Regency Rogues: Rakes' Redemption: Return of the Runaway (The Infamous Arrandales) / The Outcast's Redemption (The Infamous Arrandales). Sarah Mallory
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eyes, but he replied coldly.
‘We do not recognise such titles in France now, madame. And from what you have said, you do not have any papers to prove who you are, do you?’
‘There are many people in Verdun who will vouch for me.’
‘Possibly, but that is not my concern. Where is Doulevant?’
‘I have no idea who you mean.’
‘Do not lie to me, madame. The landlord described the man staying here with you, the man calling himself Duval. I am satisfied he and Doulevant are the same person. Now where is he?’
Cassie ignored the last question. She was thinking quickly and knew she must play a convincing part.
‘La, so he is not Raoul Duval?’ she said, opening her eyes wide at Valerin. ‘That would explain a great deal.’
‘Just tell me where he is, if you please.’
‘But I do not know,’ Cassie insisted. She decided it would be best to stick as close to the truth as possible. ‘You are very right, I am not Madame Duval. The man calling himself by that name rescued me from this villain.’ She pointed at Merimon. ‘I was grateful and hired Duval to escort me to the coast. We were travelling as man and wife because there is no money to spare for servants and it seemed safer that way.’ She clasped her hands together and assumed an anxious look. ‘When we arrived here, he asked for my purse, that he might book me a passage on a ship for England. I have not seen him since. I think perhaps he has abandoned me.’
‘You seem to be singularly unfortunate in your choice of escorts, madame.’
She returned Valerin’s glare with a steady look of her own.
‘France seems singularly full of rogues, monsieur.’
He walked slowly to a chair and sat down, a deliberate insult while she was still standing. ‘True, and I expect one of them to return here sooner or later.’
Cassie’s blood ran cold. She could think of no way to warn Raoul and could only hope that he would see the gendarmes waiting on the stairs before they spotted him.
‘You may wait if you wish,’ she said with studied indifference. ‘I told you, he has gone and taken my money with him. He will not be back.’
‘We shall see,’ purred Valerin. He looked round when the courier cursed impatiently. ‘We need waste no more of your time, Monsieur Merimon. You may leave.’
‘Not until I have had my reward.’
‘The reward was for information leading to the apprehension of one Raoul Doulevant. So far I have not seen him.’
‘But I told you, she is his accomplice.’
Cassie replied to that bitterly. ‘I was forced into his company when you attacked me!’
Merimon was inclined to argue the point, but Valerin put up his hand. ‘Enough. We know where we can find you, citizen. Good day to you.’
‘But I have received nothing for all my trouble,’ Merimon whined. He turned his sharp little eyes to Cassie. ‘She still owes me for my services.’
‘I owe you nothing. I gave you half your fee when we set out from Verdun, the agreement was that you would get the other half when we reached Le Havre.’
‘It was not I who ran off.’ He turned to Valerin again. ‘Believe me, sir, she is Doulevant’s whore.’
‘How dare you!’ Cassie raged.
‘You are in league with him.’
‘He rescued me from your attack, that is all. And I have told you, I have no money.’
‘None?’ snapped Valerin. Cassie’s slight hesitation was enough. He said coldly, ‘Will you give me your purse, or shall I call in the gendarmes to search you?’
She did not doubt he would carry out his threat. She pulled the remaining coins from her pocket and displayed them on her palm.
‘You see, nine, ten livres, nothing more.’
Valerin scraped the coins from her hand. He held them out to Merimon.
‘Take these, it will pay your passage back to Verdun.’
Merimon looked as if he would argue, but at last he took the coins and went grudgingly from the room.
‘But that is all I have,’ Cassie protested.
‘If you are indeed in league with Doulevant you will find yourself in prison soon enough and will have no need of money.’
‘And when you discover I am telling the truth, that I am innocent?’
Valerin’s glance was sceptical.
‘If you are innocent, madame, I shall personally escort you to the mayor and you may throw yourself upon his mercy.’
‘Thank you,’ she said coldly. ‘I will ask him to write to my grandmother, the Marchioness of Hune. She will send funds for my passage home. Your First Consul himself has decreed that the wives of the English détenus are free to leave.’
‘Providing they have not shown themselves to be enemies of France,’ said Valerin, adding sharply, ‘Do not go near the window, madame. I would not have you warn your lover.’
‘He is not my lover.’
‘No?’ Valerin got up and came closer. ‘Then he is a fool.’
Before she could guess his intention he put his hand around her neck and dragged her close to kiss her. Cassie struggled against him and when he finally let her go she brought her hand up to his cheek with such force that it left her palm stinging. His eyes narrowed.
‘A mistake, madame, to strike a government officer.’ Holding her prisoner with one hand he drew a length of cord from his pocket and bound her wrists together. ‘There,’ he regarded her with an unpleasant smile. ‘That should stop you scratching my eyes out while I show you—’
The door crashed open and one of the gendarmes burst in.
‘Sir, we have him! The pot-boy says the deserter is in the taproom.’
Cassie’s heart was hammering hard. Relief that she had been spared a loathsome groping was replaced by fear for Raoul. She saw the leap of triumph in Valerin’s eyes.
‘Very well,’ he barked, ‘arrest him. I will follow you.’ He turned back to Cassie. ‘What shall I do with you while I make my arrest?’
He glanced around the room, his eyes alighting on a stout peg sticking out high in the wall behind the door. He picked her up. Cassie kicked wildly but it was useless. He lifted her hands and hooked the cord over the peg. She was suspended, facing the wall, with the cord biting painfully into her wrists and her toes barely reaching the floor.
‘Perfect. That should keep you safe until I return.’ His hand squeezed her bottom through the thick folds of her skirts and Cassie shivered. She knew it was a promise of what he had in store for her.
Valerin went out, Cassie heard him clattering down the stairs, then there was silence. In addition to worries for her own safety Cassandra felt the chill of dread clutching at her insides. Had they caught Raoul? Had they hurt him? She tried to concentrate on her own predicament. Her toes just touched the ground, barely enough to relieve the pull on her wrists and stop the thin cord from biting deeper into the flesh. The wooden peg was angled upwards and strain as she might she could not reach high enough to lift her bound wrists free of it. The light was fading, soon it would be dark. In despair Cassie rested her forehead against the wall. Valerin would return for her and there was nothing she could do about it.
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