As Napoleon settled down for the night in the tent beside Illya, he found that he was unable to shake a seemingly small detail from his mind. At the funeral for Illya's wife Talia, he'd noticed that amongst the mourners, a certain man had stood beside the grave a bit longer than the others had. He'd looked to be about Illya's age, and physically resembled Illya to a remarkable degree as well. A little blonde girl had stood beside him. Napoleon resolved to ask his friend about the pair the first thing the following morning.
"It sounds as if you are describing Boiko," Illya replied when Napoleon asked him. "He was a childhood playmate of Talia and myself. The three of us were very close."
His curiosity satisfied, Napoleon didn't give the matter any more thought until several days later, when he came upon Illya drinking a traditional gypsy drink with a woebegone expression on his face.
"Boiko was just here," Illya told his friend. "He said that he could keep it a secret no longer. He and Talia lived together as husband and wife from the time I was transferred to the London office until her death. My Talia was untrue to me."
"I'm so sorry," said Napoleon.
"I cannot be angry at her," Illya replied. "I could not really be with her as a husband due to my professional responsibilities. But that is not all. The little girl you saw, her name is Doina, and she is Talia's daughter. She was born exactly nine months after I went to the U.K. Talia and I were together right before I left, so there is the possibility that Doina is mine."
Napoleon gave a low whistle. "Wow."
"I know that we must return to New York soon," Illya continued. "However, I cannot rest until I know for sure whether or not Doina is my daughter. If she is, then she is my responsibility, not Boiko's."
"But how can you know for sure?" asked Napoleon.
"There is a blood test that can determine paternity," Illya told him. "I shall arrange to take it as soon as possible."
"What do you plan to do if the test does prove that you're Doina's father?"
"I would like to bring her to New York City if possible. I know that in my line of work it would be very difficult to be a single father, but I must see that my child is safe and well provided for, and the best way to do that would be to have her near me."
"I know you're a man of honor and integrity, and I trust you to do the right thing," Napoleon told his friend.
Napoleon accompanied Illya to the clinic for the blood test. They had to return to New York shortly afterwards. Illya arranged for the test results to be sent to his office in New York.
A few weeks later, Napoleon had pushed the incident to the back of his mind when the mail was brought in. He noticed that Illya's expression changed when he spotted the return address on one of the envelopes that had been addressed to him.
"It is from the clinic," Illya said in response to Napoleon's unspoken question. "It must be the result of the paternity test."
If any of you would like to add chapter 4, please feel free...