Compromised for Christmas Read online

on the edge of the bed. She stood just as quickly and lifted the mattress. Her black traveling dress was still neatly folded, and she shook it out before searching the pockets. The papers were still in place, as were funds in the event she had to flee. After tonight, she may just have to do so.

  No. She banished the though from her head. She must not think that way. It could have been anyone, and maybe they weren’t even aware she and Jean Pierre were also in the building.

  Lisette knew it was too much to hope for, but it helped give her some peace of mind. However, if they weren’t there to spy on them, who were they and what did they want?

  She folded the gown once again and moved the mattress to cover it. Jean Pierre was right. She couldn’t return home. At least not now. Somehow she needed to come up with an excuse to write to grandfather and pray he understood.

  Lisette rose with the sun. It was a fitful night of sleep, and if she slept at all it was to doze. With every sound that woke her, she feared that Savary or one of his men was about to arrest her. The Minister of Police didn’t bother to wait for normal hours. If he decided to imprison someone, it didn’t matter if it was three in the afternoon or three in the morning.

  She put on her serviceable gown and brushed through her hair. She needed to put her worry aside. Had they been discovered, soldiers would have come for them by now. Besides, she needed to think of an excuse to write her grandfather. The thought of defying him made her as ill as the thought of being arrested by Savary.

  She checked her appearance in the mirror, noted all was in place, and left her room for another day of work. As she rounded the corner before descending the stairs, the voices of two other maids drifted up to her.

  “What do Savary’s men want with Lisette?”

  Her stomach tightened, and Lisette ducked into a small closet. She kept the door cracked so she could still hear them.

  “Who knows, but I doubt they will find what they want. I can’t imagine why Lisette would be of interest to him. She barely speaks, and I’ve not known her to leave the palace grounds since she was hired. Lisette is the last person who would be a threat.”

  “I heard they also wanted to speak with Jean Pierre Bouvier.”

  The taller maid looked at the other. “The groomsman?”

  “Oui. Don’t you think it odd?”

  “I think Savary is chasing shadows, is what I think.”

  The other maid gasped.

  “Don’t you dare tell anyone I said that. I have no wish to be imprisoned.”

  “I promise, I swear.”

  The taller one knocked on Lisette’s door and waited. She knocked a second time. When nobody answered, she turned the handle and stuck her head in the room before straightening and closing the door. “She must already be at breakfast.”

  The two retreated down the stairs, and Lisette bolted to her room. She wasn’t about to waste a moment wondering what Savary and his men wanted, because she could already guess. She didn’t dare risk an audience to put aside any suspicions or be arrested on the spot.

  Lisette slammed the lock into place and pulled her gown from beneath the mattress. Even though she had checked her pockets the night before, she did so again. Everything she needed was there. She quickly changed her clothing before she grabbed her cloak. Now, to make it out of the palace without being caught. She had gone over this route several times and knew it by heart. She could navigate it in the dark if necessary. She just hoped she didn’t encounter anyone.

  She hastily made her way down the back set of stairs and exited a door that led to the gardens. This one opened behind tall bushes, so if anyone was within the grounds they could not see her. She shut the door and peered through the foliage. Nobody was about. She slinked along the back of the building to peak around the corner. Officers employed by the Ministry of Police were mounted on horses. Between them was a wagon used for hauling prisoners. They were not here to simply ask questions, but to arrest them. She had to get word to Jean Pierre before it was too late.

  Lisette tightened the bow at her chin that held her cap in place and slipped the handle of the basket over her arm. She knew that from a distance, she looked like one of the kitchen maids and hoped the disguise would last until she was far away.

  Slowly, so as not to draw attention, Lisette wandered down the rows of the herb garden, studying the plants. This was December and they were all dead, but she hoped those on horseback were too stupid to realize that or they would think she was checking on how the garden was doing in the winter. She chanced a glance over her shoulder when she reached the end. She couldn’t even see the drive or the officers from this location, and nobody else was outside either.

  She quickened her steps and made her way to the stables, keeping within the tree line. More soldiers on horses were in the yard. Lisette held her breath. Had Jean Pierre been arrested? Should she wait to find out, or make her own escape? Yet she couldn’t leave without him. What if she was his only chance at being rescued? What if he hadn’t been warned or didn’t know? He could walk into a trap. She had to get to him first.

  Two officers stepped out of the stable and approached the others on horses. “He is not here.”

  Lisette sighed with relief and stepped further back into the shadows. Had he made his escape, or was he just lucky enough to be gone when the soldiers came?

  “Where did he go?” demanded a man on horseback.

  “To the house for his meal.” The officer gestured towards the palace with a tilt of his head.

  “Very well, we will arrest him there.”

  The other two men mounted their horses and rode towards the palace. Lisette didn’t wait to find out what would happen. She made her way out of the gardens and to the streets of Paris. She couldn’t risk returning to help Jean Pierre, nor would he expect her to. She would just have to wait and see what happened. Others could rescue him if necessary, but if they were both taken, there was nobody to alert their contacts before it was too late.

  Tuileries was large. Hopefully it would be hours before anyone realized she was actually gone.

  Her first order of business was to make her way to the safe house. Given the circumstances, she would have to leave France now. It would be too dangerous to remain. She would be with her grandfather at Christmas after all, but she would be lacking her husband.

  Jean Pierre waited at the end of a dark alley, hoping to see Lisette. Had she managed to escape? It was fortuitous he had been unable to sleep, otherwise he would have never heard the horses this morning. From his room, he could see the main drive to the palace. As the sun lightened the sky, several riders and a wagon for prisoners arrived at the front gate. He didn’t wait to find out what they wanted. His gut knew. He didn’t waste a moment before he started gathering the necessary papers and funds, and changed for travel.

  He wanted to get word to Lisette but knew of no way into the palace other than the most commonly used doors, which would only get him arrested on the spot. Instead, he stood in the shadows of the bushes contemplating his many options when she emerged from a hidden door. Knowing that she was well on her way to safety, he made his escape. Had he left too soon? Was she caught? Should he go back?

  Her profile came into view as she passed before the entrance. Jean Pierre reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her back into the darkness. Her mouth opened in what he assumed would become a scream, and he muffled it with his hand. Light glinted off the knife in her hand aimed towards his neck.

  “Lisette, it’s me, Jean Pierre.”

  She relaxed, and her arm dropped to her side.

  When he removed his hand from her mouth, she sighed.

  “I am so relieved you escaped. I heard one of the stable hands tell an officer you’d gone inside for your meal. It was too risky to enter the palace again.”

  “You did the right thing.”

  “How do you suppose they found us?” Worry marred her brow, and she bit her bottom lip. />
  “It had to be the letter.”

  “But why didn’t it go through normal channels? I don’t understand. My grandfather has only the address of our fictional chateaux, so by all rights the letter should be on its way south. As it reached me at the palace, it went through the proper people, so why wasn’t it coded?”

  “I don’t know, but I intend to find out.” Jean Pierre peeked out onto the road and ducked back in. “I don’t see any soldiers.”

  “We should hurry. I don’t know how long we have until they realize we are no longer at the palace.”

  Did she think he was going to loiter in this alley all day? Instead of commenting, he nodded and offered his arm. They both knew the direction of the safe house, if anything went wrong.

  “Should we go together? Wouldn’t it be safer to split?”

  Jean Pierre looked down at her. “Normally, but we don’t know what we’ll find when we reach Vaux.”

  Lisette nodded and took his arm. They exited onto the street, and she kept her head down. He wished he had bothered with a hat as she had, but his face was on view for anyone they passed. He could only hope nobody paid them any attention and that they encountered no soldiers. At least their clothing was appropriate for this hour. They blended in well with the rest of the working class going about their business.

  He paused at the corner and looked in both directions. No soldiers so far. He forced himself to relax, yet his