The Sheik's Son(5)

“Madame Juliette. I hope you are in good health?” he asked.

“Oui. Things are well. I try to keep the police informed and they in turn look after me,” Juliette replied.

Sebastian nodded. He knew that in Paris the police were again arresting prostitutes and only the prestigious brothels stayed in business. It was an unusual arrangement: the brothel madams kept the police informed of their establishments, and the police left the brothels alone.

Sebastian knew that Juliette’s clientele was influential and she had friends who had stepped in once or twice to help her when she needed them.

“Le Duc is well?” Juliette asked.

The Duke of Dorset, also known as John Frederick Sackville but simply called Dorset, was also the British ambassador to France and Sebastian’s employer. He enjoyed the brothel and its entertainment immensely and had been the first one to bring Sebastian there.

“I believe he caught a slight cold, but I’m sure he will visit when he can,” he said.

Juliette eyed the handsome Sebastian and allowed her hand to touch his shoulder and then move down his forearm.

“He isn’t the one I would like to see again,” she said randomly.

He was about to respond but she had moved away suddenly. He heard his friends arguing behind him and turned to them. They had been discussing where to spend the evening when Etienne brought up a suggestion.

“What about the Academie Royale de Musique?” inquired Etienne.

Andrew frowned. “The opera?” He yawned and looked over at his two friends, shaking his head. “I think not.”

“Yes, the opera, my friend. For what is at the opera?” Etienne’s brown eyes danced with joy.

Andrew shrugged, not interested in the least. “A portly, screeching soprano?”

“The dancers, mon ami.” Etienne winked and caught Sebastian’s half smile.

Andrew was suddenly very much interested in the opera. “The dancers!” he whispered.

Already he could see the dancers in their frothy costumes of lace, with their delectable ankles showing. He knew they would enjoy the night very much.

He clasped Sebastian and Etienne around the shoulders. “To the opera we go.”





Chapter 2

Sophie had made certain that Marie understood exactly what was expected of her. She gave her precise directions to the printers and enough coin to pay Monsieur Blanche. She had written one small pamphlet before, but it had not been anything important. He had accepted the small pamphlet as it was about women’s work and the household. He thought it might attract some attention, though her true identity remained shrouded in secrecy.

But this new pamphlet that Sophie had poured her heart and soul into could be damaging. This pamphlet was about the equal rights that she felt French women should be given. It wasn’t earth-shattering but she did believe in the cause passionately. She wrote from her heart about how women were expected to marry and give birth and that was the extent of their existence. She wrote about education and how women were shockingly uneducated and all but dismissed.

She told Marie to let Monsieur Blanche understand that this was a cousin of hers and that he had asked to be placed in touch with the printer. She told Marie to offer no more information if the printer pressed her for it.

As she sent Marie off with the coin and handwritten pages, she realized her hands were shaking. She knew that her pamphlet did not contain any slander or libelous material, but her words were of a revolutionary sort. The minutes ticked by as she waited for Marie to return. When she did, she asked her if the printer had said anything or asked anything, but the loyal maid shook her head and went about her work.

Sophie spent the day with her grandmother as they called on their neighbors and close friends. She tried to stop the excitement that raced through her veins and even earned her a stern look from Eugenie when she accidentally spilled tea on a Persian carpet at one of the residences.

Eugenie scolded her in the carriage but Sophie was past caring. She had apologized to her grandmother’s friend for the accident but her mind was too focused on the pamphlet. Would Monsieur Blanche print it? How many would he print? Would anyone read it? She tapped her foot lightly but that earned her another look from the older woman, so she stopped the movement and instead focused on the passing Paris scenery.

***

A week later her father had been invited to a colleague’s salon and he very much wanted his mother and daughter to attend. He knew his mother would be extremely bored at the salon, which would include intellectuals and political figures, but he wanted his daughter to be exposed to such ideas and his mother would be the chaperone.

When Jean Pierre mentioned the idea to Eugenie, she was shocked.