Where is the door?
She tried to spin around, but her feet would not move.
A window! What about a window?
The flames grew hotter, licking up her feet to her waist, racing along her arms. She was melting into the floor, losing herself to the uncontrolled fury of the fire. Remi’s eyes flashed back and forth until a face surfaced from the blaze, reaching a hand out for her to take. She grasped it with her own and pulled with as much strength as she could muster, but found that she could not be moved.
“Save yourself.”
The visage in the firestorm stepped forward, crowned in flames from head to toe. Pink skin bubbled and charred before her eyes as Lamotte’s smile faltered. His eyes bled from the empty holes in his head, his skin melting away from bone.
“Save yourself,” he said again, his arm burning up in her hand.
She screamed, losing her grip on him as she fell backward. The inferno swallowed her, and just as the heat reached its peak, Remi’s eyes burst open.
Sweat dripped down her brow. Her body was covered in a thin sheen of it, her blanket soaked and her hair sticky. She sat up, chest heaving with each panicked breath. Another nightmare, another phantom disrupting her peace. Lamotte had certainly caused a great deal of anguish in town. Remi held him accountable for the nightmare.
“Madame?” A voice called to her from the other side of the door. “We have a problem.”
Is that Jacques? Whatever could he want? Remi wondered as she shifted herself to sit. “Come in.”
Two bodies tumbled through into her room, one of them being Sylvie, followed by Jacques. Her maid was in tears and Ben’s footman wore a grim expression.
“Sylvie?” Remi asked, startled as the young woman fell to her knees. She bowed her head, shaking with unsuppressed sobs. “What’s going on?”
Jacques crossed his arms. “She’s a thief, Madame. I caught her rifling through Monsieur’s desk in his study.”
Remi’s eyes widened. “What? Sylvie, is that true?”
The young woman broke into tears, sobbing louder with each breath she took. It was an awful, agonizing sound. Her pain, her frustration—Remi could feel it all. Pulling the blankets aside, she went to Sylvie’s side to comfort her, but Sylvie pushed her away. Jacques moved to intercept her, but Remi held up a hand to stop him.
“Sylvie, I can’t help you if you won’t talk to me.” Remi tried.
“I’m so sorry, Madame,” Sylvie sobbed, wiping at her face with her sleeves. “I’m so sorry for what I’ve done.”
Remi stilled, sharing a quick look with Jacques. He appeared just as confused as she felt.
“I don’t understand. What have you done?”
Sylvie looked at her through swollen eyes. “Too much, I’ve done too much! But they told me I had to do it. They told me if I didn’t—if I told you, they would do much worse things. I shouldn’t have believed them, Madame. I shouldn’t have.”
“Who?” Remi felt a chill and crossed her arms tightly against her chest. “Who told you to do what?”
“Stealing, Madame! Delivering those awful letters.” Sylvie sobbed. “I didn’t want to, but they threatened to hurt me, or you, if I didn’t!”
Remi tensed. “You delivered those letters?”
“What have you stolen?” Jacques asked, his jaw ticking with anger.
Remi wondered the same, though she assumed it was her belongings, like the locket.
Sylvie looked like a wounded foal, her large, wet eyes bouncing between them. “I’m so sorry for what I’ve done.”
“Sylvie, listen,” Remi started, cautious as she spoke. “If you tell us who threatened you, we can fetch the gens d’armes and send word to your family. We can help you.”
Her eyes grew impossibly wide, lips quivering. “I can’t, Madame. I can’t!”
Both Jacques and Remi reached for her, hoping to calm her, but Sylvie screamed, “I can’t!”
Small and sleight, the young woman slipped past Jacques with incredible speed. She raced through the hall and down the stairs. Remi hurried after her but wasn’t nearly fast enough. The doors burst open with a simple push and she was gone. She was already halfway down the gravel drive when Remi reached the doorway, breathless as she watched Sylvie’s retreating figure from the threshold.
“Remi?”
She spared a glance over her shoulder, catching movement from the hall that led to the study. Ben emerged from the shadows with concern clear in his expression. He came straight to her and wrapped an arm around her shaking shoulders.
“What’s going on?” he asked, herding her away from the door after shutting it. “Why are you crying?”
“Crying?” She wiped at her cheeks. Traitorous tears had been falling unknowingly from her eyes the whole time. “I didn’t realize…”
Jacques cleared his throat. “It was Sylvie. I caught her rifling around in your room. She had some papers in hand, trying to tuck them away when I found her. Madame and I confronted her moments ago.”
Ben turned Remi in his arms. “Is it true?”
“Sylvie was leaving the letters,” Remi nodded stiffly. “She said that someone coerced her into doing it.”
“Did she say who it was?” Ben asked, looking between her and Jacques. Neither of them had the answer he wanted to hear.
“No.” Remi rubbed at her temples. “She ran off before we could learn anything more.”
