15 January, 1940 - Grasse, France
Danielle pushed back from her perfumery workbench and rotated her neck, which was tense from the detailed work of measuring ingredients in precise quantities and testing results. She was also anxious about Max and finding it difficult to maintain her focus. Shivering, she removed her lab smock and replaced it with a pearl-gray wool sweater she’d embellished with white lace and tiny rose embroidery.
Every day she hoped that a message from Max would arrive saying that he’d found Nicky and Sofia and they would soon return to her. She gazed numbly at the barren trees outside the window, her head throbbing from the incessant strain.
Far too infrequently Philippe received a message over his shortwave radio, or he would return home with a message smuggled thro
