn't have Raoul believing you're a traitor." When he reached the door, he stopped and looked back over his shoulder. "Did you come to Paris with Danemount?"