The Paris Affair by Tracy Grant
Two months have slipped away since the thunderous echoes of Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo, yet a suffocating chaos hangs heavy in the air of France. The restored Ultra-Royalists have unleashed a reign of terror, purging anyone suspected of ties to the fallen Emperor. Ironically, the cunning Talleyrand, once Napoleon's Foreign Minister and now the Prime Minister, alongside the shrewd Minister of Police, Fouch, have managed to navigate the turbulent waters of Bourbon restoration unscathed.
In the dimly lit Trois Amis Tavern, nestled in the heart of Paris, British Attaché Malcolm Rannoch and his wife, Suzanne, find themselves entangled in a web of intrigue. The atmosphere buzzes with whispered fears as they meet the trembling figure of Antoine, Comte de Rivère, a French double agent. While Suzanne captivates the other patrons with her charm, only a few paces away, Antoine leans close, his voice urgent and low. He demands that Malcolm facilitate his escape to England, offering a tantalizing pension and two lavish homes in exchange for his silence on a damning secret that could ruin the Duke of Wellington. Just as the tension reaches its peak, the tavern erupts into chaos as a violent brawl ignites. Amid the pandemonium, a knife strikes true, and the Comte falls lifeless to the floor.
At the British Embassy, the Rannochs report the night's harrowing events to the Duke. Shadows of suspicion loom over the room as they convey their belief that Antoine was silenced intentionally before he could divulge his dangerous knowledge. The revered war hero commands Malcolm and Suzanne to embark on a perilous investigation to uncover what Antoine thought would secure his passage to safety in England.
The third installment of the Rannoch Regency mystery unfolds as a riveting thriller, with Teresa Grant expertly illuminating the dark alleys and hidden dangers of post-Napoleonic Paris. The couple delves into the mystery of the Comte's murder, striving to piece together the clues that might unveil his ticket to escape, while also guiding readers through the treacherous landscape of a city grappling with its own tumultuous rebirth.
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