Page 122 of Daughters of Paris

He kissed her back, then put his hand on the baby’s head. He looked as if he was going to say something, but then cleared his throat.

‘You had better go and I had better go speak with your mother. I’m glad to see you, my child.’

Instead of walking all the way back, she took the Metro and by the time she reached home the baby was fully awake and making hungry noises. Colette unbuttoned her blouse and latched her on.

‘Well, my darling,’ she said. ‘You have met your grandparents.’

She settled back and opened the envelope. Inside were rations coupons for bread, milk, and meat, and nine hundred francs in notes.

Dear sweet Louis. He must have saved the tokens without Delphine knowing. Tears welled up in her eyes. She did not really care that Delphine was disappointed but felt dreadful at spoiling her father’s opinion of her. Perhaps she would be able to meet him again without Delphine knowing. She could even take the baby to the factory.

When Fleur came home later, Colette greeted her with a smile.

‘I know what I’m going to call the baby. Her name is Louise. Louise Sébastiene.’

A week later, Colette took a delivery of a pram and a white painted wooden cot with a gauze net around it.

‘It’s from my father. How generous of him. It must mean he has forgiven me.’

She laid Louise in the crib. The baby looked around, unaccustomed to the space. Usually, she slept in Colette’s bed.

‘Your mother is bound to forgive you eventually,’ Fleur said. ‘It would be nice if you could go home, even if it was just to visit again.’

‘It isn’t a question of her forgiving me, but me forgiving her,’ Colette replied. ‘I made my bed, and I chose to lie in it with Sébastien. I would not swap Louise for all grandestchâteauxin France. Though I do miss the garden. Louise would love to play in the grass and watch the fountain.’

‘I wonder how long it would take for her to discover the Secret Garden,’ Fleur mused. ‘I bet there are hundreds of strawberry plants now.’

Colette’s heart throbbed. ‘Do you think we’ll ever go back there? All those books buried in the cold frame. Can you imagine if somebody finds them one hundred years from now? The war will have ended by then, surely?’

Fleur stood from where she was kneeling by the crib. ‘I hope so. I need to go see Laurent now.’

‘Is he recovering well?’ Colette asked. Fleur had gone every day since Laurent had been hurt, coming home late and sometimes staying overnight. She swore to Colette that they had not yet made love, merely shared a bed, which Colette considered a wasted opportunity.

Then again, Fleur, unlike herself and Sophie, was unencumbered with a child, so maybe she was right after all.

Fleur returned from her visit to Laurent much sooner than expected. Colette and Sophie were playing backgammon when Fleur walked in and straight to the kitchen.

‘I wasn’t expecting you back,’ Colette remarked. ‘Dinner won’t be long. It’s soup.’

‘It’s always soup,’ Fleur said with a weary smile.

She stirred the pan of white beans and ham bones that simmered on the stove. The apartment smelled of bay and cloves. Sophie had turned out to be a better chef than either Fleur or Colette. She enjoyed shopping and finding bargains and had contacts in the hotel world who she could talk into slipping extra into her bag. She made their rations last longer and even Fleur had admitted she was worth having around.

‘Laurent has gone to help a friend with his car. He left a message telling me not to wait.’

She poured a glass of water and drank it. Her hand trembled a little, which could be accounted for by her long journey. ‘It was very annoying because cycling in this weather was hot. I think I am going to go for a lie down.’

She went into her bedroom and shut the door. Colette returned to the table, deeply worried. Only someone who knew Fleur as well as she did would realise how anxious she was. The tightening around her eyes betrayed real anxiety and her merry tone had sounded forced. She looked at the backgammon board. Sophie, who was allegedly a beginner, was two moves away from winning. Colette made a deliberately unwise move and Sophie won. While Sophie packed the board and pieces away, Colette took Fleur another glass of water.

Fleur was lying on her bed. She was fully dressed apart from her shoes, with her hands clasped together over her belly. She raised her head when Colette entered.

‘You weren’t telling me everything, were you?’

Fleur shook head. She pressed her lips together, looking as if she were about to cry. Colette felt a little guilt at having invited Sophie into their household and making things more awkward. They shouldn’t have to hide in a bedroom to discuss things in secret in their own flat.

‘I’m just worried for him,’ Fleur said. ‘It won’t be like the last time, I know. He had time to leave a message and went with a friend.’

‘Then why are you worried at all?’

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