She took my hand and gazed up at me with such gratitude in her eyes that I felt myself tearing up and a great welling of tenderness.

“I’m so glad you are here, Julietta.”

I wrapped her into my arms. “Don’t worry, my darling. I won’t let anything happen to you, I promise.”

We were just coming down the stairs when we heard the sound of the front door opening. I motioned to Hanni. “Run and hide again and don’t come down until I tell you,” I whispered.

I took a deep breath and strode confidently down the stairs, only to see Vittorio coming in through the front door.

He stopped, surprised to see me. “Julietta. What are you doing here?”

“Oh hello, Vittorio,” I said in my breeziest voice. “I came to call on the contessa, but I see she’s not here. Nobody’s home. I suppose they must have gone out to the country.”

“Yes,” he said. “That must be right. I was wondering about the child—the Austrian Jew. Did she take her, do you know?”

“Obviously,” I said. “She wouldn’t go away and leave a little girl alone, would she? She adores that child.”

“You’re sure the girl is not still here?” He was looking around.

“Quite sure,” I said. “I’ve been all over the house. And as I just said, I’m sure the contessa wouldn’t just leave her behind.”

I moved so I was standing at the bottom of the staircase in case he decided to go and look for himself, although why there was this interest in Hanni I could not imagine. I tried to keep my voice calm and pleasant. “Do you happen to know the address of these friends in the country that she talked about? The Salvis? Over in Tuscany, wasn’t it? Cortona?”

“Yes,” he said, “I think that was it.” His eyes were scanning the place as he talked.

“But you don’t know the address?”

“It might be in her desk, unless she has taken her address book,” he said. “Do you want me to look for you?”

“I can look,” I said. “I don’t want to hold you up. I suppose I’ll just have to go back to the city and wait until she comes back. I’ll miss her and my weekly visits.”

He nodded. I wasn’t going to leave, and neither was he.

“Was there something you wanted?” I asked. “Something I can help you with?”

He frowned. “She asked me to take some of her more valuable artwork for safekeeping to my gallery. I thought this might be a good time.”

“Good idea,” I said. “I’ve heard what these Nazis are like—looting treasures wherever they go.”

He was still frowning. “Are you going back to the city now?”