Page 46 of The Last Library of Paris

‘Can you get in touch with them? Find out who’s at the top? We can speak to them, make sure they’re printing enough and the like.’

‘I can …’ I began.

‘What’s the problem?’ Valentine frowned.

‘I’m in clerical,’ I said. ‘I’m not supposed to be working on … well, anything classified.’

‘Why not?’

I took a breath. ‘My brother died.’

Valentine nodded, understanding. ‘How much longer?’

‘Five days.’

‘Five days?’ he repeated. ‘Let’s not worry about that now. I’ll speak to Digby.’

‘Really?’

‘You’re on the team.’

Chapter 12

Frances

Paris

The downside to the Soldiers’ Book Service being up and running was that my nerves were constantly jangling.

Of course, my nerves had been on edge since the day the Nazis arrived, but we’d been in a little bubble, me, Guy and Sylvie. We’d open the library and deliver our books, and we kept ourselves to ourselves and no one paid us much attention.

But now we had vans coming and going. We had paperwork. People – Nazis – knew about us. It made me very antsy.

‘We are hiding in plain sight,’ said Alain.

That did not comfort me.

But we carried on. We were sending out hundreds of books a week now. Delivering dozens to Jewish Parisians. And we still opened the library every day, too.

We were all tired and anxious and even hungry a lot of the time. But we kept going.

‘Alain says there is a delivery due at the market,’ Guy said one day. ‘Would you like us to bring something back for you?’

I looked up. He and Alain were standing close together in the doorway. I thought of them as a pair now, I realised. A ‘you two’ my mother always called it.

‘Whatever you can find,’ I said. ‘Here, take some money.’

It was hard to know how much anything was going to cost now. I pulled some notes out of my purse and handed them to Guy. Then I pulled out another and gave him that, too.

‘We won’t be long,’ Alain said. I watched as Guy brushed Alain’s hand with his, and together they turned to leave.

I glanced at the clock. ‘Make sure you’re not late,’ I warned. ‘And come in the back way when you return. I’m going to lock up now.’

I added a final book to the piles for tomorrow’s deliveries, and went to lock the main door. I was not one for ghost stories or spooky tales, but there was no doubt the high ceilings of the library made for odd noises and strange shadows when the building was empty and the sky was darkening. I walked towards the doors, feeling my heart thumping.

‘Frances, you’re being a fool,’ I told myself out loud. My voice echoed round the room.

Outside, I unhooked the first door and shut it firmly. But as I went to pull the second door shut, a man loomed out of the darkness and made me shriek.