Chapter 22
September 1956 - Paris, France
“Merci, monsieur,” Caterina said. She paid the taxi driver and stepped out, taking care with her ebony suit and high heels. She peered up at the eighteenth-century, townhouse–style hotel. Its discreet canopied entry was flanked by a small army of bellhops in gold-braid–trimmed uniforms and smart caps. The palatial Hôtel Ritz was the centerpiece of the Place Vendôme, an octagonal expanse in the 1st arrondissement of Paris.
Any other time, Caterina would have been excited to visit the legendary hotel, but today she was on a mission. Gripping her precious cargo close to her, she entered the hotel and followed the directions she’d been given to the salon where the judging was to take place.
Anxiety welled within her. She shook off thoughts of old l
