I shook my head, puzzled. ‘I don’t understand.’
He mimicked ducking a blow. ‘My father used to beat my mother and me – how else do you think I learnt to dance out of the way so quickly? It was a relief when he left and Grandfather took us in. Now, if he came back, I’d be ready for him.’ He gave me a confident smile. ‘But he won’t come calling, not now I’m the king. He knows what that means for him.’
‘And your mother?’
‘Oh, I’ve made sure she’s free of him too. Earns her keep as a mermaid at the Palais Royal. See, peddling dreams is in the family.’ And with that, he winked and disappeared into the shadows outside.
I spent most of the next few days in the practice rooms at the Opera. Le Vestris’s idea was that J-F and I should lead the dancing in the village festival scene. Our dance was to be copied by the lovers, played by Le Vestris and the prima ballerina, concluding in a high spirited competition of agility between the two pairs.
‘You see, mademoiselle,’ Le Vestris declared, waving his silver-topped cane in the air, ‘this ballet is about us – the common people. I want to show the audience that, from our cradle, we can all belong to the aristocracy of talent. Even our children can dance like the greatest among us.’ He gave a modest bow, hand to his chest.
‘He thinks you and I can rival him and Mademoiselle Angeline?’ I muttered to J-F. ‘Is everyone mad in Paris?’
‘At the moment,’ said J-F sagely, ‘I’d say we’re all a little out of our minds: daring to think the unthinkable, to do the impossible.’
‘Well, this certainly counts as impossible.’ I lost my concentration and stepped on J-F’s toes. ‘Sorry.’
‘Mademoiselle Cat, what was that supposed to be?’ Le Vestris descended on me and prodded my errant leg with the cane. ‘You have ability, but you lack discipline. If you believe you will fail, you will fail. I cannot allow that. You must believe that you will succeed.’
‘Fat chance,’ I said under my breath. It was hard to concentrate on thoughts of success when my mind was so full of anxiety. News from the prison was worse: Lizzie was now ill enough for her gaolers to agree that she required the attendance of a doctor. Johnny’s pleas for her to be released had fallen on deaf ears. The mayor’s men were still searching for Frank and I had a bishop to please to avoid denunciation as a spy.
I stumbled again.
J-F gripped my hand. His expression was almost tender. ‘What would it take, Cat, to clear your mind for the dance?’
I gave him a rueful smile. ‘I suppose I’d be a lot happier if only I knew my friends were out of danger.’
‘If I promise to have them released by Saturday, will you promise to concentrate for the rest of the practice?’ He stroked my cheek, seeming quite confident he could keep his word. It was strange being so close to a boy in the sanctioned intimacy of a dance – I wasn’t sure how to behave.
‘You can do that?’
He nodded. ‘Being the king of thieves does have some advantages. You must put your trust in my influence.’
‘But if you can do this, why haven’t you done it before now?’
‘You didn’t ask – and besides, your Monsieur Johnny had to prepare the ground for me.’
‘So how are you going to do it? The officials aren’t listening to the British representative or anyone else. What hope do you have?’
‘Ah,’ J-F gave me a mysterious smile, ‘they will listen to me. Paris is now governed by its people – not by official representatives.’
‘Cat, Jean-Fran?ois, pay attention!’ Le Vestris clapped his hands together. The pianist had been tinkling away on the practice pianoforte for some time now while we’d been conducting our negotiation.
‘I am sorry, monsieur.’ J-F bowed to the master. ‘But I feel sure that now I’ve put her mind at rest, Cat will dance flawlessly for us.’
‘Indeed, monsieur, I promise to try my best,’ adding under my breath to J-F, ‘though I’m not sure about the flawless bit.’
And we swept off into the dance one more time.
At breakfast on Saturday, Renard sidled up to me on the pretext of filling my cup.
‘Mademoiselle, I think you should ask to be excused from practice this morning. Tell Madame Beaufort you are resting before the dress rehearsal this afternoon.’
I swallowed my mouthful of milk too quickly. ‘Why? What’s going on?’
‘Just let us say that my grandson keeps his promises. You will be going on a little walk with us, that’s all.’
I wanted to ask how a stroll with the two thieves would secure the release of the Avons, but the ballerinas were watching me. They had stopped mocking me since Le Vestris had taken an interest in my dancing and they now regarded me warily. I think they were worried I was overtaking them, being exalted into the realms of the stars while they still plodded away in the chorus line. If only they knew how limited my abilities were, they wouldn’t lose any sleep on that count.
Having secured Madame Beaufort’s blessing for my excursion, I accompanied Renard to the local market.
‘Why are we here?’ I asked as Renard sniffed a melon with professional interest.
‘Well, little one, there’s still the matter of your tail. As you are not a real cat, you do not need the mayor’s men dangling behind you.’
‘They’re still following me? Why didn’t you say?’ I glanced over my shoulder and caught sight of a dark-jacketed man pretending to read a playbill.
‘Yes, that’s one of them,’ Renard said with a chuckle. ‘We didn’t feel we needed to mention it, believing it was better they were waiting around the Opera than causing problems for milord searching for him near the Palais Royal.’
I grinned. ‘True.’