Agathe thanked her and went to tell Pierre that she had leave to go.

The following morning she went to the station. As she walked onto the platform she saw Simon Barnier getting into a first-class compartment. Instinctively she ducked back out of sight, pulling her hat down to shade her face before hurrying across the platform to board the train herself. She could only hope that if he were looking out of the window, he would pay no attention to an elderly lady getting into a third-class carriage further up the train. She was anxious that he should not recognise her. She sat back into her seat and closed her eyes, thinking. Why was he going to Paris? she wondered. It could of course be for any number of reasons, but she was disconcerted by his presence on the train.

When they finally arrived in Paris, Agathe waited in her carriage until she saw Simon Barnier walk past and greet a young man hovering on the platform. Only then did she step down from the train and make her way out of the station. As she emerged into the street, looking for the omnibus stop, she almost walked straight into him. Simon Barnier was standing at the kerbside while the young man summoned a fiacre. He turned with an angry, ‘Look where you’re—’, only then seeing who it was and saying, ‘Madame Sauze. What can bring you to Paris, I wonder?’

‘Good morning, Monsieur Barnier,’ she replied. ‘A funeral, I’m afraid.’

His eyes drilled into her. ‘Not in search of your niece?’

‘My niece, sir?’

‘The maid Annette.’

‘No, sir,’ replied Agathe. She was tempted to say more, but at the last moment held her peace. Better to say too little rather than too much.

At that minute the young man appeared with a fiacre. ‘You’ve taken your time, Eugène,’ snapped Simon. He looked back at Agathe. ‘I’m surprised that Madame St Clair can spare you to come to the city with her son and his family arriving so soon.’

‘I’m only here for the day, sir. I shall be returning on the evening train.’

Simon climbed into the cab and was driven away, moments later disappearing round a bend in the road.

I wonder how Monsieur Barnier knows so much about what’s happening at Belair, mused Agathe. I only heard of Georges’s arrival myself yesterday. He must have someone in his pay, keeping watch on the family. She found the idea didn’t surprise her; after all, he had tried to suborn Annette while Rupert was there.

Pierre had told her to go to the market, where Annette would be working on Benny’s stall.

‘It will give you a chance to speak to her without Hélène knowing anything about it. You must tell her to go to the hotel and find Rupert. Warn him not to come here. What they decide to do… well, they’ll have to decide themselves, but make sure Rupert understands what has happened and that if he is going to try to see Hélène, he must move softly, or that will be the end of any chance he has.’