She put a hand over her heart. “You gave me a fright.”
“Joss said you were tired and we shouldn’t wake you, otherwise I would’ve let you know we were here.”
She looked around. “Where’s everyone else?”
“Izabell had to leave. There’s an emergency at the restaurant, but she’ll be back to prepare lunch.”
“Is she picking you up later?”
“I came by bike.” He rested the broom against the wall and reached for the crockery. “Let me take that.”
“It’s all right. I’ll just rinse these in the kitchen.”
He made big eyes. “Oh, no. Izabell won’t like that. That’s my job.”
Relenting, she handed him the crockery. He looked so young. “Do you work for your aunt?”
“Only for the holiday,” he said from over his shoulder on his way to the sink.
She leaned in the frame, watching Siril rinse the dishes as a plan formed in her head. “How long does it take to go to the village by bike?”
He looked up. “As in Josselin, that village?”
“Yes.”
“About thirty minutes.”
“I want to go to the bakery. Can I borrow your bike?”
He glanced toward the road. “Joss said you must stay here until he gets back.”
“I want to surprise him with a Kouig-amann. It’ll make him happy.”
He packed the crockery in the drip tray. “Izabell is cooking lunch.”
“Well, now she won’t have to worry about desert.” When he hesitated, she said, “With the emergency, I’m sure your aunt will appreciate the time it’ll save her.”
He thought for a bit, regarding her from over his shoulder. “I don’t want to get into trouble. Izabell said I was to stay here with you and not let you leave the grounds.”
Crossing her fingers behind her back, she said, “I’ll be back in no time. She won’t even know I’ve been gone.”
He scratched his head. “I dunno.”
“Your aunt works for Joss, right?”
“I guess so.”
“That means you work for us, seeing that I’m Joss’s wife.”
He dried his hands on a dishcloth. “I suppose.”
“What else did Izabell tell you to do?”
“To sweep the terrace out front and hose it down.”
“Why don’t you go ahead and do that, and by the time you’re done, I’ll be back.” She winked. “As I said, no one needs to know.”
“I guess it’ll take me an hour to finish, and Izabell won’t be back before twelve.”
“Great,” she said, pushing from the wall. “Where’s your bike?”
He pointed at the window. A bicycle was propped up against the inner courtyard wall.
“Thanks,” she said, making her way outside through the backdoor before he changed his mind.
“Oh, wait. I almost forgot.” He ran to catch up with her. Digging in his apron pocket, he pulled out a cellphone. “Joss left this. He said to call if you need him. His number is programmed.”
Taking the phone, she smiled. “Thank you.” She turned, heading for the bike again, but Siril took her elbow.
“Someone called for you.”
She stopped in her tracks, and spun around to face him. “What did you say?”
“Someone called while you were sleeping. I almost forgot to give you the message.”
Her heart started beating faster. “On this phone?”
“On the phone Izabell left for me to call if there were any problems. It’s the restaurant phone.”
“Who was it?”
“He said his name was Erwan.”
She ran hot, then cold. She tried to sound normal when she asked, “What did he say?”
“He asked if you could meet him.”
Her palms turned sticky. “Did he say where?”
“Uh … he said he’d wait for you at Joss’s old house.”
She stilled. Aware of Siril’s questioning glance, she forced a smile onto her face. “What time did he call?”
Siril scratched his head. “I can’t be sure exactly, but it wasn’t so long ago. Maybe two hours.”
“Okay.” Her voice sounded tinny to her own ears. “Thank you.”
Even as everything inside her urged her to run, she walked across the yard at a normal pace. She couldn’t raise Siril’s suspicions. Blood rushed in her ears. Erwan was safe. Erwan knew she was all right. He’d found her like she knew he would.
She took the bike and pedaled as hard as she could. Instead of taking the road to Josselin where she would’ve taken a bus or begged a lift to get the hell out of there, she took the D11 to Larmor-Baden.
Chapter 36
It took Clelia an hour to cycle to Larmor-Baden. From the crossroad to Larmor, it was a short distance to Joss’s old house. The nearer she got, the harder her heart thumped. It wasn’t only from the exercise. Soon, she’d see Erwan. At last she could reassure herself he was safe.
Stopping in front of the big house, she took a moment. Memories of being Joss’s prisoner flooded her with mixed feelings. Although he’d captured her, he’d also tried to protect her from his team. But none of that mattered now. She could take Erwan with her. Together they’d run. She wouldn’t let him talk her out of it this time.
The abandoned house rose darkly against the overcast sky. A place so broken should’ve looked sad, but the dilapidation looked ominous. The choice of meeting place didn’t surprise her. Like Joss, Erwan knew the haunted house was one of the safest places to meet. No one else would dare to go there.
Suppressing a shudder, she opened the garden gate. The rusted hinges gave with a squeak. The front door stood open on a crack. Erwan was expecting her.
Leaving the bike on the grass, she climbed the porch steps and slipped around the door. The inside of the house was dark. It seemed permanently dark, as if light had abandoned it a long time ago. Even the slivers that stole through the shutters seemed diluted, a foggy mist that dissolved into shadows.
She paused in the entrance for her eyes to adjust. “Erwan?”
The weight of silence hung in the air, making it seem thicker. She took a few steps down the morbid hallway toward the kitchen. A floorboard creaked
