Sophie winced at his coarse words. “What do you want, inspector?”
He looked at her in the darkened nursery and licked his lips. “I want what I assume your husband stole from me.”
“I know nothing of that,” she lied.
He advanced upon her. “Do you remember when I told you that you were just a pretty stepping stone?”
She nodded, looking into his cold blue eyes.
He pressed her into the wall, his hands upon her forearms.
“I have plans and dreams that will not be discarded because some silly little slut uses her charms to get what she wants,” Alain said.
Sophie was shocked at his words.
“I have need of you yet,” he said.
“You hold nothing over me,” she flung back at him.
Alain smiled, his hands squeezing her arms and pressing her into the wall. “I don’t need your revolutionary writings. All I need is to tell you this: If you don’t help me gain access to your father’s office again, there might be an accident.”
Sophie’s eyes widened. “What kind of accident?”
Alain tsk-tsked her. “The kind that happens all the time in Paris. Yes. It might be a carriage wheel that falls off, sending its inhabitants to an early grave. Or it might be a savage attack to steal one’s purse. So unfortunate.”
Sophie shook her head against his words. “No.”
“And then, my dear madame, you will go back to wearing that mourning dress, as befits a widow.” He pressed against her and then released her.
She could feel the bruises on her arms. “So you threaten my husband’s life to make me help you steal again?”
“I will do whatever it takes to achieve what I want,” he said with cold reserve.
Sophie bowed her head. “Very well, inspector.”
“Good.” Alain nodded.
She left the room, with the inspector following close behind her. She must find Sebastian and explain to him what had just happened. She must find a way to have the inspector removed from duty and from their lives. She trembled as she placed her hand on the staircase railing.
Sebastian had been looking for Sophie for close to ten minutes. He had asked several people but no one had seen her. She was nowhere to be found. It was at this moment that he looked up and saw Sophie exiting an upstairs room. Her face was pale and she looked distraught.
She was at the staircase when he saw the inspector walking behind her. He took in his wife’s pale face and the inspector’s gloating one and knew instinctively that something had happened. The man had done something to her. He knew it.
He moved quickly to the staircase and positioned Sophie safely behind him. Then, without thinking he slammed his fist against Alain’s face, causing the man to fall backwards against the marble steps.
“What did you do to her?” he looked quickly from Alain to Sophie.
As he looked over Sophie’s body and dress, he noticed her pale face but also the red marks on her upper arms.
“Bastard!” he yelled while the entire assembly gathered below in the foyer turned deathly quiet.
“Did he touch you?” he asked Sophie.
“Bash please!” She didn’t want her husband hurt. She wanted the inspector stopped, but not at his expense.
“No! What did he do?” Bash asked again, but louder.
Alain pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and almost smirked. “You’ll regret laying hands on me.”
Sophie pulled at Sebastian. “He told me he would hurt you if I didn’t help him gain access to my father’s papers.”
“My God! When will you stop? When?!” Sebastian yelled.
“I think I can safely say your wife will be in jail before the night’s end, and you as well for assaulting an inspector.” Alain touched his lip.
Sebastian ground his teeth and then turned down the stairs, searching for something. Two men stood nearby, each with a saber on their person. He nodded to them and asked for the sabers, which they relinquished.
Alain was standing near the top of the stairs as Sebastian rejoined him, mounting the staircase and throwing a saber at his feet.
“I demand satisfaction!” he said loudly enough for everyone to hear. “You have laid hands upon my wife.”
A murmur went through the crowd and even Etienne was shocked. Mohammed and Katharine watched quietly, but no one moved forward to stop what was happening.
Alain hated Sebastian and everything his class stood for. Without thinking, he picked up the saber and slashed into the air, clashing his sword with Sebastian’s. The slash was close to Sophie, who remained on the staircase with the men, and several people gasped.
Sophie inched her way down the staircase away from the two men, coming to rest next to Katharine and Leila at the bottom of the stairs.