Page 15 of The Resistance Book Club

‘You never have before,’ murmured the Professor. He slipped his hand into the pocket of his jacket, the one in which he had hidden the parcel.

‘Any books in particular?’ Margot asked the SS officer. She found herself looking at his scar, anddeliberately glanced away to the shelves that ran the length of her shop. Perhaps she should’ve stocked some German-language books after all.

Lauterborn turned on the heel of his polished jackboot and met Margot’s eye. He was smiling a thin, humourless smile.

‘The books that interest the Führer interest me also,’ he explained. ‘You will be aware of theListe Otto. But what, madame, have you done with the books that have been placed on the list?’

‘Oh, yes, I know about the list,’ Margot replied. Her stomach twisted as she fought as hard as she could to stop her fear from showing. ‘All of those filthy books have been disposed of. There’s none onmyshelves – please, have a look.’

‘You will understand, Madame, that any matter regarding books will inevitably draw suspicion upon those who sell them,’ Lauterborn said with a smile.

Margot kept her expression blank.

Lauterborn shook his head and waved one hand as though to suggest he had no need to be suspicious of her.

‘If anyone comes in here and asks about books on the list, I would like to know about it,’ he told Margot. He was still holding her gaze, his pale eyes unblinking, and still he smiled that polite, thin smile. ‘I want only the best for your village, madame. I have reason to believe Chevalier may not be a stranger here, and, for the good of all of you and your charming little community, I am keen to have him in my custody. As well as anyone else who believes they have cause to act against our friendly presence.’ He glanced towards the Professor, then back to Margot. ‘You do understand?’

Margot nodded mutely. But even though her throat had closed up with fear, she forced herself to hoarsely reply, ‘Yes. Understood. I’ll let you know if anyone asks.’

Lauterborn nodded. Then he turned to his brother and said, ‘And you too, Herr Professor. Keep an eye out, as they say.’ He tapped his finger to his own cheekbone. ‘The one eyeyou still have.’ Lauterborn laughed before offering Margot another nod. ‘Good day.’

With that, he retraced his steps, opened the door and was gone.

The Professor turned to watch the window until his brother had vanished from view. Only then did he retrieve the parcel from his pocket again. His gaze dropped to the book and he unfolded the newspaper with all the care of a man handling an unexploded bomb. ‘As I said, I foundGrand Hotelsitting on the stile.’

Margot raised her eyebrows, trying to look surprised. ‘I don’t know where it can have come from. That list has got lots of old books on it – maybe someone found it at home and decided to drop it outside somewhere to get rid of it?’

‘It isn’t the first I’ve found. They’re always wrapped like this. It is a clear act of resistance, and I applaud whoever is behind it for being so brave.’

Margot knew better than to betray anything. Lauterborn slipped the book back into his jacket and raised his gaze to Margot. Even the milky, sightless eye seemed to peer into the very depths of her. ‘If I were my brother and I found these books, I would come to your door too. I’m telling you this not as a German, Madame, but as a man who loves this village. You do not want my brother to come here again.’

Margot responded with a tight nod. ‘All I want to do is run my shop, sell books, and make people happy with what they read. I don’t want to be shut down. I…I’ll warn my customers about the banned books.’

‘My brother’s temper left me half blind when we were nothing but children,’ the Professor confided as he put his hat back on and took a step back towards the door. ‘Please, Madame, neither you nor your customers should give him any reason to cross your path.’

Margot’s attention was drawn to the Professor’s milky eye, and she glanced away, down to his gloved hands.

‘Thank you, Professor,’ she replied. ‘I’ll pass it on and make sure any banned books are properly destroyed.’

He nodded, resting his hand on the door handle as he said, ‘I’m not one of them.’ The words almost fell out, as though he had to say them then or never. Then he opened the door and was gone.

Margot stayed behind the counter. She had held herself so rigid, she had kept her expression so blank, now she felt almost frozen.

Lauterborn suspected her. She was sure of it. How long would it be before he discovered their book club? And what would he do to them all when he did?

NINE

LUCY

2025

Lucy realised she should’ve gone to Clarenville straight away so that she could get a decent signal and talk to Andrew, and to start the job of sorting through the wreckage of their lives. It was exactly what she would’ve done in the past.

Even so, for the first time, Lucy felt as if she wasn’t entirely herself any more. Being organised and ambitious had earned her a cheating fiancé and a shattered heart.

She’d been so intent on organising the wedding that she hadn’t had time to stop and properly grieve for Mémé. Her death had begun to stir up memories of the mother Lucy had lost when she was a child. She’d fought with the sensation that everyone she loved slid from her grasp, papering over the cracks with wedding dress fittings and menu-tasting.

Andrew had been too busy – but now she knew what he’d been doing, and it hurt her even more. He should’ve been supporting her, letting her mourn, but he hadn’t been there for her because he’d been in another woman’s arms.