‘Don’t you worry, Monsieur et Madame!’ He clapped his hands. ‘I shall make you a tailcoat that Jupiter himself would not be ashamed to wear. And for you, Madame, I shall make a dress the likes of which the world has never seen.’
‘Oh, no, no,’ I hurriedly clarified, my smile widening. ‘The dress is for me, and the tailcoat is for her.’
*~*~**~*~*
‘Aaah! Safe at last.’ With a sigh of bliss, I let the dress settle around me.
Behind me, Claudette chuckled and started buttoning up the back.
‘This is the first time I have heard that response to putting on a gown from Leclercq & Lacroix, mon amie. Stunning? Oui. Beautiful? Absolutely. But safe? What do you think it is? A plate armour?’ She sounded highly amused. ‘It will not protect you from bullets, you know.’
‘Not from bullets,’ I agreed, ‘but from Emilias.’
‘Ha! Oui, of course she will be the biggest danger you’ll encounter tonight.’
‘You think you’re joking.’
Making a derisive French noise at the back of her throat, Claudette closed the last button. ‘There. Tout est prêt.’
‘Hey! Why did you call me a prat?’
‘Because we still need to work on your French, I think.’
‘Hm.’ Ignoring her jibe, I tugged at my dress. ‘How do I look?’
She scrutinized me. ‘Utterly and completely non-male.’
‘Good. That was what I was going for.’
‘And also…’
‘Yes?’
‘Magnifique.’
A slow smile spread across my face.
Claudette patted me on the shoulder. ‘’e will be blown away.’
‘He?’ I fluttered my lashes. ‘Who could you possibly mean?’ Turning, I examined Claudette. ‘You clean up pretty nicely, too.’
‘Why, thank you.’ She bowed, the long tails of her tailcoat billowing behind her. Elegantly, she extended one arm to me. ‘May I escort you down the stairs, Mademoiselle?’
‘You may, Monsieur.’
Once we reached the landing, we saw Mr Ambrose standing down in the entrance hall of the opera, Karim and the pale figure of the saboteur beside him.
‘…was your meeting with Dalgliesh?’ Mr Ambrose was asking. ‘Did he seem suspicious?’
‘N-no, Sir, Mr Ambrose, Sir. Not at all.’
‘And you stored the items we discussed exactly where I told you to?’
If possible, the face of the little worm went even paler.
‘Y-yes. B-but what do you intend to do with—’
Mr Ambrose raised one finger.