She whistled. “That sounds like dangerous stuff. You should’ve waited for Joseph.”
I only grunted in response, and Jie seemed to notice my discomfort. She dropped my hand. “You don’t wanna talk now—sorry. You should look at the city, yeah?”
“Right. I’m in Paris.” I forced a smile, sliding to the window. But the streetlamps glared off the glass, making it hard to see much beyond the cobblestone streets.
“Or,” Jie said with a laugh, “maybe you should look at the city tomorrow. In the daylight.”
I turned back toward her. “So where is your hotel? And, um . . .” I scratched at my ear. “Do you think I could stay with you?”
“ Of course you can stay with me.” Her eyes lit up. “Besides, I’m sure the instant Monsieur
LeJeunes knows you’re here, he’ll offer you a suite.”
I exhaled heavily. “Thanks, Jie. Is this monsieur the host you mentioned in your letter?”
“Oui.” She batted her lashes. “He’s the Marquis du Bazillac, and he’s in the Senat—though he’s running for the presidency. He was the one to write to us in Chicago. Of course, he thought we were three men. Imagine his surprise when he realized I was a woman.” She grinned wickedly.
“And he doesn’t care about the Centennial Exhibition? About the fact that you’re wanted fugitives?”
“Naw. He knows it’s not true, and he’s trying to win the people’s hearts by saving them from les
Morts. Though he has had to work extra hard to keep the gossip . . .” She trailed off, searching for the right word. “To keep it clean. I think that’s why he makes us do so many events. Parties, balls, Senat meetings. But I can’t complain.” She opened her arms. “We live like royalty, yeah? Our hotel is fit for
Empress Tz’u-Hsi herself. And we’re right across the street from these amazing gardens called the
Tuileries. You’ll definitely want to see those tomorrow.” A bright-toothed smile suddenly split her face. “Oh boy, I bet the Marquis will buy you new gowns and jewelry. Why, look at what his friend gave me.” She whipped the end of her braid up to my face. It was held by a jade lotus hair clasp. “It’s
Chinese, yeah?”
“Oh my.” I took it gently in my hands and stroked the delicate petals. “It’s beautiful, Jie.”
She grinned happily and flipped her braid behind her head. “Just wait—you’ll probably get something beautiful too. And I know the Marquis will want to take you to all the teas and dinners he makes Joseph and Daniel attend.” Her smile fell. “In fact, Joseph is off at some salon tonight, so you won’t see him until tomorrow. The man is so exhausted from all the visits he has to make, but he’d much rather have the city’s love at the price of sleep than go through what we did in Philadelphia.”
My brows drew together. “So when do you get any work done?”
“It’s . . . slow.” She flicked a piece of dust off her pants. “Everything about our job is a mystery.
But listen, I want to hear more about you. What sights do you want to see tomorrow?”
As if on cue, my stomach grumbled angrily. I grinned. “First, I would really like to eat.”
She laughed and rubbed her hands together. “Then let’s get you a baguette!”
The Hotel Le Meurice was so grand, I was terrified to step inside. Like a moth in the butterfly garden, I absolutely did not belong. But if Jie could swagger into the gleaming marble foyer with its white columns and gold chandeliers and not mind the stares, then so could I.
Jie gave a nod to the navy-uniformed man behind the front desk; and before I had a chance even to see what was beyond the main entrance, she whisked me left, beneath an enormous crystal chandelier and on to a grand stone stairwell.
“This marquis,” I said, ogling the pink marble walls, “he’s rich, I presume?”
Jie laughed. “Very. He probably sleeps on a mound of gold.”
Two flights up, we stepped into a hall that ran off in either direction. Teal rugs muffled our footsteps, and lamps every few feet gave a steady stream of electric light.
“I am in awe,” I declared. “All of Paris is so elegant, and this is downright opulent!”
“You haven’t even seen the best part yet.” Jie pointed directly across from us to a white door built into a wall of glass-paneled windows. White curtains blocked whatever was on the other side. “That’s the lab. Now you’ll really be impressed.” She slipped out a key, and moments later, the door swung back.
I gasped, rooted to my spot in the doorway. “Impressed” was an understatement. The same teal carpet as the hall’s was underfoot, while mauve armchairs lined the room’s edge. Simple mahogany bookshelves covered the walls, and in the middle of the room were three wide worktables—all lit by dangling chandeliers.
“Wow,” I breathed.
“It’s supposed to be a parlor for the three suites in the corner.” She motioned to the back, where a tiny hall connected to three doors. “But the Marquis paid for us to make a lab.”