'I like to think that I do, Captain Rawson.'
'Don't admit that or you're likely to be interrogated.'
'Am I?'
'Ronan won't ask you any questions but his wife is a different matter. Charlotte is French and can't be expected to show the same sympathy to foreigners.'
'I understand.'
'Do you like children?'
The question surprised her. 'Yes, of course I do.'
'They have a baby daughter,' said Daniel. 'I only caught a glimpse of her but she's a gorgeous child. Ronan loves showing her off. Luckily, I'd had time to wash the blood off my face before he handed her over to me or I'd have frightened her.'
'You still haven't told me what happened with that man.'
'We exchanged blows, Miss Janssen.'
'Won't he run off and summon help?' she asked. When Daniel remained silent, she gulped. 'You didn't kill him, did you?'
'I stopped him from bothering you ever again.'
Amalia reeled from the shock. 'No wonder you were covered in blood,' she said. 'This is terrible, Captain Rawson. I had no idea you'd have to go to that extreme.'
'My hand was forced.'
'I can see now why we had to leave in a hurry.'
'It's only a matter of time before the body is found,' said Daniel. 'When that happens, the first place they'll go to is your house. We need to be as far away as possible.'
'What about my father?'
'We'll talk about that later.'
'I want to know now,' she insisted. 'Where is he?'
'Your father is being held, Miss Janssen. He's in prison.'
Her face fell. ' Prison? What have they done to him? Is he being fed? Has he been tortured? Father's not a strong man. Being locked up will break him, Captain Rawson.' She tried to hold back tears. 'How can we possibly reach him if he's held in prison?'
'There has to be a way,' said Daniel, thoughtfully. 'All that I have to do is to find out what it is.'
When they finally reached their destination, they were given a cordial welcome by Ronan Flynn and his wife. Charlotte had prepared a meal for them so they all sat around the table together. Even Beatrix, who, as a servant, always ate apart as a rule, was allowed to join them. Dopff was very impressed with the cooking and went into an elaborate mime to congratulate Charlotte. There were some awkward moments but the supper passed off without incident. Having always had her own bedchamber, Amalia was unhappy that she had to share her bed with Beatrix but accepted the situation without complaint. Dopff was content to sleep in the bare attic as long as he could have the tapestry beside him. Daniel agreed to spend the night downstairs.
The visitors adapted slowly to a house that was very much smaller than the one they'd just left and possessed none of its luxuries. They all seemed to be on top of each other. When the women had finally retired, and when Dopff was snoring in the attic, Flynn produced another flagon of wine so that he and Daniel could talk over a cup of it in private. The first thing the Irishman did was to clap his friend heartily on the shoulder.
'You always did have an eye for the ladies, Dan,' he said. 'She's a real beauty is that Amalia. If it wasn't for the fact that I have a lovely wife waiting for me upstairs, I'd be very jealous.'
'I'm simply here to look after her,' said Daniel.
'It always starts that way.'
'I'm serious, Ronan. The girl is young and innocent.'
Flynn laughed. 'They're the best kind.'
'There's nothing like that going on.'
'Well, there damn well ought to be, man,' said Flynn, nudging him with an elbow. 'Look at those eyes of hers. Think of that divine face. Saints in heaven, Amalia could seduce the Pope!'
'She's a frightened woman who needs protection.'
'Then why aren't you in her bed, protecting her?'
Daniel sipped his wine until Flynn had finished his jocular teasing. When they'd first met, they'd been two of a kind, lusty young soldiers who fought bravely on the battlefield and took their pleasures where they could find them. Flynn had now settled down into family life but he had some warm memories. Daniel tried to steer him away from them so that they could talk about something more serious.
'What made you give up army life?' he asked.
'Old age and the sight of Charlotte Rousset,' replied Flynn.
'Was that her maiden name?'
'Yes, Dan, but she didn't hold on to it much longer once I'd met her. I worship that woman. She's changed my life and given me that little angel of a daughter. And that's not all,' he went on. 'When her father heard that I had a little money to invest, he took me into the family business. I'm a baker now, un boulanger de Paris. You tasted some of my bread earlier on.'
'It was delicious, Ronan.'
'The only problem is that I have to be up so early to make sure the servant has lit the ovens. Then we toil away while the city sleeps. When the bread is baked, I help to deliver it with the horse and cart. We've a lot of customers and they expect fresh bread every morning.'
'Which do you prefer — being a soldier or being a baker?'
'If you'd asked me twenty years ago, I'd have said that nothing could compare with army life. It was tough, I grant you,' said Flynn, 'and it could wear you down at times, but it was just the thing for a young fellow like me with fire in his belly. I craved the excitement of it all. I loved the danger.'
'You loved other things as well, as I recall,' said Daniel.
'That was my downfall, Dan. It wasn't the women. I think every man has the right to spread his love far and wide. No, it was the drink and the fighting. When I'd had too much of the one, I couldn't get enough of the other.' He gave a rueful laugh. 'I probably did more damage to my fellow-soldiers with my fists than I ever did to the enemy with a musket. It's the reason I never rose higher than a corporal. I had warning after warning but there was no heeding them when the drink had a hold on me.'
'You knocked out a captain, didn't you?'
'He was a lieutenant, actually,' said Flynn, 'and he deserved every blow. But striking an officer is a crime. When they'd finished flogging me, they threw me out of the regiment altogether.'
'Is that when you went over to the French?'
'No, Dan, I had a spell of drifting all over the place, taking whatever job I could lay my hands on. But I couldn't stay out of the war too long. I had friends in an Irish regiment serving the French so I threw in my lot with them.' He looked quizzically at Daniel. 'What about you? When we first met, we were both black-hearted corporals. Then you got yourself promoted.'
'I was lucky,' said Daniel, modestly.
'That's nonsense, man! Luck doesn't come into it. I know what it takes to work your way up and why so few people manage to do it. Captain Daniel Rawson, is it?' he added with a twinkle. 'I like it, Dan. It has a ring to it.'
'Thank you, Ronan.'
'It also gives the game away. If someone like you tricks his way into Paris, then it's to do with something more important than wishing three Dutch guests on the Flynn household.'
'It is,' confessed Daniel, 'but I'd rather not go into details.'
'It's probably better if I don't hear them, Dan. I count myself a loyal Frenchman now. On the other hand, I have to think of my wife and child. You and your friends are welcome to stay here as long as you don't endanger us.'
'If it reaches that point, Ronan, we'll move out immediately.'
'Then I won't pry any further.'
