and she clutched his arm, terror slicing through her.
“Don’t worry your pretty head about it. I’ll be fine.”
She rested her head on his shoulder, her heart racing, her palms damp. With every fiber of her being, she knew disaster awaited him, yet she refused to acknowledge her feeling.
Not this time
, she decided, balling her fists. This time will be different. Max will return with Nicky. God help him,
he will
. Her stomach coiled in on itself, and nausea crept to her throat. She swallowed against the bile, clenching her teeth.
He stroked her hair and they held one another for what seemed like an eternity, listening to the deluge outside as the rain pounded the windows like demon fists.
* * *
The next morning, Danielle was writing a letter to her mother when Hadley knocked on the door to say Miss Abigail was on the telephone for her. She raced downstairs to the hallway and picked up the receiver. “Hello?”
“Danielle, Father told me you’re leaving for France. I’d like to give a farewell dinner for you, if you’re feeling up to it. Can you make it tomorrow?”
“We’d love to.”
“Wonderful, we all need to be with friends now, Danielle, now more than ever. I’ll see you and Max tomorrow then, say eight o’clock? We’ll have cocktails first.”
“Of course. And Abigail, thank you,” she added softly. How she would miss Abigail.
When Max returned that evening, he was unusually quiet.
“Is everything all right?” Danielle asked.
“Just more bureaucratic issues.” His voice sounded flat.
“Are you still going?”
“Yes, but Heinrich....” He heaved a great sigh and shook his head.
A silent alarm went off in Danielle’s head. She’d always felt uncomfortable with Max’s cousin. He never looked her in the eyes, yet she would catch him studying her when he thought she couldn’t see him. She remembered one day as she spoke, seeing his mocking face in a reflection on a window, and she shivered at the memory. “What about him?”
“Nothing, Danielle. Never mind. I have another appointment in the morning.”
She made no reply, but she had an eerie feeling in the pit of her stomach about Heinrich, and shuddered with uneasiness.
* * *
The next evening Libby insisted Hadley take Max and Danielle to Abigail’s home in the motor car. She and Herb had a prior official engagement. “It’s good to get out,” Libby said to Max. “We must go on with life. Just take heed. If you hear an air siren, run for cover.”
Now, as Danielle emerged from the bath in her robe, she saw Max sitting in a chair waiting for her. He had already dressed, and now he sat cradling his new pipe in his hand, its ember glowing. She saw him gazing into space.
“What’s on your mind, darling?”
He swung his eyes back to her. “Just thinking about my meetings. I have much to study and memorize before my mission.”
His voice sounded odd. She put a hand on her hip. “You’re not telling me everything.”
“You’re right.” He lifted a corner of his mouth in a clear expression of disgust. “There’s a report that Heinrich has joined the Nazis. The thought of it makes me sick.”
Danielle felt a knowing shiver course through her.
Max continued. “Before we left, Heinrich and I had an argument about Hitler. He thinks Hitler holds the key to economic prosperity and renewed national pride.” He paused, and the ember in his pipe glowed red as he drew on it. “One of my assignments is to find Heinrich and extract military information from him.”
Danielle felt a sense of terror growing within her, but after their last disagreement, she had committed herself to supporting Max in his quest.
We are in this together.
Determined to be calm now, she sat before the mirrored vanity, slipped off her robe and dusted her shoulders with powder. “I trust you’ll do the right thing, Max.”
He blew a ring of smoke through his lips, and as he did, his eyes met hers in the mirror. A flash of understanding passed
“Don’t worry your pretty head about it. I’ll be fine.”
She rested her head on his shoulder, her heart racing, her palms damp. With every fiber of her being, she knew disaster awaited him, yet she refused to acknowledge her feeling.
Not this time
, she decided, balling her fists. This time will be different. Max will return with Nicky. God help him,
he will
. Her stomach coiled in on itself, and nausea crept to her throat. She swallowed against the bile, clenching her teeth.
He stroked her hair and they held one another for what seemed like an eternity, listening to the deluge outside as the rain pounded the windows like demon fists.
* * *
The next morning, Danielle was writing a letter to her mother when Hadley knocked on the door to say Miss Abigail was on the telephone for her. She raced downstairs to the hallway and picked up the receiver. “Hello?”
“Danielle, Father told me you’re leaving for France. I’d like to give a farewell dinner for you, if you’re feeling up to it. Can you make it tomorrow?”
“We’d love to.”
“Wonderful, we all need to be with friends now, Danielle, now more than ever. I’ll see you and Max tomorrow then, say eight o’clock? We’ll have cocktails first.”
“Of course. And Abigail, thank you,” she added softly. How she would miss Abigail.
When Max returned that evening, he was unusually quiet.
“Is everything all right?” Danielle asked.
“Just more bureaucratic issues.” His voice sounded flat.
“Are you still going?”
“Yes, but Heinrich....” He heaved a great sigh and shook his head.
A silent alarm went off in Danielle’s head. She’d always felt uncomfortable with Max’s cousin. He never looked her in the eyes, yet she would catch him studying her when he thought she couldn’t see him. She remembered one day as she spoke, seeing his mocking face in a reflection on a window, and she shivered at the memory. “What about him?”
“Nothing, Danielle. Never mind. I have another appointment in the morning.”
She made no reply, but she had an eerie feeling in the pit of her stomach about Heinrich, and shuddered with uneasiness.
* * *
The next evening Libby insisted Hadley take Max and Danielle to Abigail’s home in the motor car. She and Herb had a prior official engagement. “It’s good to get out,” Libby said to Max. “We must go on with life. Just take heed. If you hear an air siren, run for cover.”
Now, as Danielle emerged from the bath in her robe, she saw Max sitting in a chair waiting for her. He had already dressed, and now he sat cradling his new pipe in his hand, its ember glowing. She saw him gazing into space.
“What’s on your mind, darling?”
He swung his eyes back to her. “Just thinking about my meetings. I have much to study and memorize before my mission.”
His voice sounded odd. She put a hand on her hip. “You’re not telling me everything.”
“You’re right.” He lifted a corner of his mouth in a clear expression of disgust. “There’s a report that Heinrich has joined the Nazis. The thought of it makes me sick.”
Danielle felt a knowing shiver course through her.
Max continued. “Before we left, Heinrich and I had an argument about Hitler. He thinks Hitler holds the key to economic prosperity and renewed national pride.” He paused, and the ember in his pipe glowed red as he drew on it. “One of my assignments is to find Heinrich and extract military information from him.”
Danielle felt a sense of terror growing within her, but after their last disagreement, she had committed herself to supporting Max in his quest.
We are in this together.
Determined to be calm now, she sat before the mirrored vanity, slipped off her robe and dusted her shoulders with powder. “I trust you’ll do the right thing, Max.”
He blew a ring of smoke through his lips, and as he did, his eyes met hers in the mirror. A flash of understanding passed
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