“As long as you don’t go outside, Christina, and you stay away from the windows, no one will know you’re here,” Mr. Ver Beek said. Miriam wasn’t sure if he meant the Nazis or nosy neighbors. She helped cook and clean and wash their clothes, but Mrs. Ver Beek was a reserved woman who seemed content to work in silence and not ask questions, which was fine with Miriam. Evenings were spent reading or listening to the radio.

“I’m mindful each moment of the day that you’re risking your lives for me,” she told the Ver Beeks after supper one evening. “I will always be grateful to you.” She hoped her words conveyed her sincerity, spoken in her accented Dutch.

Mrs. Ver Beek’s reply was matter-of-fact. “I’m sure you would do the same for us.”

Miriam had nothing to do during the day when Mr. Ver Beek was away at his job as a school janitor and Mrs. Ver Beek was busy at her church. Miriam longed to play her violin but knew it was impossible. Instead, she would take the instrument from its wrappings and close her eyes, fingering the silent strings and practicing the bowings without making a sound. She silently rehearsed the Tchaikovsky concerto and the Mendelssohn piece, melodies that Elisheva and Avi had loved, then composed imaginary letters to them, telling them about her days and asking if they were safe and happy. Each night before falling asleep, Miriam cradled a pillow in her arms, pretending it was Elisheva and that she was singing her to sleep. She imagined Ans’s mother holding her at this very moment and singing the same song to her before tucking her into bed. Those thoughts were the only things that kept the darkness, which Eloise had warned about, from closing in.

CHAPTER 35

Ans held Erik’s hand as they crossed the bridge over the Witte Singel and made their way to Van der Werff Park. Swift-moving clouds blew across the afternoon sky, erasing patches of blue the color of Erik’s eyes. A damp breeze from the Noordzee promised rain, but Ans didn’t care if she got soaking wet, as long as Erik was beside her again. “It seems like our times together are becoming very scarce,” she said as she sat down beside him on a bench.

“It’s not by my choice. I would be with you every day if circumstances allowed.” His arm tightened around her shoulder, anchoring her to him as if he feared she would float away. The last time she’d seen Erik, she’d left without kissing him goodbye, and she had regretted it. Loving someone was so wonderful and yet so difficult.

Ans had asked Erik for a chance to explain what her faith meant to her and why she needed to fight the Nazis and help her Jewish friends. And now here they were.