“As in it’ll make you very gassy,” Addy whispered, to which Cate finally erupted into laughter, although Elise noticed Harry never so much as cracked a smile.
“I think we all understood,” Elise said. “But this stew will brighten up the plates a little.”
She ladled a couple of small spoonfuls each into their bowls, tiny bits of meat and mostly carrot swimming in the dark liquid. They always had a pot of soup bubbling away; they kept it on the stove and added to it all the time, and although she’d have preferred big chunks of meat, with a fresh baguette to mop up the leftovers, it was still tasty.
“Is someone going to explain to me what the hell happened today?” Harry asked.
Adelaide shot Elise a quick glance, but Elise didn’t say anything, deciding her sister could take the lead. She’d made it clear she wasn’t a child and wanted to make her own decisions, so for once she was going to let her.
“I, ah, I went for a walk,” Adelaide said as she sat down and picked up her spoon. “He doesn’t suspect anything, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
Harry’s spoon was hovering over his bowl, shaking, but he still hadn’t taken a mouthful yet. “You went for a walk with the man responsible for killing my entire regiment,” he said. “You make it sound like the most innocent thing in the world.”
“I didn’t know,” Adelaide stammered. “I—”
“Don’t for a moment try to tell me that it wasn’t him, or that I’ve got the wrong man, because I’ll never, ever forget his face, Adelaide. Never.”
“He doesn’t know about you,” Adelaide mumbled. “And you have to believe me—if I’d known, I mean, I don’t even know what to say.”
Elise swallowed her mouthful and set down her spoon, tempted to let Harry give Adelaide a stern talking-to, but thinking better of it. There was nothing she could do now to deflect the Nazi’s interest in her. “I think what my sister’s trying to say is that the commander fancies her, and that seems to be the only thing of interest here to him. And it’s not like she can politely say no tohim, because there would be consequences to turning him down now, I’m certain of it.”
Adelaide’s cheeks had turned a burning shade of red, and Elise couldn’t help but feel satisfied. She deserved to be embarrassed, acting as if this Nazi were no different to any other man coming calling on her.
“How did you meet him?” Cate asked. “I was surprised he knew who you were the other night.”
As spoons started to clink against china, and Harry glowered at his bowl, Adelaide spoke up, surprising her. “I took Harry’s friend to surrender, and I met him at the house they’d commandeered.”
“A man who we’d all agreed was to be kept in this house and cared for, instead of being handed over to the enemy,” Harry muttered.
Elise raised her brows at him. She understood his anger, but it wasn’t helpful, not now.
“And he took a liking to you there?” Cate asked, ignoring Harry.
“I didn’t realize so at the time, but yes, I suppose he must have.”
“And then I brought him right to your door that night,” Cate muttered. “Yet another thing that’s happened because of me.”
“Nonsense,” Elise interrupted. “He’d clearly taken a fancy to her that first day he saw her. Don’t blame yourself for this. If anything, it’s Adelaide’s own fault, so please don’t start thinking you’re the one who brought him, because he was already coming, with or without you.”
“We could use him,” Harry suddenly said, his stew already long gone. His face still told of anger and frustration, but there was a light in his eyes that hadn’t been there before. “I hate him as much as I hate that bastard Hitler, but to have someone on the inside, to have that connection—”
“Absolutely not!” Elise surprised herself as much as she did Harry with her outburst, slamming her hand against the table. But Harry leaned back in his chair and continued, clearly not prepared to back down.
“We need to think this through with clear heads,” he counseled. “You’ve said yourself that there’s nothing you can do to send him away, that he’s already in Adelaide’s life, so why not use it to our advantage? Surely she owes me that much.”
“This is my sister you’re talking about! We can’t play her like a puppet and hope for the best with someone who’s more than capable of killing anyone who betrays him,” Elise retorted. “And don’t you ever let me hear you say that my sister owes you, because she doesn’t owe you a thing. She’s the only reason you’re safe in this house and not six feet under.”
“Well, he’s not going to kill me, is he?” Addy said beside her, her voice so soft in comparison to Elise’s outburst. “He’s asked if he can call on me again, and I’ve already said yes. I agree with Harry. I do owe him.”
“No,” Elise said, her appetite long gone as she pushed her bowl away. “We’re not playing with my sister’s life. This is not up for discussion.”
“You’re right, it’s not,” Addy said, tucking into her dinner. “Because I’m not going to sit around to wait for Harry or Cate or Jack to get caught, not when there’s something I can do about it. And stop talking about me like I’m not sitting at this table right beside you!”
“How about we let the situation with the commander evolve organically?” Cate said diplomatically. “And at the same time, we try to get an understanding of what’s happening beyond this village. Knowledge is power, after all.”
Elise breathed more easily as she digested Cate’s considered words. “I agree. We need to hear it from our own people, not from a Nazi. What do you propose, then?”
“You and Cate could leave the house when it’s safe, and Adelaide can hold the fort here. If this Wolfgang comes while you’re gone, then she can do whatever she feels comfortable with, but I agree that we have to step carefully.”
