Ben’s heart sank.
“I will try again tomorrow,” the inspector assured him. “Give her time.”
Ben did not speak. His hands stiffened on the cold bars as he held back the nausea roiling in his gut. She would not come to him, would not see him. He couldn’t blame her, and yet, he still felt himself breaking.
I might have lost her forever.
A moment of shared sympathy passed between the men before the inspector cleared his throat and tapped the notepad’s blank face with his pen.
“Now then, let’s start from the beginning.”
REMI
Remi could not eat and barely slept.
Losing sleep meant nothing to her, but eating had been hard. Everything that touched her tongue tasted like ash. Elise called for the doctor on the second day, but he’d been drunk and dismissive.
“She’s hysterical,” he’d said simply. “I’ll prescribe her laudanum for sleep, but I cannot help any further than that. Widows in mourning often need sunshine.”
Elise sent him off immediately, the same way she’d sent her mother and father away. Their presence had proven unhelpful in pulling Remi from her wretched state.
Remi had asked Elise to leave, too. Her cousin’s constant hovering agitated her in the worst way and, though she meant well, Remi could not find it in her to be cheery. She had locked herself in Ben’s room, sequestered to the bed and sometimes the bath. Elise had tried her best to comfort her, to pull her free from the chaos, but it was always there to pull her back down.
“I want to be alone,” Remi had said. “Please. Go home.”
When Elise had finally gone, reluctant as she was to leave, Remi fell apart all over again. She thought too much, saw too much. Between Edgar’s body and Leith’s, she wondered if the specters she had been seeing were trying to warn her all along. Maybe they had come to her, begging her to follow them to the cellar where she might discover their bodies—restless spirits whose peace had been disturbed.
I failed them.
On the third day, Remi refused everything but tea.
She finally accepted the laudanum and slept for hours, waking on the fourth day feeling worse. Her head throbbed, and her eyes burned, dry, and swollen from too many tears. She bathed and dressed with little regard for her appearance and would have missed the subtle knock at the door if she hadn’t been descending the stairs at that moment. Loathe to answer, she forced herself to open the door.
Inspector Marceau’s shock was evident. “Madame Leone. How wonderful to see you.”
“Hello,” she muttered half-heartedly.
“I did not expect to see you,” he said, glancing over her shoulder.
Remi knew he was looking for Elise. She had taken to answering the door after the events that had transpired.
“She’s not here,” Remi stated plainly. “I sent her home.”
“I see.” Marceau gestured to the door. “Might I come in?”
Remi moved aside. “Of course.”
“I’m here on behalf of Benoît,” he started. “He’s asked that I implore you to see him. One last time, but as I told him, your cousin made it quite clear that—”
“My cousin?” She floundered. “Elise told me he didn’t want to see me.”
Marceau straightened. “Not at all, Madame. He has been eager to speak with you.”
Remi covered her mouth, suppressing a sob. She’d hidden herself away, hideous with the thought that Ben had refused to see her the last three days. She’d wanted to go to him, to ask her questions. He had the answers she needed, and if there was a way she could clear his name, then she wanted to do it. But when Elise had told her that Ben refused, she’d fallen into a pit of despair she hadn’t bothered to try and climb out from.
“I believe your cousin might have misled you.” He frowned.
“With the best intentions, I’m sure,” Remi replied, though the words felt empty.
“He would do well to see your face. His spirits have been quite low these days, and I’m afraid conversation has been difficult.” Marceau scratched at his chin absently, concern written in his expression. “I know both you and I believe him to be innocent.”
Remi’s heart leaped. “I do!”
Elise had spent some time comforting Remi but had also tried to make her see how Ben would be guilty. She had even tried to convince her that Ben had written the letters to keep her occupied and away from his own business. But despite Elise’s colorful efforts, Remi had not changed her opinion about Ben’s innocence.
The inspector’s eyes widened. “Then you will come and see him?”
“Yes, of course I will!”
“I shall ride ahead and alert les gens d’armes of your arrival.” The inspector tipped his hat and hurried out the door.
Remi ran to the kitchen and found Martin at the stove. He was preparing tea with a side of bread and jam for her. He jumped at her sudden entry, nearly knocking the tray to the ground.
“I apologize, Martin, but I need you to fetch the carriage.”
He frowned. “I’m sorry, Madame, but one of the wheels is being fixed.”
“A horse then,” she said in reply. “Bring me a horse, please.”
