Midnight on the Marne by Sarah Adlakha

Author:Sarah Adlakha
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates

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Max was already in the office when Marcelle arrived to work the following morning. That rarely happened. She had spent the previous night chasing her thoughts through a labyrinth of scenarios from which there was no escape, and when she had finally dragged herself from bed at the first hint of dawn, she was no closer to a solution. She was in quite a predicament. Whether or not Rosalie was on that transport from Moulins, Marcelle’s day was about to get complicated.

Max didn’t look up at her from his desk where he was signing orders but gestured to the chair across from him with his hand. Marcelle sat, her movements quiet and tamed as she folded her hands together in her lap and stared down at them.

“Did you forget to relay a message to me yesterday?”

The question hung between them as Marcelle considered a response. There were no alternate routes through this mine field, no way for her to get her sister back without Max. When she finally looked up at him, she was surprised by the lack of anger in his expression.

“Yes, Captain Neumann,” she whispered, before dropping her gaze back to her hands.

“Imagine my surprise when Major Beck approved my request for the rerouting of two resistance prisoners.” When Marcelle didn’t respond, Max simply laughed. “You are a different breed of woman, Marcelle. I think I could study you forever and never quite figure you out.”

Was she? Was she any different than any other mother or wife or sister? Didn’t they all do what needed to be done to protect the ones they loved?

“Are you really a witch?” he said, and when Marcelle didn’t respond again, he slammed his hand onto the desk between them. “Look at me!” There was still no anger in his eyes when she met his gaze. Frustration, maybe. Annoyance. “How do you do it?” he asked. “How do you seduce people into doing what you want?”

Marcelle didn’t have an answer for him. It wasn’t a skill that could be taught, and it wasn’t exactly seduction. She only ever asked people to do what she knew they wanted to do. That was the only magic involved. If the woman on the other end of the line had wanted to be praised for her discipline to the Reich, Marcelle would have spoken to her in German and suggested they figure out a way to go through the proper channels. But she hadn’t wanted that. She’d wanted to be Marcelle’s savior. She’d wanted to seem important and brave and in charge. So Marcelle had given that to her.

“I do not suppose I will ever understand you,” Max sighed, before returning to the orders on his desk. “Your sister will be here this afternoon. She will be released to your custody, along with the man whom you claim to be your brother.”

“Thank you, Captain Neumann,” Marcelle gushed, and though she tried to maintain her composure, she couldn’t temper her excitement.

Max paused, his pen hovering above the order he was about to sign as he considered his next words.

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