“Thank you, but no, I don’t smoke.”

He nodded and put them away, surprising her that he didn’t light one for himself. He was still smiling, watching her, and she nervously ran her hands down her skirt before clasping them in front of her just for something to do.

“I should be heading home now,” she said. “My sister will be getting worried.”

“You have a sister?”

Adelaide swallowed. “I do. Her name is Elise.”

He gestured past her and barked an order in German, and she felt a familiar shiver run through her, the same one she’d felt as they’d hidden beneath her mother’s bed the night before.

Within seconds two soldiers were at his side, and she listened uselessly and wished she’d taken more of an interest in the German language when she’d been at school. With his men, he was a complex blend of intimidating and commanding, but the moment he turned back to her, the smile that had lit his eyes returned, a softness there that scared her. Because any other time, she could have fallen for that softness, but he was a Nazi. He was her enemy.

“Perhaps we shall cross paths again soon,” he said.

Adelaide smiled and agreed with him, too scared to disagree. “Perhaps.”

She turned to leave them, cringing as she saw the way the two soldiers roughly hauled Peter to his feet, his yelps of agony as they dragged him along. Adelaide squeezed her eyes shut for a beat, trying to block it out, waiting for Peter to scream out in pain and confess that Harry was alive too, that she’d tried to convince him not to surrender—anything to make them treat him better.

But to his credit, the only noises he made were howls of pain that he couldn’t have stifled if he’d tried.

“Miss DuPont?”

Adelaide opened her eyes and slowly turned, waiting to be caught out, waiting to see a gun raised in her direction. But when she faced the German commander again, all she was met with was an amused smile.

“Yes?” It was barely a whisper.

“I think you forgot your wheelbarrow.”

Heat flooded her cheeks again, this time from embarrassment. How could she have been so stupid?

“Yes,” she replied, not able to come up with anything wittier. “So I did. I think your dashing uniform distracted me, sir.”

If Elise could have heard her, she’d have likely whipped her for daring to flirt with a German soldier, but it was the only thing that had come to mind. And it hadn’t required a lie, either.

His chuckle was deep. “Wolfgang,” he called to her. “You may call me Wolfgang.”

Adelaide was incapable of words, but she gave him a quick smile as she pushed her barrow and left the German house behind her.