We’d passed a whole hall of these sparse rooms—probably some kind of servants’ quarters—and as soon as they’d left, I’d yelled for Jack, but got no answer. I could only hope my father found us before anything happened.
I stared at the dress hanging on the wall. It was ivory, with a V-neck and a delicate lace overlay. It was beautiful. It made me want to throw up.
Out in the regular world, some girls might see this place, think of the clothes and the balls and the fact that they would be literally in charge of what went on in the world, and sign on the dotted line.
I glanced up at the ironwork across the windows. The Circle might be a beautiful, gilded cage, but it was still a cage. Even before I knew about them, my whole life had been about running from them. They’d taken my past, and now they wanted my future.
On top of it all, if the mandate was fulfilled, if the union happened, I had no idea what would happen to Mr. Emerson. What good were hostages when the ransom didn’t matter anymore? And it was unlikely my father was out looking for him if Jack and I were missing.
There was a knock at the door and I bolted upright.
Stellan poked his head in.
“Stellan, please. Let me go.” I jumped up. “I’m not trying to hurt the Dauphins. I promise.”
He scowled. “Here.”
He held out a box. I’d insisted they bring me clear contacts if they were going to make me take mine out. I ripped open the box and popped a contact first in one eye and then the other. I blinked, and the world fell into place again.
Stellan couldn’t keep the hint of wonder out of his expression as he watched me. But then he hardened again. “You should have told me. All those times I asked you what you were, and you lied.”
“You would have just turned me in even sooner.” I crossed my arms over my chest, shivering in the pajamas they hadn’t given me time to change out of.
“But if I’d known . . . if I hadn’t been watching you last night, and I’d stayed with Madame—” Anguish twisted his face, and for one charged second, his hands curled into fists at his sides and I winced away. I realized just as quickly that the anger wasn’t directed at me.
“I’m so sorry about what happened to Madame Dauphin, but it is not my fault. And it’s not yours either,” I said. He started to protest and I went on. “Madame Dauphin told you to follow me. I heard her, remember? In fact, if I heard correctly, she seemed to be blackmailing you or something.”
“That is none of your business,” he said under his breath. He turned to go.
“Wait,” I said. “Is Jack . . .”
Stellan stopped, his hand on the doorframe. “He’s in a cell. Someone will deal with him later.”
Relief filled my chest. I stood up. “How did you know?”
He turned halfway. He was wearing a simple white T-shirt and gray jeans, like the first time I’d seen him in Lakehaven. “Does it matter?”
“Then why not tell me?” He must be feeling especially dejected. Normally, he’d jump on the chance to brag about how he caught me.
He sighed. “I saw you talking to the Saxons. I noticed you looked alike, but since you were supposedly a Saxon yourself, I didn’t think much of it. Then you mentioned the contact lenses. And I remembered how you were looking at Alistair Saxon, and the pieces just fell into place.”
He spread his hands and turned to go again. “Wait,” I said. There was nothing more Stellan could do to me. If I had any chance of helping Mr. Emerson, I had to tell him the whole truth. I stood up from the edge of the cot. “Fitz knows something about the mandate, and the tomb.” Stellan stopped short, and I barged ahead. “That’s why the Order took him. He left us clues, including a diary of Napoleon’s that talks about everything. The tomb, the mandate, the One. The Order wants to know who the One is, or they’re going to kill him.”
Stellan turned, one hand still on the doorknob. “You just said a lot of things that make no sense. The Order’s ransoming Fitz? Are you talking about the tomb?”
“Yes. We’ll tell you everything. Let’s just go talk to Jack.”
Stellan stepped the rest of the way back inside. “Why would Fitz know anything about the tomb and the One?”
“I have no idea, but he did. And he wanted us to find clues. He left us a note, with photos. Of Jack, you . . . and me.”
Stellan raised his eyebrows, but I plunged ahead. “I knew Fitz, back home. Long story,” I said before he could ask the obvious question.
Stellan’s eyes narrowed. “And you expect me to believe this? You’ve lied to me over and over.”
Footsteps went by outside, and voices speaking French echoed down the hall. I waited, then lowered my voice. “I lied because you would have turned me in to the Dauphins, which you did. I’m telling you the truth now.” I realized with a jolt that this was the same thing Jack had told me outside the club in Istanbul, when I trusted him as little as Stellan trusted me right now. It was odd being on the other side.
Stellan shook his head. “I doubt Fitz would leave whatever this is for me. He . . . he always liked Jack better.”
I felt a quick pang of sadness for him. At least Jack knew he had Fitz on his side. “Apparently he trusted you with this, too.”
Stellan eased the door closed. “You say Jack has this diary right now?”
“Unless they took it. Just come see. Please. For Fitz. And if that’s not enough, you’ll want to see the rest of what we found. The stuff about the tomb might be interesting for the Dauphins.”
He hesitated, and I took advantage of it, pushing between him and the door. “We only have until noon to contact the Order, and it’s not like I can escape.”
He ran a hand through his hair. “I’ll go get it from Jack, then, and tell you if I find anything.”
“No!” The diary mentioned something about the union, too. It was a long shot, and Mr. Emerson had said not to tell the Circle, but if we discovered something that could get me out of this wedding, I’d have to take it. For Mr. Emerson, for my mom, and for myself. “The three of us should talk through it together, like Fitz wanted. We have to be missing something.” I looked up at him. “You’ve already ruined my life by turning me in. You owe me this much.”
Stellan pursed his lips. “Okay, but only for Fitz. It’ll be hours until the wedding, but they’ll be looking me to work soon. I’ll give you”—he looked at his watch—“ten minutes. Let’s go.”