“Oh, but we haven’t.” He pulled out his notebook. “It struck me that your cousin’s use of the word grand might have nothing to do with the name of the hotel. Therefore, it seemed expedient to compile a list of the hotels in Paris that cater primarily to English visitors.”

She stared at him. “Why didn’t you think of that sooner?”

“The point is that I have thought of it now.” He passed the notebook to her.

She scanned the list. “Perhaps it would be wise to abandon the Grand Hotels altogether in favor of these.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he said quickly although she couldn’t possibly be as weary of the endless list of Grand Hotels as he was. “We need to stay the course we’ve begun. It would be inefficient to do otherwise.” He shook his head. “She could very well be at the next hotel we call on. Or there could be some record of her. Haphazard is not the way to conduct a search, India.”

“I wasn’t suggesting—”

“However, when we have at last made our way through the Grand Hotels, I wish to take a respite from our search. I have no intention of leaving Paris without seeing the exposition.” He took a sip of wine. “It’s my understanding that it is a spectacle of progress and mankind’s accomplishments as well as a taste of cultures far different from our own. We can visit the markets of Cairo and a Japanese village. And the entire city is talking about the American Wild West show. I would hate to miss that. The world has come to Paris and—through no fault of our own—so have we. I like to think of it as fate.”

“I sincerely doubt—”

“This is the sort of thing that only comes along once in a lifetime.”

“And this is a sight of Paris you wish to show me?”

“It’s the newest sight of Paris and where I wish to begin. Besides, I would be derelict in my duties as your friend if I allowed you to miss it.” He studied her for a moment. She didn’t look especially interested, but she wasn’t protesting, either. At least not yet. “I first visited Paris as a boy, and I’ve been here a number of other times. And while I do want to reacquaint myself with those places in the city that have attracted visitors for centuries, I don’t want to fail to see what—according to the papers—thousands of foreign visitors are flocking to. Why, the Gallery of Machines alone is worth the effort.”

“Is it?”

“And think, India, of the opportunities that a day spent seeing the marvels of invention and curiosities from around the world will give your campaign to reform me. I shall be so busy soaking up the wonders of progress that your incessant tirade about the Lady Travelers Society will sink into my conscience without so much as a protest.”

“I don’t believe I mentioned an incessant tirade.” It was all the woman could do to keep a smile from her lips although—to give her credit—she gave it a sterling effort. But there was nothing that could hide the sparkle of amusement in her eyes. “Although, now that you have mentioned it, an incessant tirade seems a rather brilliant suggestion.”

“Thank you.”

She laughed, a light, musical sort of sound almost tentative in nature as if it wasn’t used to being displayed. It certainly hadn’t been around him. Indeed, this was the first time he’d heard her laugh, and it did the oddest things to the pit of his stomach and possibly his heart. It struck him that if her smile was a reward, her laughter was a gift.

“Then you agree to my terms? You will share Paris with me?”

She hesitated.

“I have always considered Paris a special place. And I have never shown it to a lady before.” His gaze met hers. “I would consider it a great honor if you would allow me to show you those sights that make this city remarkable.”

“I’ve never especially wanted to see Paris.” Her gaze remained meshed with his.

“India, I believe when an unexpected opportunity comes along, especially one that is not likely to come along again, one should throw caution aside and seize it. Carpe diem, as it were.”

“The thought of seizing the day has never occurred to me. Nor has tossing caution aside for any reason.” She paused. “But then I’m not sure I’ve ever been confronted with an unexpected opportunity before.”

“And now you have.” He resisted the urge to reach for her hand. “What do you say, India?”

“Well...yes, I suppose. But only as part of my efforts to save your eternal soul,” she added quickly.

“I can’t imagine you doing it for any other reason.” He grinned. Even the guidebooks agreed there was enough of worth in Paris to keep a visitor busy for months. And surely they wouldn’t need that long.

His uncle’s resources would no doubt find Lady Heloise soon, hopefully safe and in one piece. Derek would allow India to save him and make the grand gesture of giving up the Lady Travelers Society or, at the very least, transform it into something entirely legitimate. By then, Derek would know how he truly felt about Miss India Prendergast, beyond a simple wish to kiss her. And furthermore, what he needed to do about it.

Still, he couldn’t ignore the nagging thought in the back of his mind that there was nothing simple about this at all.


CHAPTER SEVENTEEN


Guidebooks are indispensable and should be carried at all times. But do not rely on them to the exclusion of unforeseen possibilities. Some of the best travel adventures are those that are not planned.

—The Lady Travelers Society Guide


“WHEN YOU SAID you wished to show me the sights, I had no idea you wanted to show me everything at once.” India gazed out over the city of Paris at her feet and tried not to think about just how high up this highest platform of the Eiffel Tower really was. Or rather tried not to think how far it was to the ground. And tried very hard to ignore words like plummet or tumble or thud, which kept popping into her head.

Derek rested his forearms on the railing and leaned forward, which did not strike her as wise. “I thought this would be a unique opportunity to see the city as few have seen it before.”

“Aside from birds?”

He chuckled, his gaze firmly fixed on the vista spread before him.

“Well, you did say opportunities should be seized,” she murmured and returned to her perusal of the City of Light—which Derek had explained had more to do with the city’s position in the last century as a place of enlightenment and education than being the first city in Europe to illuminate its streets with gas lighting. He did seem to relish sharing such insights.

She hadn’t expected—or particularly wanted—to go up in the architectural monstrosity that could be seen from everywhere in the city. In that, she was apparently alone. If she’d thought the boulevards and streets of Paris were crowded, they paled in comparison to the hordes of Parisians and visitors that swarmed into the exposition. They waited in long queues for lemonade and souvenirs and especially their turn to begin the terrifying series of elevators that would take them to this highest public platform of the Eiffel Tower. She was fairly certain she’d never heard so many different languages in one place before. She and Derek had avoided waiting too long in the warm afternoon sun thanks to Lord Brookings, who supplied two special tickets that allowed them to move to the front of the queue.

India had never thought she was afraid of heights but then—until today—she’d never been tested. The elevators provided a relatively smooth ride but had an appalling tendency to jerk now and then on the way to the summit. While there were gasps of alarm from several of those in the elevator car with them, India was pleased that she had not so much as uttered a word. It was not easy.

“I can’t tell you how delighted I am that you chose to accept my advice,” Derek said with a satisfied grin, his attention still directed toward the view.

“I wouldn’t become accustomed to it if I were you.”

“I wouldn’t dream of such a thing.”

The platform seemed steady enough although there was a bit of a breeze, and India was certain the entire structure swayed with the light wind. In that, she might have been mistaken as no one else seemed to notice. There were far more people up here than she would have considered safe, but Derek had assured her this level was constructed to hold as many as nine hundred visitors. Even so, it was not overly reassuring. Derek was a fount of knowledge about the Eiffel Tower, the exposition and Paris itself. It was as if she had a personal guide, which was really rather nice and far more interesting than she would have expected. And she was willing to admit—however reluctantly—that the view was indeed magnificent.

“Did you know, on a clear day you can see as far as fifty miles?”

“Why, I had no idea,” she said drily.

“You can deny it all you want, but I am well aware you are enjoying this.”

“Am I?”

“You are. I can see it in your face and even you have to admit seeing Paris spread out before us is remarkable.”

She started to deny it, but it was absurd. He was right. “I believe I am enjoying this at that.”

“Why do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Refuse to admit that you might well be enjoying something you did not expect to enjoy.”

“Nonsense. I just said I was enjoying this.”

“Reluctantly.”

“I do apologize if I did not muster up the proper level of enthusiasm,” she said lightly.

“I think you even enjoyed Montmartre.”

“Everything looks better in hindsight, Derek.” She bit back a smile. The further away they moved from that night, the more, well, adventurous it became. Certainly, she had never sought adventure, but it did seem when adventure presented itself, it was irrational to waste the experience. Only as a lesson learned, of course.

“I suppose if you admit you’re enjoying something then you would have to admit that you might, just might, have been wrong,” he said thoughtfully.

“I don’t refuse to admit when I’m wrong.” She sniffed. “It’s simply that I am never wrong.”

His brow rose.

“If one is right, there is no need to doubt one’s actions. Especially if one has responsibilities for the well-being of others.” Although she was beginning to lose track of how many times she’d been wrong since she’d met Derek.

“You were wrong about coming up here.”

“On the contrary, I never said a word in protest.”

He snorted. “You didn’t have to. It was apparent.”

She was about to deny it when it struck her that, once again, he was right. Whether it was habit or inclination she did exactly what he was charging. Without warning, she saw herself as an old woman, complaining about everything that wasn’t done precisely to her liking and refusing to acknowledge when something was better than she expected. When she was wrong. As that would surely be a sign of...what? Weakness? Dependence? Not accepting one’s duty? She had no idea, but it was a horrible image and certainly the end of the path she was on. Worse, it did seem that woman was not merely old but alone. As a glimpse of the future it was terrifying. But was it unavoidable, as well?

“India?” he said cautiously. “You look distraught. I am sorry if I—”

“Well, you did,” she said sharply. “Even if you’ve said nothing that probably isn’t true.” She drew a deep breath. “Ever since I arrived in Paris, ever since I met you, it seems everyone I meet is determined to point out my...my flaws to me. Flaws I was quite frankly unaware of. No one has ever seen fit to mention them before.”

“Perhaps you didn’t give them a chance.”

“Perhaps it was better that way!”

“Perhaps,” he said mildly and wisely changed the subject. “If we follow the railing to the left, we should be able to see the Cathedral of Notre Dame.”

“I believe I will enjoy that.” She glared and moved in the direction he indicated. “I can hardly wait to see what flaws God might see fit to point out to me.”

He choked back a laugh behind her. She ignored him. She was not the least bit amused.

From this distance, the cathedral looked like little more than a child’s toy but then everything below them did. Carriages, omnibuses, tramway cars were nothing more than moving shapes. People were no bigger than minuscule insects. It was an interesting perspective on the world, and her irritation faded.

She braced her hands on the railing and stared out at the cathedral and beyond. She had heard that travel broadened one’s mind. She wasn’t sure if her mind had been broadened at all, but her eyes had certainly been opened. She had already realized she had a propensity for intolerance and a greater tendency toward impatience than she had thought, especially with the flaws of others. Now she was discovering she had a great many unsuspected flaws herself. Flaws she should probably correct. But not today. Determination squared her chin. Today, she had a scoundrel to redeem.