Read Online Wolfsangel by Liza Perrat - Free Book Online

forget, it was his lot who took our father away.’
    ‘It wasn’t him personally, Patrick.’ I lowered my voice to a murmur. ‘Besides, I have a reason to stare at him. I have a job … a mission,’ I said, and told them of Félicité’s plan.
    ‘What?’ Patrick said, his dark eyes wide. ‘I can’t believe Félicité would suggest that.’
    Olivier shook his head. ‘Bad idea, too dangerous. You know what happens to girls ––’
    ‘I also know how to be discreet,’ I said.
    ‘You, discreet?’
    ‘Wait,’ Patrick said. ‘It might just work, and help us. But for God’s sake, be careful. And don’t let that thug get too close.’
    The boys drained their glasses and sauntered over to join the pétanque game, Olivier turning back to me, and shaking his head.
    I kept my gaze away from the Germans as I sat alone, listening to the card-playing men shouting encouragement as the metal balls rolled through the dust and clanged against each other. His tail flapping like a patriotic flag, Monsieur Thimmonier’s dog kept trying to clamp his jaws around one of the balls, the pétanque players shooing him away.
    I ambled into the empty bar, picked up the telephone and called the convent.
    ‘He’s here,’ I said, when Félicité came on the line. ‘At Au Cochon Tué, with just about everybody in Lucie. I caught him staring at me again.’
    ‘You’re certain you want to do this?’ I sensed the doubt in my sister’s soft voice. ‘If you think it’s too difficult, too risky, that’s all right, I understand.’
    ‘Olivier thinks it’s a dangerous charade and I’ll never pull it off, but I want the Boche gone as much as everybody else, and this seems the only chance to do my bit.’
    ‘That’s good then, Céleste, let me know how it goes.’
    I hung up and turned to head for the toilet, but the tall figure of Martin Diehl blocked my path. There was still nobody inside Au Cochon Tué but I felt my tremor as he bent close, fearing he might try to kiss me again, right there, where anybody could walk in and catch me.
    ‘You telephone to a secret admirer?’ he said, with a sly, collaborative kind of look.
    ‘No … no, I haven’t got an admirer. I was calling my … a family member. We don’t have a telephone; don’t even have electricity, up at L’Auberge.’
    He nodded towards the villagers outside, his face so close I felt his breath on my earlobe, his familiar scent of laundered cloth and something like fresh apples flaring my nostrils.
    ‘Such a party, you would think the French had won the war, n’est-ce pas ? Your brother and his friends are most happy.’
    ‘Everybody is pleased,’ I said. ‘Not only my brother and his friends.’
    ‘But you do think us Boche are stupid, yes?’ he went on. ‘We have radios too, Céleste Roussel. Of course we know you are drinking to the surrendering Italians.’
    ‘Well, it is good news for us,’ I said, my eyes flickering around the bar again.
    ‘Yes, I can imagine. You French might beat us after all. But enough joking, I wanted to give you this.’ He held out a brown paper parcel.
    ‘Are you crazy?’ I hissed. ‘Anybody could walk in.’ With another nervous glance about me, I took the parcel.
    ‘Do not worry so, I am watching the door. I was going to leave your present in the toilet. I am thinking it is a good place to leave notes for each other. That is, if you want … if you would like us to meet again?’
    ‘Meet again? Well … all right, why not? I’d like that, Martin. And yes, leave me a note down behind the cistern. Thank you for the present, it’s kind of you.’
    I hurried into the cubicle, bolted the door, and eased the paper off. I stared, in awe, at the different-coloured paints and a variety of brushes –– round, flat and fan-shaped. There was a roll of paper too –– beautiful thick sheets, slightly rough to the touch.
    I pushed my unease aside as I thought of Talia and Max’s pleasure, and ignored my rising fear of playing