‘I was coming to see where you’d got to.’ Margot appeared at the top of the stairs. ‘You need to stop fussing over that child.’
‘I was just making sure Yvette was settled,’ said Fitz, noting again how irritated she was by the woman who seemed to have no care for Yvette whatsoever.
‘And is she?’
‘Yes. You don’t have to worry about her.’
‘Good.’ Margot looked Fitz up and down for the second time that day. ‘Glad to see the dress fits. Colonel Hoffmann will appreciate that.’
Fitz couldn’t help feeling like a prize cow or some sort of livestock, the way Margot had assessed her.
They went downstairs and along the main hallway to a large and extremely luxurious sitting room where several German officers were standing near the fireplace with whisky glasses in their hands, talking and smoking. Three women were standing with them and another two were sitting on the sofa talking to Philippe.
All conversations came to a complete halt and the officers at the fireplace turned to look at her.
To Fitz’s horror, one of them was the German officer who had questioned her at the checkpoint.
‘Claudine, there you are,’ said Philippe. ‘We thought you might have fallen asleep.’
Fitz smiled at the man who she had to remember was her cousin. ‘Oh, I was just putting the finishing touches to my hair,’ she gushed.
‘Let me introduce you,’ said Philippe and proceeded to walk her around the room, informing her of the names of the guests. She really did feel like cattle being paraded in the auction ring.
‘This is Captain Engel,’ said Philippe. ‘Engel this is my cousin, Claudine Bardot
‘We have already had the pleasure of meeting,’ said Engel. ‘Had I realised that Mademoiselle Bardot was your cousin, I wouldmost certainly have brought her here in my car earlier.’ He turned to Fitz. ‘Mademoiselle Bardot.’ He took her hand and brought it near to his lips without actually making contact. ‘My apologies.’
‘No need to apologise, Captain,’ said Fitz.
‘Please, call me Walter.’
Fitz nodded. Philippe coughed. He seemed keen to carry on with the introductions. ‘Now, Claudine, this is Colonel Hoffmann.’ He ushered Fitz towards the German. ‘Colonel, my cousin, Claudine.’
Hoffmann looked to be in his late forties to early fifties. A tall, thin man with angular features and high cheekbones. Fitz knew this was her time to play the part she had been trained for. She gave a coy smile at the German, glanced down and then back up at him again. ‘Very pleased to meet you, Colonel,’ she said, moving her black lace scarf to the side so he had an uninterrupted view of her and the rather tight-fitting dress.
‘The pleasure is all mine,’ said Hoffmann, taking Fitz’s hand and kissing it. Unlike Engel, he made contact with her skin, pausing for a fraction of a second longer than necessary as he looked up at her.
Fitz met his gaze, and this time didn’t look away. Gosh she felt sick at the pretence but reminded herself this was simply a job. All she had to do was to play her part.
‘The colonel is our guest for the next few nights,’ said Philippe.
‘How lovely,’ said Fitz. ‘Will you be here for the piano recital tomorrow evening?’
‘That is my intention,’ replied Hoffmann. ‘And you?’
‘Oh, yes. I’ll be here,’ said Fitz. She was aware from her peripheral vision that Engel was still standing there, observing her interaction with the colonel. It was unsettling. She wasn’tsure Engel was as easily drawn in by a woman as the older German officer was.
As they made their way through to the dining hall several minutes later, her concern was compounded. Engel fell into step alongside her. ‘You have made a very good impression with the colonel,’ he said.
Fitz smiled. ‘He’s a charming man.’
‘Indeed,’ agreed Engel. ‘Tell me, Claudine, when you were walking to Josselin yesterday, did you see a young woman, probably about your age walking along the road?’
Fitz maintained her composure. ‘No, I don’t believe I did.’
‘Shame. I’ve been trying to find her.’
‘Is she a friend of yours?’ asked Fitz, as Engel paused to allow her through the doorway ahead of him.
