a … fool …”
His lids closed again.
She backed away from him, afraid he would wake again and fix her with that accusing stare. It was unreasonable to feel that she had betrayed him. He was the enemy, and she had done the only thing possible.
She ran down the veranda steps and fled along the path toward the road.
Four
“ C assandra!”
She skidded to a halt, her heart leaping with terror when she saw the man coming up the path toward her. “No!”
Her father stopped in his tracks. “Are you all right, Cassandra? Lakoa said you’d had a fall.”
“It was nothing. Just a bump on the head.” She glanced over her shoulder at the cottage. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“You were hurt,” he said simply. “Where else should I be?”
“The English are here.”
“I know.”
She ran forward and dragged him into the underbrush beside the path. “You have to leave. Go back to the village.”
“I can’t do that,” he said quietly. “I can’t hide any more. Eleven years is long enough to be a coward.”
“You aren’t a coward. It’s not cowardly to try to keep a madman from killing you.”
“He’s not mad. He merely wants justice done.” Helooked back at the cottage. “How much does he hate me, Cassandra?”
She shivered as she remembered that last icy glance from Danemount. “You have to leave here.”
He grimaced. “That much?”
She took his arm and pulled him through the bushes toward the road. “I think we should leave this island. I’ve been wanting to go over to Maui for a long while to see if I could find a mare for Kapu, and you must be tired of painting that volcano. You could go first and find a place for us.”
“You mean a hiding place.”
“Only for a little while. When Danemount leaves, we’ll come back here.”
“You believe he’ll give up? What makes you think he won’t follow us?”
She knew as well as her father did that the Englishman would follow. “Then there are other islands.”
“Not for me.” He stopped when they reached the road and turned to face her. “Have you spent much time with the boy?”
She frowned. “Boy?”
“Danemount.” He shrugged. “It was a slip of the tongue. I still remember him as a lad. It’s difficult for me to realize he’s a man now. But even as a boy he was
très formidable
. Is he the same?”
She could think of no more accurate description for Jared Danemount. “Yes.”
“But just? Would you call him just?”
“Not if he wants to kill you.”
“But in matters not connected with me?”
“Yes, I suppose so,” she said impatiently. “Why are you asking these questions?”
“Because I have to be certain that you and Laniwill be safe when I return to France. A just man wouldn’t wreak vengeance on the innocent.” She went still. “France?”
“There’s an American ship docked on the other side of the island that’s due to sail for Boston at midnight tonight. The king has arranged passage and supplied me with funds to take me on to Paris once we reach Boston. He’s also promised to make sure that your needs are taken care of until I return.” He added ruefully, “He appears to be glad to be rid of me. My departure will evidently solve certain diplomatic problems for him.”
She barely heard anything but the first part of what he had said. “Why are you going to France?”
“Raoul Cambre is there. I have to find him. I have to know—”
“What?”
“If I’ve been as much a fool as I suspect. I’ve been doing a good deal of thinking while I’ve been waiting in the village. I thought Raoul was my friend, but Danemount shouldn’t have been able to find me. I covered my tracks in Marseilles very carefully.”
“You believe Cambre betrayed you?”
“I don’t know. I have to find out. Only Raoul knew I was going to Tahiti.” He frowned. “No, that’s not true. He might have told Jacques-Louis David.”
“Who is that?”
“An artist …” His tone was abstracted. “Yes, he
His lids closed again.
She backed away from him, afraid he would wake again and fix her with that accusing stare. It was unreasonable to feel that she had betrayed him. He was the enemy, and she had done the only thing possible.
She ran down the veranda steps and fled along the path toward the road.
Four
“ C assandra!”
She skidded to a halt, her heart leaping with terror when she saw the man coming up the path toward her. “No!”
Her father stopped in his tracks. “Are you all right, Cassandra? Lakoa said you’d had a fall.”
“It was nothing. Just a bump on the head.” She glanced over her shoulder at the cottage. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“You were hurt,” he said simply. “Where else should I be?”
“The English are here.”
“I know.”
She ran forward and dragged him into the underbrush beside the path. “You have to leave. Go back to the village.”
“I can’t do that,” he said quietly. “I can’t hide any more. Eleven years is long enough to be a coward.”
“You aren’t a coward. It’s not cowardly to try to keep a madman from killing you.”
“He’s not mad. He merely wants justice done.” Helooked back at the cottage. “How much does he hate me, Cassandra?”
She shivered as she remembered that last icy glance from Danemount. “You have to leave here.”
He grimaced. “That much?”
She took his arm and pulled him through the bushes toward the road. “I think we should leave this island. I’ve been wanting to go over to Maui for a long while to see if I could find a mare for Kapu, and you must be tired of painting that volcano. You could go first and find a place for us.”
“You mean a hiding place.”
“Only for a little while. When Danemount leaves, we’ll come back here.”
“You believe he’ll give up? What makes you think he won’t follow us?”
She knew as well as her father did that the Englishman would follow. “Then there are other islands.”
“Not for me.” He stopped when they reached the road and turned to face her. “Have you spent much time with the boy?”
She frowned. “Boy?”
“Danemount.” He shrugged. “It was a slip of the tongue. I still remember him as a lad. It’s difficult for me to realize he’s a man now. But even as a boy he was
très formidable
. Is he the same?”
She could think of no more accurate description for Jared Danemount. “Yes.”
“But just? Would you call him just?”
“Not if he wants to kill you.”
“But in matters not connected with me?”
“Yes, I suppose so,” she said impatiently. “Why are you asking these questions?”
“Because I have to be certain that you and Laniwill be safe when I return to France. A just man wouldn’t wreak vengeance on the innocent.” She went still. “France?”
“There’s an American ship docked on the other side of the island that’s due to sail for Boston at midnight tonight. The king has arranged passage and supplied me with funds to take me on to Paris once we reach Boston. He’s also promised to make sure that your needs are taken care of until I return.” He added ruefully, “He appears to be glad to be rid of me. My departure will evidently solve certain diplomatic problems for him.”
She barely heard anything but the first part of what he had said. “Why are you going to France?”
“Raoul Cambre is there. I have to find him. I have to know—”
“What?”
“If I’ve been as much a fool as I suspect. I’ve been doing a good deal of thinking while I’ve been waiting in the village. I thought Raoul was my friend, but Danemount shouldn’t have been able to find me. I covered my tracks in Marseilles very carefully.”
“You believe Cambre betrayed you?”
“I don’t know. I have to find out. Only Raoul knew I was going to Tahiti.” He frowned. “No, that’s not true. He might have told Jacques-Louis David.”
“Who is that?”
“An artist …” His tone was abstracted. “Yes, he
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