‘I mean your parents, who for much of their lives dedicated themselves to the revolutionary cause.’

‘Until you all got too murder-happy.’

She held her anger in check, stabbing her food with her cutlery.

He put down his fork. ‘I regret that we used such aggressive methods when we recruited you. I know you still support us, when it comes down to it.’

‘Don’t coddle the girl,’ Comtois interrupted. ‘I’ll put it plainly, if you won’t. We have reason to believe you have the girl, and you are protecting her out of a misplaced sense of honour. I also believe that the duc hired you to take her. We have known of your antics releasing convicted prisoners, but we have tolerated it, as a horse does a fly. An irritation at best. You move grains of sand one by one, while we rout out treason and serve justice better than ever. You were beneath our notice. But now you hold something of national importance, perhaps we will be less inclined to overlook irritations. I understand you are harbouring a fugitive aristocrat convicted of treason against France? And a deserter?’

Camille schooled her features into a bland smile.

‘I have no idea what you’re talking about.’

Molyneux sighed, passing a hand over his tired eyes. ‘Perhaps if I’d come to you honestly, presented you with the truth of the matter, you would have agreed without the need for threats.’

Truth of the matter? Did he mean Olympe’s strange powers?

‘You made the choice to threaten my friends, not me. Don’t expect me to have any sympathy for you.’ She licked her lips, choosing her words. ‘Will you tell me this “truth” now?’

Molyneux and Comtois exchanged a glance.

‘Deny your involvement all you like, but I think you know me well enough to trust when I say the Royalists must not get hold of this girl. Or the fate of France will be at stake,’ said Molyneux carefully. ‘I do not speak lightly. I won’t deny your parents and I didn’t agree on the path the Revolution was taking, but on something this important I believe they would feel clear where their loyalties lay. They would have done the right thing.’

Camille hated how defenceless she felt when anyone brought up her parents. It had been months since they’d been executed, but the wound felt as fresh and raw as it had that awful day watching the guillotine blade fall. The worst part was, Molyneux was probably correct. If lines were being drawn, they would have picked the Revolution every time.

Perhaps the right thing was a matter of perspective.

‘And if you got hold of her, things would be all roses? Forgive my scepticism but your government tends to take new inventions like the guillotine and get a little out of control.’