Page 25 of The Secrets We Left Behind
She was no soldier, and she knew very little about war, but she was sensible enough to know that there was little chance Peter was going home; not if he stayed with her, and certainly not if he surrendered. But she had to believe that what had happened yesterday wasn’t normal, that it wouldn’t happen again.
“Come on then,” she said, mustering energy she didn’t even know she possessed. “Let’s get this over and done with, and don’t forget to keep the white flag where everyone can see it as we get closer.” She’d given him her handkerchief, because it was white and all she had, and tied it around a little stick she’d found along the way.
Adelaide pushed him a little further before stopping again, this time straightening her skirt and checking her hair was in place. It was still damp, but she hoped that it looked passable, pinned up high off her face.
“I’m going to leave you here and go on ahead.”
It’s now or never. Adelaide started to walk before she lost her nerve, keeping her back straight and her eyes up. Her breathing was shallow, but there was little she could do about that, given how fast her pulse was racing.
“Help!” she called out, in French. “I need help!”
She approached the gate that led to the chateau, and her stomach lurched as she saw rifles trained on her.
Adelaide forced a smile, despite the terror building inside her. She had a role to play, and she’d rehearsed what to say in her head almost the entire way there. “I have a British soldier with me. I need help.”
Not one of the German troops staring at her called back, and they certainly didn’t lower their weapons. Her palms started tosweat and she clasped them in front of her, trying to stifle the desperate urge to run back the way she’d come.
“Lower your weapons!” The command came from the front door, which had already been wide open when she’d approached the front gate.
A tall man with immaculately combed blond hair marched out of the chateau and down the steps, his smile lighting his piercing blue eyes as he strode toward her.
“These men have no idea how to treat a lady,” he said.
He was dressed in an immaculate, tailored dark uniform, with colors pinned above his left breast pocket and a red band on his arm that bore the Nazi insignia. Addy shuddered just looking at him, as intimidated by the way he looked as by who he was.
“I’m sorry for scaring you like that.”
Adelaide was surprised at how handsome he was; even more so as he took off his hat. She’d convinced herself that all German soldiers were monsters, but this man looked anything but a monster. Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth as she stared back at him, suddenly at a loss for words. With everything that had happened recently, she’d barely met a man who wasn’t family, other than Harry and Peter, and she suddenly wasn’t sure how to behave.
“Forgive me, I’m Commander Wolfgang Schmidt. This is my company.”
“Adelaide,” she replied, clearing her throat. “I’m Adelaide DuPont.”
His French was perfect, as if it were his native tongue. “You said something about a British soldier?”
Adelaide forced a smile, made herself take a slow, deep breath. “Yes, sir, I did.”
“That is him over there? In your wheelbarrow?”
She didn’t miss his smirk, or the grunt of laughter from the men behind him, although one sharp stare from their commander put an immediate end to their sniggering.
“Yes, sir, that’s him. He tells me his name is Peter.”
She received a warm smile in response, and the commander gestured for her to walk with him, which she did. Every step was filled with fear, her eyes downcast as she studied her small feet compared to the large black boots that belonged to the German.
“Miss DuPont, may I ask if you’ve seen any other British soldiers near here?”
Fear was like an arrow through her stomach, threatening to fell her. But she refused to drop the smiling façade she was trying so hard to perfect.
“No, sir, I haven’t,” she said, shaking her head and praying that Peter wasn’t going to give her away and declare her a liar to try to save himself. “I brought this one straight to you, and he says he would like to surrender.”
They kept walking until they were beside the wheelbarrow. When the commander stopped, so did she, and she slowly, bravely raised her eyes.
“Did you make this for his leg?”
Adelaide gulped. “I did. I had hoped he would be able to hobble along, but his injuries were far worse than I originally realized.” She lowered her eyes, not wanting to look guilty but having the most overwhelming feeling that he was trying to catch her out in her deception.
When the German smiled at her, it reached his eyes, lighting them as his gaze found hers again. Warmth flooded her cheeks and she fought the urge to wrap her arms around herself, knowing she should be feeling self-conscious and ashamed, but instead being strangely drawn to the handsome man standing before her.
