table with her head down when he entered. She stood when she saw him, her eyes full of hope. And for a second he believed it too. And then the chains binding her wrists clattered against the edge of the table, enough to snuff out any false notions this would be an easy visit.
“Are you all right?” It was a dumb question, but she nodded bravely. The tainted smell of confinement lingered in her hair and on her clothes. “Of course you’re not. How could you be?” He reached out and took her hand, damn the consequences.
The jailer who had let him in the room cleared her throat. “I was told you are her attorney, monsieur.”
He gave Elena’s hand a squeeze to let her know everything would be fine and then stiffened his manner to more accurately reflect his position. “Yes, I am representing this woman, so you will kindly wait outside the door while I confer with my client in private.”
Jean-Paul closed the door behind the guard, then sat across the table from Elena as the runes on her cuffs glowed an iridescent blue even his eyes could see.
“Tell me this isn’t real,” she said, peering at him with those golden eyes of hers as he removed his hat. “Have I swallowed a dreaming potion? Did someone feed me the underside of a bad mushroom?” She sat back in her chair and looked up at the ceiling while holding up her bound hands in a cupped position.
He didn’t have an answer for her. He barely understood the context of her complaint. But he did know she was in terrible danger of losing everything, including her life.
“I’m going to do my best to get you out of here.” He paused, catching himself before he added my love. How quickly the words nearly leaped to his lips of their own free will.
Elena stood instead and began to pace. “Where is Grand-Mère? Did she come with you? Is she well?”
He cleared his throat and brought out his notepad and fountain pen. “She went out first thing this morning and hadn’t returned by the time I left.” When he saw a look of alarm in Elena’s eyes he added, “I’m sure she’s fine.” But then he hesitated. He couldn’t imagine where the old woman had gone. She hadn’t left the house without him for an escort into town the entire time he’d known her.
“Didn’t she say where she was going?”
“To be honest, she didn’t make much sense. She kept muttering about ‘that crazy man.’”
“What crazy man? Nettles? Bastien? Who?”
“I don’t know. She went into your workroom in the cellar, and when she came out she told me to take care of the place. I offered to bring her, but she said there was something she had to do, and then she headed for the footpath leading over the hill.”
Elena dropped into her chair and stared at the wall behind him as if dumbfounded by the account. A moment later, eyes back on him, she asked, “How confident are you that you can get me released?”
He set his pen down. “If I’m going to defend you, we must be completely honest with each other.” He leaned in closer and set his hand on hers again. “I’m going to do everything in my power to get you out of here, but if I fail you will have to remain until your trial, which could take months. The prosecution has indicated they wish to make an example with your arrest to show the community they’ve got the situation under control.”
“But they don’t. And if we fail later at trial, I proffer my neck before the guillotine for a crime I didn’t commit while the real killer goes free.”
He saw the truth take hold in its merciless way, yet she forced a brave face when he confirmed everything she’d said. It was then he realized she might doubt his abilities.
“I can try and find you another lawyer,” he said. “There must be someone who specializes in cases of the supernatural, if you’re not comfortable with me representing you, but I’d have to put the vineyard up as collateral for payment. I have no more money left, and no one to borrow from.” His uncle had said as much when he dropped him off at the hotel. Defend her if you like, but there will be no association with the law firm. Ever. The confrontation had bruised him harder than he’d thought. Cut loose of the family business,