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‘And if you die in the attempt, your father will have no one. Be sensible, Lisette.’
Her annoyance at being told to be sensible overcame her pleasure at being addressed as Lisette. She pulled herself away from him, realising as she did so, how stupid she had been to throw herself into his arms like that. That most definitely was not sensible. ‘I am being sensible. Sons are more important than daughters and if Papa gains his son at the expense of his daughter, so be it.’
‘Rubbish. I am prepared to wager if you were to tell your father what you propose, he would forbid it.’
‘Then I shall not tell him.’
‘I cannot allow this, Lisette.’
‘Who are you to allow or not to allow, Jay Drymore? You are not my keeper.’
‘No,’ he said thoughtfully. ‘But I do have an interest in your welfare.’
‘Because you saved me and Papa from a French prison and, like some medieval knight, you think that makes you responsible for my life for ever more. I have said I am grateful. Must I go on saying it to the end of my days?’
He smiled; her attempt to be angry with him failed in view of her blotched cheeks and tear-filled eyes. ‘No, I have told you before I want no thanks. I fetched you out with my grandfather. It was as easy to bring out three as one.’
‘And that is not true. Your grandfather was a free man, he did not have to be rescued from prison.’
‘But he did want to come home.’
‘Not the same.’
He smiled and lifted her chin with his finger so that he could look into her face and then he surprised himself by adding, ‘I will go back and bring your brother to you.’
He watched her tears miraculously dry up and a smile come to her face. ‘How?’ she asked.
‘I do not know. I’ll think of something.’
It was a moment or two before she realised that he had repeated her own words and managed a weak smile. ‘You can’t do that, Jay. You are a wanted man in France.’
‘James Smith is wanted, not Jay Drymore.’
‘What difference does that make if you are recognised?’
‘I might be recognised in Honfleur, but not Paris. Michel is in Paris, is he not?’
‘You would go openly as yourself?’
‘Why not? Englishmen may not be popular, but England is neutral.’
‘Why would you do that for me?’
‘Oh, I don’t know,’ he said vaguely, wondering himself. ‘Because you need help and I am here and able to give it, I suppose. Any man worth his salt would do the same.’ He told himself that he would come to the aid of anyone in similar circumstances and the fact that he had held her in his arms and liked the way it felt had nothing to do with it. ‘I will consult my father about the best way to go about it.’
‘Thank you, oh, thank you.’
He smiled when she seized his hand, but thought better of it and let it go again as if it were a hot coal. ‘Now, let there be no more tears. You must stay cheerful for your father’s sake.’
‘I will try.’
‘Good. Now, go and give the children their lesson, they are waiting for you.’ He rose, put her hand to his lips and strode away, leaving her rubbing the back of her hand pensively.
‘I wondered if I might go on official business,’ Jay told his father after he had explained what he intended to do. They were sitting together in the library where he had found him working on estate ledgers which were spread out on his desk. ‘If I could have access to the palace, I could smuggle Giradet out without having to resort to violence.’
‘But you know we have recalled our ambassador to France in protest at the dreadful massacres?’
‘No. What happened?’
‘There were rumours that the Prussians had taken Verdun and were at the gates of Paris and intended to restore Louis to the throne and release all the political prisoners. Every able-bodied man was called to defend the city, but instead they decided to massacre the prisoners in the most horrible and bloodthirsty way.’
‘Are the Prussians at the gates of Paris?’
‘I think not. It was a rumour, but who knows what the mob will do next? Lord Gower has been recalled and is even now presenting his report to the government.’
‘All the more reason for me to try to fetch Monsieur Giradet out,’ he said. ‘There must be some people left at the embassy, if only to maintain it until things settle down.’
‘At the moment, yes, but there is talk of ending the neutrality and declaring war on France. If that happened while you were there, you would be an enemy alien and subject to imprisonment, if nothing worse.’
Jay had not realised matters were as bad as that, but having given his word to Lisette, he could not go back on it; it had become a matter of honour. ‘It would not happen without notice, would it? Warnings would surely arrive from London and give me time to leave the country. It is to be hoped with Michel Giradet.’
