Revolutionary Fire

4. At the End of the Day

"Madame," Marius greeted, handing me a letter. I quickly skimmed through it.

"He wants to meet in person," I scoffed. I handed it back to Marius and began to leave, but he caught my arm and warned, "You should know, this leader doesn't like not knowing who he's working with. I recommend you have a conversation with your husband about politics."

"What? What does he have to do with this?" I retorted lowly.

"Look, what harm can it do to meet him in person?" Marius asked. "I promise you, he won't cause you any harm and he will take you seriously."

"Fine," I agreed finally. "But I'm wearing a veil so he can't see my face."

"Fine," Marius sighed. I ran home and grabbed my heavy veil I used only for funerals and covered my face with it. Looking in the mirror, I saw that I could see the world and the world could not see me. Smiling slightly, I left and began to follow Marius to a café where the other leader apparently had his meetings. "I managed to bring her," Marius sighed, facing a man just out of my sight. Marius stepped back and I froze.

My husband was a revolutionary.

Getting my words back, I greeted in a voice at least two octaves lower than my usual tone, "A pleasure, Monsieur."

Giving me a look between irritation and respect, he remarked, "You expect me to trust you yet you will not show your face. You see mine, how is that fair?"

"There are more disastrous consequences for my being found out," I countered sharply, fully back in my sharp, businesslike behavior.

"What, a royalist husband?" he asked. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Marius smirking.

Ignoring his assumption, I remarked, "You wanted to meet face to face. What is it exactly you wished to speak about?"

"Reform in France," he replied. "And not just the political kind. There is more change I want to make and I think you can help me get it."

"And what would that be?" I asked.

"I have a wife at home," he admitted and instantly I felt my throat dry. "She was raised by royalists and thinks the same way they do." I withheld a chuckle and instead smirked. "She doesn't get the liberty to think for herself."

"Why marry her then?" I asked, although I already knew the answer.

"Good question," Marius remarked, looking between us with a faint smirk as if he was watching a vastly entertaining play.

"Our parents forced it on us," he replied. "But I want to help make a world a place where she doesn't have to be suffocated by what men think she should be, but the women of France won't listen to me."

"So you want me and my little group to focus on suffrage and women's rights while you handle everything else," I finished dryly. "Don't mistake my tone, Monsieur. I find fighting for women's rights important, but I won't stop fighting for the birth of a republic because some man I barely know tells me so. I have an entire group of women and men willing to fight. Let us fight with you."

"I won't let a woman fight," he countered. My eyebrows rose, even though he couldn't see it.

"Funny," I remarked icily, "I don't recall asking for permission. In fact, I don't care much what you 'let' me do. I can shoot a gun better than half the men in this room and I'll prove it any day, any time."

"Confidence can be lethal, Madame," he warned, although his eyes gave away how curious and unwillingly impressed he was.

"And arrogance and pride cometh before the fall," I retorted.

"You have a quick wit, I'll give you that," he remarked. "Marius, please walk her home."

"You never answered my question," I snapped. "From my letter."

With a sigh, he agreed, "Yes, we will work with you and your group, Marius being the go-between." Nodding my head curtly, I walked off with Marius behind me. Once out of the building, I removed my veil and turned on Marius.

"Apollo is the revolutionary leader?" I snapped.

"I told you, you should have a conversation with your husband about politics," he replied. "The two of you are more alike than you realize."

"What does that matter," I hissed. "Have you not realized the position I'm now in? If he finds out it's me, there is no telling what he'd do."

"You're not going to tell him?" Marius replied, surprised.

"Tell him I've been lying to him for two years?" I deadpanned. "Of course not."

"Madame-"

"Just call me Blaise," I interrupted harshly.

"Fine, Blaise," he continued, irritated, "wouldn't it be better if you told him now rather than later after you've been working with him all this time?"

"I will tell him when the time is right," I said firmly. "Not a moment sooner."

"I repeat," Marius replied. "Wouldn't it be better to tell him sooner?"

"I'm scared, Marius," I admitted. "I don't know him well enough to know how he'd react."

"You've been married two years," Marius replied. "How do you know so little about each other?"

"We don't really talk," I admitted, crossing my arms over my chest. "We aren't even around each other much. He's always working or at meetings, it seems. And I'm always at my meetings or reading."

"Talk to him," Marius insisted. Finally, he sighed, "I won't keep lying to him. Tell him in five days or I will."

"Five days!" I cried. "Marius!" But he didn't listen. Instead, he left, leaving me in front of the door to my apartment. With a sigh, I undressed and got in the bath. The warm water enveloped my body, causing a content sigh to leave my lips. Drawing in a deep breath, I closed my eyes and lowered down into the water. My head emerged from the water as I drew in a breath. I shrieked in surprise at the sight of Apollo. Drawling in a calming breath, I said, "Sorry, you scared me."

"I didn't know you were in here," he said quickly, averting his eyes from me. A lump formed in my throat as I realized what I needed to tell him.

"Uh, Apollo, I actually need to talk to you about something," I said, my voice quivering slightly.

"What is it?" he asked, still averting his gaze.

My throat closed up before I said, "Um, no nothing it's fine. I'll see you later." His brows furrowed but he nodded and left me alone. I groaned, leaning my head back and closing my eyes. Once I'd finished, I got out of the water and began to towel off. I slipped into a nightgown and began to dry my hair as I entered the bedroom. Apollo was sitting at his desk writing. His brows were furrowed in concentration. I sighed, finishing with my hair and hanging up my towel to dry.

"So, what did you really want to talk to me about?" he asked, setting aside his quill.

"Nothing," I lied quietly, sitting down before my mirror to brush through my hair. He got up and took the brush from my hand. Gently, he began to brush through my dark locks.

"Blaise," he prompted.

"Why did you think I was an uptight royalist?" I asked finally.

"Well your parents are," he replied.

Furrowing my brows, I retorted, "So? Your parents are royalists."

"True." After a pause, he set aside my brush and briefly rested his hand on my shoulder before walking back to his desk. I shut my eyes tightly, regretting my existence. All I knew is I couldn't let Marius be the one to tell Apollo who I was. Letting out a sigh, I got up and got into bed with my book and slipped on my glasses. At the end of the day, all I want is a book in bed to distract me from my lies.