“What happens to us now?” she asked hesitantly. “You’ve fulfilled your promise of bringing us here. My father is where he wanted to be.”
“And now you think I’ll disappear again?” John laughed. “Let me put your mind at rest. I won’t leave you. Ever. Remember—I gave your father my word that I would look after you. That means for the rest of our lives.”
“You’ve broken your word before.”
“Those days are over, Greta. Since I met you, everything is . . .” He faltered. “Everything is different. Honestly. I want to be with you and nowhere else. Besides—there is no way back for me. If the king finds me, he’ll probably have me quartered in Paris as a warning to anyone who might betray him. I am a wanted criminal, a traitor.”
“And soon to be a father,” said Greta, snuggling up close to him so that she could hear his heart.
He sat up and stared at her. “What did you just say?”
“I haven’t bled for two months in a row now. I know that doesn’t mean much, but—”
“Greta! This . . . this is . . .” John shook his head in disbelief. For the first time he seemed lost for words. Then he covered her face in kisses until she laughed and pushed him away.
Greta had been wondering if and when she should tell him. It was still too soon, really, but the moment had carried her away.
“Stop it—you’re tickling me!” she giggled when his tongue played with her ear. “It must have happened back in Blois—remember?”
He grinned. “Oh yes, I remember. Let me think—I think I did this . . . and then this . . .”
He rolled on top of her, and her resistance soon died off. His lips traveled from her face to her neck, then down to her breasts, and then farther down. When he pushed up her skirts, she closed her eyes and suddenly seemed to hear and feel everything around her much more clearly. Her own breathing, the sounds of the forest, the hooting of an owl, the rustling of the leaves in the wind, the tickling of the forest floor on her naked skin.
She lived fully in the moment with no fears and no worries. And while John kissed her in the most forbidden places, she felt happier than she had in many years. John was her man, he would be the father of her children, and they would travel the lands together without a destination.
16
THE FOLLOWING DAYS WERE ONE LONG WAIT FOR JOHANN. Tonio didn’t show, but Johann knew he would come. The only question was when.
On the morning following the first night, he had woken bathed in sweat. He still wasn’t sure if he had dreamed it or if Tonio—or someone else—had visited his bedside. As soon as he’d risen, he had searched the walls for secret doors but hadn’t found any. There was only the door leading to Karl’s room. Had it been this door after all?
During the day he and Karl explored the vast castle complex. No one stopped them; guards would watch Faust and Karl closely but always let them pass as if they’d been ordered to. The castle was a huge maze of chambers, tunnels, barbicans, towers, walls, and bastions, built to withstand any siege. The mighty donjon formed the heart of the castle and was intended as a last retreat should the walls ever be breached. Another central building was the two-story manor house, which sat roughly in the center of the plateau and was framed by several storage sheds and the horse stables. Usually the duke resided here, but he hadn’t been in Tiffauges for years.
The strangest building, thought Johann, was the church next to the donjon. It would appear that part of the nave had been torn down to give more space to the keep. The chapel looked oddly shortened, but on the inside its former glory was still visible. A triumphal arch separated the apse from the nave; beautifully carved wooden statues of saints stood in the side aisles, and there were an ancient baptismal font and paling frescoes whose color was flaking off. A service led by the chaplain took place here every morning, and it was always accompanied by the sound of an organ, but Johann never saw the organ or the organist.
Faust and Karl rarely encountered the steward of Tiffauges. Sir Albert spent most of his time in the donjon, drinking in the downstairs hall and staring holes into the air. He looked like a walking corpse. His dogs alone forced him to go outside from time to time. The guards greeted their master respectfully enough when he staggered past them, but they mocked him behind his back and made faces. Father Jerome, on the other hand, they met with true respect, or even fear. When the priest walked past them, they looked at the ground and muttered some words that Johann couldn’t understand. Usually, he and Karl would only see the priest and Sir Albert during dinner in the hall.
They explored the castle thoroughly, including the smoky kitchen, several high-ceilinged halls, and numerous elegantly furnished chambers that appeared to be reserved for special guests. Johann even discovered a small library in one of the towers at the rear, which seemed to have been built more recently. The only building he and Karl weren’t permitted to enter unaccompanied was the church. It was only open during the morning services and remained locked
