They had a small flashlight, but Elise was loath to use it unless they absolutely had to. It was the one thing that would immediately give them away in the dark, but they weren’t going to find this Jack if they didn’t use it. She wished they could rely on her senses, like when she’d been a little girl out hunting with her father. He’d loved to blindfold her and Louis, making them use their ears and their noses, telling them that one day they’d appreciate how well they could focus on their surroundings. She was certain he’d meant in case she ever wanted to hunt when she was older, not that she’d one day be skulking in the shadows, fearing for her own life, in a part of France her family had called home for generations. And with Louis but a ghost haunting her memories.

“You’re certain he’s this way?” she asked.

“I’m certain. I didn’t travel far before they found me.”

Cate had the flashlight low to the ground, and Elise had to move quickly to keep up with her. She was wearing a spare coat and Cate was wearing a shirt, both of which had belonged to Elise’s brother. She hated to lend anyone her brother’s clothing; she’d kept everything as he’d left it, but she knew he’d want someone in need to have it instead of leaving it hanging and gathering dust.

“He’s through here,” Cate said, and Elise could hear the haste in her voice, didn’t doubt that the other woman was right.

She knew this land, had walked past it countless times, but after ducking through countless fences and crossing meadows, it could have been anywhere on earth. Suddenly Cate left her side and Elise rushed to keep up with her, tripping as she almost fell straight into the ditch that stretched across the field. Cate had already dropped low, on her haunches now, and Elise did the same, not wanting to twist an ankle as she scrambled on the slippery grass that made way for dirt. No wonder Cate’s uniform had been so thickly caked with mud.

“He’s here!” Cate cried out as she disappeared into the ditch, and Elise followed, the flashlight creating a small pool of brightness around the nurse. She was huddled over a body, the man’s bare shoulders and chest smeared with dirt, but it wasn’t this that made Elise stop in her tracks; it was the pain etched on his face. It was horrific, it made her shudder, made her want to turn away and run in the other direction. But she didn’t, couldn’t, wouldn’t.