my mother, as I’m certain he has seduced or meddled with far too many of you or those you love. But his time has come to an end.”
The undercurrent of murmuring stopped as the guests held their collective breath, glancing from Solange to Lafarge and back again.
“What do you propose to do?” Lafarge addressed her as though she were an insignificant gnat. “Do you plan to tell them I am the devil? That they would be better served standing against me and bringing me down?” He paused, then faced the guests to say, “They all know that I have information regarding the lies, deceits, and affairs of every person here, and that I will make those secrets public without hesitation. How many of them will go down with me? Which one of you is willing to take the leap of self-destruction in order to condemn me?” He answered his own question by turning back to Solange and saying, “None of them.”
The guests shifted uncomfortably, most of them looking around at their neighbors as if to see who looked the guiltiest and whose secrets might provide the most salacious gossip. The way they seemed to shrink in the face of Lafarge’s words turned Solange’s stomach. She should have known that few people would stand up to a man like Lafarge if it meant their own reputations would be damaged.
“They don’t have to stand against you,” Louis said, moving forward from where he stood, watching Solange with deep admiration. “Not one of them needs to put themselves in jeopardy, because you have done that all on your own.”
A ripple of excitement passed through the guests as Louis dodged through the crowd, making his way to the dais. A feeling of hope suddenly zipped through the air. Lafarge seemed to be unaffected, though. He merely stared at Louis as though he were a rat his housekeeper had failed to kill.
“Enjoy your moment while you can, Sinclair,” Lafarge growled. “You’ll be dead before midnight.”
Louis didn’t humor the man with a reply. He merely glared at him, then turned to face the guests. Without skipping a beat, he reached into his jacket and drew out the documents Solange had taken from his trophy room.
“Monsieur Lafarge is guilty of political collusion, corruption, and treason,” he said, holding the papers up.
For the first time, Lafarge looked uneasy. “Give me those,” he said, attempting to move closer to Louis.
Solange stepped between the two men. She was no match for Lafarge’s strength, if he chose to use it, but he was no match for her anger or her will to bring him down.
Louis went on. “These documents, and a great many more hiding away in Lafarge’s home, are clear proof that he has bribed and blackmailed his way into French politics. He is guilty of at least a dozen crimes against the republic and her allies. Not one of you needs to cower before the man in fear that your scandals will grace the pages of his magazine because the crimes he himself is guilty of far eclipse any other petty disgraces you may have committed.”
“This is preposterous,” Lafarge said, growing more anxious by the second. “You have nothing. Give me those papers.”
He tried to surge toward Louis, but Solange stopped him. She twisted to take just one of the letters she had stolen from the trophy room, then held it out so he could read it. “Do you see?” she asked. “Do you see what sort of proof we have of your sins?”
Lafarge’s face lost all color as he scanned the letter in her hand. “This is nothing,” he said in a weak voice. “You cannot prove anything with this.”
His expression told a different story.
“Perhaps not with this alone, but with everything else I took from your blasted trophy room, I can.”
She held her breath, hoping and praying Lafarge hadn’t taken inventory of his trophy room or even seen that she had discovered his documents. She had enough to condemn him, but if he believed she’d taken much, much more, everything that had to happen would be much easier.
For a moment, the two of them stood face to face, frozen. Lafarge seemed to search her face for some clue that she was bluffing or that she didn’t have what he must have feared she had. She stared implacably back at him, willing him to challenge her, to give her even the tiniest excuse to use everything she had against him. The entire room watched the tableau in silence.
Lafarge