Adam smiled. “I'd say there's a restaurant close by. Come on, this way.” He took Elisa's hand, glanced up the street, then led her across. They moved past the church they'd seen from a distance. Its arched, stained-glass windows gleamed in the sunlight. A statue of the Virgin Mother stood as guardian in a grassy corner in front. “Maybe we can come back here after we get something to eat,” Adam said, adding a silent prayer for mercy and direction.
He stopped. “I think the smells are coming from there.” Adam pointed at a café. The building had a row of narrow windows across the front. As they passed, he tried not to stare at the people seated inside enjoying a meal.
“Oh, how I wish we could go in,” Elisa said.
“We'll eat.” With Adin on his shoulders, Adam strode on. “This way.” He circled around to the back of the building. A door leading into the restaurant was closed, and a trash bin stood a few feet from it. Doing his best to think positively about its contents, Adam handed Adin to Elisa and walked to the container. Gingerly he lifted the lid. The smell of rotting food assaulted him, but he showed no revulsion and peeked inside.
“I figure whatever's on top ought to be pretty fresh.” He lifted out a chunk of cabbage with some sort of casserole slopped over it, then smelled it. “I think this is all right.” He handed it to Elisa, then returned to foraging. He picked up a large piece of meat. It seemed fine. He hung on to it and returned for a scrap of fish, which disintegrated in his hand and fell back into the refuse. He noticed a chunk of bread and grabbed it. Unable to stand the stink any longer, he slammed the lid back down. “That ought to see us through for now.” Smiling, he turned to face Elisa and Adin. “Let's go.”
Elisa tore off a piece of the bread and gave it to Adin. He chewed contentedly as they made their way back to the church. She stopped at the end of a stone walkway in front of the stone building. With a quick glance about, she ran up to the large double doors in front.
Adam yanked on a heavy wooden handle. The door didn't budge. “It's locked.” He followed the steps down, then walked to a grassy patch around the corner of the church.
Trees and brush grew against the block wall. The greenery had been allowed to grow wild, creating a tunnel of sorts. Beneath the natural hollow, the ground was dry and the sheltered were protected from the wind. Adam retraced his steps and called quietly, “Come on. In here.”
Elisa and Adin joined him, and Adam studied the food they'd found. “Looks like a feast.”
Elisa tasted the casserole. Her eyes opened wide, and she smiled. “It is. Here, Adin, you try.” She gave her son a bite, and he chewed happily, then scooped up a handful.
“You should have some,” Elisa told Adam. “Please.”
Adam took a portion. It tasted rich and buttery. He tore off a bite of the meat. It tasted like lamb and was very good. “Try this.” He offered Elisa a portion of the meat.
For a few minutes they ate in silence, satiating their hunger. Elisa licked her fingers, then rested her back against the wall. “Good, very good. I think we should visit that restaurant again,” she said with a smile. She closed her eyes and pulled Adin close. “Ah, if only the church were open. It would be much warmer inside for Adin. And I think German soldiers do not like churches.”
“We might be safer in someone's barn outside of town.”
“Oui, but to find Jacques we must stay here.” She pushed to her feet. “I will go and search. You stay with Adin.”
The boy said something to his mother. She answered in French.
“What is it?”
“He wonders where I am going. I tell him he must stay with you.”
Adam looked at the boy. Dark eyes stared out of a gaunt face. Adam wished he spoke French. That way he could search for help, and Adin could wait, secure with his mother. He offered the youngster a smile. He should be playing games, singing songs, and laughing, not struggling to live and hiding from German soldiers. Sorrow pierced him.
“I must go now,” Elisa said. “Maybe your God will help us,” she added. She was silent a moment. “For this I am sorry.”
“For what? You didn't do anything.”
“Ah, maybe not, but this is my country and here you are.” She grasped his hand. “Please be safe. I thank you for your help.” She pressed his hand to her cheek. “I love you.”
Adam's heart ached. If only he could make the world beautiful for her. “We'll be here when you get back. I promise.”
Her dark eyes mournful, she squeezed his hand. “I will be back…soon.” She blinked back tears. “If the soldiers come, you must pray to God. I believe he hears you.” Hastily Elisa bent and kissed Adam, then turned and walked away.
Adam moved to the front of the building and watched her until she disappeared around a corner. A passer-by eyed him curiously. Adam nodded, doing his best to look nonchalant. When he was certain no one could see him, he returned to the refuge.
He lifted Adin, then sat with his back resting against the rock wall. The boy nuzzled close and was soon asleep. With a smile, Adam caressed the boy's dark hair and thought of his own son and...Laurel. The stark realization of his betrayal hit him. Father, help me to be loyal and still be what Elisa needs me to be, he prayed. And as she searches for Jacques, keep your hand upon her. Protect her from the enemy.
With the emptiness in his stomach eased, his eyes felt heavy. He thought of Elisa. Did he love her? Were his feelings only admiration and a sense of unity brought about because of mutual need?
He looked down at the boy. His lashes looked black against his ashen skin. Adam wondered if he'd live. At home, William was strong and vigorous. Thank God he lives far from here. Adam felt the emptiness of separation. How many months had it been since he'd seen his son and Laurel? He didn't even know anymore. Laurel probably thinks I'm dead. Everyone does. Maybe I am; it just hasn't happened yet.
If he made it back, what would he tell Laurel about Elisa? Nothing, he decided. It would hurt her too much. No one has to know. Even as he tried to convince himself that there was nothing between himself and Elisa, he couldn't deny the powerful and intoxicating feelings he had for her. I won't give in to them. I've already done and said more than I should. We are comrades because of circumstances. “That's all it is. All it can be,” he said, remembering the love in Elisa's eyes and his own response. If they made it out of France, how would he put her behind him?
“Adam,” Elisa's voice cut into his dream. “Adam. Wake up. I think I found him!”
Dragging himself awake, Adam focused on Elisa's face. “What?”
Elisa smiled brightly. “I found him.”
“Just like that?” He pushed himself upright.
She sat. “But of course. As you have said, God is powerful, and I think I believe that is true. I have the address of a Jacques Billaud. It must be him.” She glanced at Adin. “I pray for his sake.” She stood. “Come. We must go. Many soldiers are in the streets, and soon it will be dark. We cannot be on the streets after curfew.”
Adam could hear the fear in her voice. He caught hold of her hand. “Don't be afraid. I'm sure he's the one, and we'll be out of here in no time.”
Elisa kneeled beside Adam. “And when we are saved, what happens to us?”
Adam hadn't wanted to face this inevitability, not yet. “I have a wife and a son, and I love them. I can't love you, Elisa.”
She held his eyes. “I know. And for this I am sorry.”