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“Believing you are being s,” Fernando said

“I wouldn’t say ‘manipulated,’ exactly” Like “trauative and malicious

“To give hiood at it,” Fernando continued “When I first ht he must be part witch to be able to predict the actions that others would take with such accuracy Now I know that he was just an expert judge of a creature’s ethics—not just their ht and body that inform every action”

Even now, though Philippe was a ghost, I could feel his eyes upon

There he stood, clothed in the dark robes of a ht smile on his face

Watching

“I know he’s there I can feel him, too” Fernando jerked his head toward the corner “Ysabeau ht drive his spirit aith her need, but not I I would have liked Philippe’s acceptance, of course, but I have never needed anything from him”

Hugh was always Philippe’s favorite, you see,” Fernando continued “That never changed—not even after Hugh mated with a man with skin too dark to pass as white, a man who could not be useful to the family except as a servant or a slave I could never sit down at the table next to Hugh, or join him in the corridors of pohere Philippe was so at home”

Whatever hurt Philippe had caused Fernando had been tempered with bitterness over the course of many centuries, and his voice remained steady and even because of it

“Do you knohy Hugh was so special to his father?” Fernando asked

I shook my head

“Because Philippe could not figure hih I drank fro h that could never be touched or known One felt it nonetheless, alaiting to be discovered Without possessing that h, Philippe could never be sure of hiht do”

I thought of Matthew’s decision not to probe into the twins’ DNA for genetic e Fernando’s story ht one

“You re a secret you are not yet ready to share,” Fernando mused “I think Philippe would have had a devil of a ti up with you Perhaps that is why he hter”

“You’re saying Philippe took hter because he was bored?” I said with a hint of amusement

“No—it was the challenge Philippe loved a challenge And there was nothing he admired more than someone who stood up to him,” Fernando replied “It is why Philippe was so fond of Marcus, too—although he figured out what made Matthew’s son tick faster than a clockmaker He proved that in 1790, and after that, too”

“New Orleans,” I said, thinking ahead to the revelations that were yet to come

Fernando nodded “But only Marcus can tell that story”

—

MARCUS’S ROOM AT LES REVENANTS was, like most of the bedrooms, tucked into one of the round towers Because I had wanted all of Matthew’s family to feel welcome and at home here, I’d consulted each of them on e could do to make the space co more than a bed with plenty of pillows so he could read in it, a deep chair by thefor watching the world go by, sos to keep the roohtly ajar, and I took it as a sign that he was receiving visitors

Before I could rap on it to request entry, Marcus opened it

“Diana” Marcus ushered ht come”

Matthew and Ysabeau ith him

“You’re busy,” I said, withdrawing slightly “I’ll come back later”

“Stay,” Marcus said “We’re talking about heresy and treason Typically cheerful subjects for members of the de Clermont family”

“Marcus is telling us what it was like for hirandson closely

“Let’s not mince words, Grand-mère Grandfather banished me” Marcus had Common Sense in his hand He held it up “I left with this book, Fanny, and a sack of letters for Matthew And I wasn’t asked to coain for half a century”

“You made it clear that you didn’t want us to interfere in your life,” Ysabeau said, her face stony

“But you did interfere” Marcus paced the edges of the roo ing h, London, Philadelphia, New York, New Orleans No , there were always re”

“I didn’t realize you knew,” Ysabeau said

“You can’t have thought I was that oblivious,” Marcus said “Not after those last days in Paris, with you turning up at Gil’s house—with Tom Paine, no less Then Fanny appeared at the Café Procope Finally, Philippe himself appeared in Veronique’s flat It was all a bit orchestrated”

“Not Philippe’s finest ely It looked as though there was a red film over them

Ysabeau was crying

“That’s enough, Marcus,” Matthew said, concerned for hisShe had still not fully recovered fro

“When did this family decide the truth was unacceptable?” Marcus demanded

“Honesty was never part of our faht from the very start, we had so much to hide”

“My contracting blood rage didn’tpart of the bla would be, had I not been susceptible to it”

He sounded wistful

“You wouldn’t have Becca and Philip, for a start,” Marcus retorted “You’ve got to stop with this regret, Matthew, or you are going to dae your children in ways that you won’t be able fix, like you did for me in New Orleans”

Matthew looked startled

“I knew, Matthew,” Marcus said wearily “I knew Philippe sent you, and that you would have let me sort it out myself if left to your own devices I knew that he ordered us all dead—Philippe wouldn’t have made an exception for me, or for anyone else, not if our existence would put Ysabeau in danger You disobeyed Grandfather’s orders, even though Juliette was right at your elbow, egging you on to do the ‘right thing’ and put me down”

I had wanted to know about New Orleans and thought it would be hard to get Marcus to talk about that terrible time It seemed he was ready to revisit what had happened there

“Philippe was always more ruthless with those he loved than those he pitied,” Ysabeau said So in her expression told me she knew this firsthand

“Father wasn’t perfect, you’re right,” Matthew said “Nor was he all-knowing and all-seeing He never dreao back to A he could to h, the house in London, Willias he just couldn’t control”

“What?” Marcus asked, genuinely curious

“The unpredictability of epideifts as a healer,” Matthew replied “Philippe was so busy trying to keep you away froot the ties you had to Philadelphia After Marat was assassinated, Philippe gave notice to the captain of every ship that they were not to transport you across the channel for any reason If they did, they would find their business affairs in ruins”

“Really?” Marcus looked impressed “Well, to be fair, only a lunatic would have chosen to go to Philadelphia in 1793 The guillotine was less terrifying than yellow fever Quicker, too” o;Believing you are being s,” Fernando said