It’s #TeaserTuesday and the last one before the release of Love and Betrayal in the City of Lights. If you haven’t ordered your copy yet, make sure you do! As always, I hope you enjoy today’s teaser.

“It suits me well enough,” Jean replied. “One bedroom, a small kitchen, and workable living space. I purchased a little desk from Annette’s neighbor and it fits in the space just fine.”

Jean realized his mistake a moment later than I did. My stomach clenched and I was afraid to look at either of our parents.

“Annette?” Mother purred.

“Whose Annette?” Father demanded, standing next to the couch and Jean.

Jean brushed his hand over his forehead. “The woman who came by here that one time. Who stayed the night.”

A sense of realization came over our parents’ faces, but neither said anything.

Itching the back of his, Jean concluded, “We have begun seeing each other.”

I nervously turned my head to Mother, but her reaction was positive. “Oh, how wonderful! What is she like? Is she from Paris?”

“What’s her father do?” Father demanded.

Slightly taken aback by the positive response, Jean took a moment to remember Annette’s father’s occupation. “He’s a tailor. He owns his own business in Nancy.”

“Nancy!” Mother proclaimed. “Heavens, does this young girl live in Paris by herself?”

“She does,” Jean admitted, sliding his hand into his coat pocket so he could play with her carton of matches to ease his anxiety.

“I can’t believe her father would allow her to be so far away from the family home,” Father said in a disapproving manner.

“She was attending school,” Jean countered, not remembering he shouldn’t use the past tense—our parents immediately noticed.

“Was?” Father raised an eyebrow.

“Did something happen?” Mother added.

I felt the room become more claustrophobic and while I wanted to run out of the room, I couldn’t. Jean was going to need my support for the next bit of information he was going to drop on our parents.

Jean inhaled before saying, “The government no longer allows Jews to attend university. That is why she is no longer in class.”

Abrupt and unexpected, the words rendered Father and Mother speechless. In the ensuing silence, I wondered why my brother hadn’t just lied about Annette, but I already knew. A lie would suggest he was embarrassed by her, ashamed of who she was, and my brother wasn’t going to be that person anymore.

For that, I applauded him.

Meanwhile, my father exploded. “You are seeing a Jew! Have you gone mad?”

Jean took the screaming with little emotion. “I love her.”

“You love her!” Father shrieked.

“How can you love her?” Mother asked as if it was the easiest question in the world to answer.

“You must give her a chance.” Jean looked between Father and Mother. “She is a wonderful person. Talented, educated—”

“And an enemy of the state,” Father said his version to the end of that sentence.

Jean’s chin dropped as he stared Father down. “To some afraid of differences.”

“It’s not that we hate the Jews,” Mother was jumping in, “but we expect you to be with a Catholic girl. A person with your own values and traditions.”

Jean turned to Mother. “Annette and I share the same values, and she was raised in France, so we share many traditions, just none of the religious ones.”

“This is absurd,” Father huffed, his face reddening more with every moment.

“Jean,” Mother sighed heavily, “please think this over. You may have a lot in common with this young lady now, but that will change. She’ll bring you nothing but trouble.”

“Jews are notorious for being troublemakers,” Father hastily added. “Just like in Germany two decades ago. People were starving, barely able to get by, and the Jews did nothing to help, locking themselves up in their big homes and ignoring those in need.”

My brother didn’t miss a beat. “Oh? Like us now?”

“Jean!” Mother shouted.

I stared at Jean, eyes wide in shock. Up to that point, I had not seen the correlation, the double standard we had held up to Annette’s people.

Father’s chest rose and fell. “Get out of my house.”

Jean didn’t respond as he rose to his feet. He turned to Mother and I, gave us a nod, and walked past our Father. He opened the apartment door and strode out, shutting it softly behind him.

Father whipped his body toward us like a windstorm. “Our son has completely gone mad!”

“What could he be thinking by getting mixed up with a Jew?” Mother seemed equally horrified.

I wanted to rebuke them, to follow in Jean’s footsteps, but the words kept getting caught in my throat.

“I’ll tell you this,” Father reached into his pant pocket and pulled out the piece of paper that held Bella’s information. “I will not be welcoming him back with open arms when this girl ruins his life.” He marched over to the garbage bin and tore up the note, throwing the remains in. “That is for damn sure!”

“But what if she doesn’t?” Mother asked as Father returned to where she and I stood.

“I’ll stop it, one way or another.”

“How?” Mother seemed frightened.

“Don’t you worry.” Father was suddenly at ease. “I have a way to make sure this Annette does not ruin our son.”

Love and Betrayal in the City of Lights ©Rachel R. Heil 2024

Link: https://mybook.to/CityofLights