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Julia woke, and she stretchedbeneath the purple sheets. The sunlight that filtered into the Lavender Room was faint, and through the sheer curtains, the sky bore a hint of pink. The morning was still early, and she heard no noise in the house. Julia was warm and comfortable in the bed. She rolled over and closed her eyes, but the prospect of the unknown day ahead wouldn’t allow her to fall back asleep.
She felt well rested and very happy, and it took only a moment to think of why. She’d worked hard the day before, and her efforts had been met with thanks and praise. Knowing she’d found a way to help gave her a warm feeling, and she decided that since she was to spend three more days in Provence, she would find other ways to be helpful to her hosts.
She’d spent a lovely evening with Gabi, preparing dinner, eating, and then listening to the older woman’s stories for hours next to the fire as she ran her fingers over Fredric’s soft fur. Between the two, they’d eaten nearly all the cake, saving only one piece for Gabi’s nephew.
M. Paquet hadn’t returned before the women retired for the night. Gabi expressed concern a few times, telling Julia his extended absence was very unusual—he rarely missed dinner—but she’d consoled herself that her nephew was a grown man and able to take care of himself. Julia couldn’t help but wonder what kind of errand kept a man away so late, but of course, it was none of her business.
Deciding that she’d lolled about long enough, Julia rose. She checked her wristwatch and the pocket watch she kept on a ribbon. The hour was past six. She pulled a shawl around her shoulders and stepped to the window, pushing aside the curtains.
When she did, something large and brown fell to the floor beside her feet and crawled toward her bare toes.
Though she had never actually seen one, she recognized the creature from drawings: pinchers, a long curved tail with a barb at the tip... a scorpion!
Julia screamed and jumped onto the bed. The scorpion must have come in through the window. Were there more? It changed direction, coming toward the bed, and she screamed again.
The door crashed open, and M. Paquet burst inside, fastening his trousers, his hair stuck up in all directions. His gaze moved quickly around the room.
“Oh, Monsieur Paquet! Thank goodness.” Julia pointed to the ground next to the bed. “Faites attention!” She shouted the warning and gasped, her hands shaking.
M. Paquet snatched up one of Julia’s borrowed shoes and smashed it down on the intruder just as Gabi hurried into the room wearing a very sheer nightdress and a cap over her hair.
“What has happened?” Gabi pressed a hand to her heart.
“A scorpion,” Julia explained, averting her eyes from Gabi’s ensemble. She pulled her shawl tighter, and feeling silly for standing on the bed, she knelt on the mattress, peering over the edge to where M. Paquet had crouched down to look underneath the shoe. “Are there more?”
“The lavender.” Gabi stepped around Luc and waved at the windowsill. “Where is the lavender?”
Julia tipped her head, confused. “I don’t...”
Gabi put her fists on her hips. “The smell—it repelsles scorpions.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize...” Julia winced, remembering how she’d thought the dried flowers were simply an indication of Gabi’s negligence. “I brushed them into the bin.”
Gabi shook her head, tsking while her nephew moved to look beneath the wardrobe. After a moment, he stood. “I think it was only the one.”
“And where were you last night?” Gabi asked, turning to him. “You returned very late.”
“I went to Monteaux to find Marcel Bernard before he left for the Wine Festival in Orange.”
“Why would you go all the way to Monteaux just to speak to Marcel Bernard?” Gabi’s lip curled.
Apparently, Marcel Bernard was not her favorite person.
“Orange has a telegraph office.” M. Paquet tipped his head toward Julia. “I did not want Mademoiselle Weston’s father to worry.”
“I was worried, mon cher. I’m glad you are home safely.” Gabi patted his arm. “And it was very thoughtful of you.” She let out a heavy breath and picked up Fredric the cat as he came curiously into the room. “Oh la la. My heart.” She turned Fredric around to speak directly to his furry face. “What a way to awaken!” Gabi set down the cat again and started from the room, calling back over her shoulder as she passed through the door. “Remember the lavender, Juliette.”
“I will.” Julia grimaced. “And I apologize for frightening you.”
M. Paquet crouched down and wiped the scorpion’s remains with a handkerchief.
“You sent a telegram to Paris?” Julia stood and folded her arms over the shawl. The cat weaved between her feet.
“Oui.” He folded the handkerchief, holding it by its edges.
She considered what the telegram might have said. Knowing M. Paquet, his explanation for her failure to arrive in Paris would have been brief. Had he made her look incompetent? Her stomach felt tight at the thought of her father’s disappointment. And how did M. Paquet know where to send it in the first place? “Why did you not tell me that’s what you were doing?” she asked. “I would have instructed you on what to say and where to address it...”
His brow rose. “I directed it to Colonel Weston,Commissaire Expert des Beaux-Arts, British Exhibition Headquarters.”
