Page 57 of The Secrets We Left Behind
“You really think I can manage it?” she asked. “I know you don’t think I owe Harry, but I still feel like it’s all my fault, what happened, so—”
“Hey, Harry’s hurt, that’s all. And you don’t ever have to feel like you’re obligated to do something for him. He’s in our home, and that’s the greatest kindness of all.”
Elise had tears in her eyes, and Addy wished she hadn’t been so angry with her. She’d been right to worry.
“You know I’d be lost without you, don’t you?” Adelaide said.
“Maybe. Or maybe you’d be absolutely fine.”
Adelaide took a deep breath and marched for the door, as ready as she would ever be. “Elise?”
“If you can’t do this, then—”
Addy shook her head. “It’s not that. I just want you to give Harry another chance. He wasn’t trying to upset you the other night, he was only voicing his opinion.”
Elise groaned. “I know. He was only trying to help, but he doesn’t know us and I don’t want him thinking he can take charge. We’re not part of his unit.”
His unit. Addy gulped. He wasn’t with his unit because apparently Wolfgang had made sure there were none of his unit left. Surely it couldn’t be true?
“You’re certain you want to do this?” Elise asked.
A tremor ran through her, but she kept her head high, refused to give in to the fear. “This is something I can do, Elise. It’s the one thing I can do for this war, for all of us, and I’m not going to back down now.”
What she didn’t say was how conflicted she felt. That day she’d met Wolfgang, standing there before him about to hand over a man who had a blind faith in the rules of warfare, she’d known she should be scared of him. And she had been. He’d made her want to run in the opposite direction, but at the same time, something about him had pulled her in. The way he’d looked at her, the command he held, the piercing blue eyes that were impossible not to stare into.
She touched her sister’s hand, still resting on her shoulder, before moving away.
“I’m going to be fine. Try not to worry about me.”
And for the first time in her life, she walked away feeling like the older sister instead of the younger one, knowing that Elise wouldn’t be one step behind her if she needed her.
“I’ll keep Harry and Jack hidden in the attic,” Elise called after her. “Just in case you need to ask him in afterwards. I won’t let them out until after you’ve returned.”
Addy held her hand in a wave and descended the stairs, knowing she had to keep moving. If she didn’t, she’d only lose her nerve. She bent to give Oscar a scratch behind the ears before edging toward the front door, flashing Cate a quick smile. She barely had time to compose herself before there was a brisk knock, and she reached for the door handle and opened it.
“Adelaide, you look beautiful.” Wolfgang was standing with a small parcel, his hat under his arm as he passed the gift to her. “I would have preferred to give you flowers, but given the circumstances I thought you might be more grateful for eggs and cheese.”
She smiled, her nerves slowly fluttering away. “Thank you, it’s very kind. We’ve been saving eggs and sugar to make a cake, so this is very much appreciated.”
When she took the parcel, his fingers brushed hers and she looked up into eyes as bright as the sky on a cloudless day. If he hadn’t been a Nazi, he was the type of man she’d have declared her love for and vowed to marry one day, talked long into the night about with her sister. But she needed to keep reminding herself that hewasa Nazi. He was the enemy.
Addy thought of Harry and Jack cooped up in the attic.And that he’d kill those men up there without a second thought.
“Let me put these in the kitchen,” she said, leaving him standing at the door momentarily.
“What’s this?” Cate whispered.
“A gift from my date,” Addy replied, hastily returning to him and taking his proffered arm as the door swung shut behind her.
“Where are we going?” she asked, shyly glancing up at him.
“Like I said, on a picnic,” he said, leaning in and speaking into her ear. “With some of my men close by to make sure we’re safe. I don’t want us dodging gunfire.”
It was easy to forget that a war was still raging around them, that a stray bullet could end her life as quickly as anyone else’s, andshe found that she wanted to know more instead of being kept in the dark about what was happening.
“Wolfgang,” she said, her fingers curling around his arm as they walked. “Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
