The Alice Network

In June 1947, Eve, Charlie, and Finn arrive in Grasse. After checking into their hotel, the three set a plan in motion to find René. Eve is posing as his cousin, with Charlie as her granddaughter. Finn poses as their solicitor, showing René’s picture at all the local upscale haunts that René might frequent.

They discover nothing for weeks, but Finn and Charlie don’t mind. They spend their nights talking about what they’d like to do after the hunt is over: “We were outlining a future and tentatively, almost fearfully, starting to sketch each other into it, then backing away from the unspoken with half smiles” (435).

One day, Finn arranges to have the Lagonda repaired while the two women trudge to yet another fancy restaurant to ask about their missing cousin René. Much to their surprise, the maître d’ recognizes René’s picture and tells them where René’s villa is located. At that moment, René himself enters the restaurant.

Eve experiences her encounter with René as happening both in 1915 and 1947 simultaneously. As the wait staff makes a fuss and brings champagne to celebrate this happy family reunion, the two old adversaries hurl insults at one another.