Chapter Forty-six
As the rising sun lit the façade of La Belle Reve, Sam hurried Christine down the stairs and across the square to her hotel room. Often, he looked back to be certain there was no sign of Major Hetzner or his men.
"Erik has given me orders to stay with you," he told her when they reached her room.
She was about to drop wearily into a chair, but Sam stopped her.
"You'd better change first; you wouldn't want your husband to find you looking like that."
Christine looked at her reflection in the small pier glass by the door. Her dress was badly wrinkled, her curls wild. Her face flushed as she realized Sam must know that she had spent the night with Erik.
Erik's old friend just shook his head with a kindly smile.
"I won't judge you, Christine. I know how much you love him…it hurt me to tell you he was dead. I only did as he asked."
She returned Sam's smile and patted his thin hand.
"I know you did and I understand why he asked you to. But that's all over now, Sam."
She went into the little bedroom and found a plain dressing gown to wear. She sat down at the vanity and begin to pull a brush through her hair.
She had never been happier than those moments in Erik's arms…after the anger, after the passion…when he simply held her. She could still hear him whispering…when he thought she was already asleep.
Christine, I love you.
But why did he sent her back to the hotel with Sam…what had happened when he left her?
Why did she feel as if something was very wrong?
She went back to Sam who was sitting by the door, waiting…
"Sam, who was in the club…why did Erik send me back here?"
"You knew your husband and Monsieur Philippe were at a meeting? Well, so did the Germans. There was a raid and we had to find a safe place. Belle Reve was close enough."
They heard the sound of a man's footsteps in the hallway. Sam rose and motioned Christine towards the bedroom door.
She saw him draw a small pistol from his jacket as a key turned in the lock.
He quickly put the gun away when Raoul entered.
When Sam left them, Raoul pulled their luggage from beneath the bed.
"Christine, Erik has agreed to help us. He's giving us the letters of transit. We leave Casablanca tonight."
As she began to fold her dresses and tuck them into her suitcase, her husbands words suddenly struck her.
"We leave Casablanca tonight."