Vincent could hardly credit it. He stared at Sudbury openmouthed. “All of them?”
“Even the generals. They are riding on Paris. The Bourbon king has fled.” Sudbury wiped a blob of mud off his face. “Thought you would want to know.”
“Then…we failed.” Vincent slowly sat back in his chair. “After all the risk, the intrigue, the blood… We accomplished nothing—all we did meant nothing.”
“Aye,” Sudbury agreed glumly.
Vincent felt Diana’s hand on his shoulder. “No, Vincent.” She gazed deeply into his eyes. “The outcome does not change the meaning of what you did. You risked your life for your country. You abandoned your future to rectify your past. You fought for your honor and the safety of England. Nothing can change that.”
Vincent sat thinking silently for a space. At last he nodded and said, “Thank you, Diana.” He covered her hand with his and glanced at Sudbury. “I also learned who my friends are.”
Justinian grinned and held out his glass. “Tolerable brandy, this.”
Author’s Note
Yes, dear reader, Napolean really did do that. And yes, the French army really did do that. Napoleon Bonaparte returned to power in France until June of 1815 when he was defeated by the combined powers of Europe at the battle of Waterloo, a twelve-hour battle with tremendous loss of life.
The theme of this book was “Moonlight.” Of course, you know that the moon waxes and wanes, moving from new to full and back to dark. Some see this as representing the Triple Goddess; the Maiden—young and desirable, the Mother—kind and nurturing, and the Crone—the keeper of the doors of both life and death. All of these aspects of womanhood were incorporated into this story.
But did you know that the time of rising and setting of the moon changes with its age? The new moon always rises with the sun and sets with it. Remember seeing that tiny crescent hanging in the sunset? The full moon always rises as the sun sets and sets as the sun rises, providing our mental images of the orange disk appearing at the darkening horizon.
So much of this tale took place out of doors at night that keeping up with where the moon would have been proved to be a challenge—a veritable astronomical adventure.
I hope you enjoyed the adventures of Vincent and Diana. Thanks for reading about them.
ISBN: 978-1-4592-3162-7
A TREACHEROUS PROPOSITION
Copyright © 2005 by Patricia Frances Rowell
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Earth, Air, Fire, and Water 04 - A Treacherous Proposition Page 27