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It began when she was standing in a lengthy queue for Uncle Frédéric’s and Aunt Marie’s allotment of bread.

Teeth chattering from the icy freeze, she had been lost in thought about the night Liliane was taken when, suddenly, she heard a familiar name spoken in a hushed voice by one of the two women queued in front of her.

“Le Paon is holding a meeting this afternoon,” said the younger woman, who was wearing a red wool coat. The declaration was followed by something unintelligible, and then Colette heard the woman add, “—trouble paying for documents.”

“I thought funding was the least of our problems,” said the other woman, who was around the age Mum had been, her forehead creasing in concern.

“Apparently there’s been a disruption,” the younger woman replied.

“Anyhow, I’m going to the meeting. Are you?

” And then they bent their heads together and began speaking in voices so low that Colette could no longer hear them without making her eavesdropping obvious.

But she had heard Le Paon , the leader of her mother’s underground group.

Colette had been thinking for months about stealing again, now that it had really sunk in that Papa wasn’t coming back for her.

But she didn’t have any idea how to find her way to a trustworthy member of the Resistance, and each time she had asked Uncle Frédéric and Aunt Marie for help, they had rebuffed her.

You don’t need to be stealing , Aunt Marie had said firmly just the week before.

I would never forgive myself if you were arrested again.

Colette had bitten her tongue, but she wanted to say that she couldn’t forgive herself for sitting idly by while the world crumbled.

But now fate had delivered an opportunity.

Not only were these two women apparently planning to attend a meeting with Mum’s old group, but the organization clearly needed money.

Now, all Colette needed to do was to tail the women until they led her to Le Paon—and then approach the man to offer her services.

Surely he’d understand her value as the daughter of Annabel Marceau.

She stepped out of line and slipped into the doorway beside the boulangerie, though she knew it would mean she’d be coming home with no rations.

Twenty minutes later, the women emerged, each carrying a small loaf of bread, and Colette watched them from the shadows before stepping out to follow them at a distance.

When they parted ways at the corner, exchanging air kisses, Colette stayed behind the one in the red coat.

The woman disappeared into an apartment building on the rue Oberkampf, and then an hour later, she reemerged, wearing the same coat.

She had added a black scarf that almost entirely obscured her face.

Once again, Colette hung back, staying a half block behind her. Not once did the woman seem to sense that she had a tail; she never turned around and led Colette straight to a medical clinic on the Avenue de la République.

Colette hurried to catch up to the woman as she opened the door to the clinic, and when she reached out to enter behind her, the woman turned to her with wide eyes. “The clinic is closed, mademoiselle,” she said, trying to shut the door on Colette.

“I’m here to see Le Paon,” Colette said firmly, standing her ground. The woman looked her up and down.

“But you’re a child,” she said at last.

“Not anymore,” Colette said.

The woman searched Colette’s eyes for a moment. “How do you know Le Paon?”

“My mother knew him,” Colette said, and the woman sighed in understanding before nodding and letting Colette in. She beckoned for Colette to follow her down a long hall.

In silence, they cut through a darkened examination room that appeared to have been stripped of all its medical supplies, and then the woman in the red coat stopped abruptly in front of a door leading to the back.

“Wait here,” she said. “I will tell Le Paon you are here. But you should know that half the people here are armed, so you’d better not be trying to pull a fast one, kid. ”

Colette nodded, and she waited in the darkness, her heart hammering. A moment later, the door to the back swung open, but instead of the woman in red, it was an older man in a green fedora, two blue feathers sticking out the left side. Le Paon .

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” the man asked, his gaze suspicious and his tone cold as he looked Colette up and down.

“I’m Annabel Marceau’s daughter,” Colette said quickly.

At the mention of her mother’s name, his face softened, but he didn’t speak for a long time. “Colette, then. I heard what happened to your mother,” he said at last. “I’m terribly sorry. And your sister. A great tragedy. Are you here about the man who killed her?”

Colette’s mouth went dry. “You know who he is?”

“No, I’m afraid not,” Le Paon said right away. “I’ve made inquiries with all my sources, and the rumor is that a French police officer betrayed your mother to the Germans and then took your sister—with the goal of stealing your mother’s jewels. But that’s all I know.”

Colette closed her eyes and could see the image of the man’s back as he disappeared with Liliane. “I saw someone in uniform hurrying away from our apartment that night.”

“Your mother was a friend, Colette, and I wish I could help you. But this is no time for personal vendettas.”

“I know,” she managed. There would be time for that later. “But I’m not here about that, sir. Not yet, anyhow.”

He blinked and waited for her to go on.

“I’d—I’d like to help,” she blurted out. “In the same way my mother helped you.”

He studied her. “Theft, you mean.”

“Yes, sir.” She took a deep breath. “I know you’re having trouble paying for false documents.”

His eyebrows shot up. “And how would you know that?”

She wasn’t going to betray the woman in the red coat, but Le Paon should know that there were members of his group with loose lips. “I overheard something to that effect.”

“I see.” He stared at her for a long moment. “How old are you?”

“Nearly fifteen, sir.”

“Quite young.”

“Does it matter, as long as I know how to steal?”

He smiled slightly. “And do you? Know how to steal?”

“I believe my mother was bringing you pieces I obtained before she died.”

He frowned. “Yes. I was concerned about it then, and I’m concerned about it now. If you should be caught…”

“I won’t be.”

“I imagine your mother thought that, too.” The words were delivered gently, but they still felt like a punch in the gut.

“I imagine she did,” Colette answered evenly. “But I will learn from what happened to her. I won’t let emotion get in the way.”

“Why do you want to help?”

“Because when we find ourselves in darkness, we can’t wait for the light to find us,” Colette said slowly.

“Indeed. Well, in that case, I look forward to seeing what light you can bring, Colette. But don’t take any unnecessary risks. I would never forgive myself.”

“I won’t, sir,” Colette promised. “I won’t let you down.”

“We’ll see,” Le Paon said, already turning away. “We’ll meet here again at this time next week. If you’re here with a stolen piece in hand, I’ll introduce you to the group.” And then he was gone, leaving Colette alone in the exam room, wondering what she’d just gotten herself into.