He must have sensed her emotion because his fingers curled beneath her chin, tilting her face up to his.

“Is something upsetting you? Something you need to tell me?”

Fear arrowed through her body as if her blood was on fire with it. It was almost like he knew, that he was giving her the chance to tell him. But there was no possible way he could know they were hiding soldiers; surely he would have stormed the house already if he’d had even an inkling.

“I just, well, I suppose I keep thinking that this can’t go on forever between us,” she said, which wasn’t a lie. She had been wondering what this was and what was going to become of it, and how long it could last.

He softened then, clearly believing her. “That’s all? There’s nothing more?”

She shook her head, chewing on her bottom lip, embarrassed at what a performance she was giving him. Since when had she become such a good actress?

“How about we just enjoy each day as it comes,” he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead as his fingers dropped away from her chin. “Just know that I have no intention of ever forgetting about you, Adelaide, nor leaving you behind.”

She laughed, despite it all. “I think my sister would have something to say about that.”

“Well, maybe we’ll have to find her her own German officer,” he said. “Unless she’s already spoken for?”

Adelaide thought of Harry, seeing her sister curled into the crook of his arm in bed when she’d looked in on them before sneaking out to see Wolfgang. “No, she’s not,” she lied.

Wolfgang took her by the hand again and led her back to the pretty meadow. She’d gotten herself way in over her head with the commander, and she had no idea how to get back out.

Or if she even wanted to.

“Adelaide?” Elise’s voice jolted her from her thoughts and she turned, her mother’s pearl necklace still in her hand. “I’m sorry about before,” Elise said, sitting on the bed and patting the space beside her. “Can we sit for a bit?”

Addy joined her and traced her fingertips over the pearl necklace.

“I miss her so much,” Elise said. “Her and Papa. Some days I feel like we’re just biding our time, waiting for them to come home. It’s as if we’ll walk through the door one day and Papa will be asleep in his chair and Mama will be singing and cooking in the kitchen.”

Adelaide could see them just as Elise described, only she imagined her brother walking through the door too, tossing his hat on to the table as he passed.

“I miss them too,” Addy replied. “Like you wouldn’t believe.”