Chapter 7 - The Confession
Theo led us through a servant corridor no wider than my shoulders.
At the end was a vent overlooking the throne room.
Elise stood alone beside the stopped Wheel.
Vautrin held up a yellowed sheet of paper.
"This," he announced, "is Blanche Marceau's confession, witnessed by two officers and sealed by the crown."
King Edouard took it with shaking hands.
"She admits she planned to remove Prince Lucien from the palace," Vautrin continued. "She admits she spread lies about the queen's death."
Elise said nothing.
That scared me more than if she had shouted.
Then Vautrin smiled.
"Your mother abandoned you to save herself."
Elise looked at the paper.
"May I see the signature?"
The king hesitated, then handed it to a guard, who carried it to her.
Elise studied the bottom of the page.
And smiled.
I felt my own mouth do the same.
When Elise was eight, I had sent her a lesson hidden in a laundry list: Never let anyone copy your full name. Sign only with the mark I taught you.
My legal signature was Blanche Marceau.
But after Aveline's death, I had never again signed the M with three peaks.
I used two.
The confession had three.
Elise raised the page.
"This is fake."
Vautrin laughed. "On what authority?"
"On my mother's."
"Your mother is a prisoner."
"Not anymore."
The throne room doors burst open.
Captain Renard entered with four guards.
For a second, I thought he had found us.
Then he pointed at Elise.
"By order of the chancellor, arrest her."
Prince Lucien stood.
"No."
It was the first word he had spoken all morning.
Renard froze.
Lucien stepped down from the dais.
"If you touch her before this challenge is answered," he said, "you arrest her over my objection."
May you like
Then the prince looked directly toward the hidden vent.
"And I think we've waited long enough for Blanche Marceau to join us."
