“Norway and Denmark were neutral,” Eloise said. “Neutral! Just like Belgium was in the Great War. Just like we are here in the Netherlands. See, Ans? Neutrality means nothing to those people. Nothing!” Her voice sounded shaky at first but seemed to grow stronger along with her anger.

“Eloise, please,” Ans said, handing her a towel. “We need to turn off the radio until your husband comes home. It’s only going to stir up memories that you need to forget.”

“Forget! I won’t ever forget! You weren’t even born when the Kaiser decided to use neutral Belgium as a shortcut to Paris. They killed my parents and took over our house in Antwerp.”

Ans had never seen Eloise this upset. Should she telephone the professor? She had a number where he could be reached at the university in an emergency.

“My older brother escaped to France and fought with the Allies,” Eloise continued. “He was gassed in the war. I saw him one last time, and he begged me to kill him and end his suffering.” Eloise turned to Miriam, commanding her attention as if both of their lives were now at risk. “We nearly starved to death, Miriam!”

Miriam seemed to have trouble breathing whenever she became upset, and she was clearly in distress now.

“Eloise, stop. You’re upsetting yourself and Miriam, too. Please —”

“You both need to know that wars always bring famine and disease and starvation. Thousands of innocent people died of hunger in Belgium before the world stepped in to help us.”

“But you survived and you moved here —”

“There were too many horrible memories for me in Belgium.”

“And you married the professor,” Ans said, desperate to steer her memories in a different direction. “He loves you very much, I can tell. You have a beautiful life together. I hope I find a husband someday who loves me half as much as he loves you.” Eloise managed a smile. “When your thoughts go to the past, why not think of the present, instead? And the future?”

Eloise’s eyes filled with tears. “There won’t be a future —that’s what I’m trying to tell you, Ans. It’s going to happen all over again. Enemy occupation. Starvation and death —”

“Stop!” Ans grabbed Eloise’s flailing hands, squeezing them tightly. “You don’t know that, Eloise. Our country has already mobilized hundreds of thousands of troops who are positioned to defend us if —”

“We Belgians did the same thing.” She shook her hands free. “The troops won’t do any good. Ask the Danes and the Norwegians.”

“Our country was spared in the last war —”

“It won’t be spared this time.” Eloise stared into space as tears washed down her cheeks. Ans wondered if she dared to leave her side long enough to call Professor Huizenga.