"In Queen Charlotte's library was a copy of Christine de Pizan’s The Treasure of the City of Ladies, as well as many books of hours and manuscripts, from the lives of saints to botanical treatises. To this collection were added Italian manuscripts obtained when Charles VIII and his successor, Louis XII -- the French Kings in whose domain the Music Box Book of Hours had probably been created -- invaded Italy. Louis XII moved the collection to Blois. In the ensuing years, under different monarchs, the Royal Library was housed at Fontainebleau, among other places, until eventually it was housed in Paris at the BnF."

The Music Box Book of Hours might eventually reside in the Bnf, Sido concluded. But at this point, that it was not Nazi loot needed to be verified. And even if Caydance could locate the Lafitte family, the awkward issue of contacting them lay ahead.

Meanwhile, concern about the possible intrusion of manuscript thieves had led to the not unwelcome nightly presence of her new boyfriend. "I could get used to this." Tyrone said to Sido. They had just finished a dinner of roast chicken, French mashed potatoes, and spinach, apple, and walnut salad.