Page 71 of Dagger’s Shield

“Before treatment begins, we need to determine if the disease has spread. I’d like to schedule a full-body scan as well as a blood draw before you leave.”

“Is that something that could be done today?” I asked.

He typed something into a laptop, waited for a response, then raised his head. “Yes, they have an opening for both, so I’ll write the orders, and you can go next door once we’re finished.”

“And then?” I pressed.

“If the disease hasn’t spread, your mother will begin six cycles of chemotherapy. There will be one treatment every three weeks. The first will begin in January and the final in April.”

My mother’s eyes met mine, and I squeezed her hand like Dagger had squeezed mine. “I’ll be here with you, Maman,” I assured her.

The doctor closed the file. “The drugs will exhaust you, Madame. Some weeks, they will leave you almost no defense against infection. Should you develop a fever, it will be important to contact the office immediately.” He took a sheet of paper from the file and handed it to her. “This will give you an overview of what to expect, but once I have the results of today’s scan, we’ll meet again to go over the plan more in-depth and answer any questions you have.”

My mother’s hand was steady when she signed the required consent forms. Mine, in my lap, was not. Neither of us asked whether the delay between her finding the first lump in September and now had made it worse. The scan would give us that information.

Dagger stood when we returned to the waiting area, and I explained about the tests my mother needed to have while we were here.

“What can I do?” he leaned in and asked.

“Being here is enough,” I said.

The blood draw took only a few minutes, but the technician said the scan would take approximately one hour. First, they had to confirm the last time she ate. When my mother said last night, they said they could go ahead with the procedure today.

Dagger’s arm was around my shoulder as we sat in the waiting area.

I checked the my mobile and saw it was already early afternoon. If my mother hadn’t eaten since last night, she would be famished by the time we left.

“There’s a restaurant on Rue Musette that my maman adores. We should stop there before we return to Valais.”

“Do you think she’ll have an appetite?”

“Perhaps not.”

When my mother came out ninety minutes later and announced she was starving, Dagger and I looked at each other and smiled.

“I know the perfect place,” I said.

My mother gasped when we stopped in front of the restaurant. “You remembered.”

“How could I forget? We ate here frequently when I was growing up.” I didn’t mention that the times when we did were when my father was traveling.

Like at Chez Nolette, the owner recognized us right away, welcomed us back, and treated us like his most important customers. It was exactly what my mother needed.

“The roast chicken in cream sauce and the fish stew are excellent here,” I told Dagger once we were seated.

“As is the truffle carpaccio,” Maman added.

“I say we order it all. Everything on today’s menu,” Dagger announced.

I expected my mother to frown at him. Instead, she patted his hand and grinned. “I knew I liked you the moment we met.”

Me? It went so far beyond like. I loved Dagger. I couldn’t deny it a moment longer. I also couldn’t confess it to him. Once the investigation into Maison Fontenay and Aristide Géraud wrapped up, he would return to the States while I stayed in France. We’d have to stage an end to our “engagement,” and my mother’s heart would be broken. Nowhere near as much as mine would be.

“We need to discuss La Saint-Sylvestre—the New Year’s Eve party,” my father announced when we walked in three hours later.

“Tomorrow, Papa,” I said.

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “It cannot wait until then.”