The Second Empress
““I’m sorry, monsieur, but I cannot be the one to tell her.”The young man loses some of his coloring, but I will not be the one to deliver this news. “Should I …” He looks past my shoulder into the hall. “Do I—”“I can take you to her. She’s in the salon.” He follows me down the candlelit hall, and the sound of our boots echoes against the stones.“Does she come here often?” he asks.He’s wondering if the princess makes a habit of living in such gloomy places. “Only when she’s truly ill.”I open the... door to the salon, and the princess is curled up on the chaise near the fire. She’s been in the same position all day, suffering from her stomach pains and nausea. But as soon as she sees the soldier, she rises.“Napoleon?”The young man lowers his eyes. “Your Highness,” he begins. “The honorable Captain Armand-Jules-Élisabeth de Canouville has died.”She screams, and I grab her hands before she can reach for his eyes. “You’re lying. He’s lying!MoreLess
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