Love, Suspense, and a Parisian Museum

One of the first times* I went to Paris was with my school’s History of Art group. I wasn’t actually taking the class, I just tagged along, beacuse, well, it was the city of ROMANCE…the suspenseful mood of the museums was just a bonus 🙂

In amongst all the usual suspects, the Mona Lisa at the Louve, Rodin’s The Thinker, and the modern art at the Pompidou Centre, I discovered Gustave Moreau and fell in love with the museum — and his work.

It’s funny how the atmosphere of smaller museums can really add an extra dimension to your enjoyment of something. I particularly loved the Triumph of Alexander the Great, there was something about how it was displayed made it seem as if you were looking through a wall into another land. Amazing!

I’ve been back a few times since and it’s never disappointed. The parquet flooring and old cabinets are how I imagined the Paris museum that Etienne and Kate visited in Chasing Lies would look. But the staff in Moreau museum are definitely more friendlier than Madame Bernard!

I thought you might enjoy a snippet of the scene directly after Etienne and Kate left the museum…

“Your husband! You’re married?” Etienne placed a hand on Kate’s arm, pausing their progress down the street. He was so surprised he could barely choke out the words. What jerk would let his wife roam around Europe alone chasing after thugs?

“No. Of course not.” Confusion marred her brow. “Just improvising. I thought it made me sound more authentic.”

“Merde. First, you’re paranoid about crossing the line over to the criminal dark side, and next you’re inventing a whole new life for yourself.” The woman was unbelievable.

“It was just a small lie.”

Her nonchalance irritated him. “Well do yourself a favour. Next time you improvise, try focusing a bit closer to the truth. It’s less easy to get caught out. Don’t they teach you anything before letting you loose on the world?”

Etienne ran a hand through his hair. From the startled gaze she gave him before marching off down the street, he’d hit a nerve. This was why he worked alone. He didn’t have time for bullshit. He caught up with her and grabbed her wrist, pulling her around to face him.

She stood in front of him, her gaze fixed on her feet. He felt like a heel. Maybe he shouldn’t be so hard on her. She’d been cool and calm back in the museum, making sure they had everything they needed to progress.

He tucked a finger under her chin and lifted her head to meet his gaze. “What did I say now?”

“I’m not supposed to work in the field because I’m such a klutz. That’s why you knew I was following you. Why you had to rescue me in the park. Fuck, you probably did steal my passport because I’m sure it wasn’t in my bag.”

Etienne willed his expression to remain impassive. It was strange to have to force something that was normally second nature. But Kate Jackson had thrown him off kilter from the moment he’d first spied her. The sooner he had no need for her, the better off they’d both be.

A hard thump on his shoulder broke him out of his reverie. “Ouch. What was that for?”

“You deserved it.”

His lips twisted in a wry smile of acknowledgement. If he didn’t now, he would sometime soon in the future. “Maybe, and maybe you were a klutz as you call it, but we got what we needed.”

Her eyes brightened. Her face lit up with a smile, and his gut twisted with guilt. This was fast becoming a dangerous situation. He hadn’t been cross with her. He didn’t care what lies she told. He’d been annoyed at himself for getting so riled up at the thought she was married.

He needed to put some distance between himself and Kate as soon as possible. However, he needed those chansons first. “Let’s go look at what we have, and you can tell me more about why you can’t be a field agent.”

Etienne glanced up the street to see where they were. This side of Paris, there was a small, discreet hotel around the corner that had the perfect bar for clandestine meetings. Dark, quiet, and with high seated booths that would shelter them from prying eyes.

Taking her elbow in his hand, he scowled at the way his fingertips itched to feel the softness of her skin underneath the thick wool coat. “Come on, I know the perfect place.”

Chasing Lies, is the third book in the Tangled Hearts series, and can be read as a standalone. Join Kate and Etienne in a game of cat and mouse where the line between enemy and lover has never been thinner…or easier to cross… Click here 👉 Chasing Lies, to discover more.

*My husband constantly tells me I can’t have first times because its either the first or not (though in the case of Paris I had been through the city several times before on my way down south, we just didn’t stop!) …Apparently I can’t have the smaller half of something either 😉