The sneering smile on that thin face made Raoul’s blood boil, but he knew he must not lose his head.
‘She said you had gone, but I knew you would not abandon your whore.’
‘She is a lady, Valerin, as you would know if you had any intelligence.’
‘Indeed? If that is so what is she doing here, with you?’ His lip curled. ‘Do you think any lady would look to you for protection? Why, you are not even a Frenchman.’
‘And that is where I have the advantage of you,’ Raoul drawled insolently.
The sallow face flushed with anger and hatred.
‘You are nothing but a damned deserter. The scum of the earth! I find you here, dressed like a gentleman—aping your betters, Doulevant! Men such as you should be whipped at the cart’s tail.’
Raoul knew Valerin was goading him. He did not need Cassandra’s warning hand on his arm to tell him Valerin was trying to make him attack, so that he would have an excuse to shoot. He must act and quickly. The hubbub of noise and confusion from below drifted in through the open door. At any moment Valerin’s lackeys might return and then all would be lost.
He smiled and shifted his gaze to look over the man’s shoulder.
‘You would be wise to give me the pistol, Valerin. I have an accomplice behind you.’
‘Do you think I am fool enough to believe that?’
Raoul’s smile turned into a full grin.
‘You are a fool if you do not. Any moment now you will feel my friend’s pistol against your ribs.’
Raoul saw Valerin’s certainty waver. There was a lull in the noise below that made the sudden creak of boards on the landing sound like a pistol shot. Valerin look around.
It was enough. Raoul launched himself at his opponent, one hand reaching for the pistol, the other connecting with the man’s jaw in a sickening thud. Valerin fell back, catching his head on the doorpost and collapsing, unconscious, in the doorway.
Cassie had not realised she had stopped breathing, but now she dragged in air with a gasp and felt her heart begin to thud heavily as relief surged through her. On the landing stood the pot-boy, grinning.
‘Good work, master,’ he told Raoul. ‘I saw him slip away and guessed he’d rumbled our plan.’
‘Well, here’s a little extra for your trouble.’ Raoul tucked Valerin’s pistol into his belt and tossed the boy a coin. ‘Now we must be gone. Milady?’
He reached for Cassie’s hand, but she shook her head. She pointed at Valerin.
‘Pull him into the room first, then we can lock the door. It will slow up his men when they come looking for him, or for us.’
With the pot-boy’s help it was done in a trice. The lad pocketed the key and pointed to a door further along the landing.
‘That room’s empty and the window will bring you out on the back alley. I’ll go down and see if I can make ’em think you’ve gone out into the street.’
With that the lad dashed back down the stairs to the taproom, from where sounds of an altercation could still be heard. Raoul took Cassie’s hand and they slipped into the empty bedchamber. He immediately went to the window and threw up the sash.
‘Your skirts will make it more difficult,’ he said to Cassie, who had followed him, ‘but I think you will manage.’
The window looked out over a deserted yard and the sloping roof of an outhouse abutted the wall only feet beneath the sill. It was dark now, but there was the faint glimmer of a rising moon to light their way. Raoul jumped down into the yard and turned to help Cassie but she was already on the ground and shaking out her skirts, as if escaping from bedroom windows was an everyday occurrence for her. Together they crept out of the yard and into the alley.
Cassie glanced quickly right and left. The alley was deserted, but where it joined the street she could see people running towards the inn, eager to see what was going on. Raoul grabbed her hand and pulled her in the opposite direction, where they soon found themselves in a labyrinthine mesh of alleys and narrow streets that led down to the quay. He pulled her hand on to his arm.
‘We must go slowly, we do not want to attract attention.’
Cassie nodded, forcing her body to a walk while every instinct screamed at her to run. Her eyes darted back and forth and her spine tingled with fear. She had a strong conviction that they were being watched and it was as much as she could do not to look around. She took a deep steadying breath, trying to match Raoul’s apparent insouciance. He walked easily, head up, as if he had not a care in the world and she must do the same. They were an innocent couple, making their way to the quay.
She said quietly, ‘You could have escaped easily, if you had not come back for me.’
Raoul heard the humble note in her voice, but there was something else: wonder and a touch of disbelief. He tried and failed not to feel aggrieved.
‘Did you think I would leave you, madame? We made a bargain.’
‘We did indeed, but you risked your life to save me. I am very grateful.’
He was tempted to say he did not want her gratitude, that he was a gentleman and always kept his word. That he would have done the same for anyone, but he knew it was not true. He recalled the chilling fear that had gripped his heart when he realised Valerin would find Cassandra alone. A shudder ran through him as he thought again what might have happened to her. But she was safe and he must not waste time dwelling on what might have been. He forced himself to speak lightly.
‘It was the greatest good fortune that I saw Valerin and his fools entering the inn as I was returning from the quay.’
‘But they said you were in the taproom!’
‘It was a man of similar build and dress. I met him in the street and persuaded him to go in and buy himself a drink. A few coins to the pot-boy did the rest. I am only thankful the lad had the wit to follow Valerin up the stairs.’
‘That could have been very dangerous for him.’
‘It could, although I’d seen Valerin cuff the lad even before he entered the inn, so I knew there’d be no love lost there. But enough of that, we have evaded capture and without much hurt, except to your wrists. And your dignity,’ he ended with a laugh in his voice, remembering her outrage.
‘Both of which will recover,’ she told him, unmoved. ‘That scoundrel Merimon was with him. He was hoping for a reward for your capture.’
‘He will be disappointed, then. I suppose Valerin must have come upon him after we had made our escape from the forest.’
‘That is what I think, too. But, Raoul, news has already reached here from Flagey, of how you helped the men caught under the collapsed barn. Valerin knew of it, that is why he was so certain you were here.’
‘Diable!
