OTHER TITLES BY SORAYA M. LANE

The Last Correspondent

The Girls of Pearl Harbor

The Spitfire Girls

Hearts of Resistance

Wives of War

Voyage of the Heart

TITLE PAGE

COPYRIGHT PAGE

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Text copyright © 2021 by Soraya M. Lane

No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

Published by Lake Union Publishing, Seattle

Amazon, the Amazon logo, and Lake Union Publishing are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates.

ISBN-13: 9781542025904

ISBN-10: 1542025907

Cover design by Plum5 Limited

Cover photography by Richard Jenkins Photography

DEDICATION

For my mother, Maureen.

I hope you love this book as much as I do.

PROLOGUE CATE

PROLOGUE

CATE
DUNKIRK, FRANCE, DECEMBER 1939

“Come on, Cate! We don’t have long.”

Cate followed Lilly down the pretty streets of the seaside town. She was far more interested in sitting outside one of the quaint little restaurants, and as she admired the striped awnings and rows of tables as they passed, she vowed to convince Lilly to stop on their way back. Her friend and future sister-in-law was so enthusiastic, and Cate hadn’t the heart to say no to shopping with her.

“Do you think we could send a little gift back home?” Lilly asked as they entered a store with a tiny bell above the door that jingled when they walked inside. It was full of treasures, knick-knacks that Cate knew her mother would love, and she suddenly felt overwhelmingly homesick. It was Christmas, and the first time she’d ever spent it away from home.

“Maybe,” Cate replied, gently brushing her fingers across a porcelain figurine. “But they’d most likely break in transit, if they ever made it back at all.”

She saw postcards on a small rack by the counter, and she left Lilly’s side to take a look, smiling at a picture of Dunkirk showing the beach with the village in the background. No one back home would believe just how beautiful France was.

The lady behind the counter smiled at her and Cate smiled shyly back, her fingers finding their way to the ring looped on to her necklace. It was always her default when she was nervous; feeling the weight of the ring always grounded her. She wished Charlie were there with them, choosing postcards to send home, his shoulder bumping against hers. She always felt so safe with him, relaxed in his company and knowing he’d look after her, which meant that going on such a big journey without him was even more daunting.

“I’m going to buy these earrings,” Lilly called out. “How about you?”