Chapter Text
Alexandre had a plan. He had it all figured out, all he needed was a pawn.
Not just any pawn. If he was honest with himself, and he knew no other way to be, he already had any pawn at his disposal. No, what he needed was specific. Special. He needed someone beautiful, but wholesome. The face of an angel, but the mind of a crook. She would need to be noble, in blood but not spirit. She would need to blend in at court, or at least know when to stand out. Someone who could access places he could not and get people talking in ways he could never.
Had he thought about simply blackmailing a lady at court? The opportunities were certainly there, but the women of the court didn’t have the one quality he needed the most.
Desperation.
No, these women needed nothing from him. One would think that having so much meant they had more to lose, but not even Alexandre's reach could touch the likes of them. They had no hunger and they had no shame, they had no need for either. Not like him. He was driven by his need, his fear that everything he built could topple when the wind changed direction. He needed someone who knew need, who knew fear, who knew shame. He needed someone like him.
Rumors spread quickly when you have a network of spies. A noble woman letting go of most of her staff due to thefts isn’t particularly noteworthy, but when the thefts happen to coincide with the arrival of her beautiful young niece… Well, Alexandre was a man who made his own good fortune, but he could recognize a golden opportunity when it presented itself. Gathering all the information he could, she seemed to be the perfect candidate, he need only to orchestrate their meeting and catch her in the act.
Alexandre could visit her aunt’s home any time he wanted, no one would deny him. Meeting her wouldn’t be difficult, but meeting her under the right circumstances... now that would take some planning. She would need to get money, and quickly. It would need to be a situation where appearances were everything. Too frivolous and she might talk her way around it, too serious and she might find another solution. No, he needed to pressure her into a shallow display of wealth.
How would the lady feel about a new hat?
With a trip to a nearby millinery planned, he set off to ensnare his pawn. Patting the ecus and jewelry stashed in his luggage, he considered how she might fair with his test. He had no doubt she would succeed in pilfering an item, maybe two. She was a capable thief, he knew that, but he didn’t know if she was an intelligent thief.
She was to be his pawn either way, but he hoped she was intelligent. Skills he could teach, but she’d be far more useful if she could think.
She’d also be far more useful if she were a natural beauty, but Alexandre wasn’t too concerned. Beauty he could fake, he knew the latest fashions, he knew clothes. Polishing up this obscure country girl would be easier than some of the other things he would require of her, but he did hope she’d make his job easy.
When he finally laid eyes on her, there at her aunt’s table, he relaxed. His job would be easy. Very easy. He would barely need to train her in the art of interrogation, most people would only need to see those eyes, that skin, that hair… they would spill their secrets just for the chance to be near her.
Good thing Alexandre was not most people.
But he was still human, he still had his desires. He was used to being surrounded by beautiful women, women that he could never touch even if he wanted to. He had seen what unchecked desire could do to a man, and he learned to control his. Desire was only a weakness if you denied it.
That is why, from his place in the shadows watching her enter his room, he allowed himself a moment of fantasy. Her pure beauty, lush and gleaming, her body bountiful. The threadbare dress, barely held together at the seams, barely containing her, barely a dress at all only tantalized Alexandre more. It almost felt filthy for someone so beautiful to be in something so worn and faded. It was wrong. Alexandre came from a world of beauty, of perfection. His job was to keep things right , and so wrongness felt enticing… exciting.
Oh, but that excitement could only last a moment. She was nothing more than a pawn and he needed to stay in control. He was in control. He was always in control.
Besides, he had a job to do.
He could feel his heart quicken as he caught her, as he saw the flush of her skin give way to a flash of calculating intellect. She was going to try to best him, but she was going to fail. She had no idea that she didn’t stand a chance against him, but he was going to enjoy watching her squirm.
It had been a long time since his heart pumped with the thrill of his job. If he was being honest with himself, as he always was, he had to admit that his work had grown stale. Tiresome, even. But she was anything but tired, she was new and bold. Not only did she pass his test, but she impressed him with her quick wit at the table. She was something else, something special, and he had caught her. Yes, this was the source of his pounding heart, the thrill of a job well done. He had executed his plan perfectly and captured the pawn.