“Wait, World War II ended here? In Reims?”

“You never knew that, did you?” He smiled at her. “There was a second treaty signed a day later in Berlin. That’s why we think of the following day, May 8, as Victory in Europe Day. But the initial terms of surrender were agreed upon right here, while your General Eisenhower, who had his command center in Reims, was upstairs.”

“You’re kidding me.”

“A man should never joke about love or war.” He grinned at her and put a hand on her shoulder to steer her gently away from the unassuming building where the course of history had been altered. “Come. Let’s head back toward your hotel, shall we? I hate to cut this short, but I do have to go get Mathilde.”

They walked for a little while, weaving in and out of the crowd in the Place d’Erlon as they approached the fountain with the winged statue. “You mentioned back at the cathedral that you’re only a part-time lawyer?” Liv asked.

“Oh, yes. Well, actually, it is a decision I made a long time ago so that I could spend a bit more time with Mathilde. I have the feeling that I am going to blink, and her childhood will be over. And in the end, would I prefer to have spent more moments with her, or would I prefer to have a bit more money?” He shrugged. “I am lucky to be in a position to be able to make such a choice. I have plenty to get by on, and since it’s my family’s firm, I’m able to be a bit more flexible with my hours.”

“Mathilde is really lucky to have you, Julien.”

He shrugged. “I’m the lucky one, I think.”

They turned onto the rue Buirette, and Liv was disappointed to see her hotel looming ahead of them. The whirlwind tour of Reims had gone by far too quickly. “Thank you so much for showing me around,” Liv said as they stopped outside the hotel. “You’re an amazing tour guide.”

“It was my pleasure, Liv, truly.” He moved closer, until they were just inches apart, and though propriety told Liv she should step back, she didn’t want to. “I know I don’t know you well yet, but I think you’re extraordinary. I hope that’s all right to say.”

“Julien,” she said softly. She meant to say more, to disrupt whatever was happening between them, but she couldn’t make her mouth cooperate with her brain.

“I really enjoyed spending time together today,” he murmured. “I hope you did, too.” And then, in what seemed like slow motion, he put his hand on her cheek, leaned in, and after a brief hesitation, brushed his lips softly, gently against hers.

She kissed back for only a second before pulling back with a gasp. “What are we doing?” She swiped her hand across her mouth.

His eyes widened. “I’m so sorry. I thought—I mean, it seemed like . . .” He trailed off as he collected his thoughts. “I’m very sorry. I—I haven’t kissed anyone other than my wife since I married her, and I just thought . . .” He didn’t finish his sentence.

“No!” she said. “I can’t believe . . . I would never . . .” She was stammering, and she didn’t know how to complete her thought.

“I—I should go,” Julien said. “I must have misread the situation, Liv. Again, I’m very sorry.” He turned his back and hurried away, walking briskly toward the corner and turning left around a building without a glance back. And though she was appalled with herself, there was a part of her that missed him as soon as he was gone.

? ? ?

Back in the hotel suite twenty minutes later, Liv was sitting alone on the couch in a daze, her index finger pressed against her lips, when Grandma Edith emerged from her room in a cloud of Chanel No. 5, her lipstick freshly applied. “I’m going out for a little while,” she chirped, and then stopped abruptly when she saw Liv’s face. “What is it, dear?” she asked.

Liv shook her head. “Nothing.”

Grandma Edith studied her briefly and then smiled knowingly. “Ah. You have feelings for young Julien, don’t you?”

Liv opened her mouth to deny it, but she couldn’t say the words. “Why does life have to be so complicated?”

“But I think perhaps he has feelings for you, too, my dear. I have seen the way he looks at you. What is so complicated about that? You both deserve to be happy.”

“Are you kidding? I could never do that to his wife!”

“Olivia—” Grandma Edith began.

“No. There’s nothing you can say!” Liv wiped her eyes. “How could you think I’d be okay with that?”

“Olivia!” her grandmother said again, her voice sharper.

“Seriously, just stop, Grandma Edith! You can’t justify this. I know that having affairs is very French and all, but I could never live with myself. How could anyone? What kind of a person does that?”

Grandma Edith looked like Liv had slapped her. “Well, you’d be surprised, Olivia, what one can learn to live with.”

And then, without another word, she strode out of the hotel room, leaving Liv alone in a cloud of silent shame.

eighteen

AUGUST 1942

INèS

For six months after that first night with Antoine, Inès had been seeing the older man once or twice a month on brief visits to Reims. She always told Michel that she was with Edith, and although he’d made it clear that he didn’t appreciate being without an automobile, he’d been surprisingly open to the idea of letting her go without argument. It kept the peace between them, but Inès suspected that more than that, it kept her away from the property, one less liability to worry about as Michel continued his illicit activities. He had moved the weapons, or perhaps had sent them on their way, but either way, they hadn’t been there when she’d gone back to check a week after discovering them. Still, there were many nights when Michel slipped from their bed while Inès feigned sleep. She knew he was up to something, and that he would never trust her enough to include her in it.