“I know I must be strong. And I will be.” But the pain in her heart at the thought of leaving Avi and Elisheva was so great that she feared she would die from it. She took out her violin again and played the Tchaikovsky theme for them, hoping they would remember her whenever they heard violin music.

CHAPTER 31

Ans walked to the bridge near the Beestenmarkt at the appointed time, trying to stroll casually along the canal without glancing around or acting nervous. If she ran into Erik, she would have to lie and tell him Havik was her cousin. It seemed odd to her now that after dating for nearly three years, Erik had never asked about her family. There was no one waiting on the bridge, so she took the crusts of stale bread from her bag and tossed pieces into the canal below. A rush of squawks and feathers greeted her as the ducks fought over each morsel.

A few minutes passed before she saw Havik strolling from the direction of the train station with a bag over his shoulder as if out for a late-afternoon walk. Ans wished she could act as nonchalantly as he did and not let her nervousness show.

He smiled and kissed her cheeks. “Greetings, cousin!” Then they stood side by side, tossing stale bread over the railing.

“The child is now Elisabeth Jager from Noordwijk. Her mother died of consumption, and her father can’t take care of her on his own after the coastal evacuations. He works for the railroad and travels often. I’ll leave it to you to invent a connection to your family. Practice the story until it feels natural to tell it.”

“I brought her parents’ ID cards in my bag.” They would exchange bags before they parted.

“I suggest you travel to your family’s farm by train, as late in the day as possible so you’ll arrive near curfew, when it’s dark. Leave as soon as the curfew ends the next morning, from a different station, if possible. If you encounter anyone you know and they ask about the baby, can you lie convincingly?”

“Yes.” She would do anything for Elisheva.

“I wish you and the child well.”

“Thank you.”

“We’ll need a week to forge new ID cards for your friends. We already have a few possible hiding places for them in mind. A physician, Dr. Elzinga, will come to your town house with instructions.”

“You know where we live?”