Page 75

“No arguments, Solène. The forest isn’t safe anymore if the Germans are patrolling. You’ll stay close. Both of you. Do you understand?”

The girls nod, chastened.

That night, Josie is quiet. She doesn’t want to practice piano. She picks at her dinner. Finally, in bed, she speaks.

“Tata Andrée?”

“Yes, Josie?”

“Even here we’re not safe. Even in the forest, even in a tiny village far away from Paris. The Germans are everywhere, aren’t they?”

Andrée considers lying. Considers offering false comfort. But Josie deserves truth.

“Yes. Even here we must be careful. But you did everything right today. You hid. You stayed quiet. You kept yourself safe. I’m proud of you.”

“I was scared.”

“Being scared is smart. Being scared keeps you alive. It’s when you stop being scared that you get careless.”

Josie is quiet for a long moment. “Can I still see Solène tomorrow? If we stay close to the village?”

“Yes. You can still see each other. You deserve friendship. We just have to be smart about it.”

On Tuesday morning, Louis and Tina prepare the bedroom. They move personal items, clear space, set out chairs borrowed from the kitchen. At precisely one o’clock, the first knock comes.

Louis opens the door to a woman carrying a small basket of vegetables. “Good evening. Thank you for the use of your home. These are for you—a small token of how much we appreciate your help.”

“Of course. Please, come in.”

She enters, nods to Tina, following him to the bedroom.

Louis returns to the living room and hands Tina the basket of vegetables. Potatoes, a cabbage, and three tomatoes.

“Oh my, this is too much, Louis. They don’t have to do this; we are doing what we can. Letting them meet here doesn’t come with a cost.”

“I know, but I think we just say thank you and accept the generous gift.”

“Andrée and Josie aren’t even here to share it. I’ll try to save it until they return.”

Three minutes later, two men arrive together, one of them the gentleman who was sent by Colonel Pallas. They disappear into Louis and Tina’s bedroom; the door closes behind them.

Louis and Tina stay in the living room. They can hear murmurs through the door. Voices, but not words. Movement, but not specifics.

“Do you think we should offer them something?” Tina whispers. She’s overwhelmed by the gift of vegetables.

“Better not. The less interaction, the better. They do their work, we do ours. No mingling.”

At two o’clock, the bedroom door opens. One by one, the strangers leave. A quiet “thank you” from each. And then they’re gone, melting into the streets of Montparnasse.

Louis locks the door behind them. In the bedroom, he finds everything exactly as he left it. Tina helps him return the chairs to the kitchen.

“That went well,” Tina says.

“Did it? We have no idea what they’re doing. What they’re planning. What risks they’re taking that could come back to us.”

“We’re all taking risks, Louis. Theirs are no different to ours. We give them a safe place. They fight the Germans. That’s all we need to know.”

The final day in Barbizon arrives too quickly. Josie spends the morning with Solène, staying close to the village, as promised. At lunch, Colette makes a request.