“It seems we have no option but to do what every other woman in Paris does,” she abruptly decided.
“And what is that?”
Leonida shrugged. “Go shopping.”
“Are you daft?” Sophy hissed in shock. Leonida envied her maid her light chip bonnet and loose linen gown. “What if you’re recognized?”
“Do not worry, I shall keep my face covered.”
“I still think…”
“Sophy, the hotel servants are beginning to regard us with suspicion. Not even the most reclusive widow remains forever in her rooms,” she firmly pointed out. “Besides, I shall go mad if I do not breathe some fresh air.”
“Bah.” Sophy waved a plump hand. “The air is foul.”
That was true enough. There was not only the unmistakable stench of open sewage, but the narrow street was littered with rubbish that did not bear close scrutiny.
She could only hope the finer neighborhoods were less pungent.
Twining her arm through her maid’s, she tugged her away from the hotel and down the street.
“Come, all will be well.”
Within a thankfully short time they had reached the wider boulevards that led to the Palais-Royal.
The cramped buildings became lavish private residences, the fronts a mixture of classical simplicity and those boasting ornate ornamentation with nymphs and playful deities gazing down at passing crowds. The traffic also thickened, the streets choked with elegant carriages and the public coaches called cabriolets that carried the fashionable Parisians and foreign guests to the endless entertainment to be found about the city.
There was an almost frantic air of excitement that was occasionally dampened by a King’s Guard who kept close watch upon knots of men strolling down the paved walk or seated outside the numerous coffee shops.
Beneath the brittle gaiety simmered a tension that prickled over Leonida’s skin. The atmosphere was charged, as if lightning were about to strike.
She shivered as she tugged the reluctant Sophy toward the nearby arcade. She had always thought St. Petersburg tense with undercurrents of sedition. This, however…lord, it felt as if the blood might begin flowing at any moment.
Entering the arcade that was built of a skeletal iron frame, with a towering glass roof that ran the length of the shops, Leonida swallowed a sigh.
It was a relief to be away from the thundering traffic that offered a messy death for anyone foolish enough to become distracted, but the crush of people wandering through the passage offered little reprieve. Of course, having her slippers trod upon or being jostled by everyone from the highest aristocrats to the most common servants was infinitely better than being toppled beneath a galloping horse.
Allowing Sophy to linger at a toy-maker shop, Leonida strolled past the bookshops and milliners before at last halting in front of a jewelry store that offered a bizarre collection of gem-encrusted beetles made into brooches and even necklaces.
Wondering what fool would actually purchase such a hideous trinket, Sophy barely noted the young lad with a shock of red hair and freckled face darting forward and yanking at her purse until the satin ribbons snapped and he could run off with his prize.
Leonida cursed her inattention, helplessly watching the much smaller body slip easily through the crowd. Thankfully she had most of her stash of money in a pocket hidden in the folds of her heavy skirt, and more importantly, her mother’s precious letters were safely concealed beneath the lining of her luggage.
Still, the purse held her favorite handkerchief and the coins she had intended to use for a warm croissant to share with Sophy. It was thoroughly annoying to have it stolen by the unruly scamp.
On the point of giving up her belongings as a lost cause, Leonida watched in surprise as a tall gentleman with silver hair and handsome features grasped the lad by the back of his shirt and lifted him off his feet.
He spoke a few words in the boy’s ear before firmly removing her silk bag from his grubby fingers, then with a sharp shake, he lowered the boy to his feet and allowed him to scamper away. Only then did he acknowledge Leonida, offering her a smile as he moved to stand directly before her.
“I believe this belongs to you?” he said in French with a heavy English accent, handing her the maltreated purse.
“Yes, thank you.”
Regaining her property, Leonida took a discreet step backward. The gentleman was flawlessly attired in a black jacket and breeches with a silver waistcoat and polished boots. He was clearly a well-bred gentleman and judging by the large diamond winking in the folds of his elegantly knotted cravat, a wealthy one as well. Strangely, however, she found herself instinctively desiring to keep him at a distance. There was something about him that made her sense a cold menace just beneath the surface.
“I am not usually such easy prey. I fear I was distracted.”
He shifted to peer through the window behind her. “Ah. You were admiring the necklaces?”