Chapter 39
Frosty cold November had morphed into a white December, and the temperature had plummeted even further.
Lizzie pitied Hannah when she had to leave early that morning after breakfast in the hazy grey light.
Snow had fallen intermittently during the past week, and the residue had been trampled into the pavements until they resembled a skating rink.
When Lizzie left a little later after questioning Frau Fischer to no avail, for news relating to the cell leader’s inspection, she slipped on the hard surface and only stopped herself from crashing to the ground by clutching onto the rough bark of a linden tree.
The ridges of the freezing wood scraped her hand, and the skin of her palm smarted as she rebuked herself for forgetting her gloves at the orphanage the previous day.
Lizzie wasn’t used to this level of cold and might have been tempted, but it was critical that she visit the convent.
The forged documents were now hidden in her coat lining, and she hoped they weren’t crushed when she slipped.
Her shoes crunched in the snow, and a damp fog hung in the air as she passed the stucco and stone facades of the grand apartment buildings that glittered with the frosty coating.
Almost falling again as she turned a corner, she caught onto a black wrought-iron railing that surrounded the front of a row of townhouses.
If it wasn’t so bloody freezing, the neighbourhood would be a beautiful place to stay, and she wondered if in the future when the war was over, and the Nazi regime was crushed, she and Jack might visit Berlin, and she would show him all the places she had been on her German mission.
Lizzie was relieved when she saw the imposing convent building in the distance, and she quickened her pace as much as she could without slipping and losing her balance.
A sister opened the creaking door and welcomed her with a modest smile. ‘Good morning, Frau Weber. We weren’t sure if you would make it today in this dreadful weather. It got worse overnight.’
Lizzie reminded her to call her Anna, but realised there was little point in persevering.
She would be gone from Berlin any day and would likely never see the kind sister again.
Sadness rolled through her as she thought of sweet little Liesel.
Today she would break the news to her that she would have to leave Germany.
Lizzie dreaded the moment and had come to work earlier than usual so she could talk to Mother Clara before starting her shift in the orphanage.
As the sister accompanied Lizzie to Mother Clara’s room, her shoes tapped on the hard floor and her breath misted in the cold corridors. The convent had minimal heating, and with its high ceilings and large rooms, it was even colder than the boarding house.
Mother Clara raised her eyes from the papers on her desk and beckoned Lizzie to sit. ‘I would say let me take your coat, but you’ll need it in here in this weather.’
‘It is rather cold,’ Lizzie said. ‘How are the children’s sleeping quarters?’
‘We’ve got the poor little mites wrapped up in as many layers as they can wear in bed.’
They exchanged light conversation, and then Lizzie drew her chair closer and checked that the sister had closed the door fully behind her.
‘We must move the Kaufmanns sooner than we thought,’ Lizzie whispered.
Mother Clara clasped her hands together on the desk; the ornate crucifix on the wall behind her served as a constant reminder of who watched over her. ‘Why is that?’
‘It’s not wise for me to tell you more than you need to know, but I must leave Berlin in the next few days. Please keep it between us. You’re the only one I can trust with this information.’
The mother superior’s wise old eyes rested on Lizzie. ‘You are one of the foreign spies the Nazis have been turning the city upside down searching for, aren’t you?’
Lizzie didn’t confirm her suspicion but held her gaze. ‘To get them out, we must act soon, or we will miss the window.’
‘But the weather is forecast to get worse in the coming week with more heavy snowfall. The trains might not even run then,’ she said. ‘You’re not a Berliner, so you wouldn’t know, but it gets bad this time of year.’
‘Exactly, this is our chance before the snow sets in and they will be stuck here. Inspections are intensifying, and I imagine the convent might be targeted in the coming days.’
Mother Clara visibly shuddered, and Lizzie couldn’t tell whether it was the cold seeping under her habit or disgust at the Nazi regime that caused her intense bodily reaction.
Perhaps it was both. ‘The Kaufmanns are eager to leave. It’s no life for them in the basement, only emerging at night for twenty minutes, but we haven’t prepared Liesel.
She doesn’t even know them, the poor dear child. ’
Lizzie said, ‘Yes, I thought about that. I mean to prepare her today, with your permission?’
Mother Clara nodded. ‘She has grown so attached to you and to being here, it will be hard for her to leave, but if anyone can get through to her, it is you. Of course, you have my permission to do whatever you see fit. But what about the documents?’
Lizzie explained the situation and showed her the forged travel permits and identification papers for the Kaufmanns and for Liesel.
‘The watchmaker’s work is a fine sight to behold,’ Mother Clara said, flicking through the sets of papers. ‘I take it he won’t be leaving us?’
Lizzie assured her he would not.
‘We will be sorry to lose you,’ Mother Clara said. ‘May our Lord watch over you and deliver you safely to your destination. What do you wish me to say to the children and the sisters who will ask after you?’
‘Say I was called back to Alsace on an urgent family matter, and I will return if I can,’ Lizzie said.
‘I shall keep your secret,’ Mother Clara promised.
‘Thank you for all you are doing,’ Lizzie said. ‘I shall do my utmost to get them to safety.’
Mother Clara stood and picked up the documents. ‘Watch where I hide them just in case you need to get to them without me.’
Lizzie knew this was code for if the Gestapo arrested her, she could continue alone. With every meeting, Lizzie’s admiration for the mother superior grew, and she realised just how much she was risking by working against the Nazi regime to keep Jews and others in danger safe.
In the room in the orphanage where Lizzie met her group, Liesel ran to her as soon as she appeared and wrapped her thin arms around her waist.
Lizzie stroked the little girl’s head. ‘There, there. Have you been keeping warm enough?’
Liesel launched into a gabble of news about how cold their sleeping quarters were and how many layers the sisters dressed them in.
The children’s knitting had improved significantly since Lizzie’s arrival, but the challenge was sourcing enough suitable wool, so they knitted small patches and then unravelled the wool so they could use it again.
Towards the end of the class, Liesel asked Lizzie if she could keep the one she was working on because it was so beautiful and the best work she had ever done.
The little girl’s zest for life and the thought that she would never see her again tore at her, but she had to be strong for them both. Lizzie admired the colourful patch and showed Liesel how to cast off, thinking it would be a comfort for her to carry the patch with her on her journey.
‘It is your best work yet, sweet darling girl. Keep this one with you as a memento.’
‘A memento?’ The little girl’s eyes were clouded with confusion. ‘Why do I need a memento?’ she questioned.
‘Come with me. I have a secret to tell you, for your ears only. Can you keep a secret for me, Liesel?’
Liesel nodded, her face lighting up at the prospect of a secret that only she and Lizzie would share.
Another volunteer arrived to take over, and Lizzie raised her finger to her lips.
They walked to the corner of the room and sat down together at a small table.
In whispers, Lizzie explained Liesel would take a journey with a wonderful family.
The Kaufmanns had agreed to take care of Liesel as if she were their own, not only for the journey but also in Switzerland, which was quite a commitment considering they hadn’t yet met the little girl.
Hildegard had spoken to her mother on her last trip to Bern, and her mother had agreed to give the family sanctuary until they arranged somewhere to live.
The escape was coming together, but a fresh flurry of snow tapped on the condensation-coated window, and Lizzie prayed they could execute the plan.
Lizzie told Liesel she would meet her new family and spend the night with them before leaving on a long journey, when she would have to be on her best behaviour. ‘Your new sister is called Rosa Müller, and you will have the same surname as her.’
‘But why can’t I live with you?’ Liesel asked, her eyes filling with tears. ‘You said you have no children, and you live in Berlin. I promise I would be on my best behaviour all the time.’
Liesel’s desperate plea crushed Lizzie, and she had to hold back the tears. Why was life so painful? If only she could take Liesel home with her to London, she would. But she knew it was impossible for so many reasons, so she reached for the girl’s hand and kissed her palm.
‘I will never forget you, dear Liesel. You will always be in my heart, but you will see it is better for you to live with your new family.’
Liesel blinked back the tears. After so much tragedy in her short life, she was experienced in loss and knew tantrums were of no use.
Lizzie lowered her voice. ‘The family is kind, and they will be good to you. After lunch, I will take you to meet them, and you will stay with them tonight before you leave on your journey tomorrow.’
‘Where do they live?’ she asked.
‘They are here at the convent, but this is part of our special secret. You mustn’t tell any of the other children, or anyone at all. Do you promise?’
Liesel nodded, now solemn. ‘I promise, Anna.’
They held hands, tears in their eyes, and Lizzie felt like her heart was shattering. She hadn’t been prepared to fall in love with a little Jewish girl, but she couldn’t stop it.
After lunch, Lizzie took Liesel to meet the Kaufmanns, and they welcomed her as if she were their own, just as they had promised.
It was hard to leave, but she had to. There was still so much to do.
Liesel asked when she would return, and Lizzie said she would see her the following day.
Rosa was excited to have a friend, and they bowed their heads and chatted and played together on a blanket on the floor.
The snow had ceased when Lizzie left the convent, and she hoped it was a lucky omen that all would be well.
Tomorrow the Kaufmanns would leave for Switzerland, travelling under the new surname Eli had assigned them, with their two daughters, Rosa and Liesel.
Once they were safely on their way, Lizzie and Hannah would follow, and the mission would be complete.
Many moving parts would need to come together, and it was a dangerous game they were playing, but Lizzie reminded herself that fortune favoured the brave.
And the Kaufmanns and little Liesel were some of the bravest souls she had met in these traumatic war years.
All being well, Lizzie would be home in London for Christmas.
She missed Jack more with each passing day, and it was like a physical ache.
They had been apart too long, and she yearned to feel his powerful arms around her and his reassuring presence at her side.
But she was thankful he was safe in London and wasn’t part of this deadly mission.