His eyes widened in surprise, but his body yielded almost without thinking. His lips bumbled a moment, searching, until he found hers. Awkwardly at first, his mouth pressed into hers, unsure of the expectation. Then her lips softened and responded to his touch. All thought flew from his mind. Her supple, full mouth was delicious. All he could think was how to devour her lips over and over again. He pulled her closer, deepening their kiss, maddeningly lost to the soldiers at their doors, to their driver who was explaining the outing.

At length, somewhere out of his body, he felt a hand shake his shoulder. Then Lady Cavendish stiffened. He pulled away and immediately sharpened his focus. Soldiers gestured from the opened carriage door, urging him to exit immediately.

Lady Cavendish laughed, her face still inches from his own, sitting on her bench. She called out to the soldiers, “What is it, men? Oh Bib-bot! Where is Bib-bot?”

Still heady from the feel of her lips, the exaggerated mispronunciation of Bibot’s name caused Matteo to stifle a coughed laugh, turning his head to the side.

The soldiers parted for the man himself, who, when he saw her, stopped short. “Oh, my Lady Cavendish! I didn’t know it was you in here.”

She laughed again, and her tinkling sounds made even a few of the soldiers smile in return. “Well, of course you didn’t, Bib-bot, you old dear. But I bring you a treat. Tell me that you recognize one of France’s most loyal citizens? A personal friend of Éléonore Duplay herself?”

Bibot’s eyes widened in concern. He looked at Matteo, who tried to appear as arrogant as possible.

“This, my good citizen Bib-bot, is Matteo Durand.” She let that sink in for a moment. If they had never heard of him before, they were at least pretending to take her seriously. “And we are late for our droll little picnic in the country. If you would be so kind . . .” She gestured toward the gate at their front.

Bibot hesitated for only a moment before calling to the soldiers in their path, “Let them pass.”

The men shut their carriage doors, and Lady Cavendish called out, “Ta ta, citizens! See you in a few hours!” She blew kisses to some in the crowd as they went by.

Matteo shook his head and moved a respectable distance away but kept to the same bench. This beautiful woman tucked more courage inside her little body than anyone he knew.

When they passed the gate, both relaxed their shoulders in great relief. “We beat the news of your treachery, but my guess is only by a hair.” Lady Cavendish looked back behind them. “We must continue at this slow pace for just a few feet more until we are out of sight.”