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Marat breathed heavily, his eyes lowered to watch the tip of the sword He nodded After a moment, Philippe withdrew his blade

“You will all refrain fro yourselves any further in the affairs of hu the sword “If you persist, I will let the Congregation have their ith you Their punishments are far less civilized than Dr Guillotin’s methods of execution, I assure you”

Marcus had only a dianization was terribly far away—in Venice—but Marcus had learned from his experiences with Philippe that a creature did not have to be close at hand to thwart your plans

“The Congregation’s rules have little power over the creatures of Paris,” Veronique said “Why shouldn’t we have a voice? Do we not have to live in this world the hu?”

“Pierre and Alain will see you to the coast,” Philippe continued, as if Veronique hadn’t spoken “Be ready in an hour”

“An hour?” Marat’s mouth dropped open “But I must write to people There is business—”

“Are you going with the his tenized the signs: the slight hitch in his right shoulder, the flutter of the last finger on his left hand, the deepening crease at the corner of his mouth “I am not sure if I can keep you from harm if you remain in Paris, but I will do my best”

“So long as I behave like a good girl?” Veronique snorted at the impossibility of the notion

“I am a practical man,” Philippe purred “I would never be so foolhardy as to ask for the moon and stars”

“Co”

“No, Marcus You may have to obey Philippe, but I arandfather ht of Marcus’s family “Paris is my home I rise and fall with her My heart beats with hers I will not go with you to London”

“Think of whatto reason with her

“If you loved me, Marcus, you would be o,” Veronique replied sadly

27

Incense

APRIL–JULY 1790

To be in England while winter gave way to spring, Marcus discovered, was to swing like a pendululass had ferried them safely across the channel in January and shepherded theer than Paris and dirtier, too The filth running through the streets and floating in the river Thaave off a scent that turned Marcus’s stomach

So, too, did the sight of soaround St Jaht Marcus had fed off a drunken sot of an officer and found hi The experience did nothing to improve Marcus’s opinion of the British army

Unlike Marat, who adored London and had many friends there, Marcus couldn’t be rid of the place quickly enough and was happy to leave the city for the countryside of Berkshire, where Mr and Mrs Grahaawped like a bumpkin at the bulk of Windsor Castle Marcus found the ancient fortressthan Versailles, and had also adainst a dusting of winter snow and the piercing winter-blue sky

While London had failed to capture his heart, Berkshire’s twisting lanes, patchwork fields tipped with frost, and sprawling farhts sparked histo the cycles of nature rather thandates on newspapers

Matthew escorted Marat and Marcus to the house of Mrs Grahaland, and one of the cleverest, too Catharine Sawbridge Macaulay Graham had almost as many names as a de Clermont and just as h, domed forehead, a punctuation mark of a nose, ruddy cheeks, and a no-nonsense way of speaking, Mrs Grahaeon less than half her age after the death of her first husband Willia, short, stout, and Scots He doted on his wife and relished both her radical opinions and bluestocking tendencies

“Fancy a walk, Marcus?” Willia his head into the library where Marcus was availing himself of the household’s impressive collection of ood Those books will still be here when you get back”

“I’d love to,” Marcus said, closing the illustrated anatomy text Now that it was April, Marcus could hear and sain after its winter sleep He liked to listen to the frogs by the strea out of the trees

“We could always” Williaested there would be drinking involved

Marcus laughed “If you’d like”

They set out on what had beco Binfield House behind theates of an older and far grander residence than the new, redbrick build that the Graha

“Matthew re there last century,” Marcus co with its tall, leaded s and crooked chimneys The Grahams were fully apprised of the way the world really worked, and Catharine had been a friend of both Fanny and Ysabeau for years, so Marcus was free to speak of such things with his hosts

“Full of rot and orlad to be living in a modern house, with sound s and doors, and a chimney that won’t catch fire”

Marcus ree old pile with its zigzag rooflines and exposed timberwork His father had explained how the house was constructed from a mixture of wood and narrow bricks with stone casements for the s One of the unforeseen benefits of their forced exile was that Mattheas far land than he had been in either America or Paris

Marcus and William circled west toward Tippen’s Wood This was the vah the wildlife was sparse at this time of year, and the bare branches didn’t provide much cover from curious human eyes As a result, most of Marcus’s sustenance caame birds, supplerown accustomed to a more varied—and tastier—diet in Paris

“How is Mrs Graha from a cold that had settled in her chest William and Marcus had consulted on a cure and sent her to bed with one of Tom Buckland’s tisane recipes and a chest plaster estion

“Better, thank you,” Willia half as useful in Edinburgh as what your Toeon by now”

William may have attended the finest medical school in Europe, but he had lacked the connections and resources to establish his own practice His older brother, James, had completely overshadowed him with his controversial cures in London and Bath—the most famous of which was the Celestial Bed Forto conceive—which was their patriotic duty, according to James—Graham’s contraption (complete with turtledoves, scented bedclothes, and a tilted le while they made love) renewed their procreative hopes James made a fortune from desperate couples, but William’s medical prospects were jeopardized because of it Fortunately, Catharine Macaulay was one of his brother’s childless patients, and William’s future was assured when they fell in love and married

“What was Edinburgh like?” Marcus asked Matthew still promised to send hih to withstand the anatomy lectures breathed heavily, his eyes lowered to watch the tip of the sword He nodded After a moment, Philippe withdrew his blade