“Adelaide, you look beautiful.” Wolfgang was standing with a small parcel, his hat under his arm as he passed the gift to her. “I would have preferred to give you flowers, but given the circumstances I thought you might be more grateful for eggs and cheese.”

She smiled, her nerves slowly fluttering away. “Thank you, it’s very kind. We’ve been saving eggs and sugar to make a cake, so this is very much appreciated.”

When she took the parcel, his fingers brushed hers and she looked up into eyes as bright as the sky on a cloudless day. If he hadn’t been a Nazi, he was the type of man she’d have declared her love for and vowed to marry one day, talked long into the night about with her sister. But she needed to keep reminding herself that he was a Nazi. He was the enemy.

Addy thought of Harry and Jack cooped up in the attic. And that he’d kill those men up there without a second thought.

“Let me put these in the kitchen,” she said, leaving him standing at the door momentarily.

“What’s this?” Cate whispered.

“A gift from my date,” Addy replied, hastily returning to him and taking his proffered arm as the door swung shut behind her.

“Where are we going?” she asked, shyly glancing up at him.

“Like I said, on a picnic,” he said, leaning in and speaking into her ear. “With some of my men close by to make sure we’re safe. I don’t want us dodging gunfire.”

It was easy to forget that a war was still raging around them, that a stray bullet could end her life as quickly as anyone else’s, and she found that she wanted to know more instead of being kept in the dark about what was happening.

“Wolfgang,” she said, her fingers curling around his arm as they walked. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Can I trust you?”

He paused, looking down at her, a slight frown changing his features. “Is there something you need to tell me?”

Addy considered her next words more carefully, trying not to show her fear. “No, I mean, can I trust being with you? We’re on opposite sides of this war, and I don’t want to feel afraid of you, that you could do something to hurt me or my family because of that. I don’t want to feel nervous or scared when I’m with you.”

Addy knew how easily she could fall for him when he stepped in front of her and clasped her hands, smiling down at her in a way that made her feel seen, made her feel like a woman, for the first time in her life. She’d asked him truthfully, but if Cate or Elise were listening, they’d probably have applauded; she’d already managed to draw him into the palm of her hand.