Page 40 of Wrong Train to Paris

Luc sat on the floor on the other side of the lantern, stretching out his legs in front of him. “They have each other.” His eyes met hers. “And Honey will watch over the little ones. She won’t let anything frighten them.”

Julia blushed. He had discerned her worries perfectly. She was not only concerned about the goats.

“Pierre and I gave them food and water while we were at the pen with Élise,” Luc said.

“Thank you for taking care of them.” She looked down, picking up a piece of straw and pulling it apart. “And of me.” She spoke the last words quietly, feeling shy, especially in the privacy of their shared space. But she did want him to know she appreciated him. If not for Luc, she didn’t know what would have happened to her at the train station in Rivulet. Would she still be there waiting for the train? Or would someone else have come along by now? The idea of a stranger finding her gave her a chill of fear. But hadn’t Luc been a stranger when she’d gotten into his wagon? Thinking of him like that felt wrong to her. There were few people she trusted as much as him.

Luc rested on one elbow. His expression was soft as he watched her.

Julia was glad no unease remained between them. She tossed aside the piece of straw and shifted around, pulling her legs to the side and leaning on one hand. The hay squeaked beneath the blanket when she moved. She yawned, but she didn’t want Luc to think she was sleepy and leave, so she kept talking.

“The moon is bright, so at least they needn’t fear the dark.”

Luc squinted for just an instant. “Oh. Oui, the goats. They will be perfectly safe.”

She nodded, resting down on her elbow and hugging the pillow with her other arm. It was lumpy and round like an old sofa cushion. “The first night I slept away at finishing school, I was so scared to oversleep and be punished for it that I stayed awake all night. The next day, I was punished anyway, for falling asleep in my etiquette class.”

Luc chuckled. “How old were you?”

“Twelve,” she said. “Young but not too young to miss supper, apparently.”

“Is that why you carry two timepieces?”

Julia considered. She hadn’t ever connected that particular incident with her preoccupation with timeliness. “It is likely part of the reason. I do worry about being late. About disappointing people who are counting on me.” Her head felt heavy, and her eyes. She slid the pillow beneath her head and laid her cheek down on it. “Sometimes I think that is all I ever do. Disappoint everyone.”

“You are too hard on yourself,” Luc said. “Too worried about pleasing others.”

“It makes me glad to please others,” she said. She could hardly keep her eyes open. “Don’t you feel that way when you’ve made a person happy?”

“Of course,” Luc said.

“And the opposite when you’ve let them down?”

Luc didn’t answer.

Julia forced open her eyes, fearing what his silence might mean. “You haven’t let me down, Luc. I don’t know what I would do without you.” She nestled down into the pillow, closing her eyes again and pulling the blanket tighter around herself. She could hear that her words were slurred but wanted to make certain she told him what she was thinking. “You’ve made everything so much better.”

***

Julia didn’t remember falling asleep, but she awoke with a shock. She lay in the darkness, heart pounding as she tried to reassure herself that she was safe. After all, Luc was just on the other side of the room. But where was that? She was disoriented, with absolutely no sense of direction, and didn’t dare move far lest she fall off the edge of the loft. And could she even be sure that Luc was still here? She listened, hoping to hear his breathing, but instead, she heard a rustling in the hay beneath her pillow.

“Luc!” She bolted upright, panic making her thoughts race. The darkness was suffocating. Was there no window in this barn? “Luc, where are you?” She twisted around, searching for—

“I’m here.” Luc’s arms went around her.

She grabbed on to him. “Luc, I think I heard a mouse in the hay. What if it climbs on me? It might crawl into my hair. Do mice live in barns?”

“No,” he said after a pause. “Cats catch them all.”

She sighed, relieved, and felt suddenly weary. “I didn’t see any cats,” she said.

“They hide. You should sleep,” Luc said. “Or you might fall asleep during etiquette class tomorrow.”

Julia smiled at his attempt at humor, even though she knew he couldn’t see it in the dark. She released her grip on him and lay back down on the pillow. But just as soon as she did, another thought jerked her awake. “What about scorpions?”

“The cats get them too,” he said.

“Does Sylvie know to put lavender in the windowsills?” she asked.

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