Lady Hastings glanced sharply at me. My
face must have been pale- and I know my hands were shaking- for she said,
"Emilia Foxworthy, pull yourself together!"
But I could not. I had
always sympathized with the revolution, after a harsh early upbringing. I
had passed along some seemingly harmless informtion- and as I had
suspected, it was only a matter of time before I was discovered.
I pretended shock. "A traitor?" but my voice was shaking.
Sudden
doubts filled my head. Why had *I* been chosen to accompany Lady Hastings?
Maybe she had suspected me all along.
Her voice cut through my haze of fear like a knife. "Emilia- are
you all right?" She paused. "Do you know what this is about?"
"N-no!" I stammered. Both of them were looking at me strangely. I
leapt to my feet, feeling like a cornered beast. Trying to push the
unreasoning fear out of my mind, I clenched my fists and bit my lower lip.
The man walked over to me wearily. "Someone told Chauvelin the
whereabouts of Sir Percy Blakeney. We both know how bad that could be. In
this case, we do not know where he is, so we cannot save him." The man
slumped and collapsed back on the cot. "He is doomed."
What I had done hit me like ice water. I wanted to confess, but
something told me not to. Instead, I would make it better- or so I thought.
"I-" I paused, then rushed on before I could change my mind. "I
know where he is going." Lady Eliza looked at me with concealed hope in
her eyes. But it faded as the man lapsed into unconciousness. "I cannot
leave him," she told me, "after he warned us. He may have been followed.
I can't leave him to the mercy of our enemies."
I could not agree with the principles of these Violet guild people,
but I suddenly realized that I could respect them- maybe even help them
achieve their goals.
"I will go," I said firmly. "I will warn Percy."
Lady Eliza could do no more than nod in thanks as I left the hovel. I
wrapped my cloak more tightly about me, and ran down the street. I could
do more than just respect these people- I could love them.
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