Page 96 of Taken by the Rake (The Scarlet Chronicle 3)

“The dauphin. I won’t leave him.”

“But don’t you want to ensure Madame Royale has the best chance of escape?”

“I want both of them to escape. What if the guards realize Mademoiselle de Lambriquet is not the princess? What if the rumors of abuse the dauphin suffers are true? I cannot leave him. This might be our only chance. Marie-Thérèse would not want me to leave him.”

This was sheer madness, but it was no more daft than the original plan. And if he would go back for the dauphin, she would go with him. “I’ll go with you.”

“I won’t ask that of you,” Laurent said.

“Nonsense. Where you go, I go.”

He nodded. “If things go awry, I don’t want you to take any chances. Save yourself.”

Foolish man. As though she would ever abandon him when he needed her. “Laurent,” she said quietly. He stopped pacing and looked at her. “You once asked me why I came to France, why I left the safety of England behind.”

He nodded.

“It was for this. It was because I wanted to show everyone, and myself, that I was more than what you see on the outside. God may have given me beauty, but he gave me courage, loyalty, and a bit of audacity too. I will stand with you.”

His eyes softened. “You are all of that and more, the most loyal person I have ever known. So much more than a pretty face.”

“Laurent, in case I do not have a chance to say it later—”

He held up a hand. “Noadieux.”

“But later you will be with the dauphin and the princess on the way to Vienna. I may not have a chance to say goodbye.”

“Then perhaps we don’t say goodbye. We will meet again.”

She scowled at him. “You know that isn’t true.”

He placed a hand on his heart. “I made you two promises—I’d never let you fall, and I wouldn’t lie to you. I’m not lying now.”

“And if our plan fails, then I suppose we meet again on the scaffold.”

He took her hand and held it to his heart. “I won’t let you fall, Honoria. Believe me.”

She opened her mouth to reply, but they heard footsteps and both turned. Sir Edward appeared. “Three here, two more tae come,” he said.

Feeling even more exposed now, Honoria tapped her foot impatiently. Laurent had released her hand, but the warmth of his hand still made her skin tingle.

Finally Lord Anthony and Mademoiselle de Lambriquet appeared. Laurent immediately took charge. “We go over the wall one at a time. I’ll go first. As soon as you are over, make your way to the stone temple. Walk quickly, but don’t look like you’re walking quickly.”

“How the devil do we do that?” Lord Anthony asked.

Laurent ignored him. “I’ll meet you at the Temple. It won’t take long for me to know whether or not the guards have sealed the entrance.” He glanced at the other men. “Help the women over, then come yourself.”

With those words, he jumped for the top of the stone wall, pulled himself up, and swung his legs over. A moment later, Lord Anthony cupped his hands, and Honoria put her foot in them for a boost. She too grabbed the top of the stone wall and struggled to make it over. She finally crawled over, then fell to the other side, landing in an undignified heap in Laurent’s arms. He set her down and she ran to the domed temple at the far end of the garden. It was under the shade of more yew trees, which gave them some protection from anyone who happened to look out. Laurent caught Ernestine as she came over the wall, and he motioned for her to follow him.

Together, the three of them ran to the Temple. Laurent skirted behind it first and knelt on the ground. He’d pulled up the ground cover and scooped dirt away from a stone tablet in the earth.

“Is that the entrance?” she asked.

“Yes.” He tried to work his fingers into the groove at one end, but he couldn’t manage to lift it. With a huff he sat back.

Lord Anthony approached, followed by Sir Edward. “Need help?”

“It will take two of us.” He nodded to the stone tablet, using his foot to sweep more dirt away. “You take that corner, and I’ll take this.”

---