He lifted her chin and gave her a quick kiss. She wanted more, but he gave her a teasing smile. “Wait. I have another favor to ask. May I come back tomorrow and take some pictures of you? And of us together? A friend of mine has a camera he said I could borrow.”

His request made her laugh.

“I can’t wait to show off my beautiful girlfriend to the other men. They’ll be so jealous!” He took her into his arms, and they kissed until they were both breathless.

Ans had never seen Erik this happy. She thought of Miriam again, how happy she’d looked when she’d described the man she loved. A shiver of joy spread through Ans as they walked back to the house together. She was thrilled to call this handsome man her boyfriend. Her parents would like him, except for the fact that he wasn’t interested in going to church. But then, neither was she.

For the first week of the new war, Ans stayed beside Eloise every moment of the day whenever her husband was away. They showed Miriam the three apartments they’d found and helped her choose one. But Eloise had none of her usual energy and barely spoke a word. It had been hard for Ans to adjust to Eloise’s nonstop chatter when she’d first started working for her, but now her long silences seemed ominous. Ans realized how fragile her employer’s facade had been all these weeks as she saw it begin to fracture. The task of preventing her from falling into despair might prove nearly as exhausting as keeping up with her frenetic activity.

Erik’s mobilization orders came the following week. Ans managed to get away for a short time to see him off at the Leiden train station. A deep foreboding stole over her as she kissed him goodbye, as if a storm cloud had stolen the sun’s warmth. Her tears started falling, and she was helpless to stop them.

“Don’t cry,” Erik soothed. “I’m only going away for training, not to fight.”

“I know. But everything’s changing, and I don’t want it to. I was so happy . . . We were having so much fun together, and now . . .” She wiped her cheeks, searching for a way to explain how she felt. “I remember riding my bicycle out in the country one time, and I suddenly heard thunder booming in the distance. A storm was racing up behind me, moving closer and closer, and I felt so vulnerable out there on the empty road. There was no place to hide or take cover from the lightning. I feel that way now, with all the rumbles of war thundering around our little country.”

Erik pulled her close. “That’s why I’m going into the army, Ans. I want to be that shelter for you. I want to always keep you safe.”