The Crystal Butterfly: A Gripping Dutch Resistance Saga of World War 2 (A Resistance Girl Novel Book 6) by Hannah Byron

Author:Hannah Byron [Byron, Hannah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hannah Byron Books
Published: 2023-07-05T16:00:00+00:00

Maria had changed. Subtle but visibly. It wasn’t so much the copper hair that had grown shoulder length, hanging wispy and wavy around her face, or the weight she’d put on. Something in her bearing, though still regal and brassy, was less overbearing. She’s been begging Miss Sterling to take her back, flitted through Edda’s mind as she shook the Russian’s cool hand.

“Enchanté.” They said at the same time, resorting to French, as in former days.

“How are you?” Maria asked, the gray eyes searching Edda’s face.

“Comme ci comme ça. Could be better.”

“Yeah, it can’t be much fun here in Amsterdam at the moment.” Maria dug up two digestive biscuits from her pocket and offered one to Edda. For some reason that reminded Edda of her mother and her secret emergency cookie supply.

“Thank you, Maria. Then why did you come back to Amsterdam? You must have been a lot safer in London?”

“I left London during the Blitz. Went back to Moscow. Until all hell broke loose there, as well. I might as well stay with Daniel here in Amsterdam.”

“Oh,” was all Edda could think of to say. She’d not given Maria Petrova a second thought after she’d left the Amsterdam Ballet Theater in 1937.

“It must be rotten for you seeing me show up here again.” Irony laced Maria’s voice. Edda shrugged, but didn’t reply. What was there to say?

“Listen, Edda Van der Valk, can we be clear about that broken ankle situation once and for good?” It was almost said with an angry undertone. Edda braced herself, feeling her own anger flare. How dare this women address her like that? For a moment they stood as two cocks in a ring. Gray eyes locked with dark brown ones. Maria made one of her dismissive movements with an elegant swoosh of her arm that Edda suddenly remembered.

“It wasn’t me.” Maria snapped.

As if the wind was sucked out of her lungs, Edda gasped for air. If Maria Petrova knew it wasn’t her, then she’d seen something. Why had she not told the truth straight away?

“Then who was it?”

“It was Claire.”

“One of the chorus girls? Why are you snitching on a girl who isn’t here anymore?”

“Because I’m speaking the truth, Edda.”

“So, you saw what happened, but you didn’t tell Miss Sterling? Or me? Left us all guessing and wondering?”

“No. Yes. That’s what I did and I’m not proud of it. I didn’t say anything because I was involved in it.”

“Darn, Maria. You come clean now, or I’m going to tell Miss Sterling you’re not dancing with us ever again.” Edda had seldom been this angry in her life. It seemed to impress the proud Russian, as the arms went up in defense.

“It was an accident, Edda. An accident. Do you hear me? No one, not Claire, not I, not Miss Sterling or you would have benefited from knowing what happened. Not then, but now, yes.”

“Stop your riddles and speak, Maria.”

“I had my career to think of. That was most important to me at the time.

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