Lena returned to the kitchen after tucking Bep and Maaike into bed, and she knew from the pained expression on Pieter’s face that she wasn’t going to like what he said. Sixteen-year-old Wim sat at the table with him, his fair hair glowing in the light of the kerosene lamp. Their son was so tall and growing taller every day, his profile so like his grandfather’s with his strong, proud nose and chin. “Shall I make mint tea?” she asked.

“Not for me. Sit down, Lena.” She sat. Pieter’s ominous words while I’m gone had been eating a hole in her stomach ever since he’d spoken them earlier.

“Wim, a group of us have been working with the Resistance to fight the Nazis,” Pieter began. “Now that the Allies are trying to free the Netherlands, I need to help them.”

“Can I go with you?” Wim seemed so eager that Lena had to resist the urge to grab his arm to hold him back. He would hate being treated like a child.

“Not this time,” Pieter said. Not ever! Lena wanted to shout. “I need you to take over my work here. Your mother and I have been hiding onderduikers in the barn and the windmill —”

“I know,” Wim said. “I’ve seen them sometimes, when I couldn’t sleep. But I would never tell anyone.”

“Good. I know we can trust you, Son. There’s also a Jewish couple hiding here in the house. Your mother will introduce you to them after I leave in a few minutes.”

His words took another bite out of Lena’s stomach. How long had he known he was leaving? Why hadn’t he told her sooner?

Lena knew why.

“Can you tell us what you’ll be doing?” Lena asked. “And when you’ll be back?” Pieter hesitated for such a long moment that Lena reached for his hand. “I know you’re trying to protect me, but it’s easier for me if I know.”

He nodded and drew a deep breath. “The Allies and Nazis are fighting southwest of here, in Noord-Brabant and Gelderland. The Resistance has learned that a Nazi ammunition train is headed there. If we can derail it, Allied planes will blow it up.”

Wim made a sound like an exploding bomb. He was grinning, his admiration for his father reflected on his face.

“There will be other jobs after that. I don’t know the details yet, but I won’t be able to come back or to contact you for a while.”

Lena looked away, determined not to cry. “We’ll keep everything going, won’t we, Wim?”