Page 185 of Valor

“I see that, but how does that relate to the mill?”

“The Munich agreement was signed on September 30, 1938, but you most likely knew that.”

She didn’t.

“And after that, this territory became a part of Germany. The locals were thrilled; there were over three million of them in the border towns of Czechoslovakia, most of them Catholic.”

Meghan took a deep breath. Was this guy going to recite the entire Wikipedia?

“So, you are telling me we have German roots?”

“Actually, your family is Czech. Your grandfather’s brother worked on the fortification project, and to do that, every man was vetted, going back for four generations, ensuring that they had no German ancestry.”

“What fortification?”

“Have you heard of the French Maginot Line?”

She shook her head. WWII wasn’t her thing, not in the least.

“The Czechoslovakian government started to build something similar in 1935. Your great-grandfather sold flour to that military project, and your great-uncle worked there.”

“Okay, how does that relate to the mill, aside from the flour.”

“That is where your uncle Honza met Karel.”

“Who is Karel?”

“He is a big part of this story. By the time Hitler took over Czechoslovakia and discharged the Czech military, including the air force, Karel Kral was a pilot. He came home, back to this region. Honza must have convinced your great-grandfather to hire him.”

“Okay, I still don’t understand what that has to do with me inheriting this mill.” Meghan cut into the chocolate torte. She forked a small piece of the cake and put it in her mouth. The rich flavor surprised her. “Oh, my goodness. This is amazing,” she said, trying to keep her mouth closed. She cut another chunk and motioned to Oliver to continue.

“He lived at the mill with the family.”

Meghan nodded affirmatively, as her mouth was full of the chocolate delight.

“Karel fell in love with Marta.”

“Who is Marta?”

“Your great-aunt.”

“I have never heard of her. How do you know all this?”

“I told you. Local history is my thing.”

Meghan eyed him suspiciously. His knowledge extended far beyond what she considered high school curriculum. Oliver knew details about her family that even Mom didn’t. Or perhaps she had known about this great-uncle and aunt but chose never to mention them. The question was why. She would call her tonight and ask.

“I may need to sign up for an Ancestry account,” Meghan chuckled, deciding to lighten up the conversation and not make a huge deal out of Oliver’s interest in her family until she knew more. Maybe if she let him finish the story, he would tell her the entire truth because right now, she was convinced Oliver had not been completely honest with her.

“That may be a good idea because there is a lot more that you may not know.”

Was that a direct confirmation of her suspicions of him holding out on her?

“But perhaps we should go get those groceries now.” He added and finished his coffee.

Meghan sipped the last bit of her latte, her eyes probing his. She liked a man with a touch of mystery, and there was much more to Oliver Skala than he let on. Meghan doubted that he had found all those details about her family in some old history textbook.

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