The Paris Daughter

Juliette wonders if there is more they could have done to help Elise and Ruth, but Paul reassures her that by taking care of Mathilde they are doing all they can. Mathilde is beginning to settle into her life with the Foulon family, and Juliette is starting to consider Mathilde as her own daughter. This makes Paul uneasy, because as he reminds Juliette, it is still very possible Elise will survive the war and return for Mathilde. As the remainder of independent France is invaded and occupied by German forces, the Foulon family passes as idyllic a Christmas season as possible under the circumstances, with Paul delighting the family by procuring a Christmas tree. One day, a German soldier visits the bookshop asking after a banned title by a Jewish author. Juliette wonders if this is a test or if the soldier simply wishes to read the book, but either way, she informs him she doesn’t have it. As he leaves, he tells her to keep her children safe.

Elise travels south to Vichy, France, stopping in the quiet village of Aurignon. In the Catholic church there, she meets the local priest, Pere Clement. When she proves willing to try and defend him physically from an angry parishioner, and confesses something about her circumstances to him, Pere Clement offers her a job working with children.