Midnight Train to Paris (22 page)

Isla shakes her head. “No, after Grandpa
proposed to Rosie, he left the army. They traveled to America and stayed there
for the entire duration of the war. But by the time they had mom, the war was
over, and they were ready to come back to Paris.”

“And Madeleine and Georges?” I ask. “They’re
doing well?”

“They’re off traveling right now…but I have a feeling you
may be hearing from them soon.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know how we have that special ability to sense the
other one, being twins and all? Well, Madeleine and Georges have the same
connection we share…only much, much stronger. And I think they had something
to do with helping you save me,” Isla says with a serious eyebrow lift.

Christophe pops his head over Isla’s shoulder.
“What are you two girls whispering about?”

Isla kisses him on the cheek.
“Rien, mon
amour.” Nothing, my love,
she says before turning back to me. “We’ll talk
more later, sis,” she mouths quietly.

Samuel slips his arm around my waist and keeps
me close as we follow Isla, Christophe, and my parents down through the busy
station and out onto the sidewalk.

My dad nods toward two black town cars parked at
the corner. “That’s us,” he says. “Samuel and Jillian, you two can take the
second car by yourselves. I’m sure you want some alone time after Jillian’s
reporting trip down in the Alps.” Then my dad walks up to me, placing a hand on
my shoulder. “We saw your article on the front page today, Jilly Bean. I
couldn’t be more proud to call you my daughter. You’re amazing.”

“Thanks, Dad,” I say, trying not to show how
puzzled I am as I try to put together the missing pieces of my new, improved
life.

My dad climbs into the other car with the rest
of the group while Samuel lifts my suitcase into the trunk. “Wait,” I tell him.
“The newspaper in the front pocket.”

Samuel hands me the crisp paper, and as I unfold
it and skim the front page, the headline toward the bottom catches my eye.

“United States Senator stabbed to death in a lover’s
quarrel in the Alps,” I translate aloud. “Reported by International
Correspondent…Jillian Chambord.”

I wrote this?

By the look on Samuel’s face, I can tell
he is just as clueless as I am about how the Morel–Williams scandal wrapped up
after our most recent seventy-five-year time hop on the Orient Express. I fan
out the paper between us so we can scan the article.

“So, in this new version of events, Hélène still
did
have an affair with Senator Williams,” I say. “And she still stabbed
him to death in that freaky white palace hidden in the middle of the French
Alps.” My memories of our terrifying voyage through the snow-covered mountains
are fading, but they haven’t faded enough to take away the shiver that turns my
blood cold as I think about the crazed Morel women and their affinity for
daggers.

“And Williams was still a perverted creep,” Samuel adds
after reading the part about Williams’s involvement in the murder of two teenage
sisters and a child prostitution ring back in D.C.—a story I am still
quite
familiar
with, and as this article proves, a story that I still worked hard to expose,
even in this new version of my life.

“But Williams never harmed Isla,” I say, letting out a
relieved breath. “She never even crossed paths with him because we have a new
family now. This also means the abduction never even happened, and the other
two innocent girls—Emma Brooks and Francesca Rossi—are alive.”

Samuel turns to me, grinning. “And
you,
Jillian
Chambord, are a kick-ass international correspondent who just traveled back
from the Alps after covering a gruesome murder. I imagine right about now, you
could probably use some delicious French pastries for breakfast followed by a
little Paris birthday lovin’…Am I right?” He surprises me with another
sweet, passionate kiss, making me so incredibly happy that if we had to make
this journey…at least we made it together.

“That sounds perfect,” I tell him as he closes the trunk,
then opens the car door, gesturing for me to get in.

As we slide into the back seat together, a silver-haired
couple sitting in the front of the car turns around to face us.

There, in the driver’s seat is Georges, the chauffeur, and
next to him, his twin sister, Madeleine.

Georges tips his black hat as Madeleine flashes us a bold
smile.

“Jillian, Samuel,” Madeleine says with a nod. “We’re so
happy you made it…back to
2013
that is.” The French that rolls
effortlessly off her tongue is just as impeccable and elegant as she is.

Samuel shoots me a worried glance, but I place an assuring
hand on his knee. “Samuel, I’d like you to meet Madeleine, my
aunt,
and
her twin brother Georges, my
uncle.
” I turn back to the mysterious pair
of twins, remembering the clues and the help they provided along my journey to
rescue Isla.

“So you two had something to do with all of this—sending us
back in time to save Rosie, and ultimately to set the past straight?”

Madeleine nods as Georges puts the car into drive and takes
off down a tree-lined Parisian boulevard.

“Yes, we did,” she says. “And while I’m sure both of you
have many questions about how exactly all of this works, unfortunately we don’t
have much time.” Madeleine reaches over the seat, handing us each a small,
folded piece of paper.

“You see,” she continues, “it was not a coincidence that the
two of you were chosen to complete this mission together. You are both
exceedingly strong and resilient, and your love for one another is unique…and
powerful. Because of your fearless quest to right the wrongs of the past, you
have changed so many lives for the better, including mine and Georges. On
behalf of everyone you’ve helped, we would like to thank you. And, if you’re up
to the task, we would like to offer you another opportunity to travel back…”
Madeleine nods at the tiny papers in our hands.

“Go ahead, open them,” Georges pipes up from the driver’s
seat.

I gaze over at Samuel, and we nod at each other in unison
before unfolding the papers.

“You will have forty-eight hours to make a decision,”
Madeleine says as we read the description of our next possible
mission
.

The words on the page run laps around my dazed head as I
fold up the paper and grasp Samuel’s hand.

“Paris in the 1920s could be quite an adventure you know,”
Georges says.

Madeleine nods in agreement. “And you two certainly have the
class to pull it off.”

A sly grin slides over Samuel’s lips as his gaze locks on
mine. “What do you think, Jill? You and me solving a mystery in 1920s Paris?
It could be fun…”

Just as I am about to answer him, Madeleine interrupts.

“The real question is, did each of you keep your lifetime
passes to the Orient Express? I hope so, because you will
definitely
need
them.”

THE END

A huge, heartfelt
merci
goes to my fabulous editor,
Kelli Martin, and to the entire team at Amazon Publishing and Montlake Romance
for working so hard to bring my Paris stories to readers. If only I could take
each of you to Paris to celebrate over champagne and Nutella crêpes…maybe one
day!

To my amazing agent, Kevan Lyon, for your loyalty,
expertise, and support. I couldn’t have come this far without you, and I am
truly grateful for everything you’ve done to get me here. A Paris trip is
definitely in order one of these days.

I would like to thank my close friend, Sophie Moss, for
reading early drafts of this novel, for our weekly writing pep-talks, and for
your constant encouragement and support. I appreciate it more than you know.
And to Marion Croslydon and Tracy Hewitt Meyer, I am so grateful we met and
became instant friends.

To Alana Albertson, thank you for “getting” my writing and
for your help with this novel. I’m so happy to have found such a wonderful
writing pal in San Diego!

I’d like to send a warm thank you to my D.C. critique group:
Karen, Sharon, and Mary. Over lattes and pastries, you taught me how to write,
and I am forever grateful. I miss you all every day.

To my husband, my friends, and my family: Thank you for
understanding why I have gone off the map these past several months. Writing a
novel—or, in my case, writing two novels simultaneously—is an all-consuming
passion, and I’m thankful that you’ve stuck by me even when I disappear into my
writing cave for weeks at a time and forget to change out of my pajamas.

And finally, to my incredible readers. I dedicated this book
to you because
you
are the reason I get to wake up every day, stay in
those pajamas, and write love stories based in the most romantic city in the
world:
Paris.
The next time I’m in France, I will eat a buttery
chocolate croissant in your honor.

Juliette Sobanet earned a B.A. from Georgetown University and an M.A. from New York University in France,
living and studying in both Lyon and Paris. She worked as a French professor before turning a new page in her career, penning
romantic women’s fiction with a French twist. She is the author of
Sleeping with Paris
,
Kissed in Paris
,
Midnight Train to Paris
,
and the upcoming
Dancing with Paris
. Today she lives with her husband and two cats in San Diego, where she devotes her time to
writing and dreaming about her next trip to France.

This book was originally released in Episodes as a Kindle
Serial. Kindle Serials launched in 2012 as a new way to experience serialized
books. Kindle Serials allow readers to enjoy the story as the author creates
it, purchasing once and receiving all existing Episodes immediately, followed
by future Episodes as they are published. To find out more about Kindle Serials
and to see the current selection of Serials titles, visit
www.amazon.com/kindleserials
.