A Lily Among Thorns(103)

Serena could have kicked herself.

“If I don’t get out of here, will you send some money to my mother? Elijah knows where.”

“Of course,” she promised. “But you’ll get out. Do you want me to give Elijah a message?”

“No. If he wants me, he knows where to find me.”

The thumping from above stopped abruptly. They both froze, listening. Serena thought about a minute and a half had passed. The couple had thirty seconds for pillow talk. Luckily, they didn’t bother with it at all. Someone laughed, footsteps shifted, and a few seconds later the door banged shut. There was silence.

“It is time, sirène,” René said. They stood. “How do you want to play your end of things?”

Serena had been thinking about this. “They can’t suspect I was involved. You’ll have to knock me out.”

René cursed. “Take your stockings off. I’ll bind and gag you. I should have been thinking of it all this time, instead of talking.”

“I’m glad we talked, and there’s no time.” As she said it, they both heard yelling from the kitchen.

“Take off your stockings,” René repeated.

Serena grabbed the lever that controlled the trapdoor from that end and pulled on it. Slowly, with a grinding of gears, the door swung open. Dim light and the scent of lye filled the tunnel.

Then she saw, as if in answer, a widening ray of light at the other end of the tunnel. The yelling was suddenly much louder.

“Don’t go down there,” Antoine shouted frantically. “Please! He’ll kill her!”

Sophy appeared in the doorway of Solomon’s room. “Is Serena all right—ohhh!” A hand flew up to cover her mouth when she saw the blood caked on Solomon’s forehead. “What happened?”

“I’m fine, Sophy,” he said reassuringly. “Here, why don’t you come help me get cleaned up so my brother can go chasing after Sacreval?” He smiled at Elijah, ignoring the fury in his brother’s eyes.

Elijah could hardly accuse him of treason in front of Sophy. His look promised a reckoning, however. “Yes, that would be very helpful, Sophy.”

Sophy shut the door behind Elijah and hastened to Solomon’s side. “Did Sacreval do that?” she asked bitterly, pointing to his wound.

“No,” he whispered, gesturing her to come closer. “Listen, Sophy—Sacreval gave Serena papers that will give her the Arms back. She’s taking him out the laundry tunnel right now. You’ve got to keep them from finding him.”

Her eyes widened. She pushed her glasses up her nose decisively and was halfway to the door when a thought struck him.

“Sophy!”

She came back.

“My brother suspects what’s going on. He may realize what I’ve told you and be waiting outside to follow you. If he is, you must lead him on a wild goose chase.”

She nodded grimly. “Just leave it to me.” She went and opened the door partway, poking her head out into the corridor and glancing about. Then she slipped out the door and shut it softly behind her.

After that, there wasn’t really anything useful to do but wait. Solomon took up the rag and began washing the blood out of his hair. The ticking of the clock filled the room. They were still cheering downstairs. It must be for Wellington’s victory; it must.

He should have let Sacreval blow his own brains out. He should never have let Serena out of his sight.

Solomon had never felt so helpless in his life. But there was nothing more he could do without risking making things much, much worse. He picked the broken pieces of his bottle of Madeira off the floor, piling them into a bowl.

Someone kicked the door open. Solomon sprang to his feet. The Foreign Office agents were entering the room, and one of them bore a lifeless Serena in his arms.





Chapter 25


Solomon leaned on his worktable for support as the world spun around him. He watched them lay Serena on the bed. There didn’t seem to be any blood. Could he see her breathing, or was that just his light-headedness? No, she was definitely breathing, and Solomon could move his eyes again.

He seized one of the agents by his shirt and had him up against the wall before he knew what he was about. “What have you done to her? If you’ve hurt her, you bastard—”

Serena’s voice came weakly from the bed. “Solomon?”

He turned. She was watching him, an amused light in her eyes. He didn’t move. “I’m right here,” he said. “What did they do to you?”