The Chevalier (Châteaux and Shadows) Read Online Free PDF

go. Even Dominique and Aurore tried to talk you into going more.”
    Manu nodded, staring blindly at the list. It was true. “I’m sorry, Papa.”
    His father’s arm went around his shoulders for a moment. “I’m sorry, too, Manu.”
    ****
    The sun wasn’t even up the next morning when the maid woke Catherine. She jumped as though burned, and the maid staggered back in surprise.
    “Monsieur le Baron said you would leave at first light, Mademoiselle.”
    Once outside, she didn’t catch more than a glimpse of Monsieur Emmanuel speaking with the men who would ride alongside the carriage as guards. His family was up early to see them off, and there were several boys—the de Bures heir and Monsieur Cédric’s sons and another boy whom she couldn’t identify—speaking earnestly to one of the grooms and pointing at horses. Madame de Bures dragged Catherine off to the side.
    “Do be kind to Emmanuel, please.” The comtesse was uncharacteristically serious.
    Catherine raised her eyebrows. She had never mastered the trick of raising just one.
    The comtesse tilted her head fetchingly. “He’s very upset about Maman, you know. He always gets unpleasant when he’s hurt. He is very much a man in that way.”
    Catherine glanced at Monsieur Emmanuel and noticed he was very much a man in other ways, too. Her face felt warm.
    The comtesse smiled slyly at her, her light brown eyes sparkling with mischief. “They’re all like that, in my experience. They can’t admit when something is wrong. They’ll be funny or angry, but never admit they’re sad or lonely—they bear up stoically and hope the trouble goes away. When we were children, Cédric would make us laugh until it hurt, and only later would I find out it was after Maman had used a switch on him and left bruises. Jean-Louis would become even quieter—never say a word. Henri is very like Manu—they lash out.”
    Catherine looked away. She had learned manipulation and well-placed verbal jabs, but mostly she withdrew from a challenge and let the person lashing out feel guilty. “Why are you telling me this?”
    The comtesse laughed. “I don’t know. Maybe I want you to know that if Manu is nasty, it’s not because of you. It’s what he learned from our mother. Since you know how to deal with Maman better than any of us, you can help him. Don’t let him be cruel.”
    “You are protecting me, Madame?” What an odd feeling: someone willing to guard Catherine in spite of her hard shell.
    “Oh, please, I told you to call me Aurore. Well, in front of anyone except my mother, I suppose. She wouldn’t like you being friendly with me. I’ve always dealt with her by avoiding her and instead seeking out friendly faces and singing and smiling. And by talking. Always talking. Like right now.” The comtesse laughed at herself, just as Monsieur Emmanuel called for everyone to saddle up.
    Five minutes of confusion later, Catherine was in the baron’s traveling carriage, a very young maid across from her. The girl grinned excitedly and bounced in her seat when the coachman shouted, “ Hue! ” and the carriage lurched into motion.
    Catherine looked at the girl. “I told them I didn’t need a maid.”
    The girl’s face fell, and her eyes darted to the carriage door as if Catherine would throw her out. “They said it was for propriety, Mademoiselle.”
    “Oh, I know, but I am hardly more than a servant myself. I can make do with a maid from the inn tonight and will be back with the baronesse tomorrow.”
    The poor girl sank down in her seat, looking like she wanted to cry. Catherine felt like a bully. She went on more gently, “I am glad to have some company, of course. If I had realized what the baron had in mind, I would have argued against taking you away from your family.”
    The girl wilted further. “I’ve never been to Paris,” she muttered.
    Catherine sighed. She’d be kind to the girl until she could send her back. “How old are you?”
    “Fifteen,