A pit rested in her stomach, and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't get it to go away. The mission was the most important thing. Collecting intel to bring down the Nazis was the most important thing. So then why did she shy away from this opportunity to get as much information as possible? It wasn't just the fact that she had an offer to become the major's mistress. She had no idea how she was going to tell Archie. What would he think of her if he knew she was seriously considering this? And even worse how would things between them change? The major would have her one way or another, she was sure of that. He wasn't the type of man to ever accept defeat. Compliance quelled his suspicions, and in turn solidified her cover. She just hoped Archie would understand. More than that, she hoped he could forgive her if she actually went through with it.
"Hello," She said avoiding eye contact as she hung up her coat. Archie sipped on another scotch as he read the newspaper.
"I took the liberty of making you one." He pointed to the bar cart with her drink poised on it.
"Ah, thank you. Definitely needing this right about now."
"Yes, I imagined you would." He laughed slightly. "Quite an eventful afternoon, wouldn't you say?"
"To say the least." She replied, staring at the carpet.
"So…this Major Hellstrom," He said, taking a drag on his cigarette. Her ears perked up at the sound of the major's name, and she worried for a brief moment that he knew everything already. "He's entirely desperate to get into your knickers isn't he?"
She laughed nervously and took a gulp of her drink.
"What is it?" He asked, noting the shift in her mood.
"What'd you mean?"
"I've only known you briefly, but something must be wrong."
"Well, it's just interesting you bring the major up because…" She hesitated, not quite sure how to say it delicately. "This afternoon…we were driving, and I – I don't know exactly how it came up, but –"
"He's asked you to be his mistress." Archie stated matter-of-factly.
"How did you know?" She asked, shocked not only that he knew, but that he could say those words so nonchalantly.
"It was fairly obvious." He replied, taking another drag of his cigarette. "Anyone can see from the way he looks at you."
She sighed, partly relieved and partly defeated. It seemed that he was indifferent to whatever decision she made. She wasn't upset, but in her heart she was disappointed. Part of her wished he would've angrily protested the arrangement. She wanted to see as much jealousy in his eyes that the major had for him today. But what else could she expect? She'd only known him for a short time. Besides, there was no room for love during wartime. And even if there was, they could never afford such a luxury.
"Well, I haven't agreed." She took another sip of her drink.
Silence fell between them. He pretended to look through the newspaper once more, but his mind was racing. He saw the way the major looked at her, but also the way he looked at him. He hated Archie. It made him swell with pride to know that the major could never have her, even if their marriage was just part of their aliases. He never stopped thinking about the kiss they shared the first night. And her reaction made his respect for her grow. The truth was he liked her very much, which frustrated him. He was top in his division, and diversions like this caused them to let their guard down. When their guard was down, it was far more likely that they could be killed and the mission failed. He would be damned if he ever let that happen.
"And what are you going to do?" He asked, putting down the paper to look at her.
"I'm not sure yet," She said. "If I do go to bed with him that gives us more inside information, and we could be one step closer to winning the war."
She searched his face for a reaction, and if his slightly furrowed brow told her anything, it seemed like he hated the idea. She felt hopeful against her better judgment.
"I understand," He replied thoughtfully. "But with all due respect, we were assigned as partners for a reason. Our roles as civilians take up enough of our time during the day. We need the evenings to reconvene. If we neglect this, we will lose all of our progress thus far. What good is the intel you collect if you've no time to share it?"
She hadn't thought of this before. Of course it seemed fairly obvious once he said it, but she never considered this before.
"Good point." She replied and gave a sigh of relief. She laughed a little. "Honestly, I'm relieved. Fucking Nazis wasn't part of my training."
He laughed as well and put aside the paper.
"Well, Mrs. Tremblay," He got up and opened a tin in front of her. "Cigarette?"
She smiled and took it gratefully.
"A good husband lights his wife's cigarette first before his own." He winked at her as he opened the lighter. She smiled, but worry began to move into her mind like a group of rainclouds on a clear day.
"I'm not sure what I'll tell the major." She looked down. "If he feels insulted who knows what he'll do."
"Don't worry about that." He sat down and took her hand in his. "I'll be with you from now on. Is he going to arrest a wife for staying faithful to her husband?"
"No, but…" She looked into his eyes for what seemed like the first time. "We can't always be together. I'll be at work. If he corners me…"
He understood her fear. If he couldn't be at the shop with her, then there had to be someone who could be. The basterds were all busy ambushing Nazi troops in the French countryside and it could be weeks if not months before they could receive back up. It seemed, in this fight at least, they only had each other.
"I'll look out for you. Trust me."
She nodded and he squeezed her hand in reassurance. He wasn't sure how, but he would find a way to protect her, even if it killed him.
Looking back at the resolve on Archie's face, Anna felt confident in their plan and even more confident in their partnership. The idea of becoming the mistress of one of those sick Nazi fucks shook her to her core, and she felt more relieved than she had in a long time to hear there were alternatives. Yet a new fear planted its roots in her mind. Was the major suspicious of her? Did he want her as his mistress to inhibit their progress? Or was he truly just a possessive and manipulative asshole? Things became more complicated as she started to believe all three at once.