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Not until his flying feet took him within sight of the prison did he stop. There was no sign of Lisette. A few people moved up and down the street, a one-legged man sat in the gutter begging, a child played with a hoop, a skinny dog foraged in the gutter down the centre of the street. The door of the prison was shut and apart from the sentries there was no activity in the yard. He looked about him and caught sight of Sam, who was hurrying away from the prison. Jay shouted at him to stop.
Sam turned to wait for him to catch up with him. ‘Commodore, our plans have been set at naught,’ he said. ‘I am on my way to tell the others.’
‘Never mind that. have you seen Mrs Drymore?’
‘Miss Giradet, sir? No, I have not.’
‘She hasn’t come along here or gone into the prison?’
‘No, why should she? Her brother ain’t there.’
‘Not there?’
‘That’s what I were going to tell you. He’s been moved to that place on the island where the trials are held.’
‘The Conciergerie. Oh, my God! That’s where she is.’ He slapped his forehead with his palm in an effort to untangle emotions which threatened to engulf him and think clearly. ‘Go and tell the others I think Lisette has gone to the prison to change places with her brother. I cannot, for the life of me, see her succeeding. She will be arrested in the attempt. We must stop her. There is not a moment to lose.’
‘Aye, sir, but what are you going to do?’
‘I am going to the Palais de Justice. Tell Lord Portman to meet me there. Go on, man, don’t stand staring at me.’
Sam went off at a trot and Jay dashed back to the Île de la Cité. His anger had gone, replaced by remorse and an overwhelming love that filled his head, his heart, his whole body. He ached with it. Somehow or other, he had to get them out of the fix they were in and then he would never let her out of his sight again. But how?
He was about to cross the bridge leading to the Conciergerie when he saw a cloaked figure coming towards him. ‘Lisette, thank God.’
She did not appear to hear him and he took hold of her arm. A head came up from the hood of the cloak and he saw it was not Lisette, but someone very like her. ‘Michel Giradet,’ he said, his joy evaporating.
‘I don’t know you.’ The voice was uncannily like Lisette’s when she was trying to be haughty.
‘No, but I know you. You are so like Lisette I could not be mistaken. I am Jay Drymore. I am sure, when you changed places with her just now, she spoke of me.’
The young man visibly relaxed. ‘Thank God. She said you would rescue her, otherwise I would never have fallen in with her scheme. I don’t know how you could subject your own wife to such hardship and squalor, even for a few hours. I never should have agreed, I should have sent her back and stayed where I was, but Lisette can be bossy when she chooses and I was not thinking clearly…’
Jay did not think it was an appropriate time to go into why Lisette was posing as his wife. ‘It was entirely her own idea. I would have forbidden it had I known, but now we are left with the problem of rescuing her from her folly.’
‘She said they would let her go, that your influence would save her…’
‘I believe that was said to persuade you.’
‘You mean you cannot? That she is giving up her life for my sake?’
‘That may have been her idea, but it is not mine.’ His voice was clipped.
‘I will go back, give myself up, then they will let her go.’
‘Do you think so? I do not. I think it is more likely you would both be incarcerated. No, I must find a way to rescue her.’
‘Then you must make haste. It is far from pleasant in there and my trial is fixed for tomorrow morning.’
‘I intend to,’ Jay said. ‘Now you must do exactly as I bid you. There must be no taking matters into your own hands, do you understand?’
His vehemence made the young man smile. ‘So you have been subject to her bossiness too, have you?’
‘Never mind that. Have I your word?’
‘To be sure. I am in your hands.’
‘Then make your way to the British Embassy, stay there and do not move until I come. I do not want to find one of you and lose the other. You may come across a Madame Gilbert, the concierge. Do not let her see you too closely. Go straight upstairs to the second room on the left. It is Lisette’s bedchamber, you will not be disturbed there. If a carriage comes to take Commodore and Mrs Drymore to Calais, you are to get into it whether I am back or not. Do you understand?’
‘I understand, but…’
‘No questions. Just do as you are told and trust me.’
