"Mr. Danbury mentioned the minstrel had brought people out this evening," Anna said in a desperate attempt to change the subject. Removing her cape and draping it over her chair, she asked, "What made the minstrel decide to stay? Mr. Danbury thought it had something to do with Lenard's sister."
Lucy nodded. "Juliet? She was widowed last spring. But for a woman with her warmth an' natural beauty, I'm not surprised she's found love again. That's why I'm so pleased for Lenard. He's such a good man and deserves some happy news."
Anna pitied the woman's naiveté. If only she knew the man she spoke highly of was planning to ship contraband across the sea.
"Well, I'll be surprised if he doesn't run out of ale tonight," Anna said in a neutral tone.
Lucy Tullier shrugged. "I'm sure he won't mind. No ale means a pocket full of coin and he needs it more than anyone. Bless his soul."
Intrigued by the comment, Anna glanced over her shoulder before turning back to her companion. "I would imagine he makes a decent enough living here. I didn't realise he was struggling financially."
Lucy Tullier leant across the table, the wooden surface supporting her large bosom. "Don't say it was me as told you, but his daughter has got this problem with her bones. The doctor said he's got to break her leg and reset it else she'll not walk properly again."
"But I didn't even know he had a daughter. I mean, I've never seen her about the village."
"She stays in her room mostly. Lenard confided in Antoine but don't mention—" Lucy Tullier stopped abruptly as Marcus and Antoine returned with mugs of ale.
Lost in thoughtful contemplation, Anna jumped when Marcus tapped her on the arm.
"They've no wine, so I bought you ale," he said sitting in the chair beside her. "I can take it back."
"It doesn't matter. I'm sure it will be fine." She shook her head, offering a smile to reassure him. Besides, her mind was too preoccupied with a moral dilemma to worry about her own needs. Lenard's involvement with the smugglers was a means to fund his daughter's care.
"It's good to see everyone enjoying themselves," Marcus said after taking a sip of his ale. "I know almost everyone here, except the man propped up against the wooden pillar." Marcus jerked his head. "The one with the wavy black hair and long side-whiskers."
Both Lucy and Antoine glanced covertly at the stranger. Anna stared too, doubting the scrawny excuse for a man could be Victor's accomplice.
"Do you mean Samuel? The man smoking the clay pipe?"
Marcus nodded.
"Ah, but you must know Samuel," Antoine said with some surprise. "He has been working in Lyon these past few years, something to do with Italy and the silk trade. I have seen him about a few times this week and assumed he'd come home to stay."
Marcus shook his head. "I have a reasonably good memory, but I can't recall ever meeting him before."
Antoine threw his hands up in the air. "Ah, you must have. Samuel Lessard. His sister Selene is your cook."
Chapter 17
"Is everything alright?" Anna said as they entered the chapter house. She removed her cape and draped it over the chair. "You hardly said a word on the ride home. Indeed, you've been quiet ever since Antoine mentioned Selene's brother."
Marcus could think of nothing other than Samuel Lessard. The man had left the inn short
ly after their arrival. His return to the village and the fact his sister worked at the monastery could not be a coincidence. Marcus suspected one of his staff had caused the disturbance which caused Anna to leave his room to investigate. Despite his suspicion, he could not imagine Selene would have either the courage or the cunning required to achieve the task.
"I'm curious to know more about any newcomers to the village. But I was thinking about what happened here last night. I've been replaying the event over in my mind." He lit the candelabra and gestured for her to sit. "Tell me again what you heard, what you saw. Do not leave anything out. Tell me everything, even the insignificant details."
He sat back in the chair behind his desk. The distance would allow him to focus on the task. Being alone with Anna always caused desire to flare, and he was forced to banish all thoughts of seduction.
She sat in the chair opposite. "I heard footsteps pacing the corridor outside your room."
She had only just begun and a question popped into his head. "When you say footsteps, be more precise. Were they heavy like the dull thud of boots, or light like the patter of bare feet?"
She pursed her lips, the lines on her brow more prominent as she glanced up at the ceiling. "They were light, so light I almost missed them."
Marcus nodded. The revelation did not bode well for Selene. "And you didn't think to wake me?"
"You were tired." She shrugged, and a tempting smile played at the corners of her mouth. "You were sleeping so soundly, and I am used to leaving my room in the middle of the night to check on the girls, to console and offer words of comfort."