Mortensen’s eyes darkened, but Else kept her sweetest smile in place.
“How thoughtful, Jensen,” Bohr said.
“Yes, very thoughtful,” Wolff said. “Isn’t she, Mortensen?”
Mortensen’s cheeks pitted, he glanced away, and he gave one sharp nod.
Bohr pushed back his chair with a satisfied expression. “We’ll all benefit from these changes, and the institute will benefit from a more peaceful atmosphere.”
When he stood, everyone else did too. But Wolff motioned for Else to remain.
After the door shut, she released the fullness of her smile. “Thank you. I promise you won’t have any prob—”
“I know. You’re a hard worker with a keen mind.”
The touch of a frown on his craggy face let some of the helium out of her smile. “Thank you.”
“I’ve seen a lot of promise in you, but something was lacking.”
“Oh.” Else chewed on her lower lip.
Wolff crossed his thin arms. “You lacked the backbone to succeed in a competitive field, especially as a woman. That’s why we put you in Mortensen’s lab—as a test.”
“A test?”
“In his lab, you’d either find a backbone or fail. Well, you found your backbone. I saw it when you and Mrs. Iversen confronted him, and Bohr saw it when you stood up for yourself and for Knudsen. And you did it without sacrificing the congeniality we all enjoy.”
That backbone stretched longer and higher. She’d done it. She’d actually done it.
“Time to celebrate.” Kaj Knudsen bounded down Blegdamsvej.
Else put a skip in her step to keep up with Knudsen, Gebhardt, and Rask as they headed to a nice restaurant for lunch. Her feet wanted to dance, her voice wanted to sing, and her heart couldn’t wait to tell Hemming.
The morning rain and the noon air raid siren test had faded from the sky, and Else drank in fragrant air.
“Too bad you have to stay in Mortensen’s lab,” Knudsen said to Gebhardt.
The wind kicked up, and Gebhardt grasped his homburg. “Nein. I don’t mind him.”
“Of course not.” A sardonic smile formed on Arne Rask’s narrow face. “He wouldn’t dare cross you. You might send the Gestapo after him.”
A shadow fell over Gebhardt’s light eyes. “I would not.”
Rask elbowed the German physicist. “Haven’t you learned? We Danes love to josh and joke.”
Gebhardt’s mouth twitched, but the shadow remained.
Else averted her gaze toward the shops along the street. Gebhardtmight have learned, but he also must have heard the jab behind the joke.
“How about you, Rask?” Knudsen led the way across Nørrebrogade. “I’m sorry you have to go to Mortensen’s lab.”
Rask tipped his hat at an elderly couple crossing in the other direction. “Our fathers are old friends. We get along. Besides, I want experience on the cyclotron for my own research, so this is—”
A loud boom in the distance.
The ground shuddered.
Else stopped. “What was that?”
