“I am Eustacie de Vauban,” she answered, with dignity.
“Eustacie de Vauban ... Oh yes, I have it! But how do you come to be in England?”
“Well, my grandpapa thought that they would send me to the guillotine if I stayed in France, so he fetched me away. But if I had known that he would make me marry my cousin Tristram, who is not amusing, I should have preferred infinitely to have gone to the guillotine.”
“I don’t blame you,” he said. “Is he at the Court? If you’re running way from him I’ll do what I can to help you!”
“Do you know him, then?” asked Eustacie, surprised.
“Do I know him! I’m your romantic cousin Ludovic!”
She gave a small shriek, which had the effect of making him clap his hand over her mouth again. “Fiend seize you, don’t make that noise! Do you want to bring the Excisemen down on me?”
She pulled his hand down and stood clasping it between both her own. “No, no, I promise I will be entirely quiet! I am so enchanted to meet you! I thought I never should, because Tristram said you could not set foot in England any more.”
“ I dare say he did,” replied Ludovic. “But here I am for all that. You’ve only to breathe one word and I shall have Bow Street Runners as well as Excisemen on my trail.”
She said fiercely: “I shall not breathe any word at all, and I think you are quite insulting to say that!”