Chapter Ten
Aldric was not, by anyone’s estimation, a person who was easily impressed. He wasn’t a cynic or a snob. It simply had never been in his nature to be in awe of people or places. But there was something in the meticulous opulence of the Chateau de Versailles that astounded even the unastoundable.
The view from the terrace above Latona Fountain stopped the entire group.
The fountain itself, with its many tiers of sculptures, all but the topmost gold-leafed, and spraying elegant arches of water over the marble sculpture at the center, would have been impressive enough.
But it was merely the first in an unending line of exquisite sights: tall hedges, grand trees, more fountains and statues, water and paths, and manicured grounds as far as the eye could see.
One could easily forget that the cramped streets of Paris weren’t terribly far away.
“Oh, Lucas. It is stunning.” Julia had that almost magical combination of extensive intellect and soul-deep appreciation for beauty. Lucas seemed even more interested in watching her than he was the grounds.
Aldric’s mother had been well-known by the royal family and loved by the other members of the court. She’d even lived in the palace for a time before her marriage. But it was the grounds she’d spoken of most. That was the part of this enormous royal estate that spoke most to Aldric’s heart.
And it was here that she had left him her last offering of love.
Céleste stood next to him, looking out over the expansive grounds, clearly pleased with the beautiful picture they painted.
“The Fortiers have been welcomed to Versailles a number of times, but it steals my breath away no matter how often I see it. And even though I find it slightly intimidating, the urge to explore grows by the minute.”
It was a rather perfect description. He motioned with his head toward a few different groups of people milling about or sitting at their leisure. “The gardens are calling to a few hearts this morning.”
The corners of her mouth tipped upward. “I thought my brother was supposed to be the poet among you, Aldric.”
“I have my moments.”
He offered his arm to assist her down the first of the stone steps.
A gentleman found himself in exactly that arrangement countless times, often more than once in a given day.
Never before had Aldric’s heart hiccuped at the commonplace touch of a lady’s hand on his arm.
The sensation was as pleasant as it was confusing.
His gaze continually returned to Céleste as they made their way around the magnificent fountain. There was a serenity to her, though amazement was the more common response to Versailles. She was intriguing.
And in that moment, surprisingly alluring.
He forcefully dismissed that thought. This was Céleste. Henri’s sister. Aldric needed to pull himself together.
As they reached the courtyard beyond Latona Fountain, Lucas tugged Julia toward a break in the precisely manicured wall of shrubbery to the right, beyond which one could see the tops of endless trees.
“This is the Dauphin’s Grove,” he said. “Flora Fountain is at the center. I think I remember how to find it.”
Nicolette stepped through an identical opening in the shrubbery to the left, which led to the Girandole Grove.
At its center was the Girandole Fountain.
Scattered throughout both groves, along intersecting paths of parallels and diagonals and right angles were statues and nooks and a great many places to explore.
Aldric pulled his arm back, allowing Céleste the freedom to choose what she meant to do. She met up with Henri just as both of them reached the same break in the shrubbery that Nicolette had passed through. They continued on into the grove maze.
Aldric could have chosen a path on his own without causing offense or drawing undue attention.
But his feet followed her—followed them—without his mind giving the directive.
He told himself he simply wanted to pass a quiet and enjoyable day in this beautiful place, that he needn’t rush to his task.
But he knew that was not at all the entirety of his reasoning.
The paths cut through trees planted so close and so thickly that one couldn’t see anything beyond.
The angles and bends could be confusing, though it was not a maze in the strictest sense of the word.
Many a wanderer found himself needing to turn about and retrace steps, trying again to choose the right path.
But Nicolette navigated directly, without correction or hesitation.
The rest of the group had difficulty keeping pace with her.
Aldric followed them to an intersection of tree-lined paths where three life-sized statues stood guard, each depicting a different figure from Roman mythology.
At the base of the one in the middle, Minerva, stood the Marquis de Lafayette.
His was an air of adventure and spontaneity, but there was also undeniable intelligence and determination.
Nicolette stepped up to him with all the confidence of an equal, something even a Peer would struggle to manage.
He was a legendary war hero in the newly formed United States of America.
Even in England he was considered quite impressive and important.
And here, in France, he held the ear of a tremendous number of influential people.
He was so trusted by and accepted amongst the royal family that he might as well have been royalty himself.
Yet he somehow managed not to be as disliked as the King and Queen generally were.
The Gents’ fiercely bold Le Capitaine was not cowed in the least.
“There are a few others walking about in the groves just now,” the marquis said in lowered tones that somehow still were not the sort to draw notice.
“Will we have warning if anyone is drawing close?” Nicolette asked.
The marquis indicated they would. Aldric didn’t know exactly what that meant, but both Henri and Nicolette seemed to. Interesting.
Lafayette addressed his next remarks to both Henri and Céleste. “Your family is the focus of a great deal of attention just now.”
As the only person present not directly connected to that family, Aldric felt he was intruding. “I would be happy to step away if that would be preferred.”
Henri immediately insisted he stay. Lafayette did as well. That was unexpected.
“Even before you told me of the letters,” the marquis said to Nicolette, “I had been concerned about Jean-Francois. He has made some powerful enemies in Paris.”
“Enemies?” Céleste pressed. “He’s not overly liked, and he hasn’t many friends, but I hadn’t thought he was despised.”
“I’ve not been able to ascertain all the details, but he has been involved in a scheme of extortion.
Whispers, circulating in various coffeehouses and alehouses and corners of Paris where the criminally inclined frequent, indicate that whoever is the focus of his scheme is someone he likely ought not to have tangled with. ”
Aldric didn’t like the sound of that at all. “This is someone with the ability to do harm?”
“It would seem so,” the marquis said. “The fact that Jean-Francois is already receiving threats that reference a desire for retribution and intention to cause pain only further solidifies the concerning whispers I’m hearing.”
“Jean-Francois is petty and not as kind as he should be,” Céleste said, “but he’s not actually a fool. To engage in so risky a scheme against someone who can cause significant harm seems a horrific misstep.”
“But it has been a very enriching one,” Lafayette said pointedly.
Aldric eyed the Fortier siblings and found they looked as uneasy as he felt.
“He has built up his coffers significantly of late,” Céleste acknowledged. “And he did reference that when telling Marguerite that he wouldn’t bend to the demands of the letter writer.”
Henri released a tense breath. “He has been miserly with the funds I am rightfully owed and, I suspect, with any money spent on Céleste’s behalf, and all the while, he has been growing rich through an extortionate endeavor that is now endangering the very family he is neglecting.”
“How are we to guard against threats that are not specific enough to identify?” Nicolette might have been asking the question of any of them. And no one seemed to have a clear answer.
“The Fortiers will be safer away from Paris,” Lafayette said. “At the moment, the threats are occurring and centered here. Being away from the city would distance your brother from the focus of his schemes and, we can hope, calm the anger of the one he is extorting.”
Henri paled a little but was otherwise holding up quite well. Where he looked contemplative and concerned, Céleste looked somewhere between livid and afraid.
“Jean-Francois will never agree to it,” she said. “He has always been very attached to Paris, a preference I shared with him until recently.”
“Anyone with sense is growing wary of Paris.” The marquis’s declaration was foreboding. “The instability has increased of late, and predicting what will come of that is growing more difficult.”
Aldric felt in those words more than a general sense of uncertainty. The marquis knew the pulse of this city and of France. He listened and watched and evaluated, and this hero of war sensed a battle coming. That was not reassuring at all.
“Paris is unsteady, and the Fortiers are in danger.” Nicolette’s mouth pulled tight. “Surely a plea to safeguard his family would convince Jean-Francois to leave for a time.” She spoke with little conviction, and Aldric saw even less on the faces of the others in the shrubbery nook.
Céleste was pacing. She would wear herself to a thread if she kept at it for long. But Aldric suspected Henri was too distracted by these revelations to bear that in mind. Aldric glanced about, hoping to find a place for her to rest.
“If you think doing so would help,” Lafayette said, “you can tell him that I reached out to you with concern. You needn’t reveal that you told me of his letters. He might be willing to listen to me even if he feels inclined to ignore his family.”
“We could also emphasize that he is in danger,” Henri said. “That might motivate him.”
It was a sad commentary on Jean-Francois’s lack of compassion that appealing to his self-preservation was the only thing that gave his siblings any hope he would do the right thing.
“Tell us if you hear anything more,” Nicolette said to the marquis. “I will keep you abreast of what, if anything, we manage to convince Jean-Francois to do.”
Lafayette seemed satisfied with that. “Nicolette and Henri, there is a matter I would like to discuss with you privately.”
Aldric offered a quick bow. “I find myself quite eager to reacquaint myself with the groves.”
“And I find myself eager to join you,” Céleste said.
She had recognized the need to depart and was making her escape with a clever echoing of his words. That was all. Why, then, did the idea of her being eager to spend time with him bubble inside?
She is Henri’s sister. Pull yourself together.