The Sheik's Son(94)

“Yes. But once we have the papers in our possession, Sophie will be free and then we can deal with him properly,” Sebastian said coldly.

“You may count me firmly in your corner, mon ami,” Etienne said passionately.

The carriage deposited the two men in front of the unsavory tavern and went on its way. Sebastian saw the staircase Sophie had mentioned at the side of the main building, and several children ran by chasing a dog, but other than that, the small street was bare. They moved quickly up the stairs and found the door unlocked.

When the two men entered, both stared at the austere, plain room. It was simply filled with the necessary table and chairs, shelves and bed and nothing in addition. It looked more like a monk’s cell, only missing the necessary crucifix.

He saw no papers immediately in view so he and Etienne began to comb through the many books, shaking each one upside down to discover its contents. One after the other came out of the shelf but none revealed Sophie’s writings.

The spartan room left few places to hide anything, yet Sebastian knew the man well enough to know that he would have it someplace close at hand. He even checked the floorboards, but none were loose. He looked about the room and thought perhaps the inspector might have the writings on his person.

“Come, Bash. It’s not here,” Etienne said after they’d spent several minutes combing through the small library.

Sebastian shook his head and took one last look at the room. He noticed for the first time on the wall the painting of a ship at sea. It was a copy, and not a very good one, of an overly large ship atop a massive wave at sea. It seemed out of place and Sebastian narrowed his eyes.

He moved towards it, took the picture off the wall and flung it over onto the bed in one quick movement. There on the backside of the painting was the card and Sophie’s original handwritten pamphlet.

“Voila!” Sebastian exclaimed, tucking the precious papers into his coat and setting the painting back carefully. “Now the game begins.”





Chapter 25

Lizette hadn’t seen Sophie since her marriage ceremony, so when she was invited over to her new home for tea, she was delighted.

The two women chatted and talked of insignificant things in the small salon, although Sophie’s mind remained on her husband and what he intended to do with the addresses she had given him.

“I was so shocked when you had married, Sophie. Of course, he’s so handsome and connected but I never thought—”

“It was sudden,” Sophie nodded in agreement.

Lizette prattled on about the sudden marriage and Sophie heard bits and pieces of “expecting” and “marriage,” which only confirmed what she had thought. Everyone had decided that the sudden marriage was due to her pregnancy and the fact that the couple had visited the marital bed before the marriage.

If they only knew, she thought, smiling.

She watched the day turn to midafternoon and waited for Sebastian to return home long after she had bid a warm goodbye to Lizette.

When she finally heard him enter the foyer, she tried to calm herself.

“Sophie?” Sebastian asked, entering the salon. “Marie said you were waiting for me.”

“Yes. I have been so worried since this morning when you asked me for the addresses.” Sophie moved toward him, looking for signs of blood or an attack, but her husband seemed perfectly fine.

“Sophie, I’m well. Etienne and I accomplished what I set out to do,” he assured her calmly.

“Which was?” Sophie asked.

Sebastian pulled from his coat pocket the two items that the inspector had held over Sophie and handed them to his wife.

She saw them in her hands but the image blurred. “Bash.”

He had recovered the writings for her at risk to himself to keep her safe. She knew then with utter certainty that she loved him.

“I don’t know what to say.” She gazed down at the card and the sheets of paper, and then into his handsome face.

“There is nothing to say. You are free from him.” He watched her lovely expression.

Sophie threw her arms around his neck and held him tightly. “Thank you, Bash.”

She kissed him on the lips and then turned to the fire. She threw both handwritten papers into the flames, watching the fire lick at the paper. She remained kneeling before the fire until the papers were ash. Sebastian didn’t tell her, but he had also visited Juliette to permanently break things off with her. She had not been surprised by the break and had wished him joy and happiness in his marriage. He had given her a final, generous compensation and they had parted as friends.

Sebastian moved to sit by the sofa and Sophie joined him.

“You have been kind to me. I never expected so much from you,” Sophie admitted. “In the beginning, I was a little ashamed to have forced you into such a marriage.”