Harry’s spoon was hovering over his bowl, shaking, but he still hadn’t taken a mouthful yet. “You went for a walk with the man responsible for killing my entire regiment,” he said. “You make it sound like the most innocent thing in the world.”

“I didn’t know,” Adelaide stammered. “I—”

“Don’t for a moment try to tell me that it wasn’t him, or that I’ve got the wrong man, because I’ll never, ever forget his face, Adelaide. Never.”

“He doesn’t know about you,” Adelaide mumbled. “And you have to believe me—if I’d known, I mean, I don’t even know what to say.”

Elise swallowed her mouthful and set down her spoon, tempted to let Harry give Adelaide a stern talking-to, but thinking better of it. There was nothing she could do now to deflect the Nazi’s interest in her. “I think what my sister’s trying to say is that the commander fancies her, and that seems to be the only thing of interest here to him. And it’s not like she can politely say no to him, because there would be consequences to turning him down now, I’m certain of it.”

Adelaide’s cheeks had turned a burning shade of red, and Elise couldn’t help but feel satisfied. She deserved to be embarrassed, acting as if this Nazi were no different to any other man coming calling on her.

“How did you meet him?” Cate asked. “I was surprised he knew who you were the other night.”

As spoons started to clink against china, and Harry glowered at his bowl, Adelaide spoke up, surprising her. “I took Harry’s friend to surrender, and I met him at the house they’d commandeered.”

“A man who we’d all agreed was to be kept in this house and cared for, instead of being handed over to the enemy,” Harry muttered.

Elise raised her brows at him. She understood his anger, but it wasn’t helpful, not now.

“And he took a liking to you there?” Cate asked, ignoring Harry.

“I didn’t realize so at the time, but yes, I suppose he must have.”

“And then I brought him right to your door that night,” Cate muttered. “Yet another thing that’s happened because of me.”

“Nonsense,” Elise interrupted. “He’d clearly taken a fancy to her that first day he saw her. Don’t blame yourself for this. If anything, it’s Adelaide’s own fault, so please don’t start thinking you’re the one who brought him, because he was already coming, with or without you.”

“We could use him,” Harry suddenly said, his stew already long gone. His face still told of anger and frustration, but there was a light in his eyes that hadn’t been there before. “I hate him as much as I hate that bastard Hitler, but to have someone on the inside, to have that connection—”