Page 144 of The Scarlet Veil

He wears no costume at all, donning only a simple gold mask made of plaster. “I have huntsmen surrounding this entire castle,” he snarls at Michal before moving to stand between Lou and Coco. He doesn’t look at me. He doesn’t look at anyone. Crossinghis arms, he stares at the obsidian floor as if his life depends on it. My heart twists at the image of him standing there, stiff, surrounded by all our friends yet somehow still alone.

Lou coughs awkwardly in the silence that descends.

Unable to stand it, I murmur, “Hello, Jean Luc.”

His lip curls slightly, the only indication he heard me at all. He discarded his Chasseur coat in the antechamber, at least; the pristine shirt beneath it glows white in the candlelight. Beside me, Michal says in a low voice, “Shall we continue?” Though he speaks the words to me, the others still hear him. Lou tilts her head in an unspoken question, while Reid’s and Coco’s eyebrows furrow. Beau glowers outright, nearly as foul-tempered as Jean Luc. His little bells still jingle with each of his movements.

When I nod, Michal extends a pale hand to Lou, who stares at it in fascination. “Would you honor me with a dance, ma Dame?”

After a curious glance at Reid, who nods once in affirmation, she tentatively places her hand in Michal’s. “I don’t knowwhatthe two of you are playing at, but I—for one—cannotwaitto find out. Coco? Beau?” She catches Coco’s hand as Michal leads her away, and Coco takes Beau’s in turn. Together, the four of them stride onto the dance floor, joined quickly by Dimitri and Odessa. Margot has vanished—hopefully gone home—leaving Dimitri to intercept Coco and introduce himself; Odessa does the same with Beau.

I breathe a quick sigh of relief. This part of the plan, at least, has gone smoothly. I knew it would. My friends have always feared little and braved much.

Unfortunately, they’ve left me to stand alone with Reid and Jean Luc.

Clearing my throat, I turn cautiously to Jean. “I’m so glad you’re here. We have a lot to talk about—”

“That’s not why I came here, Célie.”

“But youarehere,” I insist, perhaps a touch desperately. “Do you remember when I couldn’t build a fire at the start of my training? We were surrounded by our brethren in La Fôret des Yeux, and I didn’t want to try because I thought they’d all laugh at me. You wouldn’t let me quit, though. You told me there’s no time like the present—that sometimes wehaveto do things, even if we don’t want to do them.”

“Don’t.” The word catches in his throat as he lifts his head, and his gaze is the only weapon he’ll need tonight. His hurt, his anger, his heartbreak—they pierce me just as swiftly as a sword ever could. “Don’t pretend we know each other anymore.”

Before I can say anything else, he pivots on his heel and stalks away to stand by the skeletons and pumpkins. Crestfallen, I watch him go without following, without protest. A small, secret part of me hoped for a forgiveness I haven’t earned, but of course that hasn’t happened. It mayneverhappen. Jean Luc has never been one to forgive easily, and he doesn’t ever forget.

“Did he tell them everything?” I ask Reid, unable to keep the plaintive note from my voice. “Lou and Coco and Beau? Do they know what happened at the docks?”

“Yes.” Sighing heavily, Reid too watches his friend, who snaps at a passing attendant and flashes his Balisarda. “Give him time, Célie. He’ll come around.”

“Will he?”

“He wants to catch the Necromancer worse than anyone.”

At his words, Filippa’s cross seems to hang heavier at my neck,and I force myself to turn away from Jean Luc. With time, perhaps he’ll realize we both deserved better, but that isn’t important right now. Thatcan’tbe important right now. Not when our plan is in motion.

“Are you going to ask me to dance?”

Reid blinks at me in surprise, a small smile playing at the corner of his mouth. “Would you like to dance, Mademoiselle Tremblay?”

“Indeed I would, Monsieur Diggory.”

Accepting his hand, I allow him to guide me to the dance floor before leaning closer and whispering, “It would be a shame if we were overheard.” As inconspicuously as possible, I tilt my head toward the vampires around us, positioning my free arm over his, my hand on his shoulder. “We have so much catching up to do.”

Fortunately, he understands my meaning at once, his eyes going distant as he searches for a pattern. His magic behaves differently than Coco’s, differently than even Lou’s since she became La Dame des Sorcières. He and the rest of his kin are able to see and manipulate the patterns of the universe; that manipulation is how Dames Blanches and Seigneurs Blancs cast spells—they give up pieces of themselves in order to gain something in return. Just like Filippa said.

You can’t get something for nothing, Célie.

That familiar, heavy weight settles in my chest again at the thought of my sister, and I watch Reid rather distantly as he searches for the right enchantment, his blue eyes flicking left and right. He knew Filippa too. Throughout our childhood, he knew her better than anyone except perhaps Evangeline and me. What would he think if he knew about her relationship with the Necromancer? Would he understand this deepachein the pit of mystomach? Does he still grieve her too?

If I tell him about her secret, he’ll no longer grieve onlyher. He’ll grieve her memory too, and that—that would be incredibly selfish of me.

Wouldn’t it?

“I can take away their hearing,” Reid murmurs after several seconds, “but I won’t be able to speak during our conversation.” His eyes flash back to mine. “Do I need to speak?”

I’m supposed to explain the plan to him, just as Michal, Odessa, and Dimitri are explaining the plan to the others. It’s myjobto explain the plan. We thought it would be best, would draw less attention, to divide and conquer on the dance floor rather than congregate in a corner and whisper. And yet...

“It might be better if you don’t.”

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