to the coast and across the Channel.’
Konstantin sighed, stubbed out the cigarette and helped himself to another.
‘And now?’
‘I’m going to America, Josh. They’re broad-minded there.’
‘We’re broad-minded here.’
Konstantin shook his head. ‘It could harm your career.’
‘Damn my career!’
‘Nevertheless, Josh, I’m going to the States. They look kindly on Nazi refugees. They’ve allowed several Jews Mother helped to go there, so I have friends.’ Konstantin gave a sad embarrassed smile. ‘Unfortunately, I shall need help. I need the fare, and a visa. I also need clothes.’
‘It’s as good as done,’ Josh said. ‘There’s room at Braxby for a dozen like you. I can get my hands on money to take you to Yorkshire. I can also see the Colonel and I know he’ll give me leave to help sort you out. I can be home within a couple of days, and make all the arrangements for you.’
Konstantin stared at him, tried to stammer his thanks, then quietly began to weep. As the tears ran down his cheeks, Josh pulled him to his feet.
‘How long since you slept?’
‘Two days.’
‘You’ll sleep now. Josh led his cousin to the bedroom and began to pick up Ailsa’s clothes. ‘Sleep until this evening. Then I’ll put you on the train to Yorkshire and telephone Mother. If I can’t get her, there’s still no problem. Aunt Jane’s at the farm nearby. They’ll look after you until Mother appears.’
Eight
Bavaria seemed to have been transformed. Red Nazi banners with their crooked crosses moved lazily in the warm breeze, there were brown-shirted men on every street corner and a distinct aggressive confidence in the air. Hitler had made it clear where Germany was heading and anyone who was likely to object was behind bars or had fled.
It had been Josh’s intention to go to the South of France for his honeymoon but Leduc had changed his mind.
‘This is 1934, Josh,’ he had said briskly. ‘There’s a war coming and it might be a good idea to know what we’re up against.’
As it happened, Ailsa loved it. Outwardly, there was the same warm friendship, the men in their lederhosen, white stockings and feathered hats, the girls in their spotless blouses and dirndl skirts, all claiming that the British and the Germans came from the same stock. In the beer gardens the sparrows still picked up the crumbs under the horse chestnuts and the orchestras still played Strauss. Only in the evening when you danced in that curiously stiff Germanic way was it different, and then the pounding music sounded like marching songs.
It wasn’t hard to find out the things Leduc was interested in. Josh made no secret of his profession or rank, assuming that his questions would be treated merely as those of an interested fellow-professional, and the young German officers he cultivated while Ailsa was shopping were all excited at Germany’s growing strength, and inclined to be boastful.
‘Our armoured divisions will have reconnaissance units,’ they said. ‘Field artillery and anti-tank units, to say nothing of half-tracked armoured infantry carriers. They’ll be unique and powerful weapons capable of executing any operation of war without external aid except that of aircraft, self-sufficient, versatile and capable of breaking a front on their own. They will be the spearhead of an advancing army and the tank brigade will be its armoured tip.’
After seven days, Toby Reeves, who had shipped his car over and motored through France, appeared with Chloe to join them.
‘Thought we’d nip up to Berlin,’ he suggested. ‘Supposed to be the wickedest city in Europe.’
Though Berlin had the same atmosphere as the rest of the country, it was more intense there. The Nazi party seemed everywhere and the people seemed cock-a-hoop with confidence. The Hartmann house, however, was occupied by brown-shirted men who had changed it into an area office, and the Hartmanns seemed to have disappeared off the face
Konstantin sighed, stubbed out the cigarette and helped himself to another.
‘And now?’
‘I’m going to America, Josh. They’re broad-minded there.’
‘We’re broad-minded here.’
Konstantin shook his head. ‘It could harm your career.’
‘Damn my career!’
‘Nevertheless, Josh, I’m going to the States. They look kindly on Nazi refugees. They’ve allowed several Jews Mother helped to go there, so I have friends.’ Konstantin gave a sad embarrassed smile. ‘Unfortunately, I shall need help. I need the fare, and a visa. I also need clothes.’
‘It’s as good as done,’ Josh said. ‘There’s room at Braxby for a dozen like you. I can get my hands on money to take you to Yorkshire. I can also see the Colonel and I know he’ll give me leave to help sort you out. I can be home within a couple of days, and make all the arrangements for you.’
Konstantin stared at him, tried to stammer his thanks, then quietly began to weep. As the tears ran down his cheeks, Josh pulled him to his feet.
‘How long since you slept?’
‘Two days.’
‘You’ll sleep now. Josh led his cousin to the bedroom and began to pick up Ailsa’s clothes. ‘Sleep until this evening. Then I’ll put you on the train to Yorkshire and telephone Mother. If I can’t get her, there’s still no problem. Aunt Jane’s at the farm nearby. They’ll look after you until Mother appears.’
Eight
Bavaria seemed to have been transformed. Red Nazi banners with their crooked crosses moved lazily in the warm breeze, there were brown-shirted men on every street corner and a distinct aggressive confidence in the air. Hitler had made it clear where Germany was heading and anyone who was likely to object was behind bars or had fled.
It had been Josh’s intention to go to the South of France for his honeymoon but Leduc had changed his mind.
‘This is 1934, Josh,’ he had said briskly. ‘There’s a war coming and it might be a good idea to know what we’re up against.’
As it happened, Ailsa loved it. Outwardly, there was the same warm friendship, the men in their lederhosen, white stockings and feathered hats, the girls in their spotless blouses and dirndl skirts, all claiming that the British and the Germans came from the same stock. In the beer gardens the sparrows still picked up the crumbs under the horse chestnuts and the orchestras still played Strauss. Only in the evening when you danced in that curiously stiff Germanic way was it different, and then the pounding music sounded like marching songs.
It wasn’t hard to find out the things Leduc was interested in. Josh made no secret of his profession or rank, assuming that his questions would be treated merely as those of an interested fellow-professional, and the young German officers he cultivated while Ailsa was shopping were all excited at Germany’s growing strength, and inclined to be boastful.
‘Our armoured divisions will have reconnaissance units,’ they said. ‘Field artillery and anti-tank units, to say nothing of half-tracked armoured infantry carriers. They’ll be unique and powerful weapons capable of executing any operation of war without external aid except that of aircraft, self-sufficient, versatile and capable of breaking a front on their own. They will be the spearhead of an advancing army and the tank brigade will be its armoured tip.’
After seven days, Toby Reeves, who had shipped his car over and motored through France, appeared with Chloe to join them.
‘Thought we’d nip up to Berlin,’ he suggested. ‘Supposed to be the wickedest city in Europe.’
Though Berlin had the same atmosphere as the rest of the country, it was more intense there. The Nazi party seemed everywhere and the people seemed cock-a-hoop with confidence. The Hartmann house, however, was occupied by brown-shirted men who had changed it into an area office, and the Hartmanns seemed to have disappeared off the face
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