by Wendy Bayne
The rest of our party met us in the hallway, all of us looked splendid in our finery. It was a short carriage ride to the Embassy where we alighted at the prefect time, neither to early nor too late. I took Miles’s arm and with light pressure signals that we had been working on he was able to negotiate his way to the reception room. At this point, Dr Jefferson joined us passing Miles a pair of dark spectacles. “Here you go, my friend, just as you ordered, just dark enough that others can’t see your eyes. Lord Granville and his wife have been told that while your vision has returned, you are overly sensitive to light, it should take Lady Granville no time at all to let her guests know.” He chuckled and looked at me with surprise. “My word, Miss Turner, you look enchanting tonight!” Then he glanced at Miles. “I’d keep her close, Johnson, if I were you and luckily there won’t be any dancing tonight or Miss Turner’s card would be full.”
I glanced around the room, several people were looking at us and whispering. I smiled shyly at the doctor. “Why thank you, Dr Jefferson but I think there will be several young ladies speaking to Lady Granville about getting an introduction to you.”
He laughed. “Touché! Then I had best join your father’s group and talk politics.” He bowed and tapped Miles on the shoulder. “Good luck.”
Miles smiled, “Thank you, Matthew.” The doctor patted him on the shoulder and walked off to join my father and some acquaintances.
The Earl and Marquis came to stand with us bringing Miles a glass of champagne and a lemonade for me, we stood about making small talk until the final guests arrived. Miles’ brother Edward and his friend Julian Browne both entered the room laughing loudly which drew everyone’s attention as I’m sure they intended it to. Once they were the centre of attention they apologized profusely to Lady Granville for arriving so late. She grimaced at how loud they were but assured them that it had been no imposition. Her Ladyship moved on while they stood there looking around them until they saw our group and made their way over to us. I tensed and tapped Miles hand in the silent language that Murphy had taught me. He squeezed my hand turning towards the two smiling men. Edward grimaced, and Julian hesitated with surprise but they both continued to our side. Edward glanced at me then looked at the Earl. “Hello, Father! I had no idea that you were coming to Paris. Did my brother contact you for help yet again?” Miles tensed.
The Earl’s face was expressionless when he addressed his son, “No, Edward, he didn’t. But I came anyway, he is after all my first born and I would not desert him to the caprices of the French judiciary. May I ask what you’re doing in Paris? The last I had heard from you was that you and Julian were going shooting at your Uncle Angus estate in Scotland?” He raised a brow and waited for Edward to answer.
Edward went pale and Julian glared at Edward sharply then he turned to the Earl, answering after raising his chin and almost hissing, “Rain, sir, there was nothing but rain. That tends to make for a miserable shoot, the birds are not fond of rising when it is pouring down rain.”
The Earl looked down his nose at Julian and with icy voice said, “Really, that is odd.” He looked pointedly at Edward. “I had a letter from your Aunt Millicent just before I left. She invited me to join their hunting party, but she made no mention of you or Julian having joined them and said that the weather had been crisp and clear for weeks.”
Julian was livid, and Edward was at a loss for words, then finally with an edge to his voice, “I believe, Father, that I am of an age that I don’t need to explain my every move to you. Besides I doubt that you would want us to discuss in public the sport which kept us in town. Let’s say that we were better entertained there than at a dismal shooting party in the wilds of Scotland.” The gong rang for dinner and Edward held out his arm to me which I ignored as I continued to hold onto Miles. Lady Granville came to claim the Earl while her sister claimed the Marquis, leaving Edward and Julian to their own devices.
I bristled with indignation and whispered to Miles, “How rude, neither one of them spoke to you or acknowledged your presence.”
Miles shrugged but he looked puzzled. “Nor did they ask for an introduction to you or my uncle. But it’s typical behaviour from Edward where I’m concerned, and Julian seems to be cut from the same cloth. Please don’t let it ruin your evening, poppet. Besides from what I’ve been hearing from the people around us it’s true then, I am the luckiest man here with such a beauty on my arm.”
I blushed, slapping his arm. “You shouldn’t eavesdrop on other people’s conversations!”
He grinned. “This advice is coming from a consummate eavesdropper? Now that is rich.” he chuckled as we entered the dining room.
I ignored his repartee and concentrated on the signals he needed to help guide him to our place at the table. I read the menu quietly so that he could make his selections with relative ease and in his usual self-deprecating manner, he said, “By any chance are there any sandwiches on the menu?”
I moved to slap his leg, but he caught my hand before I made contact. I was shocked and whispered, “Miles! Did you see me move my hand?”
His brother and Julian were making their way to the table with their dinner partners and Miles seemed to be watching them, he answered, “Yes, well no. I sensed or rather heard the motion, but I saw the blur of your hand moving towards me.”
I was piqued that he hadn’t told me that he had regained more of his eyesight, but I was excited for him. “Why haven’t you said anything? I feel like a fool guiding you around when you can see.”
Then he leaned towards me and his lips grazed my ear, “You’re no fool, my sweet, it’s only been for the last few days and it comes and goes at the most inconvenient times. I find I can see blurred images when things are close and there’s enough light. Each time it happens though it’s been longer and clearer, but I really must concentrate. I have to admit that I’m terrified it won’t last or that it won’t get any better.” He squeezed my hand under the table. “Besides I like holding your hand.” I blushed and squeezed his hand back.
We were starting to draw the attention of our dinner companions when Edward sat down across from us and leaned forward. “Tell me, brother, who is this delightful tidbit that you have attached to your arm.”
Miles frowned. “That’s poor manners, Edward, even for you. But if you must know, this is Miss Clarissa Turner, the daughter of Colin Turner.”
Edward was obviously annoyed but managed to nod. “Your servant, ma’am.” He couldn’t insult me openly with so many witnesses, but Julian chose to say nothing and merely glowered at us both.
Conversation with our table partners was sparse since they only spoke French and appeared more interested in their food and wine. Miles had one of his moments during the fish course when he lost his vision, fish was a not a dish that a blind person should eat without someone having picked out the bones first. He had obviously felt a bone in his mouth and rather than try and swallow it, he coughed it into his napkin then declined to eat anymore. It was a painfully quiet meal with Julian and Edward glaring at us and ignoring their own dinner companions.
After the meal there was a musical evening; Miles and I sat with my family, the Earl and Marquis. During the intervals, we discussed our plans for the next few days. We would not be leaving Paris anytime soon since we had all been recruited to find additional evidence of the Earl’s marriage to Miles’ mother. And as Emilie and Mother reminded their husbands they had not been shopping yet. Edward and Julian remained together throughout the evening avoiding our party, but I could feel their eyes on us. Edward must be perplexed as to who the Marquis was. He would walk around the periphery of our group between entertainments and appeared to be trying to eavesdrop. However, we spoke exclusively in French, not only for the sake of the Marquis since his English was not as good as his Italian or French but because Edward’s French was atrocious. The Earl and my father discussed how the Marquis could go about establishing a foothold in the London market and Miles seemed comfortable enough with his uncle now
to ask him about his mother. We heard stories of her beauty, her love of literature and then finally about her love for the Earl. Unfortunately, the Marquis had been the only one to support the Earl’s suit and their marriage behind his parents’ back. He said that he would have regretted his support if he had known what her life in England would be like. But he was very happy to meet her son. He was thankful too that she had at least been safe from the troubles in France. Miles’ grandmother had not survived long after the death of her husband. The journey to Switzerland had been arduous, taking its toll on her especially in the high mountain regions. When the news of her husband’s execution had reached them, it was more than she could bear.
Starting a new life, one of which he had been unprepared for was difficult since he had been raised to run an estate, not to start a business venture. But it had worked out and over time he found that he had a talent for trade. His sister Jeanne was now married to their nearest neighbour and his onetime competitor. After Jeanne’s marriage, it was decided by her and his wife that working together between the two families was more profitable and made for happier family events so he and his brother-in-law were now partners. Jeanne and her husband Philippe have three children, two girls and a boy. He himself had three children, two boys and one girl. He attributed his youngest son Anton’s wanderlust to the fact that his wife Eloise was pregnant when they had fled France and it was Anton who he wanted to establish a foothold in London.
As his tales continued my attention strayed towards Edward and Julian. I felt like we were being stalked, as if they were assessing our strengths and weaknesses like predators. I kept an eye on them while whispering my concerns to Miles. But he was so caught up in hearing about his French family that he merely nodded when I spoke to him. Edward and Julian finally lost interest and drifted out of sight much to my relief and so I excused myself to take a breath of air. My mother rose to come with me. “It’s alright, Mother, I just want some air, the press of people in here is suffocating.”
She smiled at me. “I would like some air myself.”
But I could tell her mind was elsewhere. “You’re missing James, aren’t you?”
She laughed. “It shows that much? I do miss him but it’s only one evening. Lettie is a wonderful nanny but as he gets older and more inquisitive I worry more.” Then she giggled waving her fan energetically. “And I must admit that one of Lady Granville’s entertainments a month is more than enough for me.” We slowly made our way through the crowd to the garden doors that had been thrown open to relieve the heat in the room as the evening progressed. Mother was stopped by Madame Janvier who was desirous to talk to her about her infant daughter’s colic. Mother was more than happy to stop and tell her what Dr Jefferson had recommended. She seemed determined to singlehandedly further the good doctor’s reputation among our French acquaintances.
I soon grew tired of their conversation, having heard it before, so I made my way outside to stand near the terrace stairs with my hands on the railing. I looked off into the darkened gardens where fairy lights had been strung. You could just make out the moving forms of couples that were looking for some privacy. Suddenly my elbow was grabbed, and an arm was wrapped tightly around my waist, I was propelled forward and down the stairs. When I had collected myself enough to scream, the hand move from my elbow to my mouth and I only managed a strangled gurgle. I was forced across the uneven ground stumbling several times and eventually catching the toe of my shoe in the hem of my dress, feeling it tear as I fell to my knees. “Get up, bitch! I know what that bastard and your father are trying to do. I’m not going to let them undo what my brother established to replenish our family fortunes. I’ll not let them ruin everything now!” He pulled me up and kept pushing me forward. Several people saw us but withdrew into the shadows. I hoped that one of them would recognise that this was not a lover’s quarrel and come to my aid or go for help. He chuckled. “I told my brother that killing the old man would be a useless gesture. None of you cared enough about him to heed it as a warning. Your kidnapping was useless as well…he should have listened to me and just killed you and your mother, but he was too soft.”
I caught my breath and tried to slow my pace by feigning a limp so that I could kick off one of my shoes. At one point when I stumbled, he slapped me so hard that I felt my lip split and blood run into my mouth. Then he suddenly stopped and tensed, considering the shadows surrounding us as if he had heard something. He leaned so close to me that I could feel his hot breath against my neck. “I’m only sorry that your mother didn’t follow you out onto the terrace as she had planned then I could have slipped a knife between her ribs.” He was slowly walking me forward when he paused again twisting from side to side, “Did you hear that?” He jerked me around in a circle peering into the darkness. “I’ll find a way to get to her later but maybe your dead body will be enough to stop Turner.”
Now he seemed to be talking to himself. I could only catch the occasional word but thankfully he had slowed his pace. I had no idea where we were going except it was away from the house and the stables. The gardens were large, but this was Paris, not the countryside, and we would eventually come to a roadway and then what would happen.
Then I heard it! At first, I thought it was a bird or squirrel; but it was tapping and there was a pattern to it that was repeated over and over. It was something very like my father’s secret language, but my head was still spinning from the slap, making it hard to concentrate. Then it came to me it was one word repeated over and over, it was ‘duck’. I looked around, but I didn’t see any ducks then as the cloud lifted from my mind I realised that they meant for me to duck! I dropped to my knees which pulled Julian forward when a shot rang out from the trees nearby. Then Julian fell over me, pulling me down the rest of the way. He ended up half sprawled on me and very dead. I lay there staring up into his eyes watching the blood drip from a hole in the middle of his forehead. Then out of the woods at a dead run came Dr Jefferson, my father and Uncle Samuel. To the right of them, Miles came walking out at a much slower pace with a pistol in his hand.
Dr Jefferson reached me first. “Miss Turner, are you hurt?!” I shook my head. By then my father and uncle had reached my side. Father rolled Julian off me then picked me up in his arms and started to walk back the way they had come. The doctor followed, asking me questions, but I ignored him as I strained to see Miles. Uncle Samuel had gone to him and took the gun from his hand while clapping him on the back then I lost sight of them.
We entered the house through the conservatory. It was dark in there but lighter than it had been outside. Father placed me on a chase lounge as the doctor brought a lamp from a nearby table to examine me by its light. Finally, he pronounced me fit to walk. My father left then to speak with Lord Granville, Miles’ father and his Uncle Charles. After he made our excuses to Lady Granville he went about gathering up the rest of our party while the doctor retrieved my cloak and escorted me out to the carriage. I waited inside as my father and the doctor explained to our party what had happened to the best of their knowledge. The doctor warned them that I was not to be pestered with questions, that I was most likely in shock. I hadn’t notice till I heard him say shock that I was shaking and very cold, I tried desperately to quell the feeling. By the time everyone had climbed into their respective conveyances I had calmed down somewhat.
My mother sat with her arm around me, assessing my face and looking very concerned while my father was across from me. I leaned towards him and asked, “Where is Miles?”
Father looked at mother. “He had to stay behind, Lissa. He may have been the one that shot Julian.”
“That’s impossible!” I tried to recall what had happened and I was sure that Miles had come out of the woods after the shot was fired I was sure of it. “He couldn’t have, his vision has been blurry at the best of time how could he possibly shoot a man in the dark with that kind of precision and at a distance?”
“I don’t know, my darling. We all went in different dir
ections searching for you. The last time I saw Miles he was in a heated conversation with Edward when he couldn’t find you.” He took a deep breath and his eyes glistened in the light from the carriage lamp. “It was the shot that alerted us to where you were.” He sighed leaning forward to touch me as if to make sure I was real. “We thought Browne had killed you! I have no idea how Miles managed it but I’m so thankful that he did.”
I sat back allowing my mother to fuss over me. Her attention was welcomed but I was worried for Miles, he would never survive another incarceration and the French were likely to arrest him because of the previous charge and I wouldn’t be there to tell them that he had saved me. “Father, the police! Miles can’t…he just can’t, not again.”
He shook his head. “Lord Granville will have to notify them eventually, but Julian was shot on the Embassy grounds, Lissa, and therefore on British sovereign soil. He’s is a British subject; as is the victim so it shall be dealt with under British law.”
“He’s in trouble, isn’t he?”
Father bit his lower lip. “Not if his father and I can help it. I promise you that nothing bad will happen to him, we’ll see to it.”
We arrived back at the hotel and gathered in our small drawing room where my ordeal was recounted then dissected. Uncle Samuel, Dr Jefferson, the Earl and Marquis had stayed behind with Miles. Mr Spencer asked me several questions repeatedly, I assumed he wanted me to be prepared for when or if the French police came to question me. I was tired, cold and my brain was mush. It was Aunt Mary who finally put a stop to it “That’s enough, I think, our morbid curiosity has been more than satisfied.” She looked down at Emilie. “Emilie, my dear, I think it’s safe to say that Samuel will not be returning tonight and, Arthur, I’m sure the Ambassador will be calling on your services tomorrow, so you’ll need all your wits about you to deal with the French. I’m sure we’re all exhausted, I know that I most certainly am.”