“He’s finished in Paris. Word is already out that he attacked a young woman with hundreds of witnesses,” Etienne remarked.
“I’ll speak to the commissioner tomorrow. He’ll sack the inspector—I’ll see to it,” Jean Pierre said, watching his daughter at the window.
“Yes. But with France on the brink of revolution, he is just the sort of man who will rise from the mud,” Sebastian countered.
His wound was not serious and Sophie had bandaged it herself. She had been concerned and worried for his safety and Sebastian had calmed her.
“We’ll be prepared for him, son. See to your wife,” Mohammed said. “She needs you.”
***
Sophie lay curled next to Sebastian on their bed watching the fire crackle and spit. She had not expected to see the inspector again, and his threats of retaliation against her husband had been real and venomous.
“He will not stop. If it is not me he uses, it will be someone else. He is power-hungry beyond all reason.” She shuddered.
“I spoke to my parents. Leila and Etienne are traveling to the continent and your family is headed to England. I think it best we go to Arabia,” Sebastian told her.
Sophie looked at him expectantly. “Arabia?” She sounded hopeful.
“Yes. France is unsafe and the inspector is dangerous. It’s time you had a taste of my homeland anyways. I think the time to journey to Arabia is now.”
Sophie pondered the decision and agreed. “Yes. I would like that.”
“Good. Then I will make the arrangements to travel. I think we will be traveling behind my parents so they will ready everything for our arrival.”
Sophie laid her head against his chest, enjoying the peaceful silence.
***
Sophie felt uneasy. It seemed her old way of life and everything she knew was ending and a new life was beginning. Everyone was going to different parts of the continent and she knew the journey to Arabia would be a long, exhausting one. With a heavy heart, she said goodbye to her father and grandmother and hugged Leila.
“Take care of my little niece or nephew,” she said, smiling.
“We will. Have a safe journey,” Leila said.
She had learned that Madame Necker and her family had journeyed to Switzerland and Lizette’s family would travel to the countryside. Leila and Sophie kissed each other on the cheeks in a final farewell.
Etienne and Sebastian, once friends, were now brothers tied together by marriage. They clasped each other on the back and wished each other safe travels.
“Godspeed, mon ami,” Etienne said.
“And you, old man,” Sebastian returned. “We will return to France again. God willing, when all this madness is over.”
Epilogue
Sophie watched the waves crash against the ship as France became smaller and smaller. Everything she had ever known was receding from her view.
She was no longer Jean Inconnu or the revolutionary writer of pamphlets. She was no longer the young girl who had grown up in Paris and worshipped theater and music.
She was no longer the daughter and granddaughter who played chess and argued about women’s rights.
No. She was a beloved wife and, if she guessed correctly, a soon-to-be mother, though she had not told Sebastian yet.
Later in their cabin that night, she stripped naked and joined him on their little bed amid the gentle swaying of the ship.
She was lucky in that she had not become seasick like so many others, but seemed to blossom and thrive on the salty water and in the bright sun.
She gave herself to her husband with wild abandon, dragging her nails across his back and urging him to take her. He smiled and placed himself between her slim legs, pressing himself into her, claiming her as his, now and always.