ONCE again Marguerite had found herself swept up into her husband's powerful arms as he had carried her carefully down the spiral stairs to her nearby bedchamber. She had thankfully laid her head to rest against his broad shoulder and been glad to relinquish the mystery of the other set of stairs into his capable hands.
When he had returned to her in the tiny rooftop room he had been overflowing with curiosity as to how the stairs had ever come to be built - why would a house need stairs which didn't lead anywhere? And how had they remained undiscovered for so long? But he had put his interest on one side and tended to her injuries with loving, gentle hands.
In the excitement of exploring the staircase and then his concern for her he had not evinced any interest in the small metal box which she had persisted on keeping with her. She was glad of this reprieve. She was enjoying watching him as she imagined he behaved with the League - his keen mind evaluating the situation and planning his next move - and had no wish to disrupt his thoughts by bringing up the emotional subject of his mother.
Percy put the last touch to the linen he had been wrapping around Marguerite's swollen ankle and gently placed her small foot on to a stool. As he moved to get up from his kneeling position by her chair he was prevented from rising by her outstretched hand.
"You are not leaving me here?"
"But, dear heart, your ankle - you need to rest."
"I have had hours to rest in that wretched staircase and whilst I waited for you. I do not need further rest now. Anyway - who found the staircase? If you are going to find the foot of it, I am coming too."
Their eyes met and held. Percy was unused to have anyone question him. He had been his own master for so long and he was used to a position of command - the members of the League had sworn unwavering obedience and kept to their word. He saw by the determined set of Marguerite's jaw that his wife meant what she said.
A sudden smile illuminated his face - they were partners in this too, as they now were in all aspects of their life. He had not known when he first began to venerate the beautiful Mademoiselle St Just the depths of courage, strength and fortitude which lay hidden behind her delightful society manners. She rose to every challenge with an indomitable will to succeed.
"Wait here one moment, my dear."
Before Marguerite had time to say a word he had vanished through the door. Hampered somewhat by the bandaging swaddled around her injured ankle she found it difficult to move from the comfortable chair in which she was seated.
Just as she was rising - grasping one arm of the chair for support - he reappeared in the doorway, as suddenly as he had gone. But now, smiling broadly and with an air of triumph, he was brandishing a cane.
She met his twinkling eyes and her mouth curled into an answering smile. Then, the humour of the situation overcame her and she fell back into the chair, giggling.
Pretending to be affronted by her reaction, Percy loomed over her in the chair, demanding to know the reason for her mirth. But his eyes gave him away as they were brimful of laughter. Marguerite felt her breath catch as she gazed into the depths of his blue eyes; she would always cherish moments like this when they were both so happy. She felt they had many months of unhappiness to make up for and she would zealously guard these precious, joyous occasions in her heart forever.
Becoming business-like Percy outlined his idea to search around the north landing on on the first floor. As the south stair came out at the corresponding place on the other side of the house, it seemed the most logical place to start. Marguerite was in complete agreement and so they set off around the corridors.
The cane was not needed for now as Marguerite had found much the best way for travelling around the house was in the safe and strong arms of her husband.
The landing on this side of the house was covered in a classically-themed mural as with all of the walls of the northern stairwell. Marguerite had noticed the beautiful artwork on her tour yesterday, but had not been given the opportunity to study the paintings further. And now the smiling cherubs and mythical creatures gambolling across the walls could not hold her attention as she was only interested in what might lay behind them.
She leaned on the bannister, and was glad of the extra support from Percy's cane, as she divided her attention between scanning the painting for clues, and watching Percy's face as he studied the mural. She didn't see how a doorway could be in that wall - the huge mural stretched from floor to ceiling and was surrounded by an enormous ornate frame.
Percy obviously felt the same as he dived through into the nearest room - an old store room - and began scanning the walls in there. Marguerite hobbled over to join him and saw that this room was lined with ancient looking panelling, which was common in many of the first floor rooms. But there were no noticeable edges to show where a doorway could be hidden and no useful carvings which could be used to open any hidden doorway.
Wearier than she had cared to admit, and still with her conscience troubled by keeping the journals from Percy, she didn't mind admitting defeat. Her ankle had begun to throb unpleasantly too.
Her husband, however, did not seem to recognise the word "failure" and stood back from the wall, weighing up the situation and working through all the possibilities.
"Margot - would you stand here and watch the wall? I'm going back on to the landing for a moment."
From her vantage point in the doorway she could keep an eye on the wall - why, she could not conjecture - and also on Percy. His slender, sensitive hands were now running over the right hand side of the elaborate frame. He breathed a sigh of satisfaction as his fingers connected with a piece of frame which gave way, and, as he did so, Marguerite heard a gentle grating noise as a section of the panelling slid smoothly back and sideways leaving only a gaping void.