Will pushed the boy’s arm away. “Don’t touch me.”
“What are you going to do about it?”
2›“Ca suffit” 2›
Both men spun round. Alice strained to get a better look, but the woman hadn’t come far enough into the room.
“What is going on?” she demanded. “Squabbling like children. Francois-Baptiste? ”William?“
2›“Rien, maman. Je lui demandais-‘ 2›
Will was looking stunned as he finally realised who it was who’d come in with Francois. “Marie-Cecile. I had no idea…” He faltered. “I wasn’t expecting you back just yet.”
The woman moved further into the room and Alice got a clear look at her face.
It can’t be.
Today, she was dressed more formally than the last time Alice had seen her, in a knee-length ochre skirt and matching jacket. Her hair was loose around her face rather than tied back with a scarf.
But there was no mistaking her. It was the same woman Alice had seen outside the Hotel de la Cite in Carcassonne. This was Marie-Cecile de l’Oradore.
She glanced from mother to son. The family resemblance was strong. The same profile, the same imperious air. The reason for Francois-Baptiste’s jealousy and the antagonism between him and Will now made sense.
“But, actually, my son has a point,” Marie-Cecile was saying. What are you doing in here?“
“I’ve been… I was just looking for something different to read. It’s been… lonely without you.”
Alice winced. He sounded utterly unconvincing.
“Lonely?” she echoed. “Your face tells a different story, Will.”
Marie-Cecile leaned forward and kissed Will on the mouth. Alice felt the embarrassment seep into the room. It was uncomfortably intimate.
She could see Will’s fists were clenched.
He doesn’t want me to see this.
The thought, bewildering as it was, came and went from her mind in the blinking of an eye.
Marie-Cecile released him, a glint of satisfaction on her face.
We’ll catch up later, Will. But now, I’m afraid, Francois-Baptiste and I have a little business to attend to. Desolee. So if you’ll excuse us.“
“In here?”
Too quick. Too obvious.
Marie-Cecile narrowed her eyes. Why not in here?“
“No reason,” he said sharply.
“Maman. II est dix-huit heures deja.”
“J’arrive,” she said, still looking suspiciously at Will.
“Mais, je ne…”
“Va le chercher,‘ she snapped. Go and get it.
Alice heard Francois-Baptiste storm out of the room, then watched Marie-Cecile put her arms around Will’s waist and pull him against her. Her nails were bright red against the white of his T-shirt. She wanted to look away, but couldn’t.
“Tiens,‘ said Marie-Cecile. A bientot.”
“Are you coming now?” said Will. Alice could hear the panic in his voice as he realised he was going to have to leave her trapped.
“Toute a I’heure.” Later.
Alice could do nothing. Just listen to the sound of Will’s feet walking out.
The two men crossed in the doorway.
“Here,” he said, handing his mother a copy of the same paper Will had been reading earlier.
“How did they get hold of the story so quickly?”
“I have no idea.” he said sulkily. “Authie, I suspect.”
Alice went rigid. The same Authie?
“Do you actually know that for a fact, Francois-Baptiste?” Marie-Cecile was saying.
“Well, someone must have told them. The police sent divers into the Eure Tuesday, in exactly the right place. They knew what they were looking for. Think about it. Who claimed there was a leak in Chartres in the first place? Authie. Did he ever actually produce any evidence that Tavernier had talked to the journalist?”
“Tavernie?”
“The man in the river,” he said acidly.
“Ah, of course.” Marie-Cecile lit a cigarette. The report mentions the Noublesso Veritable by name.
“Authie himself could have told them.”
“So long as there is nothing to connect Tavernier with this house, there’s no problem,” she said, sounding bored. “Is there anything?”
“I did everything you told me to do.”
“And you have prepared everything for Saturday?”
“Yes,” he admitted, “although without the ring or the book, I don’t know why we’re bothering.”
A smile flitted across Marie-Cecile’s red lips. “Well, you see, this is why we still need Authie, despite your evident mistrust of him,” she said smoothly. “He says he has, miracle, retrieved the ring.”
“Why the hell didn’t you tell me this before?” he said furiously.
“I’m telling you now,” she said. “He claims his men took it from the English girl’s hotel room in Carcassonne last night.”
Alice felt her skin turn cold. That’s impossible.
“You think he’s lying?”
“Don’t be idiotic, Francois-Baptiste,” she snapped. “Obviously, he’s lying. If Dr Tanner had taken it, it wouldn’t have taken Authie four days to get it. Besides, I had his apartment and his offices searched.”
“Then-”
She cut across him. “If- if- Authie does have it – which I doubt – then either he got it from Biau’s grandmother or else he’s had it all along. Possibly he took it from the cave himself.”
“But why bother?”
The phone rang, intrusive, loud. Alice’s heart leaped into her mouth.
Francois-Baptiste looked to his mother.
“Answer it,” she said.
He did what he was told. “Oui.”
Alice hardly dared breathe for fear she would give herself away.
“Oui, je comprends. Attends.‘ He covered the phone with his hand. ”It’s O’Donnell. She says she has the book.“
“Ask why she’s been out of touch.”
He nodded. Where’ve you been since Monday?“ He listened. ”Does anybody else know you have it?“ He listened. ”Okay. A vingt-deux heures. Demain soir.“
He put the receiver back in its cradle.
“Are you sure it was her?”
“It was her voice. She knew the arrangements.”
“He must have been listening in.”
“What do you mean?” he said, uncertainly. Who?“
“For crying out loud, who do you think?” she snapped. “Authie, of course.
“I-”
“Shelagh O’Donnell’s been missing for days. As soon as I’m safely out of the way in Chartres, O’Donnell reappears! First the ring, then the book.”
Francois-Baptiste finally lost his temper. “But you were just defending him!” he shouted. “Accusing me of jumping to conclusions. If you know he’s working against us, then why didn’t you tell me, instead of letting me make a fool of myself? More to the point, why don’t you stop him? Have you even ever asked yourself why he wants the books so badly? What he’s going to do with them? Auction them to the highest bidder?”
“I am well aware of precisely why he wants the books,” she said in a chill voice.
Why do you always have to do this? You humiliate me all the time!“
“The discussion is over,” she said. We’ll travel tomorrow. That will get us there in good time for your assignation with O’Donnell and for me to prepare myself. The ceremony will go ahead at midnight as planned.“
“You want me to meet her?” he said in disbelief.
“Well, obviously,” she said. For the first time, she heard some sort of emotion in her voice. “I want the book, Francois-Baptiste.”
“And if he doesn’t have it?”
“I don’t think he would go to all this trouble if he didn’t.”
Alice heard Francois-Baptiste walk across the room and open the door.
“What about him?” he said, a little of the fire returning to his voice. You can’t leave him here to-“