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"I wish he were here," I confessed "He would knohat to do about this ation, Knox, even Ash unless it was absolutely necessary," Ysabeau replied

"But he was always doing soht of how he’d orchestrated our trip to Sept-Tours in 1590, in spite of the weather and Matthew’s reluctance

"Not so He watched He waited Philippe let others take the risks while he gathered their secrets and stored the," Ysabeau said

Ysabeau’s words reiven hter: Think--and stay alive

"Remember that, before you rush back to Oxford for your book," Ysabeau continued, dropping her voice to a whisper "Remember that in the difficult days to come, as the darkest de Clerht Remember that and you will show thehter in more than name"

5

After two days with Baldwin in residence at Sept-Tours, I not only understood why Matthew had built a tower onto the house, I wished he’d located it in another province--if not another country

Baldwin ally owned the château, Sept-Tours was his ho each hout the day to report on his progress The mayor of Saint-Lucien ca about local affairs Baldwin exaly acknowledged it to be outstanding He also entered roohts real and i froreat hall

Nathaniel, Sophie, and Margaret were the first lucky creatures to leave the château They said a tearful good-bye to Marcus and Phoebe and promised to be in touch once they were settled in Australia

Baldwin had urged theo to Australia and put on a show of solidarity with Nathaniel’s mother, as not only a daeation Nathaniel had protested at first, arguing that they would be fine back in North Carolina, but cooler heads--Phoebe’s in particular--had prevailed

When questioned later as to why she’d backed Baldwin in this aret’s safety and she would not permit Marcus to take on the responsibility for the baby’s well-being Therefore Nathaniel was going to do what Baldwin thought best Phoebe’s expression warned me that if I had a different opinion on the matter, I could keep it to myself

Even after this initial wave of departures, Sept-Tours felt croith Baldwin, Matthew, and Marcus in it--not to lass Fernando was less obtrusive, spending much of his time with Sarah or Hamish We all found hideahere we could retreat for so of a surprise when Ysabeau burst into Matthew’s study with an announcement about Marcus’s present whereabouts

"Marcus is in the Round Toith Sarah," Ysabeau said, two spots of color brightening her usually pale complexion "Phoebe and Harees"

I couldn’t i down his pen and leaping froave me a sad smile in return

"Marcus is about to find out soot , too

I had never set foot in the Round Tohich stood opposite Matthew’s and was separated from it by the main part of the château As soon as we reached it, I comprehended why no one had included it on rate was sunk into the center of the tower floor A fae, death, and despair emanated from the deep hole it covered

"An oubliette," I said, teht Matthew heard me and clattered back down the stairs

"Philippe built it for a prison He seldom used it" Matthew’s forehead creased orry

"Go," I said, waving hiht behind you"

The oubliette on the Round Tower’s ground floor was a place of forgetting, but the tower’s second floor was a place of re It was stuffed with boxes, papers, documents, and artifacts This must be the de Clermont family archives

"No wonder E, partially unrolled scroll on a battered worktable, Phoebe at her side Half a dozento be studied "She was a genealogy nut"

"Hi!" Marcus waved happily froh catwalk that circled the room and supported still more boxes and stacks The dire revelations that Ysabeau feared apparently hadn’t happened yet "Haet you"

Marcus vaulted over the catwalk railing and landed softly next to Phoebe With no ladder or staircase in sight, there was no way to get to that level of storage except to cliet down except to ju for?" Matthew said with just the right touch of curiosity Marcus would never suspect that he had been tipped off

"A way to get Baldwin off our backs, of course," Marcus said He handed a worn notebook to Hao Godfrey’s notes on va for soal inforest of Philippe’s three male children, known for his foran to take root

"And have you found it?" Matthew said, glancing at the scroll

"Come and see" Marcus beckoned us toward the table

"You’ll love this, Diana," Sarah said, adjusting her reading glasses "Marcus said it’s a de Clerenealogy was htly colored likenesses of Philippe and Ysabeau standing in separate square boxes at the top of the page Their hands were clasped across the space that divided them Ribbons of color connected them to the roundels below Each bubble contained a nah, Baldwin, Godfrey, Matthew, Verin, Freyja, Stasia Many were not

"Twelfth century French In the style of the workshop at Saint-Sever," Phoebe said, confire of the work

"It all started when I colass about Baldwin’s interference He told ot fed up, he struck out on his oith Fernando,"

Marcus explained "Gallowglass called their family a scion and said sometimes they were the only way to keep the peace"

The look of suppressed fury on Matthew’s face suggested that peace was the last thing Gallowglass was going to enjoy once his uncle found hi about scions back when Grandfather hoped I would turn to law and take on Godfrey’s old duties," Marcus said