16
ARRIVAL
PARIS – SEPTEMBER 1718
He is a man of many faces,
Born to wander Seven Seas.
Dire danger he embraces,
When he sails, the Colors flee! –
From a popular song, - c. 1712
Charlotte and the tall man mirrored each other's stance, except he was glaring down - the top of her head barely reached his shoulder. She managed to glare up. Both tightly gripped their swords, although thankfully the blades pointed down. The man was about Antoine's age, half a head taller and broader in the shoulders, and a fighter of formidable skill. Antoine picked up his weapons and stepped to her side. “What now, Raoul?”
Puzzled apprehension replaced the man's initial curiosity, and Antoine frantically raked his own memory. He knew the measuring, expressionless dark eyes.
Antoine collected his thoug
