Jules and Armand fought to keep up. Given the hour, the streets were mostly deserted. Passing darkened homes and shops, the only sounds Simon heard were the clattering of the horses’ hooves on the cobblestone road and his thundering heart. Only the king’s private guard was permitted to race through the streets, but at the moment, Simon didn’t care.He’d wasted considerable time going back and forth with his ships. Each day, no, each hour that Angelica was alone only increased his anxiety. Sick with worry, he couldn’t eat. Sleep came only when he was consumed by fatigue—his fitful slumber plagued by nightmares of her lying lifeless by the side of the road. He had to speak to Robert. Without further delay. Negotiating another turn, he urged his horse onward. He’d already organized search parties, searching villages, towns, and, more frighteningly, Paris itself—with all of its iniquities. With a population of more than one hundred thousand, thieves and murderers weren’t difficult to find in certain areas of the city, especially at night.He slowed his horse as he approached the Palais-Royale, the new court theater, located near the Louvre.
