"We will have to arrange to encounter him," Dare replied. "And we must make it look as natural as possible."
They had no difficulty finding social opportunities. The Prince of Pleasure was much sought after, as was Solange Brogard. From the moment of their arrival they were showered with invitations for a profusion of dinners, balls, receptions, and salons.
Although Julienne was included in the invitations, she knew she would forever be relegated to the fringes of society. The fashionable English set tolerated her only because she was Dare's guest. And the French aristocracy was only slightly more forgiving. She was the daughter of the late Compte de Folmont, and in France that meant something. Even so, she would always be disdained because of her profession.
Of Lord Castlereagh they saw nothing during the first few days, for he was closeted in conference with the most powerful leaders of Europe-Tzar Alexander of Russia, King Frederick William of Prussia, Chancellor Metternich of Austria, along with French foreign minister Talleyrand-negotiating terms of peace.
"Castlereagh's absence from the public eye," Dare remarked to Julienne, "is actually fortunate, sin
ce his habits are well known. Normally he makes daily visits to the baths at the Bain Chinois so he can nap, rumor has it. He's said to be so fatigued by the affairs needing his attention that he can't sleep at night and so spends most of his time there dozing. And his favorite promenade is the gallery of the Palais Royal. If Caliban is targeting him for assassination, the Palais would be a prime location. That may be the most likely place to find Perrine."
The Palais Royal, Julienne learned shortly, was a massive amusement center where every vice and pleasure could be found. The tamer offerings included gardens and galleries of shops-jewelers, milliners, modistes-as well as numerous cafes and restaurants.
Above were apartments to let. But it was the gambling hells and brothels that made the Palais a center of dissipation and depravity. The evening entertainments, Dare said, rivaled London's most scandalous.
It was there during their fifth afternoon in Paris, as Julienne strolled the arcaded pavements with Dare and Solange, that she first spied Lord Castlereagh. The foreign secretary was plainly dressed in a blue coat and hardly looked like a man of such enormous power. His entire posture was solemn and weary, as if he truly did have the weight of the world on his shoulders.
He wasn't alone, Julienne noted. Two British soldiers walked a discreet distance behind him.
"Are those his bodyguards?" she asked Dare.
"I expect so. And it seems we may have guessed correctly. Our friend Martin Perrine is sitting at the next cafe, with a clear view of the gardens. Shall we see what he is up to?" he asked, steering the two ladies on his arms in Perrine's direction.
Julienne had to look twice to recognize the nondescript fellow sitting at a table at the open-air cafe. With his brown hair, average build, and modest attire, he would easily disappear into a crowd.
As they passed Perrine's table, Dare pretended not to notice him, but Julienne paused, flashing a brilliant smile. "Why, Mr. Perrine, is that you? How delightful to see you here."
Perrine rose politely and bowed to her, then Dare. "Miss Laurent, Lord Wolverton…" He gave Solange a quizzical glance.
"May I present Madame Brogard?" Julienne said easily. When the niceties were observed, she added, "It is so comforting to see a friendly face. May we join you? Darling," she said to Dare, "will you be so good as to order me some wine? I declare I am parched."
Dare looked appropriately reluctant, but he did as she bid, raising a hand to summon a waiter.
"What brings you to Paris, Miss Laurent?" Perrine asked in an idle tone as she settled in the chair next to him.
Julienne held out her arm smugly, flashing the diamond bracelet Dare had just purchased for her. "Lord Wolverton has been extremely generous, but I hope he will be even more so. You may know that my father was a noble…" She told Perrine of her desire to recover the Folmont estates. "I have asked Dare to visit the south of France with me, but he says it is too dangerous just now to travel." Julienne pasted a slight pout on her lips. "I told him we can hire outriders to protect us from bandits-"
Just then Solange was hailed by friends, and Dare's attention became occupied with greeting them.
"I must speak with you in private," Julienne murmured under her breath to Perrine. "Can you meet me?"
His brows drew together sharply, and he studied her for a long moment, his eyes showing a momentary flash of the keen intelligence that was attributed to the cunning Caliban.
Then he gave a shy smile. "I am at your command, Miss Laurent, of course."
"Then come to the Hotel Clichy for tea tomorrow at four," Julienne whispered. "Dare will be gone by then- Do tell me what brings you to Paris, Mr. Perrine," she added when Dare turned back to her.
He launched into a story about Lord Aberdeen, the British ambassador to Austria, who was a close friend and who had invited him to participate in the historic marking of the liberation of Europe.
Solange and Dare joined the conversation then, leaving Julienne little to say. But a half hour later, as they prepared to leave, she gave Martin Perrine a meaningful glance. "It was delightful to see you again, Mr. Perrine. I hope we may meet again very shortly."
"That would please me a great deal," he replied in his usual unprepossessing tone.
Later that night, after a ball given at the British embassy by Sir Charles Stewart, the popular English ambassador to France, they met with Philip Barton to discuss various contingencies of their plan. Dare severely disliked the thought of Julienne meeting alone with Perrine, but she reminded him that she had her knife for protection, adding that she doubted Perrine would do anything to harm her just yet, since he was obviously curious about what she had to say.
In the morning Solange left the hotel to spend the day with friends. Julienne engaged a private parlor for the afternoon and arranged for tea to be served. In the event that Perrine was watching, Dare planned to make a show of leaving the hotel early in the afternoon but return shortly through the back entrance. He and Philip Barton would be in the adjoining room in case of trouble.
Martin Perrine arrived punctually and was shown up to the private parlor where Julienne awaited him.