The illegitimate son of a disgraced French marquis and a British diplomat, René Laurent navigates high society with the grace of inherited privilege—and the cunning of an outsider. Educated at Oxford and trained in counter-espionage during his brief diplomatic career, he now operates behind the Louvre’s gilded facade. Officially, he curates Caravaggio exhibitions; unofficially, he tracks looted art for Interpol using connections forged in the underworld. His charm disarms, his secrets protect, and the scar beneath his collar? A relic from a bullet meant for someone else. He quotes Rilke when nervous, collects first-edition Baudelaire, and has never refused an espresso—or a beautiful trespasser.