I was planning to marry the daughter of my late friend to protect her from her greedy mother. But at thirty-eight, I seem to the young bride only an old fool—a fan of spicy adventures. At our first date she dressed in rough clothes, took a cane, and introduced herself as a character from the boulevard. My job is to provide her with an education and a good future. But Mira runs away from the house on the day I planned to propose.
Now I’m on the trail of the mysterious Shakal she got into the car with. Does this capricious girl really need my help?
“I don’t want to marry an old man! Maybe I should pretend to be a little foolish. I jump up and rush to the box with theatrical costumes. I put on burlap with patched seams and fur trim. I put a hat with a veil on my head, and in the corner I find a cane hidden behind the skis. I put on boots from old shoes and, limping, enter the living room, freezing when I see a handsome man, like he’s stepped out from the cover of a magazine”…