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Back Dangerous Remedy
Chapters (86)
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Dedication
  5. Epigraph
  6. Contents
  7. Paris, June 1794
  8. PART ONE
  9. 1
  10. 2
  11. 3
  12. 4
  13. 5
  14. 6
  15. 7
  16. PART TWO
  17. 1
  18. 2
  19. 3
  20. 4
  21. 5
  22. 6
  23. 7
  24. 8
  25. 9
  26. 10
  27. 11
  28. 12
  29. PART THREE
  30. 1
  31. 2
  32. 3
  33. 4
  34. 5
  35. 6
  36. 7
  37. 8
  38. 9
  39. 10
  40. 11
  41. 12
  42. 13
  43. 14
  44. 15
  45. 16
  46. 17
  47. PART FOUR
  48. 1
  49. 2
  50. 3
  51. 4
  52. 5
  53. 6
  54. 7
  55. 8
  56. 9
  57. 10
  58. 11
  59. PART FIVE
  60. 1
  61. 2
  62. 3
  63. 4
  64. 5
  65. 6
  66. 7
  67. PART SIX
  68. 1
  69. 2
  70. 3
  71. 4
  72. 5
  73. 6
  74. 7
  75. 8
  76. 9
  77. 10
  78. 11
  79. 12
  80. 13
  81. 14
  82. Postscript
  83. A Ship in Le Havre Port
  84. Acknowledgements
  85. About the Author
  86. About Zephyr

It was dark and damp in the crypt, only the light from one storm lamp in the middle of the room casting strange shadows over the bare walls. Their things were bundled about the floor, discarded clothes stained with soot and blood. They never stored any food along with the supplies they stashed, to avoid attracting rats. Olympe was fast asleep.

Camille splashed cold water on her face, then sat down and pulled out the piece of paper.

It was a letter, addressed to Ada.

If she was a good person, Cam thought, she would put it away. Put it out of her mind. Nothing good could come of opening it.

She wasn’t so sure she was a good person any more.

It didn’t take long to read.

She read it twice, blinking back tears.

‘Camille?’ Olympe’s voice was soft with sleep. ‘What’s wrong?’

Camille folded the letter away. ‘Nothing.’

‘You’re crying.’

‘No, I’m not.’

Olympe left her nest of jackets and crossed to sit next to her on the step. ‘Why are you lying? You can tell me what happened.’

‘It’s not important. I mean, it is, but I can’t think about it right now.’

Olympe picked at the stitching in the fingers of her gloves. She must have found a pair among their supplies.

‘I’m sorry.’

‘What?’

‘It’s my fault you can’t think about other important things.’

‘Stop it. Blaming yourself isn’t going to help. If anything, I think you were really brave yesterday.’

Olympe’s eyes widened. ‘Brave?’

‘Yes. You think the rest of us aren’t scared when we go out on a job? That we don’t make mistakes or act on impulse? Of course we do. Things didn’t go as planned, but you saved us at the abbey, and you saved us in the theatre.’

‘I didn’t save anyone in the theatre. I lost control and—’

‘I know what happened, but you did save me. Quite literally, you pulled me out of that place before it fell down. And you were fighting back against someone who hurt you, so I don’t blame you for a moment for what happened.’

Olympe looked away. ‘You remind me of my mother. You’re not frightened of me. Everyone has always been frightened of me, even if they were also curious. Except her. She was never frightened.’

‘People are idiots.’

Olympe snorted. ‘She says that too.’

‘Then your mother has a good brain in her head.’