Claire seemed not to notice Pauline’s lack of enthusiasm. She approached her, indicating Scarlet. “And here she is. Just wait until I show you her work, Pauline.” Claire pulled Scarlet closer to her side. “This is my new friend, Renée, come to us from Marguerite. They call her the Seamstress.”

Scarlet stepped forward, unsure how to greet this woman. Surely not a curtsy. Pauline nodded to her and sniffed. “Let’s see this tatting.”

Claire said in a hushed voice, “Not here. No one must suspect.”

The two shared a look, some kind of inner struggle sparking between them, and Scarlet let her eyes wander up near the rooftops. She sharpened her gaze as she noticed movement up there and followed a crouched figure who ducked behind the chimney. She hid a smile. Abelino.

Pauline’s voice made her jump. She shouted out over the assembled group, “Please welcome our newest member, Renée.”

Smiling shyly, Scarlet turned to face the women as they slapped their thighs.

“Now let us begin,” Pauline continued.

Claire motioned for Scarlet to follow her, and they moved away from the platform and over to the right where they crouched down on their own bit of stone. Claire’s face filled with rapture, eyes shining, watching Pauline’s every expression. “She is magnificent.”

Scarlet tried to echo some sort of similar sentiment but could not. She giggled instead and said, “She scares me a little bit.”

Claire’s hoarse laugh made Scarlet jump. “She has that effect on everyone. Don’t let it bother you too much.”

“We must have a constitution.” Pauline began talking in more urgent tones.

The crowd cheered.

Did they know what a constitution was? She chided herself that she had underestimated them.

Pauline emphasized each word. “And that constitution must include the rights of women. We will not be forgotten, waylaid, or ignored. We are the rebellion!” She threw her hands into the air. “Where would Robespierre be without us?”

The ladies slapped their thighs in mad agreement. Scarlet wished for a handkerchief to block out the worst of the smell that had intensified with all of their movement.

One of the women called out, “The bakers are hoarding food! Soon, there won’t be enough for us all.”

A toothless woman to their left shouted, “And the price is higher today than yesterday. It’s going to cost more than my rent just to buy a loaf of bread, make no mistake.”