It was my home whether I wanted it or not. It offered me security. It offered me shelter. It offered me somewhere to lick my wounds, and for a blind moment I let myself believe it.

But I pushed myself away from the wall, brushing its touch from my cheek. It was all lies. It hadn’t saved Goliath and it hadn’t protected Cosette. So why should I believe for one second that it would save me from what was coming?

*

André didn’t look pleased to see me. His room was stifling hot. There was a milky sheen of sweat on his skin that made me guess he had been exercising too strenuously again. I wished he would go outdoors and let the sun and the smells and the sight of the bulls get to work on him.

Or was I wrong? Had he been doing something he didn’t wish me to know? He’d told me he trusted me. Was he lying? One more lie shuffled unseen among all the others. How could I help my brother if he wouldn’t help me?

‘The drop went smoothly,’ I told him.

‘I was sure it would.’

He was standing at the window, reluctant to take his eyes from it. What was he watching? My father and the gardians rebuilding the stables?

Or something else? Someone else?

I came forward to stand beside him. ‘I found the drop site easily,’ I said, ‘inserted the envelope and left immediately, as instructed.’ I followed his line of sight out into the courtyard and beyond into the fields. A pushy group of young bulls were shoulder-barging each other, testing their strength.

Their strength. So effortless. Is that what he stood here and hungered for?

‘Thank you, Eloïse. You did well.’

‘When will it be picked up?’

‘That’s not your business.’ He softened his words with an apologetic smile, but it didn’t stretch far. ‘You’ve performed extremely professionally. Finding the plans. Photographing them. The DLD. I can rely on my “legs” to do their job.’

‘I am going riding with one of the airmen tomorrow.’

‘Good. The more we can become familiar with the air base the better. Of course, they have their own internal security but even that is compromised until we find the source of the leak.’

‘What are we going to do about the mayor?’

‘Nothing at the moment. First we find where the leak of information is coming from. Mayor Durand will be of use to us in doing that.’ André stopped speaking and studied me thoughtfully from head to toe. I suffered the scrutiny uneasily.

‘What’s wrong?’ he asked.

‘Nothing. It went well.’

‘Did anything else happen?’

‘No.’

‘Are you certain?’

I looked him straight in the eye. ‘Yes.’

‘Good. So you can relax.’

‘One thing did occur to me while I was driving home.’

His teeth showed. ‘I knew there was something.’