The Consequences of Champagne and Murder

Chapter Twenty-Four - Oops?

"Oh. Mathieu de Coligny," I said. "What a lovely surprise. I didn't expect to see you here."

Mathieu narrowed his eyes. "I live here."

I gasped. "This is your house?"

He banged his hand on the doorframe. "I'm not jesting!"

"No, right. I know that. Sorry. I just thought you were at Versailles doing. . . Versailles things. You know-drinking, gambling, contracting diseases through fornication."

"Olivier d'Aumont, I demand you tell me why you're here."

"I don't suppose you'll believe me if I say I stopped by for afternoon tea?"

Mathieu's gaze slid from me to Jacqueline. "You again." He sneered. "Funny how you claim to be related to Olivier, yet you look more like you're related to his family's murderous ward."

"Ha, ha, ha," I cut in. "That is quite amusing. Will you give us a moment, please?"

"Give you a moment? I-"

Before he could say anything else, I stepped back, slammed the door in his face, and locked it.

"What are you doing?" Jacqueline hissed.

Behind us, Mathieu pounded on the door, shouting something about telling his father I was here, but I ignored both him and Jacqueline, preoccupied with searching the room for anything of use.

Jacqueline's dagger rested where she left it on the table, but I was in danger of losing an eye if I tried to use it. Next to the dagger was a series of tools, but again, my chances of coming out of a scuffle with both my eyes intact were abysmal at best. I looked over the handful of clock bits on the table, wondering how effective they would be thrown from a distance. Then my gaze landed on the clocks themselves.

The clocks.

I ran to the shelf and selected a clock, its gilded clock face and porcelain base covered in mint and ivory cherubs. And next to it, a circular, gilt-bronze key.

"What are you doing?" Monsieur Chaffee asked. "If Comte de Coligny discovers I told someone else about the clocks-"

"Listen, Mathieu de Coligny is on the other side of the door, and he will tell his father we're here if I do nothing."

He shook his head, stepping out in front of me. "I can't allow you to use the clock. It's too dangerous."

"I'm not actually going to use it. All I wish is to scare him a little."

He hesitated.

"There isn't much time!" I insisted. The knocks from Mathieu were coming strong, but it was only a matter of seconds before he gave up and went to fetch someone. "If the comte discovers us here, we will all suffer for it."

He cast me one last fleeting glance before he sighed and stepped out of my way.

"Thank you, monsieur." I clutched both the clock and the key to my chest and made my way to the door. "And I apologize for kissing your daughter. I swear it was her idea."

I pulled the door open, brandishing the clock above my head like a battle axe.

"I'll tell my father you're here!" Mathieu was screaming. "He'll come down here and unlock this door himself before he chops your heads off and parades them around on a pike! He'll-is that a clock?"

"Yes, it is." I stretched the clock out until it was nearly close enough to touch Mathieu's chest. "Let us alone, or I'll wind it up."

"You came here to steal from my father's clock collection? How dare you."