The opulence and grandeur of the Louvre palace was lost on Amorette Du Guillory. Despite having never stayed there before and knowing that she should rightly have been in awe of the whole wondrous city pof Paris, her heart was not in it. As she lay in bed early the next morning, her stomach was in knots. Seeing her half-sister after such a long time was somewhat bitter-sweet. After everything that Ann had put her through Amorette couldn't help but feel that their reunion was only going to bring about more turmoil. To have Athos there in that moment had also been strange. If he hadn't prevented her from attacking Ann, Amorette was certain the two women would have fought like cat and dog on the floor. Though dresses may have been torn and hair pulled Amorette could not really believe that Ann would have seriously intended to harm her though. After all, they were half-sisters and Amorette would one day inherit the large fortune that her father had amassed if she managed to outlive him. Their mother had been unable to provide for her bastard child in her will due to her consummated marriage, but she had managed to find a loop-hole in that when Lord Percy did die; Amorette could pass on an inheritance to her half-sister.
She felt Athos' pain now just as keenly as she had the night before. How horrific it must have been to have both women in the same room; to be thrust back into their family's squabbles when Amorette was sure that he wanted nothing more than to be as far from Ann as possible. For a while Amorette had known of her sister's botched execution and had heard rumours of her seductive romps in England with countless noblemen, leading her to take Lord De Winter's name as her own after she fled his younger brother's bed. This information had been drip fed though, and Amorette had known that there would be far much more to each and every story that she was told, but she had not expected to find her in Paris of all places, so close to where everything had gone wrong for her.
There was something within Amorette though that was glad to see her sister alive and well. There was a ferocity to her sister that could not be denied by anyone and Amorette admired that in her. She had always applauded strong women and Ann was no exception. Their own mother had been weak, baring a child out of wedlock and falling from one dangerous affair to another before eventually meeting and marrying the infamous Lord Percy Barclay. Amorette's uncle had not approved of the match and had strongly advised against it, but to no avail. The marriage went ahead and the Cometess De La Feuillette endured a terrible and frightening union before her untimely death. Their mother had been weak, hoping from man to man in the hope of finding someone to love her. The Cometess would have gone to any lengths just to feel a little love from Lord Percy and had done so on numerous occasions. Amorette remembered it all very well and had suffered for it. Her mother had not been strong enough to do the right thing and walk away from a man who was violent and cruel to his only daughter. Ann was in complete confliction to the Cometess. Everything that she did was for money and power and Amorette would never condone her methods or behaviour, but she could not see her sister as weak. Living in a wholly man's world Ann had carved a name and a life for herself by usurping the money and position of others.
Amorette supposed that she did somewhat share her sister's tenacity but in a radically different form. Her mother desired love and her sister wealth and favour; Amorette believed herself to be somewhere between the two. Amorette had seen how the jangling of large amounts of gold in the pockets of her father and sister had been their own corruption, and she knew first hand that love wasn't necessarily enough to redeem a person no matter how much of it they had to give. Amorette was never 'in favour' as her sister had so aptly put it, and technically she was also never out of it. She sat somewhere resolutely between the two and saw it as a blessing. Every member of the nobility knew someone who had been in favour one week, and the next they met a grisly end with the help of the executioners block or what would come to be known as le guillotine. Even though she was not a regular at court Amorette was well aware how quickly favour could shift and diminish. She was not without connections though. Her name was well known and influential and Amorette continued to uphold alliances with French and English politicians and nobility alike. Such allegiances were acquired because of her reputation as a good person and enabled her to be extremely well informed where others thought her unwitting.
Amorette led a comfortable life, and did not see the need to throw money at opportunities and material objects because there was no one in her life to admire them. She had enough love to put the money she did have to good use and had funded the opening of the school house in a nearby town and continued to support them. She hoped to engage in more projects like it in future but would always remain an anonymous benefactor. Amorette was sure of her judgment and knew that if her generosity were widely known it would be misused so she made her own decisions about just who her money helped.
Everyone had wicked thoughts from time to time. Everyone had things they wanted to buy, alliances that they thought valuable or people who they wished to share their life with, but Amorette didn't act on them. In her eyes it made her a better person.
It was still early when she emerged from her one-night lodgings and made her way towards the presence chamber to meet with the King and Queen. Their meeting was to be a private one and Amorette would waste no time in divulging all of her sister's secrets. If for nothing else than the assurance that her sister could not entangle herself in anyone else's affairs Amorette thought it was something she had to do. Part of her thought that she did it to help Athos be rid of his wife who he loved and hated so much in equal measure. She also thought that she did it for the king, because Amorette was sure that Milady De Winter was more than capable of bringing the house of Bourbon to its knees. She also did it for herself. She did not wish to have her name and good intentions sullied by her sister.
For her own reasons Amorette knew she could strike up a rapport with the queen very well, it was the king's opinion she really needed to sway to diminish the favour that her sister so craved. Their meeting was a long one. The king was immature, almost childlike. In effect he was still very young, but the Louvre Palace and Paris were his home and the people that surrounded him were trusted advisors. He showed every confidence that was to be expected in a king. He believed of course, that his birth right was to rule by divine right. Such was the catholic way. It was a far cry from English monarchies of recent times. Their protestant monarchs seemed to have more of an understanding of just how unstable a reign was. The favour of the people was just as fickle as the favour of a king. Amorette liked Anne of Austria immediately though. Despite being the anointed queen of France there was a fragility in the way she held herself and spoke. This was not her home, and she had come to a palace full of strangers when she first arrived in Paris. She was strong though, as Amorette was fully aware that the king had grown to value her opinion highly and held his wife in great esteem despite his knowledge of her affair. Amorette had a feeling she would warm to her Queen when Athos had told her of the apparent affair with the Duke of Buckingham. Here was a woman married to a man she did not love, in a country that she did not know or trust and she had taken her own happiness into her hands. As Queen she had that right and could get away with it as long as no substantial evidence was found. But in front of Amorette sat a demure, pleasant young woman who listened to her claims with interest and respect and once the matter of Milady De Winter was concluded; continued conversation as if they were firm friends. She seemed to seek Amorette's approval, strangely. Anne of Austria knew about favour. She may be queen but she too was just another subject to an anointed king. Everyone knew the story of Henry VIII of England and his six wives, and it seemed this queen knew the fear of divorce or beheading.
The King and Queen expressed their regrets that Amorette would not attend court, and though Amorette promised the Queen that she would visit she knew it very unlikely that she ever would. Leaving Paris would be the biggest relief she had ever experienced, and it would be made even better if Claire Du Leroux was no longer under suspicion and allowed to leave with her.
It was a little before midday when Amorette arrived at the musketeer garrison. She had not wanted to arrive early but had not wished to remain in the palace any longer. The evening beforehand when she had walked through the same archway Amorette had been greeted by the site of a bustling hive of activity with what she suspected was the musketeers handing the day duties over to the night watch. Today though it was deserted save six souls. Atop a flight of stairs there stood a rather stoic faced man looking out from a balcony. At the foot of the stairs five others sat around a long table. Athos, Porthos, D'artagnan and Aramis stood up to greet her, whilst Claire Du Leroux remained seated. Her friend looked lost and bewildered amongst all these men and Amorette grew worried that perhaps Claire would not be allowed to leave with her after all. Before she could ask after her though, Athos nodded his head in the direction of a small alcove below the flight of steps. As Amorette followed him towards it she noted that the other three musketeers fanned out a little towards where they stood, leaving Claire unmoving at the table. Amorette knew that they intended to listen to their conversation but she had expected as much. The four men seemed to move and talk with such synchronicity that someone might have guessed them to be brothers.
"You met with the king?" Athos' cold tone was present, but Amorette could sense some apprehension there.
"Don't worry, I didn't mention any names. I avoided voicing any names or connections that might cause trouble for others." Athos visibly relaxed at her words and Amorette was shocked at how like the teenage boy he became in that moment. It crossed her mind then that all that tension was present last night too. Did he really walk around with so much frustration and angst inside of him? "She's gone Athos. The King and Queen informed me that Ann left Paris last night. It seems my intentions this morning were expected. She fled with enough gold lining her pockets to make the crossing to England or passage to Spain many times over. She's gone and if she ever comes back she will certainly not be in favour!" Amorette smiled as she spoke, but Athos' face was unreadable. Of course he would be disappointed that she'd gone. No matter what Ann did and how much Athos hated her for it, he could never shake his love for her.
"At least now she cannot antagonise you," Amorette sighed, sure that he would resent her for speaking out against her sister. What else could she have done though, when Ann was hurting him just by her presence at court? She changed the subject then, suddenly more eager to put distance between them again. "And what of Claire? Have you made a decision yet?"
He seemed to engage in their conversation a little more as he moved a bit closer. "We believe that we have found your friend to be as innocent as you claimed her to be. She openly told us herself, rather ashamedly that she cannot read or write. I was surprised that she admitted to what would be seen to some as a rather large failing in a noblewoman, but she did."
Amorette was not surprised when Porthos peered around the corner of the alcove then. He took his hat off as he spoke. "If I were you Mademoiselle I would get your friend on the road to wherever it is she's going as quickly as you can. Our captain's reluctantly agreed to your scheme but he's not best pleased with it. You should hurry in case he changes his mind!" She followed Porthos' gaze to where the man stood on the balcony. He had his back turned to them now. Amorette nodded her thanks and looked towards the stables where she knew her horse to be tethered. Aramis was walking towards them leading her horse and another. She moved to thank him but Athos stopped her.
"Just one more thing Mademoiselle? Your friend's mistress that you saw, I know you said you didn't speak with her directly but is there anything you recall about her? Perhaps something Emile might have mentioned in passing?"
Amorette began to shake her head, but something in her expression must have given her away. Athos quirked an eyebrow at her and she was left feeling utterly scrutinised as she stood before his sapphire gaze.
"Well... that is...I... you think that the mistress I saw may be his accomplice in those attacks?" Athos nodded briefly. "I'm...not entirely sure that there is only one mistress to speak of. I know that Emile is my friend but he has been rather promiscuous in the past. I did not know... well that is I did have my suspicions, but Claire herself told me of it. It greatly upset her as you can imagine."
Athos was looking at her shrewdly and Amorette thought she could almost see the connection forming in his mind. "And were you..." he shifted from foot to foot slightly awkwardly. "Forgive me but are you one of the mistresses that you speak of?"
Amorette had expected the question, but it still angered her a little to think that Athos thought she would become a mistress to a man like Emile Du Leroux. Amorette simply shook her head and then looked down at her feet, unsure about just how much to tell Athos.
"Then forgive me but what are your suspicions based on? Amorette?" Athos ducked his head a little to try to reach her eye line and Amorette resolved to tell him the truth.
"When he stayed with me a few weeks ago," she muttered to the floor, "there was an incident where he approached me with the intention of making our relationship a more intimate one." Amorette squirmed where she stood, sensing the eyes of the other three men upon her. "I refused him. He left the next day."
A gentle hand upon her elbow prevented her from turning away from Athos. He pulled her closer to him and she was forced to look up into his eyes. They looked anything but gentle. In fact it seemed as if there was a storm brewing there. Amorette could feel the heat radiating from him as she watched a conflict break out upon his face.
"Did he try to force himself upon you?" Amorette had not expected that question. For a few seconds she hesitated and Athos seemed to take that as an affirmative. She watched his nostrils flare and his grip on her arm tightened a little. If not for the direness of the situation Amorette might have taken a moment to enjoy the concerned expression he harboured as his hand gently moved closer to her wrist.
"No! He didn't touch me!" Amorette blurted out quickly and smiled reassuringly at Athos in the hope that he would believe her. "He made a pass at me and I refused him. He went to his own bed that night with his tail between his legs. He didn't touch me."
"Good." Athos visibly relaxed again and released her wrist from his grip and grasped her shoulder gently. A twinge of pain there reminded Amorette of an old childhood injury that had never completely healed. Thinking their conversation had reached its conclusion, Amorette attempted to step back a little but the weight of Athos' hand on her shoulder kept her in place. "You would tell me though," he almost whispered, "If something of that nature had occurred? You would come to me for help?" Amorette remained silent, not knowing how to reply. Athos tilted his head to the side as he observed her and she was sure that her old friend could see right through her. Amorette forced herself to stay focused on his face and not let one memory in particular rise to the surface. She pushed it down and swallowed deeply. "You do feel that you can confide in me don't you? That you could trust me with something like that?"
Athos gave her shoulder another squeeze then and Amorette quickly nodded, trying desperately to find her voice again. "Yes... yes of course," she gasped out. Athos released her shoulder and nodded but Amorette knew that she hadn't entirely convinced him. "Porthos is right, Athos. Claire and I need to take our leave. Thank you for helping her! She shall be saved from a horrible torment of having to remain at court whilst her husband goes to trial so ... thank you." For a moment the two friends stood looking at each other and Amorette knew that what they would both say within the next few seconds would feel so wholly underwhelming and inadequate, but there wasn't really any other way to part.
Amorette took a deep breath and spoke first so as not to prolong the uncomfortable atmosphere that had just settled between them. "I suppose that my coming to Paris has at least enabled us to part on happier terms. I won't apologise for what was said yesterday for it was what I felt, but I'm glad we have a chance to part amicably. I don't suppose we shall see each other again for a long time, perhaps never. So..."
Amorette shuffled awkwardly as Athos muttered a "So..."
They both shared a light chuckle. "Goodbye Athos." Amorette found suddenly that she couldn't bear to hear his goodbye and turned on her heal and made for her horse. Claire was already seated upon hers and ready to leave. Amorette checked the horse's bridle and saddle to find that everything was already firmly in place. Placing one foot upon a stirrup she attempted to launch herself up into the saddle. She gasped as strong hands circled her waist and hoisted her atop the horse. Looking down quickly she found Athos staring up at her. One hand stayed at her waist but his other hand took the reins and presented them to her. When she took them in her hand their fingers touched. Athos did not withdraw his hand though.
"Be careful on the road," he said sincerely. "It's probably best that you don't stop along the way."
"Oh Athos don't fuss. I know the way well enough, even in darkness." Amorette adjusted her hat which had slipped slightly as he'd helped her onto the horse and slid the reins out of his grip. All at once he was standing quite a way away from her and Amorette was all too aware of the absence of his warm touch at her waist. She turned to Claire who meekly nodded her readiness to her and Amorette looked to Athos' three friends who stood side by side. They all touched the brims of their hats to her and uttered goodbyes. She did the same as she spared the balcony a quick glance, but the musketeer captain was no longer within her sight. She dug her knees into her horse and by the time she had reached the arched entrance they had broken into a gallop. With Claire behind her they were gone in a flurry of dust.
The two women only slowed their pace of travel when they reached the outskirts of Paris and reached Provins just as the sun began to set. Elise was just finishing up for the day when Amorette and Claire arrived. Before she left for the day she drew a bath for Claire. As she bathed in the next room, Amorette went through her own things and picked out some clothes for Claire to wear and then retreated downstairs to give her friend some space. Claire had been ever so quiet on their journey back and hadn't spoken a word since she'd entered the house. Amorette supposed that the poor woman must have been traumatised. Her husband would most likely face a trial and she had no doubt that he there would be a charge of treason. In the parlour she found Claire's cloak thrown unceremoniously over the back of a chair. Lifting the cloak to place it somewhere for safe keeping; Amorette's hand slid over a lump in the cloth as she folded it. Finding just a folded letter Amorette almost let it be, but the slight scent of perfume that seemed to derive from it made her hesitate. Amorette thought it odd that Claire would have received a letter from her husband that smelt of perfume. The marriage hadn't lately been a happy one and why would a man give his wife a letter laced with a lady's perfume. Better still why would a man who knew that his wife could not read or write give her a letter at all?
Was the letter in fact something that Emile had himself received from one of his mistresses? Standing in the doorway to the parlour clutching the folded cloak, Amorette was unsure of just what to do. If this was a letter from Emile's mistress she could understand why Claire had kept it. Unable to read just what the letter said, but to still be aware that it was from someone that her own husband favoured above his wife? That would be a hard thing to stomach indeed. Perhaps Claire had taken the letter in the hopes of finding the right person to read it to her. She might even have kept it as insurance so that she had a good argument when the accusations started to come her way. Amorette knew that they surely would. A wife was her husband's property after all. Perhaps people would think that Claire was a part of the Huguenot scheme, even if she was just doing her husband's bidding. Amorette was torn. She fingered the corner of the letter as she weighed up just what was more important to her in that moment. If this was really from a mistress of Emile's then surely Amorette should open the letter to see if there was any information that she could pass on to Athos, but on the other hand she had the feelings of her friend to consider. Perhaps she could tell Claire that the letter fell from its hiding place when she lifted the cloak. Removing the letter from the folds of the cloak Amorette turned it over in her hands and the decision was made for her.
The seal was broken so Amorette saw no harm in having a quick glance at it. It was addressed to a Michael and the first few lines of the letter were nothing of consequence, but the last few lines were what threw Amorette.
'... and when I am free of my good husband we shall make for England together. We shall hide no longer and live in the knowledge that we may continue to further the Huguenot cause. The wheels are in motion my love, and soon I shall be free to be yours. I shall speak no further of what we have arranged here but rest assured that everything will go to plan, I will ensure it. Until then,
Your fleur rebelle.'
Amorette's hands shook slightly as she folded the letter and stuffed it back into the cloak. She threw it back onto the chair and nearly broke into a run in her haste to reach the kitchen. She shut the door behind her and leaned against it breathing deeply. Amorette had an inkling as to the writer of that letter, and looking to the celling she had no idea how to handle this situation. Was the letter in fact written by Claire for her own lover? Whoever had written that letter, they had also written the list she had found the day before. The same handwriting graced both sheets of paper. She had been made aware of Emile's promiscuity by his wife but had never really considered the thought that Claire might just be as bad as him. Amorette felt wounded that she had been fooled by such a woman. Claire had made herself the victim in all of this, but then Claire had said so many things. Amorette had known that Claire could not read or write, but that was only on the basis of what Claire herself had told her. Believing this turn of events was difficult and it occurred to Amorette that she should test her theory. If she was proved right then she would stay quiet about what she knew. She would feign an illness the next morning and postpone their travel. Then she would have Elise get word to Paris and Athos about what she had discovered. The next few days were going to be trying if she really was catering for a spy and a murderer but there was not a thing she could think of to prevent having to do so.
Shaking herself, Amorette dived towards the stove and began to prepare the evening meal. No matter the turmoil inside her head, she could not give herself way. Instead she would go about her normal routine as if she were none the wiser. If she ran now, Claire would run too and then she would never be apprehended and her most likely innocent husband would still face an uncertain fate.
A while later she heard Claire emerging from the upstairs room. She called out to her from the kitchen and a moment later Claire joined Amorette by the stove.
"How are you feeling now?" probed Amorette.
"A little better, thanks." Amorette watched her friend as she took a seat at the table and observed that she did not seem very distressed at all. "I still cannot believe my husband Emile to be the conspirator in this terrible scheme that your musketeer friends told me of. I thought Emile was helping that cause. Then I suppose he did keep many things from me, his mistresses for one. I don't think I'll ever truly know how many of them there where."
Amorette decided to take the opportunity to steer the conversation in a direction where she might get some answers. "Claire was there anything that you kept from your husband? It's just that I wondered about you not being able to read and write. Being married to a nobleman might have proved difficult without those skills. Did Emile know?"
She turned to Claire then and was shocked to find that her friend thought the answer a perfectly innocent one.
"Yes..." she sighed. "Emile did know. I suppose he didn't really care. I was more of a trophy wife to him. He didn't care that my upbringing was poor or that I had no connections. I was a thing of beauty for him to show off. Perhaps he did love me when we first met, but by the time we had been married a year Emile had tired of me. Probably for the reason that I cannot give him whatever it is that his mistresses can."
Amorette wondered vaguely how many times Claire had fed people this sob story in pursuit of sympathy as she turned back to the stove and carried on with the simple broth that she was putting together. She suspected very much that Emile thought that his wife couldn't read or write simply because just like Amorette, that was what Claire had told him.
"Oh how rude of me!" simpered Claire. "Let me help with something?"
She was at the stove with her again and it was all Amorette could do not to step back from the woman. Instead she shook her head and was about to ask Claire to sit again when an idea came to her. "I'm on top of everything here. Did you cook much yourself for your husband?"
"No. God no. I've never cooked a thing in my life. How all of you women do it I'll never know. I couldn't tell one ingredient from the other if I'm honest. I suppose I'm rather a let-down to my sex really." Claire chuckled a little and lifted some parsley to smell it. "This smells divine." She said. "But I couldn't tell you what it's called, what it's for or what it would complement!"
"Well I'm almost done but could you fetch me some thyme from the larder?" Amorette nodded towards the larder on the other side of the room and Claire was gone from her side. When she heard the door creek open Amorette called out to Claire. "Oh and some rosemary and some garlic if you can find it!"
The jars in Amorette's larder were opaque and for someone who could not read the task would require them to open the jars to ascertain their contents. But Claire returned with the ingredients far too quickly for that. The lids of the jars were labelled and Amorette knew she had simply read them. As she took one of them from Claire's outstretched hand she made a show of almost dropping it.
"My goodness how horrible of me! I shouldn't have sent you to fetch these! There's us just talking about you not being able to read and I'm sending you off to fetch some labelled jars!" Amorette slapped her forehead as she spoke in a show of forgetfulness.
"Oh never worry!" Claire waved her false apology away with her hand "I can decipher a few words such as cooking ingredients!"
Amorette didn't buy the lie.
Sitting in the dining room a while later, Amorette ate in silence while Claire prattled on. If Amorette hadn't been sure of her guilt earlier, then she certainly was now. The woman sitting across from her spoke of the future and of life with such fondness and zest that no one would have believed she had found out that her husband was being investigated as a traitor to the crown.
Amorette regretted bringing her here terribly. She couldn't be in the same room with Claire for much longer without having an outburst and things finally came to a head when Amorette began to clear the plates. She placed them on the side and turned to gaze at her friend, her blood boiling as she thought of Emile locked away perhaps in the bastille now with a charge of treason hanging over his head. She had had enough.
I think I'll away to Naples to see my cousin Bruno for Christmas? What do you think?" Claire continued to simper at Amorette over the rim of her glass of wine. "You should come with me! Oh yes what a plan that would be. You and my cousin would make quite the perfect match! And who knows, I might even find myself another husband!"
"Did you think Claire that I would not figure it out eventually?" Claire was aghast, staring at Amorette as if she had sprouted another head from her neck. "Come now, don't play the fool. Was it Emile's idea? Were you forced to go along with it? Or was it the scheming of your lover Michael? Or even your own?"
For a few seconds there was silence. Amorette couldn't read Claire's face and for a moment she thought perhaps the woman would deny it. But then a wide grin broke across Claire's face. "What a clever little mademoiselle you are!" she simpered. Claire began to stalk towards Amorette around the table. "I thought it would take a while longer for you to discover the truth. How exactly did you come to your realisation?"
Amorette was circling the table now towards the door, her hand skirting along the top of the table as she went. "I found your letter to your lover! I know that list I found upstairs was written by you! Emile had nothing to do with those attacks did he? It was all you! Why? What reason would you have for involving yourself in this? Attacking those men wouldn't benefit you in any way that I know of?"
There was now only a few feet between the two women as Claire still pursued Amorette around the room. "Michael and I can start a new life together in England once we have completed what we have started. The amount of gold we have been promised in return for our deeds would be too much for anyone to turn down!"
Backing up against the door, Amorette slid her hand behind her back and grabbed the handle. It wouldn't budge. It was almost as if someone was holding it from the other side. "M...I don't... Money?" she stammered. Claire was bearing down on her now from the side. "Money? Claire I have more money than I know what to do with! You could have come to me, I would have helped! I have more than enough money for goodness sake!"
At that moment the door behind her was thrown open and the force of it launched Amorette into the dining table. Hurriedly she tried to recall hearing the sound of someone else entering the house but before she could give it much thought a heavy blunt object collided with the side of her head. Amorette clutched the back of a chair for support as everything swam in and out of focus. A figure came into view that was far taller than Claire but she couldn't see his face clearly. On her other side she thought she could make out Claire. Despite her muddled thoughts Amorette registered that with them either side of her the doorway was now clear. There was silence for a few seconds and the only sound was the heavy breathing of each person in the room. Amorette was aware that she wouldn't get very far as a hot sticky substance ran down the side of her face from the cut on her head. Taking them by surprise she quickly spun around and made for the door. Instead of trying to escape out into the gardens though, Amorette made for the parlour. She knew that she had to find a way to leave some sort of answer to be found. Amorette also knew that she wouldn't make it to the hidden set of pistols and she was right. Just inside the parlour a hand clamped down over her mouth as another grabbed her waist. Amorette yelped and screamed as best she could as she felt the man dragging her backwards. She tried to drag her heeled shoes in the hope that they would catch on something and propel her forwards out of his arms. They thrashed about the room as Amorette tried to put up a fight and furniture moved. Amorette was sure she heard metal buttons or pins on his clothing scrape against the wall. With one hand she dragged Claire's cloak to the floor and kicked out with her feet, knocking over a chair. The man remained silent and all that Amorette could hear was his deep breathing as he tried to keep her under control. He dragged her to the other side of the room where there was less furniture and Amorette couldn't see anything within her reach but after a few seconds struggling seemed futile when she felt weaker by the second.
Looking down, Amorette caught sight of the man's ring on his finger. On impulse Amorette bit down and in almost the same second she pulled the ring from his finger. He let go of her as he gave out an almighty yelp and Amorette fell in a rather odd, almost forced way against a side table, knocking over an old vase that was a wedding present to her mother. Amorette dropped to her knees beside the fallen vase which now resembled shards of porcelain. It was all Amorette could do to bring her eyes into focus enough to drop the ring within the shards, thus disguising it. The man still yelped in pain behind her and Claire shouted orders from the doorway. Everything within Amorette's sight began to twist and turn as she felt the floor come up to greet her and within seconds her heavy eyelids had closed.