girl with social connections in the upper echelons of British circles and bent her to his will with gifts of a fine flat, beautiful clothes, and champagne. Unfortunately, her only real connections consisted of dressmakers, debutantes, and the rich sons of nobility. The only powerful ties could come through her father.
Kat leaned back in her chair, eager to see how Eric was going to manage landing that big Whitford fish.
“Ah, yes. I suppose I could always ring up John Purcevel. He’s always up for a good time.” Ellie turned to Kat, panic leaping in her eyes. “Do we know anyone else who might want to spend a week or two in Paris for some fabulous parties?”
Who in their right mind would turn down an invitation to Parisian parties? Oh, that’s right. The rest of the world’s population who didn’t belong to the Nazi party. Kat flushed as Hitler, Goebbels, and Eric stared at her. Eva munched quietly on an apple tart. Kat’s gaze slid to Barrett, who nodded slightly. Encouragingly. Trust your instincts.
“John does love a good party, but I’m not sure if his all-night carousing reflects positively on his hosts. Besides, you want guests who can carry their weight in intelligent conversation and thought like, say, the Duke of Buccleuch or Lord Brocket.” Kat tapped her chin. She detested crawling back to use Father’s connections, but at least in this instance she wielded the power for her own uses. “Of course, Lord Mount Temple or Mr. Tennant, whom I believe is a friend of the German ambassador, Herr von Ribbentrop, would be delighted to receive an invitation. They’ve often expressed a desire for relationships with our German brethren during meetings for the Anglo-German Fellowship.”
Kat held her breath, waiting for the pin to drop and shatter the stunned silence. Eric sat proudly erect as if he had anything and everything to do with that name drop.
Hitler’s stare defrosted. Slightly. “Can you get these men?”
Relieved, Ellie flashed a dazzling smile that stopped men in their tracks. Most warm-blooded men, which of course excluded Hitler. “It’s impossible to turn down one of my invitations. I was thinking for Eric’s next exhibit—”
The devil didn’t care about Ellie’s ideas. He had his own, which he embellished upon for the next twenty minutes. Eva excused herself only to return a few moments later with a camera. Kat tried to ignore the constant snapping as the woman circled around and around the table.
As the shadows grew longer and the light dimmed to burnt orange, Hitler wound to a close and Goebbels dared to speak. “Wunderbar, mein Führer. Precisely what I was thinking, though I could not have expressed it so vividly.”
Hitler nodded slowly as if such praise was expected and turned to Barrett. “I understand you operate the establishment that hosted the film premiere. Tell me, what is an Englishman doing in France?”
Barrett smiled despite the comparison to an Englishman. “My mother’s family is French, so when it came time for me to run my own refreshment business I could think of no finer place than Paris. Simple as that.”
“You did not flee like all the others.”
“My life and business are here. I have no ties elsewhere. As long as money fills my till—which thanks to Major von Schlegel, is overflowing—then Paris is where I stay. A small group of the Deutsch-Englische Gesellschaft meets once a month at the Blue Stag. You can imagine my surprise to find Miss Whitford already familiar with its sister organization in England.”
Pushing his teacup aside, Hitler leaned his forearms on the table. The orbs of his eyes grew darker against his sickly skin as he didn’t blink. “So money is your encouragement, but that was not the case when that Jewish madman barged in with a gun. I heard you tried to console him.”
“Money was very much the point then. Lunatics like that, especially ones on the wrong side of the law, have no place in my establishment. They drive out good patrons like the major and your soldiers.” Barrett tipped his head to Eric, sincerity stirring in his eyes. “My only regret is that it may have caused a slight embarrassment on such an important night for him. It might have turned out a lot worse if not for his quick thinking.”
Ellie grabbed Kat’s wrist. “I need some air.”
Moments later, leaning against the stone terrace wall several feet from her sister, Kat gazed into the valley below. Smoke curled from the chimneys as evening meals bubbled on wood-fire stoves