CHAPTER TWENTY
Around Angelica, all her dreams fell apart. She heard the ringing bells that meant people had forced their way into the palace, heard the shouts, the screams, the crack of pistols and muskets. Each one was like a hammer blow to everything she’d planned.
She ran through the palace, to the royal bedrooms, passing the guards on the doors.
“What are you waiting for?” she demanded, pointing back down the corridor. “Defend your queen. Join the battle!”
The two men there looked at one another, then set off in the direction Angelica had pointed. She had no idea if they would actually join in the fighting that she could hear in the distance, or if they would simply cut and run as soon as they were out of her sight. It didn’t matter; two soldiers in royal uniforms would have to fi
