“I doubt that. He all but held his nose when he sat in the kitchen with me.”

“He does envy you. You’re happy, and you are loved, and you’re part of a family for whom you would do anything. You have everything that matters.”

“I never thought to ask him if he had married.”

“So what if he is married? He may even have children, but what sort of father could he be? He shot Selva in front of Carlo and the girls, and for all the care he used when aiming he might have killed one of them. A man like that cannot be much of a father. Certainly he isn’t fit for comparison with my father or yours.”

Simply mentioning her father sent a surge of fresh grief crashing over her, but she forced it back; her own sadness would have to keep. Instead she held Nico close, her head tucked just beneath his chin, and together they listened to the silence, the wonderful silence, for a few minutes more.

“Will you stay for a while? Just until I’m asleep again?”

“Let me take off my boots.”

He helped her to lie down, and when she was comfortable he stretched out in front of her, their faces almost touching. With one hand he played with her hair, gently tugging on her ringlets and letting them bounce back. The other hand he placed on her belly, and together they felt their baby kicking and hiccuping.

“He or she is running out of room in there,” Nina whispered.

“I know it’s still more than a month, but I can’t wait to meet this child of ours. I’m as fidgety as Carlo on the night before Epiphany.”

“Rosa warned me that first babies are never in a hurry to be born. We might have to wait a little longer.”

“Have you thought of names?” he asked.

She had, but she wanted to hear his suggestions first. “What was your mother’s name?”

“Anna Maria. But my favorite name is Lucia. A reminder, I suppose, that we must look for light in the darkness. If the baby is a boy, though . . . do you have any thoughts?”

“My mother’s father was called Daniele. What do you think of that?”

“I like it. I do.”

She didn’t want to fall asleep. Wanted, instead, to watch his beautiful face all night. “When will you come home to me?”

“I don’t know. As soon as I can. Their interest in me will fade. I’m sure it will.”

“And if it doesn’t?”

“Even then it won’t be long. The Allies are moving north every day. Once they’re here we’ll be safe.”

“Won’t you go to Switzerland?” she pleaded, even though she knew how he would answer. “You must know people there. People who would shelter you.”

“And miss the arrival of our child? Never.”