One for All by Lillie Lainoff

Author:Lillie Lainoff
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

FURY UNFURLED WITHIN me. “You had no right not to tell me. He was my father. Mine.” My fingers rested above the ring trapped in my bodice.

“I should have told you. For that I am sorry.”

“That’s all you have to say? You kept what you knew about my father to yourself. You’ve been lying to me all this time. And Monsieur Brandon, he treated me like some silly girl…” The memory knifed through me, his patronizing expression framed by a chapeau and cassock, how he’d stumbled over his explanations … “That’s why he hesitated,” I said, watching Madame de Treville for any sign of remorse. “He concealed it by saying they didn’t have enough resources to investigate. But really they don’t want to draw attention to the fact that Papa was spying for them.”

More memories rebounded, of nighttime and open doors and cloaked men stealing through windows. They weren’t looking for Maman’s jewels. They were looking for Papa’s secrets.

How much of what Papa told me were lies? I’d known there was more to it than him humoring nobles, but I’d thought all the traveling was an excuse to see his friends … mais non. They weren’t just his friends. They were still his brothers in arms, no matter if he was no longer reporting to them and instead to Madame de Treville and Mazarin.

“How…” I trailed off, unsure of how to ask all the questions running through my mind.

“What I know is this: Your father was released from his duties after his father-in-law forced the Musketeers to do so. He left for Lupiac thinking his days serving his country were behind him. But that was before La Fronde. The Musketeers needed spies stationed throughout the country to provide intelligence on Condé’s supporters. That’s when your father was contacted by la Maison du Roi and offered the opportunity to rejoin the Musketeers in secret. His role continued after La Fronde’s resolution, and even involved gathering information for the current mission to save the King. I wouldn’t have known the full story if it weren’t for his letter requesting a place be made available to you. He explained the situation, how he feared what your life would be like in the event he passed.”

“That doesn’t excuse the fact that you didn’t tell me,” I said, cutting off Madame de Treville when she opened her mouth. “Yes, I know, you worried that I’d break. You care more about the King’s life than my father’s. But I’m not fragile.”

“I was wrong, Tania, and I’ve apologized. But I will not tolerate being spoken to in such a fashion.” She relaxed her arms but continued to struggle with an invisible weight fixed to the nape of her neck. “As hard as it is, your duty is to France. Don’t you remember what I told you after Monsieur Brandon left that day?”

Fighting for the King is fighting for your father. At the time, the implication had seemed straightforward: Papa’s final wish was for me to serve the King.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.