Paris: The Novel

officers—or should she try to close the place down?
    “You dislike the Germans?” Charlie asked.
    “Occupation is occupation.” She shrugged. “But perhaps you like them, Charlie. Most of the fashionable people seem to. And you turned up here with a book by Céline under your arm.”
    “A German colonel and his staff paid us a visit at the château. They are well satisfied that the Vicomte de Cygne and his family share their views on life. That suits me very well, and I mean to keep it that way.”
    “Are you telling me to do the same?”
    “Tell me,” said Charlie after a pause, “what’s the most important priority in your life?”
    “To protect Esmé.”
    “Then do so. Carry on as normal. Entertain the Germans. What else can you do?”
    “I don’t know.”
    “France is occupied, Louise,” he said earnestly. “De Gaulle sets up his headquarters in London, and hopes that the French colonies and the Americans may drive Hitler out. But it’s just a dream. More likely, London itself will fall.” He paused. “However, just suppose that one day things were to change, that there was a real chance that Hitler could be driven out.” He gave her a steady look. “If, in those circumstances, youhad senior German officers spending their time here, you might hear all sorts of things that could be useful, if you wanted to pass them on.”
    “I see.” She gave him a curious look. “Are you up to something, Charlie?”
    “Absolutely not.” It was a lie, and meant to be seen as such. “I’m cooperating like everybody else. I have passages of Céline by heart already,” he added cheerfully. “By the way, may I come and see you and Esmé next Sunday?”
    “Of course,” she said.

    It was at the end of September that Louise received a visit from Jacob. He came to the door of L’Invitation au Voyage without any forewarning and asked to see her. She took him straight up to her office, and asked what she could do for him.
    “I have a favor to ask,” he said. “Have you seen the new ordinances for the Jews?”
    Louise knew that the community had been swollen by Jews fleeing the harsh German rule in the east. Now the Germans were cracking down on the Jews in France as well.
    “I haven’t read them,” she confessed.
    “We all have to register with the authorities, both our families and our businesses, so they know exactly where to find us. If there are food shortages—and that always happens in time of war—we aren’t allowed to stand in the food lines. We can’t even use public telephones.” He shook his head. “But the word is that they’re going to start taking over our property.”
    “I’m sorry,” said Louise. In truth she was disgusted, but she didn’t want to say it. “But why have you come to me?”
    “Would you store some of my pictures?” He looked at her earnestly. “You see, Madame Louise, you already have quite a few. No one would have any reason to doubt you if you said that they belonged to you.”
    “You know that the German officers are starting to come here?”
    “Yes. I think that makes it even safer. The last place they’d suspect would be right under their noses. Some you could put on the walls, some you could store …”
    She hesitated. She imagined it was illegal. On the other hand, therewas no reason for anyone to know. She could put some in the bedrooms, whose decorations were always changing. Others could go into the apartment nearby.
    “Twenty,” she said. “More than that might attract attention.”
    He looked disappointed.
    “Could you manage twenty-five? And some drawings?”
    “All right. But not more. Perhaps you can find other people to help you. But one thing, Monsieur Jacob. Nothing in writing. You will have to trust me.”
    “I trust you, madame,” he said gratefully.
    After he had gone, Louise shook her head. It seemed that, unexpectedly, her private resistance to the occupation had just begun.

    As Marie looked out at the world, she couldn’t help being glad that her daughter was in America. From the BBC broadcasts she was able to gather news that was fairly reliable. In the late summer and autumn of 1940, she had listened day after day as the Luftwaffe tried to destroy the Royal Air Force. Miraculously, by the end of October, it was clear that Hitler had not succeeded. Germany was mighty, but not invincible. For another half a year Hitler had tried to bomb the British into submission, but by May 1941 he’d had to give up. In other