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occupation of Paris.”
    “Casablanca? Did Sam play it again?”
    “Don’t be cute, darling.” He tossed the driftwood into the waves.
    Dawn refused to follow it with her eyes. “What were you doing there?”
    “I was on the Augusta when the Allies took the coast of Morocco, and in the city later, after the French troops surrendered.”
    “I didn’t know that.”
    “I’ve never been one to trade war stories. There wasn’t a lot about killing and waiting to be killed that was pleasant to remember.”
    She was impressed with his candor. This reluctance to discuss particulars was something she hadn’t known about her father, something that didn’t fit with his political image of decorated war hero and patriot. “And you met Nicky?”
    “I did. So did half the American men in the city.”
    She stopped. “What are you trying to say?”
    “Nicky was a woman alone with a child. She was light-skinned enough to come back to this country and try to be any race she chose. She was looking for a man with a soft heart and a savior complex….” He said no more.
    Dawn shook her head. “Preposterous. Nicky had a son with dark skin. You’re saying she intended to abandon him?”
    “There were schools in Europe where she could have left him. No one would have been the wiser.”
    She continued walking. “I guess whether you were right or wrong about her intentions doesn’t matter now.”
    “It mattered then. She went after someone close to me, someone weak enough to be tempted. I told her I saw through her scheme. And I told her I wouldn’t stand for it.”
    She could imagine that scene. It left her feeling distinctly uneasy. “Who was it?”
    “I can’t say. I suppose I’m still protecting his reputation. But he left the country after I confronted Nicky, and I’m the one she held responsible. I’m the one she vowed to get even with.”
    “Don’t tell me you think this has something to do with Grandmère ’s will?”
    “Nicky Valentine’s a woman capable of extracting revenge. Maybe years later she got to your grandmother and told her lies or made demands. I don’t know. I haven’t put it together yet.”
    They had turned back toward the cottage before she spoke again. “Why did you tell me this?”
    “So you won’t be shocked if any of it comes out.”
    She didn’t believe him. What had he really hoped for? That her respect for Nicky would diminish? She realized she’d better set him straight. “I’m surprised you knew Nicky during the war. But no matter what happened then, I don’t believe she’s after some kind of perverted revenge. And how could you believe it, what—twenty years later? Nicky must have had men falling in love with her every day. She’s still one of the most stunning women I’ve ever seen.”
    “She’s a stunning colored woman.”
    “And you’re blinded by your prejudices.”
    “No more than you’re blinded by idealism.” He put his arm around her shoulders.
    She had expected rejection. This attempt to draw her closer touched her. “Whatever the history, can’t you forget your feelings for a little while? Be the Ferris Gerritsen who gets himself elected to every office he runs for. Pump a few hands, smile a few smiles.”
    “There’s no one here who would vote for me, darling. Not even my own little girl.”
    “That all depends on who’s running against you.”
    He squeezed her shoulder before he released her. “I don’t know what your grandmother thought she was doing, but I’m going to insist that Spencer read the en tire will this morning.”
    “Have you talked to him?”
    “He’s made himself unavailable to me.”
    “I think there are going to be more surprises ahead.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “I don’t know. It’s just a feeling. But why would Grandmère call us together in this remarkable way un less she had more plans for us? So far, nothing’s come out of our being together. There’s got to be more in store.”
    “I’m leaving by