Chapter 19
Lizzie met with Frau Bauer from the import-export company again, as arranged.
She brought Lizzie a package as promised, wrapped in brown paper and secured with string.
She slipped it into her bag and asked if she needed to pay more, but the supplier shook her head and invited her to join her for a coffee.
‘There’s a nice place just up there on the edge of the Tiergarten.’
Lizzie said she would love to. They sat at a small table overlooking the famous park, and Frau Bauer told Lizzie to call her Hildegard. ‘When people call me Frau Bauer, I think of my husband’s mother.’
Lizzie laughed. ‘I see your point. Well, please call me Anna.’
When their coffee arrived, they talked about the hardships of war, and Hildegard asked what it was like living in Alsace.
Lizzie told her a little about her fictional life with her deceased husband, and how she and her sister-in-law had come to Berlin to start afresh.
‘My sister-in-law types in German, so she applied for a job as a secretary at the Air Ministry as part of the Volksdeutsche recruitment initiative for ethnic Germans. I’m still looking for suitable work, as I mentioned to you. ’
‘Frau Fischer said you were interested in doing some charitable work,’ Hildegard said. ‘Although there is no shortage of paid work with all the men away. I’m sure you’ll find something soon if you keep looking.’
‘I like to keep busy, whether through paid or charitable work. My sister-in-law is out all day, and it can get dull on my own.’
Hildegard patted her windblown hair and levelled a direct gaze at Lizzie. ‘If charitable work is what you want, I know just the thing. That’s if you are fond of children.’
Lizzie placed her empty coffee cup on the table. ‘Please go ahead. I’m very fond of children.’
Hildegard said she did what she could by contributing goods to a convent that housed orphans and displaced children. ‘It’s run by my church, and they need new volunteers. If I didn’t have more than I can handle with the family business, I would work with them myself.’
‘That sounds like a worthy cause. I didn’t realise the business belongs to your family,’ Lizzie said, keen to learn whatever she could about the route to Switzerland.
‘Yes, before the war, I stayed at home with our two young children, but despite being categorised as an essential business, they conscripted my husband. His brother was already on the Eastern Front, so that left just me to step in and run things.’
‘I see,’ said Lizzie. ‘That must be hard with two young children to care for.’
‘It keeps me busy, that’s for sure. My mother-in-law, Frau Bauer, moved in with us and looks after the children.’
Lizzie asked how she could get in touch with the convent and promised she would pay them a visit to see if she could volunteer. Hildegard was clearly overjoyed, and Lizzie saw the charity was close to her heart, which was probably why she invited her to coffee.
The conversation drifted to her work when she looked at her watch and said she must get back to the office. ‘I’m working late tonight. One of my staff arrived in Bern yesterday, and I need to be there for when he calls to report in.’
‘How often do your people make the trip?’ Lizzie asked casually.
‘Usually at least twice each month. There is much to do, and there are always issues to smooth out and suppliers to meet.’
Hildegard gathered her things. ‘It’s been lovely chatting. I must get back now, but let’s stay in touch. I’d love to hear how you get on.’
She extracted a small notebook and pen from her bag and scribbled a name and address down and tore the paper out for Lizzie and pressed it into her hand. ‘Those children need help.’
Hildegard’s eyes shone as she spoke, and Lizzie assured her she would do what she could as she glanced at the paper. ‘It’s in Charlottenburg where I’m staying.’
‘Yes, I live there too, but in a different neighbourhood. That’s how I know Frau Fischer. My eldest is friends with her daughter.’
Lizzie waited until she closed the door to the attic before opening the package from Hildegard.
She’d been itching to know what was in it but couldn’t risk opening it outside.
It contained a pair of gorgeous silk stockings, a rectangular bar of soap wrapped in paper, and when she shook the parcel, a pack of Swiss chocolate fell onto the bed.
That was kind of Hildegard because she had only asked for stockings and soap.
The chocolate was a bonus gift, and Lizzie suspected it was to sweeten her request to volunteer at the convent.
Lizzie unwrapped the top of the fine Swiss chocolate, and the aroma made her tastebuds tingle.
Breaking off a square, she bit into it and savoured it as it melted in her mouth.
She couldn’t even remember the last time she tasted expensive, high-quality chocolate.
Then she ran her hand over the silk stockings and sniffed the soap, which was exquisite.
Hildegard had proved to be a useful contact, and Lizzie thought they might even become friends, at least as much as they could within the confines of her cover.
There was something about her that made Lizzie trust her almost immediately, and if she had to bet whether she was a reliable person, she would without hesitation.
When Hannah returned from work that evening, she seemed sad, and no matter how many times Lizzie tried to get her to share what was bothering her, Hannah batted her attempts away and said she was just tired.
Lizzie worried about her. Perhaps returning to Berlin, the scene of the crime where Hannah’s family was arrested, was too much, even for her.
What if the news about Henry being shot down had been the final straw?
Lizzie thought through how she could relieve the pressure from Hannah, but the truth was they had no options.
It was Hannah who was qualified for the job at the ministry and Hannah who was in a position to smuggle the intelligence out.
When they were back in their room after dinner, Lizzie surprised Hannah with the chocolate and was thrilled to see her smile genuinely when she tasted it.
‘It’s like heaven,’ she said, more like the old Hannah.
‘I know. Frau Fischer’s friend turned out to be quite something.’ Lizzie filled Hannah in on the details of their latest meeting, and they talked through the pros and cons of her volunteering at a convent with orphaned children.
‘How can I say no to that? The very thought wrings my heart,’ Lizzie said.
‘I think you should do it. You never know who you might meet there. Lots of interesting contacts may be connected to the convent and doing their bit to resist the Nazis by volunteering.’
Lizzie’s head shot up. ‘Do you really think so? I don’t know what to expect here. I mean, it’s not France.’
Hannah’s eyes shimmered with emotion. ‘No, it’s not France. Most of the German population is completely indoctrinated here, but there will always be a few rebels, and I think that might be a good place to find them.’
They ate another piece of the delicious chocolate and then Lizzie tucked it away beneath her clothes in her drawer and gave Hannah the pair of silk stockings.
‘They are beautiful!’ Hannah said. ‘But if there’s only one pair, you keep them.’
Lizzie insisted Hannah have them and hoped the small gesture had gone some way to lifting her friend’s spirits. What must it be like to return to the city she grew up in after so much heartache?
Lizzie shivered at the thought, and she turned her mind to Jack as she wondered how he was doing in London.
She missed him too much, but when she was undercover, it was like she was living another life, and fortunately there wasn’t much time to dwell on her feelings.
Staying alive in enemy territory meant being continuously alert and ready for anything.
That night she fell into an exhausted sleep and dreamt a sweet dream of her and Jack living together in London when the war was over.
As first light bled through the blackout blinds, she stirred, and reality flooded back. She was in an attic room in Berlin and had made little progress with her mission, despite her new contact.
Over their sparse breakfast that morning, Lizzie noticed Herr Vogel staring at them again, and when she turned, he averted his gaze.
She wondered whether he or the landlady suspected someone had searched his room.
For all Lizzie knew, Frau Fischer checked his room every day when he was out as a matter of course. It was her home after all.
Hannah readied herself to leave for work, and Lizzie walked outside with her to see her off and whispered, ‘See if you can talk to Ingrid today about giving you something. This is going on too long with nothing to show for our efforts.’
Hannah said she would try. ‘It’s difficult to move from one department to another without a good reason. Usually, I wait until there’s a letter for me to deliver, but I haven’t seen her.’
‘Do what you can, but be careful. We must be patient, although I admit I find it difficult,’ Lizzie said.
They exchanged a kiss, and Lizzie went back into the dining room, where Frau Fischer brought her a coffee. They had fallen into this routine each morning, and the landlady was proving to be a useful source of information about life in Berlin.
Frau Fischer wondered whether Hildegard had supplied her with the goods she wanted yet. Lizzie confirmed she had and said she was a delightful woman. ‘Hildegard asked if I would consider volunteering at a children’s organisation at a local convent. Perhaps you know of it?’
They talked a while longer, and the landlady said she knew the church, and Hildegard had tried to get her to volunteer too, but she didn’t have time to breathe, never mind work with those needy children. ‘It crossed my mind; you might wish to volunteer there.’
Lizzie thanked the landlady for all her help and went upstairs to get ready to go out. There was little she could do until she received intelligence to smuggle into Switzerland, so she decided it was an excellent opportunity to visit Hildegard’s church and see the state of affairs for herself.
The church was only about a fifteen-minute walk, so she wrapped up warmly and set out, following the directions Frau Fischer had given her, and the scrap of paper with the details in her pocket.
When she checked, it was still there, and her fingers brushed the steel knitting needle that nestled in its spot.
So far, she had encountered no threatening situations in Berlin, but she was ready when the time came, which she was certain it would.
It was a cold but bright morning. A cluster of fluffy white clouds floated across the pale blue sky, and Lizzie walked quickly through the streets toward the church.
It wasn’t long before she caught sight of a spire up ahead, and she arrived outside the imposing church doors.
She was no stranger to churches, but it had been quite some time since she had attended a service.
Lizzie looked from side to side and pushed the heavy door open, and disappeared inside.