Ada & The French (The Woodhouse Series #2)

Chapter 19

CHAPTER 19

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*Orleans/Versailles, Île-de-France*

A jug of water was poured onto the face of a sleeping Charles who jumped up, drenched in cold water and topless. 

Florence stood at the edge of the bed, a jug in her hands as she looked at the woman next to him, who has jolted away from Charles's cries.

"Pars. Maintenant."

The woman grabbed her clothes, leaving the room as Florence tossed the jug onto the bed. "Is there a place you can go that does not involve you bedding a woman?"

Charles's hands ran down his face, grumbling to himself. "I have needs." A towel was tossed at his face as he dried himself, slipping off the bed. "Let me guess...you're here for Theodore?" Florence glared at him. "I hate to break it to you, but he's not here."

"And instead of looking for him, you decided to share a bed with a harlot?" Florence questioned as Charles pulled on a shirt. 

"Well...he's in Paris..." Charles watched Florence, her arms crossing in annoyance. "Isn't he?"

"Would I be here looking for him if he was?" She asked as Ambrose entered the room, Charles turning to him in shock. 

Starting in Saint-Denis, Ambrose and Florence travelled to every gentlemen's club and bar, searching for Theodore or any sign of him.

Now, in the famous city of Orleans - the furthest the Etonians had gone in their escapades - they were on a mission to find the others and recruit them to help in the search for Theodore. 

"Theodore is missing?" Charles cried as Ambrose nodded. "And you're only telling me this now?"

Ambrose frowned. "I told you when he went missing. That morning we all woke up in the gentlemen's club and he wasn't there! You said he's probably gone to Paris!"

"I was hungover! I do not remember a lot of what happened..." Florence groaned as Charles dressed, quickly. "Where would he go?"

"We're retracing steps, meaning going to all the places that the four of you visited during this...reunion..." Florence explained, kicking an empty bottle of champagne. "Where's Rupert?"

"In Amiens. Work-related..." Ambrose explained, tossing Charles his belt. "He said he'll head to Versailles in a few days and meet us there."

Charles was dressed, fixing his hair in the mirror as Florence rolled her eyes. "Where do we start?" She asked as Charles turned to her. 

"Everywhere."

***

To cover more ground, the trip split up, agreeing to meet back at 

Orleans was a big town - but they could cover most of it if they went their separate ways. 

In every bar and gentlemen's club, they asked questions - had they seen Theodore Woodhouse? 

Answers were relatively the same - no one had seen him and if they had, they saw him days ago. 

As the sun began to sit on the horizon, an orange-pink glow filled the sky, they regrouped in Charles's rooms. 

"Well...that was a waste of time..." Charles poured himself a shot of whiskey, offering one to Florence who took it and threw it back as Ambrose paced the room.