France's centre-right presidential candidate is fighting for his political life, weeks before voters decide who will run their country.
Francois Fillon's Welsh-born wife, Penelope, has become caught up in a scandal surrounding a parliamentary assistant job for which she was paid hundreds of thousands of euros.
What did Penelope do wrong?
Nothing, says Francois Fillon, who insists everything was above board. But the clouds are gathering around the couple and the question is: did she do the work she was paid for? Satirical weekly Le Canard Enchaine says she did not - and got €831,400 (£710,000; $900,000) for her trouble.
She was employed as her husband's parliamentary assistant from 1988-90 and again in 1998-2002 and then by his successor, Marc Jouland, from 2002-2007. She worked again for Mr Fillon from 2012-13. That is all very well if she actually did the work, but one report suggests she did not have a parliamentary pass or a work email.
Police have begun a preliminary inquiry.
For the past two weeks, Le Canard Enchaine has carried revelations about the Fillon family's earnings
According to Le Canard, she also pocketed €100,000 for writing just a handful of articles for a literary review La Revue des Deux Mondes, owned by a billionaire friend of the family, Marc Ladreit de Lacharriere.
And then there are the children too. Marie and Charles Fillon were paid by their father's office for legal work, but were not yet qualified lawyers, says the weekly. Investigators are also looking into this.
Is it curtains for Francois Fillon?
The general rule of thumb is the longer a political scandal stays on the front pages, the more likely a resignation becomes. And this began on 25 January and is not going away.
Mr Fillon was previously favourite to win the presidential race, but his support is ebbing away among voters and within his own party. One opinion poll said 76% of voters were unimpressed with his claims of innocence, casting doubt over whether he would reach the second-round run-off.
Mr Fillon, 62, says he will not resign unless he is placed under formal investigation. And he has asked his colleagues to wait a fortnight for a decision.
But Republican MP Georges Fenech has said Mr Fillon's victory in party primaries in November is "obsolete", and colleague Henri Guaino believes his position is untenable. It really is not looking good and "Penelope-gate" could bring him down.
The candidate's rivals are scenting blood, and yet he still has high-profile support. Seventeen centre-right heavyweights have signed a letter deploring the campaign against him and offering total support. They include three rivals defeated by him in the primaries.
The runner-up in that vote, Alain Juppe, has insisted he isn't a "Plan B" - but his supporters may have other ideas.
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