Surrender to a Stranger by Karyn Monk Read Free Book Online Page B

bulging in the bottom half of the lining. From each pocket he produced an article of clothing that he threw at her, motioning for her to change into them quickly. Momentarily stunned, she simply stood clutching the garments to her chest, and was prodded into action only when he stepped behind her and deftly removed her shawl and unfastened the back of her dress. Without pausing to see if she was indeed going to change, he turned his attention to her bed, which he stripped of its blanket and began to fill with filthy straw from the floor. As Jacqueline stepped out of her gown and petticoats, Citizen Julien scooped them up and proceeded to stuff the dress with the soft linen. He created a rather well-endowed form, which he laid on the bed, carefully arranging the skirt of the gown over the mound of straw. Jacqueline continued to don the filthy, coarse outfit he had provided her, realizing by now that the clothes exactly matched those worn by Dénis. Citizen Julien artfully wrapped her shawl around a clump of straw before placing it at the head of the bed and pulling its edges over the shoulders of her gown. He then reached inside his coat and produced a pair of scissors and a piece of ribbon. Still coughing and wheezing away, he knotted the ribbon around her hair and hacked off a length of perhaps fifteen inches or more. Jacqueline watched with a twinge of regret as the old man tucked the end of her hair under the shawl and then fanned the rest of it out so it spilled gloriously over the shoulders and back of her silk gown. He reached into two pockets near the hem of his coat and produced a pair of sabots. Jacqueline removed her silk brocade high heels and pulled on the clumsy wooden shoes as Citizen Julien placed hers at the edge of the bed where they could be seen. Having lost almost two inches in height, Jacqueline now closely matched the stature of the boy. She stuffed what remained of her hair into the red woolen cap as Citizen Julien generously applied some dirt to her face, neck, and hands. He then turned and pulled the blanket up over the sleeping form on the bed, fussing and wheezing just as Gagnon walked into the cell carrying a cup of water.
    Jacqueline froze, waiting for Gagnon to see that she was not the boy. But the jailer ignored her. He seemed much more concerned about his prisoner in the bed than the youth who stood in the shadows watching. Jacqueline had to admit that in the dim light the figure lying on the bed was rather convincing. Citizen Julien calmly returned to his papers and Jacqueline decided to sit on the floor and pretend to nap. Gagnon, evidently feeling that all was well, shrugged his shoulders and left the cell.
    What followed was sheer torture for Jacqueline. Instead of waiting a few minutes and then asking to be let out, Citizen Julien continued with his assignment as if nothing had happened. He made Jacqueline dictate a letter to him, then slowly read it back to her before engaging in a loud argument over his abilities and his prices. He told her to sob and once again went through the motions of fussing over the sleeping form on the bed before finally asking Gagnon to let him out. Despite her terror of being caught, Jacqueline could not help but admire the old man’s calm presence of mind. As they left the cell and shuffled slowly down the hall, Jacqueline expected at any moment that Gagnon would call out for them to stop. With every guard and gate they passed she was certain she would be discovered. But the guards were evidently accustomed to the coming and going of visitors, and as Citizen Julien’s official papers for himself and the boy were all in order, no one seemed interested in delaying the passage of the coughing, wheezing old man and the filthy, ragged youth who accompanied him.
    They were walking along a street that enjoyed considerably more activity than the others they had taken. Lively music was spilling out from a café at the end of the road, and colorfully dressed women were