Julian had finally found Evette. He spent the rest of the party talking with her, learning more about her childhood, her time in Paris, and her most recent sighting of Lohr. She began to shiver as the clock struck ten, and he caught himself yawning. “Let me take you inside.” He offered her his arm and led the way. “Tomorrow we’ll figure out what to do about Lohr.”
Most of the other guests had already left. Evette looked around at the staff diligently cleaning up the leftover food and tidying the furniture. She squeezed his hand. “I should excuse myself, but don’t disappear again.”
“I’ll call on you tomorrow evening.”
Her eyes were drawn briefly to his lips, and her cheeks colored in a way that made her even more beautiful. She brushed her hand along his arm. “Good-bye, Julian. I look forward to seeing you again.” She handed him his jacket, and he held it briefly to his nose, capturing her scent and warmth.
He was worried about Lohr. The man had beaten him before, but maybe here in Paris Julian would have the advantage. And it was hard to be concerned about a saboteur when he’d just found the woman he’d been seeking for so long. Finding Evette—and knowing he could find her again—seemed like a divine reward for everything he’d been through. Julian planned to court her a respectable amount of time, but he didn’t doubt the outcome. So often he had rolled his eyes when other men had told him they knew they were going to marry a woman after seeing her only once, but now he found himself in a similar situation, and it didn’t feel ludicrous.
“I see you met McDougall’s girl.”
Julian recognized Warren’s voice and turned. “Evette? She’s McDougall’s girl?”
“He hasn’t proposed yet, but he’s thought about it for at least two years. When he heads back to Scotland, I think he hopes to bring her with him.”
Julian felt a knot form in the pit of his stomach. “You’re sure?”
“I don’t know how attached she is. She’s quiet. But a few days ago, he asked me if I knew any good jewelry shops in Paris.”
Julian guessed there were hundreds of jewelry shops in Paris, but he recognized the meaning behind Warren’s words. Evette wasn’t available. And yet, if she was in love with McDougall, why hadn’t she said something? Her laugh and the way she’d touched him suggested Julian had a chance, a good one. Were it anyone other than McDougall, Julian would do what he could to win Evette, no matter how serious her other relationship. But how could he rob a man who had saved his life?
* * *
Julian spent the next morning reading everything he could on how the Lothair League operated in Paris. Why was Lohr back? The war was over, so what did he hope to achieve? Julian searched for patterns in Lohr’s spy networks and sabotage rings. There were no longer French battle plans for him to learn, and most of his sources had been arrested, but perhaps Lohr was back for destruction. He normally worked through a middleman who then hired the actual saboteur. Would anyone help him now, or would he act on his own?
During his meal break, Julian went to a nearby church and asked to speak with the priest. “May I ask your advice, Father?”
The tall man nodded his gray head. “Of course, my son.”
“There is a woman I met very briefly in 1915. I’ve never been able to forget her, and I saw her again yesterday. I wish to court her.”
“Is she a religious woman?”
“Yes. She’s wonderful. She’s everything I’ve ever wanted in a wife. Somehow I think I realized that the first time I saw her.”
The priest led Julian outside. “So court her. Marry her. Enjoy the peace. We’ve all of us seen enough misery to last a lifetime, haven’t we? Find joy in holy matrimony.”
“There’s one complication.” The chill weather bit his nose, and Julian pulled his scarf more tightly around his neck. “I have a friend. We worked together during the war. I wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for his help, and he’s in love with her too.”
The priest was quiet for a time, moving along at his calm, steady pace.
Into the silence Julian spoke again. “The more I learn of her, the more I want to spend the rest of my life with her. But how can I steal her from a friend, from someone I owe my life to?”
The priest paused and looked Julian in the eye. “Perhaps you should let the lady decide.”