I closed my eyes and shoved away the sick euphoria I felt. “Not well.” And I was noticing it much more than I had before, which could only mean he was getting worse.

“Cécile, thank heavens you’re all right.” Sabine came flying down the steps. “We didn’t know where you’d gone. We came back here like you asked, but…” She frowned. “Why are you all wet?”

“Long story,” I said, grateful that the seawater had washed away the worst of the blood.

“I’d say we need to get you inside, get you warm, but if you go in they’ll want you to perform. Genevieve didn’t show, and it’s closing night. Put anyone but you on the stage, and the audience will be demanding their money back.”

Did I dare? It was only a matter of time before Catherine discovered Sabine and I had escaped, if she hadn’t already, and then they’d come for me. Was there a better way to spend my last few hours of liberty than on the stage?

“I’ll sing,” I said, lifting my chin. “Might as well go down with a little flair.”

Neither of my friends smiled.

“They won’t try to take me while I’m onstage,” I said. “It will be afterward, and I don’t want either of you to interfere. I’ll go along with the first part of their plan, and then later, I’ll try to escape.” It wasn’t a perfect strategy, but it would give Tristan a fighting chance. “If it doesn’t work out, please tell my family that I love them.” My lip trembled and I flung an arm around both of them. “Thank you for helping me. I couldn’t ask for better friends.”

“Good luck.” Chris’s voice was rough. “I’m going to go see if I still have a job.”

He trudged away, shoulders slumped.

I grasped Sabine’s hand. “I’m afraid.”

She squeezed my fingers. “Me too.”

Backstage was utter chaos. The orchestra’s music filtered through the walls, and I recognized it as from one of the ballets. The dancers were performing to keep the crowd entertained with their graceful limbs and skill, but they could not go on forever.

“Cécile! Curse you, girl! Where have you been?” The stage manager locked a hand over my wrist, pulling me toward my dressing room. “I thought I was going to have to put Justine on. She’s wearing your costume. You’ll have to change quickly. Sabine, have her ready in ten minutes.”

“Yes, monsieur.”

Justine was in my dressing room, her brown hair pulled back tight in preparation for the wig she’d need to wear. Her face fell with disappointment when she recognized me, but she swiftly replaced it with a smile. “I’m glad you’re here. I did not much care to go on when they were expecting Genevieve.”

I didn’t blame her. Everyone in the audience was expecting to witness the final performance of Trianon’s most famous singer. Justine could have sung her heart out and it would not have mattered. “She’s retired now,” I said. “Someone will have to step up, and I’ll put in a good word to see it’s you.” What I didn’t say was that more than one girl would have the opportunity to move up in the ranks, because tonight would be my last performance as well.

The ten minutes went by in a blur of costuming, makeup, and hair. I warmed up while Sabine worked, methodically pushing myself up and down the scales while letting my mind drift away, a waking dream where I was surrounded by glass flowers and light, and all I cared about was the pair of silver eyes watching me from afar.

For all that I had failed to free him, Tristan felt closer to me tonight than he ever had since I’d left Trollus. His emotions were a tangle in my thoughts, rich and heady, and I didn’t try to separate them from my own. I reveled in a dream world of my own creation, where we were together and there were no curses or kings or witches to keep us apart.

And when I stepped out onto the stage, the roar of the full house filling my ears as they realized I was performing tonight instead of my mother, I channeled those emotions. I sang like I had never before, pushing aside all thought of technique in favor of the rawness that I preferred. My throat burned and I shook with fatigue, but I felt alive. And I didn’t want to give that up. Didn’t want it to end.

But the curtain falls on every performance, and this one was no exception.

“You were amazing tonight,” Julian breathed, his eyes bright after we had taken our final bows. “An incredible finale.”

And just like that, the magic broke. My knees trembled, and I swayed unsteadily on my feet.

“Cécile?” He rested a hand on my shoulder.

“Can you ask them to give me a few minutes alone?”

“Of course.” Julian’s hand left my shoulder, his feet making small thuds as he walked off the stage. “Leave her be,” I heard him say.

The crowd cleared out swiftly to the grand foyer, where they might well linger for another few hours. The cast would be off to celebrate the end of a successful production run, and I expected the crew would leave what work they could until tomorrow in favor of warm beds or dark taverns. Word would spread quickly that I’d performed tonight, and Lord Aiden would not find it difficult to track me down.

“You can’t do this dressed as a harem girl, Cécile.” Sabine was standing at stage right.

“I know.” I went with her, changing back into my still damp dress, allowing her to remove the thick cosmetics from my face. When she was finished, I hugged her hard. “I love you,” I said into her ear. “Now go find Chris and be safe.”