“I’ll have a tray sent through to the study.” Dodo motioned to the servant, who led us down the hall and into a room lined with bookshelves. There were two leather armchairs on either side of a fireplace. Being May the fire was unlit and the room felt decidedly chilly, but I sat in one of the chairs. Daniel took the other.

“You appear to have settled in remarkably well,” he said. “You look as if you’re about to attend a ball.”

“That was Dodo—Mrs. Phillips’s doing,” I said. “She insisted on plying me with her clothing—a little more fancy than I’m used to.”

“It suits you well,” Daniel said. “And Liam is all right?”

“Never been happier. He has a nurse to watch over him and a small playmate.”

“That’s good.” He still looked worried and distracted, running a hand through unruly hair, some of which had been singed by the fire. “I came to tell you that I’ve secured a passage for you on a French ship. She’s called La Lorraine and she sails for Le Havre in a week’s time. I’m afraid the commissioner’s allowance didn’t run to first class, but at least it won’t be steerage and, being French, I’m sure the food will be good. If you’d like to compose a telegram I’ll have a cable sent to your friends in the morning, letting them know when the ship arrives and when you are likely to reach Paris.”

I was on my way over to the desk when a terrible thought struck me. “I don’t know their address, Daniel. The letter burned with everything else.”

He gave a half grin, half grimace. “Actually it didn’t. I went through the house today to see if anything could be saved and there was this letter, a trifle blackened around the edges but lying by the back door.” He rummaged into a pocket and produced a folded piece of paper. It was scorched but still legible.

“How miraculous.” I took it from him, looking at the dear, familiar signature and the address in Paris, written in Sid’s bold black script. I looked up. “So clearly I am meant to go there.”

“I don’t know about miraculous. Fire does strange things. Some of my books are almost untouched while metal candlesticks have melted to a blob.”

“You’ve managed to save some of your books. I’m so glad.”

“I didn’t manage to salvage much else,” he said. “Your teapot. A few items from the kitchen. Some china.”

“My jewelry case?” I didn’t have much jewelry but the few items I had were precious to me.