They walked into the circular maze on its little hill. The winding path and the clipped hedges seemed like a prison to her.

Then Marc led them to the centerpiece of the Jardin, the vast exhibition hall of the Grande Galerie de l’Évolution. They paused outside for a few moments, gazing down the long grass esplanade in front of it.

She stared, but hardly noticed that Frank was standing by her side.

“By the way,” he said, “I forgot to mention that I had a letter from my father yesterday. He told me to give you his best wishes.”

She nodded, and managed a smile.

“Please return mine to him, when you next write,” she said.

“Actually, you’ll be able to give them in person,” Frank continued. “His letter says he’s coming to London next month. Unfortunately my mother isn’t able to accompany him, which is a shame. But after that, he’s coming to see me in Paris. I think he may stay here awhile.”

“Your father is coming to Paris?”

“Yes.”

“Oh,” said Marie.

As Louise approached the office of Monsieur Chabert the lawyer again, she wondered what he had found. She’d gone to him the very next day after the incident with Blanchard.

Luc hadn’t been too pleased about her walking out on a customer. He’d come straight around to her place that night.

“Are you all right? I got a call to say you walked out.”

“I felt a little dizzy.”

“Did he do something bad to you? Was there something you didn’t want to do?”

“Nothing like that.”

“So are you sick? He liked you. He was worried about you.”

“I can’t see him.”

Luc went very quiet.

“You can’t act like that,” he said. “You have to tell me why.”

“I can’t, Luc. But it won’t happen again.”

He didn’t reply for a moment. He seemed to be considering something.

“Make sure it doesn’t,” he growled finally. “I couldn’t tolerate that.”

She didn’t like the way he said it.

“I thought you were my friend.”

“I am, chérie. But think how this makes me look to him. I look like a fool. And it’s bad for your reputation too.”

“I understand, Luc. It really won’t happen again.”

He left after that. But there was tension in the air.

There was no tension today, however, with Monsieur Chabert. The little lawyer beamed at her.

“Mademoiselle, you gave me a very easy task. The gentleman concerned is Monsieur Marc Blanchard.” He gave her a quick summary of the family, of Gérard, Marc and Marie, the Joséphine store and the house at Fontainebleau. “Interestingly, it is Marc’s sister who married Fox the Englishman, who now runs the store. Marc was an artist. His work is considered talented, if not of the first rank.”

“Thank you, monsieur. This is exactly what I wanted.”

“If this family was involved directly with your mother, then there are two obvious possibilities. She might have been a servant in the house. Or possibly an artist’s model.”