By the time “Jeanne” returned to the foot of the Grand Canal, Olympe and Antoine had rejoined the group—now larger with the addition of her sister Bernadette and her sister"s friend, Angelique de Sance. Not only had Jeanne changed back into the many layers of her feminine attire, she had run through the garden and up the two flights of stairs to Lynette"s quarters. Her friend still slept, causing her more concern, and she"d not been able to talk with her.
“Where have you been?” Olympe spotted her first, thrusting her hands on her hips as if she were Jeanne"s parent, concerned yet angered by her child"s tardiness.
“At…Lynette"s.” Jeanne words eked out between gasps of fresh air. “She slept still, and I sat by her side for a while.”
Jeanne felt great guilt at using her friend"s illness as
