Elise felt like she was talking to someone much more than a few years younger than her. “No, she didn’t, but the color of his skin, the way his wound looked, it seemed obvious that it might be touch and go with him.” She had heard Cate talk about possible infection, and she didn’t need to be a nurse to know that that could kill him without access to the right medicine.

“What did you see out there? When you went looking for him?” Addy asked, her fingers worrying the frayed edge of the blanket. “How bad is it? Do you think there are any French soldiers fighting still? Did you come across any?”

Elise resisted the urge to tell her sister that she might be best asking her new admirer, and that there certainly weren’t any French soldiers around, but she knew she had to be more careful if she wanted to get Addy to talk. Her sister might be naïve sometimes, but she knew how to bottle things up and keep them inside if she needed to.

“I didn’t see anything, but we heard a lot,” Elise told her. She knew better than to shield her too much; she needed her to be afraid, to be on guard. “And from the sounds of it, the tides of war have very much turned against us, so I don’t think we’ll be seeing any friendly soldiers in the near future.”

Addy looked up at her. “Why do I have a feeling you’re keeping something from me?”

Elise stood and crossed the room, standing by the window and parting the curtains a little. She stared into the dark, unable to see anything, and at the same time seeing everything. She doubted she’d ever unsee the massacre they’d witnessed.

“How did that Nazi soldier know you by name?” Elise finally asked, not turning, trying to sound unfazed by what she was asking, not wanting to push too hard. She knew her sister, and it would only make her hold all her cards closer to her chest.

“I wouldn’t say he knows me as such,” Addy replied, but when Elise finally faced her, she could see the too-hot flush of her sister’s cheeks.

“I heard your exchange with him, that’s all. He clearly said your name and you used his Christian name in reply,” Elise continued, struggling to keep her voice on an even keel. “In fact, I believe he said it was good to see you again?” She sat, keeping more distance this time, the bed between them.

“He’s the one I handed Peter over to that day,” Addy finally said, raising her eyes.