Part 40 (2/2)
”Oh, come now, it's exactly what I think.” Kilian's gaze rested on the bed and the tumbled sheets. A malicious smile had appeared on his lips, but the look in his eyes was cold and unforgiving.
”Who sent you? Why are you here?” demanded Jagu, knowing to his shame that his cheeks were flaming. There was no point in denying what had happened.
”Maistre Donatien sent me. You've been gone rather too long, Jagu. He was becoming... suspicious.”
”Has the Maistre forgotten how far north Mirom lies? My s.h.i.+p was icebound for weeks.”
Kilian shrugged.
”So he sent you to arrest us.”
”Arrest? To escort escort you back to Francia.” you back to Francia.”
”Escort? Does he take me for a fool, Kilian?”
”Maistre Donatien is prepared to ask Prince Ilsevir to grant you a royal pardon on the occasion of his coronation. A gesture of clemency, if you like.”
”On what conditions?” Celestine had taken no part in the conversation till that moment.
”I won't intrude on you two lovebirds any longer. The s.h.i.+p leaves for Francia in two days' time. I've booked pa.s.sage for the two of you. If you decide to accept the Maistre's offer, meet me at the Northern Docks at dawn; the s.h.i.+p's called the Heloise.” Heloise.”
”Will Kilian report us?” Celestine set down a bowl of tea in front of Jagu.
”I don't think he expected to find us together.”
She noticed a faint blush color Jagu's cheeks as he said it. She wanted to hug him.
”But he didn't even try to arrest me.” She pa.s.sed him the pot of damson jam. ”And he was armed. Why didn't he?”
Jagu put a spoonful of jam in his tea, stirring with an abstracted look in his eyes. ”I don't know. This talk of a royal pardon. It sounds ... feasible.”
”But can we trust him?” She sipped her tea, watching him through the rising steam from her bowl. That characteristic little frown she knew so well had appeared, furrowing his dark brows; never before had she found it so irresistible. She wanted to lean across and kiss his forehead.
He was staring into his tea. ”We can't take the risk.” He looked up. ”I fear he's become Donatien's man. He'll be back, Celestine, with reinforcements.”
”But he can't officially arrest me, can he? Not while we're in Muscobar. He'd need a warrant.”
”No, but he could have you abducted.”
Celestine had no answer. Jagu was right. Wasn't that exactly what they had done to Kaspar Linnaius in Tielen?
”We have to split up,” he said. ”I'll lay a false trail to lure Kilian away from you.”
”And put yourself in danger?” Her hand reached out across the table and clasped his. ”No, Jagu. In the eyes of the Commanderie, you're as much of a renegade as I am-and all because you've protected me.”
”You know as well as I do that there's still a chance Donatien might hand you straight over to the Inquisition.” Jagu's fingers tightened around hers. ”There's too much evidence against you. You have to lie low. If only for a little while.”
She gazed up into his eyes. ”But I don't want to leave you, Jagu. Not now, now that I've realized what a fool I've...” Her throat tightened but she tried to keep speaking, determined that he hear what she had to tell him. ”You've been protecting me all these years. Why has it taken me so long to see how much I love you?”
He rose and went to her, wrapping his arms around her, holding her close.
”We were both fools,” he said. ”And it's taken me all this time to see how I've been deluding myself. Why did we leave it so late? At least we were granted this second chance. But now we're being dragged apart again.”
When I lost Henri, I thought my life was over. Celestine raised one hand to caress his face, trying to imprint its lean contours into her palm and fingertips. Celestine raised one hand to caress his face, trying to imprint its lean contours into her palm and fingertips. I'm not going to lose you, Jagu. I'm not going to lose you, Jagu.
He pressed his mouth to hers, kissing her again until, dizzy with desire, she broke away, all too aware where that would lead.
”I can't just abandon my work at the opera house. I'll have to invent some excuse.” Celestine felt torn; she had worked so hard to rise to gain acceptance by Grebin that she was loath to throw her new career away.
”A sudden chill, brought on by the change in the weather. An inflammation of the throat. Your physician has advised you not to sing for at least a month...”
”Oh and which physician is that? Doctor Rustephan?” She tried to make light of it, although the prospect of having to be apart was weighing heavily on her heart.
”You may even have to travel to a warmer climate to recuperate fully. The voice is such a precious, sensitive instrument.”
”In which time, some ambitious little ingenue will come along and usurp my place.”
Jagu gave her an odd look. ”For a moment there, I thought I heard Gauzia de Saint-Desirat talking.”
Celestine laughed, in spite of the sadness in her heart. ”Heaven forbid that I'm turning into a diva! Perhaps it's all for the best that I take a break from the stage.”
”Where will you go?”
Celestine had not thought this far ahead. She was weary of being on the run. She wanted nothing more than to be with Jagu. ”It was so simple back then, you and I, performing together.” She turned to him. ”Those were the happiest moments of my life. You don't always realize it at the time, do you? It's only when everything begins to crash down about you that you see clearly.” She reached out and stroked his cheek. ”I want to give recitals with you again, Jagu. Just like we used to.”
”I'll have to start practicing again,” he said, a little contritely.
”Then let's make a plan.” If they agreed on a day and a time to meet again perhaps she would feel less anxious.
”I'll lay a false trail to confuse Kilian. I'll tell him that you've been invited to sing before the Grand d.u.c.h.ess at Erinaskoe.”
”But wouldn't it be better if we just sent a message to the Heloise Heloise and both disappeared?” and both disappeared?”
”It's only Kilian,” said Jagu. ”Don't worry; I know the way his mind works. We were at school together, remember?”
Only Kilian. How could Jagu sound so confident? ”He's never liked me, Jagu. I don't know why, but-”
”All the more reason for me to divert his attention.”
”And have him blame you for helping me escape?” She shook her head.
”I can make this plan work, Celestine.” He took hold of her hands, pressing them between his own. ”Whatever Kilian's orders may be, I'm certain I can convince him. He's always backed me up in the past. He's my oldest friend, after all.”
Why was Jagu being so stubborn over this? She s.n.a.t.c.hed her hands away.
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