Cursing under his breath, Georg dodged around two young women, who had stopped in the crowd to stare and giggle. At lunchtime, the footpath that ran along the waterfront cafes was usually filled with people, strolling along as if they had all day to get nowhere at no particular time. The perfect summer's day seemed to make them care even less about where they needed to be. He was running late, thanks to the train being delayed, but if he kept up this pace, there was still a chance he might be on time.
He sighed. Lunch with Captain Leitner. He spat out the rank contemptuously in his mind, dwelling on it longer than necessary. Rankling more now than it had in the past, the commission should never have been bestowed on Leitner. And now, thanks to his treasonous activities, it should be stripped immediately. Sadly, it would be naïve to assume Leitner was the only traitor in the ranks. He sighed again. Look at what had become of him…
Pretending to be a Nazi sympathiser…
Were they all pretending? It was impossible to know these days. Could anyone be trusted? Was anyone still loyal to Austria? Had everyone changed their allegiance?
He reached up and dipped his hat apologetically at a woman whose young boy he'd nearly bowled over. After mumbling his apologies, the mother looked like she was about to snap back something about watching where he was going, but thought better of it as recognition dawned across her face. He gave her an awkward smile before sidestepping and continuing along the footpath.
Couldn't these people see he was in a hurry?
If he'd been asked by anyone else to meet with Leitner, he would have refused. But he owed John – and Austria – too much to say no. It's what kept him going. John and the drawings of those backfiring torpedoes. Several times, between the parked car and café, he'd been close to turning back. He'd much rather have lunch with Maria and Hede, than make deals with the devil. God, he felt like Judas. Except he wasn't selling his soul for a few pieces of silver. He knew that, but how would it look to others?
He slowed his steps, remembering it was important not to draw attention to himself. Well, no more than usual. John was right - getting these plans to the Nazis was critical. The declaration of war was inevitable, it was just a question of which front would break first, and whether it would come before or after the Anschluss. His heart ached every time that word passed through his thoughts. For the hundredth time since parking the car, he reminded himself to think of the greater good.
John's plan would save lives.
Unfortunately, it would be a death sentence for the young German lads on the U-boats. Their officers, he couldn't care less about, but he felt burdened by the needless death of clueless youth. Poor young fools, who didn't have a clue what they'd signed up to, who couldn't care less about the mad rantings of their deranged leader. They'd be after adventure, hoping to escape the inevitability of following in the well-worn footsteps of their father, and his father before them. They'd be nothing more than sacrificial lambs. He'd been one of them once before.
He sighed. All these thoughts of Leitner and impending war were depressing. Looking for something brighter to occupy his mind, he immediately turned to Maria. Hopefully, Hede was going easy on her. From what little his sister had said, gossip was already spreading like wildfire around Vienna. He tightened his jaw. Perhaps he should have spent more time on the telephone with his sister last night. If he had, she probably wouldn't have insisted on dropping everything and catching the train to Salzburg. He'd been tired, hadn't been in the mood for her barrage of questions and – he admitted reluctantly – he'd probably been too defensive. It had only made her more suspicious. But why should he be forced to defend his relationship with Maria to anyone? Especially, his sister.
He smiled to himself.
Who could have imagined an old fool like him falling in love again…?
Coming to an abrupt stop outside one of the many cafes along the Elisabethkai, he squinted against the bright sun. Searching the crowded tables scattered outside, he couldn't find Leitner. No doubt, running late as usual. His feet moved along the front window of Café Bazar.
The last time he'd been here, it was several weeks ago with Maria. He frowned, recalling the day they'd visited the dressmaker. It was all thanks to Elsa that they'd ended up here together, along. So much had happened since then. At the time, who could have imagined the day would have been been the beginning of something so special and unexpected.
Was that when he first realised…
Obviously, he'd noticed Maria before then, but was that when he really noticed her. He could recall every moment – every precise detail – of that hour they'd spent alone...
Reaching the door, he gave it a gentle push, a bell above announcing his arrival. Several diners at tables near the front of the café looked up from conversations, their looks lingering as they recognised the man standing in the doorway.
Ignoring them, Georg's eyes found a middle-aged woman wearing a white, full-length apron over her dirndl. Walking towards her, they met somewhere near the middle of the café.
"Good afternoon, Frau Schultz," Georg smiled warmly.
"Good afternoon, Captain von Trapp," she replied with a welcoming smile, lingering over his name. It was nice to see the Captain back so soon.
"I'm meeting Captain Leitner for lunch," Georg announced in a low voice, hoping the diners nearby had returned to their conversations. "He hasn't arrived before me, has he?" He doubted it. Late to everything, Leitner hadn't even arrived on time at the Battle of Durazzo.
"Not yet, Captain – you're the first," Frau Schultz followed his lead and kept her voice low. Gosh, the Captain was still as handsome as ever… "If you're after a table, I'm afraid we're a little full," she apologised. "But perhaps you'd prefer one of our private rooms?"
"I would, thank you," Georg answered abruptly. The rooms out back were one of the reasons he'd agreed to meet at Café Bazar. Being private and discreet, it would alleviate one of his biggest concerns – being seen in public with someone like Leitner.
"Follow me, Captain," Frau Schultz turned and led him towards the hallway at the rear of the café's main room. She was used to politicians, businessmen and, especially of late, military men requesting privacy away from diners who might overhear their plotting and manoeuvrings, so the Captain's request didn't seem at all unusual.
Walking past the tables near the back of the café, Georg nodded awkwardly at those who looked up to acknowledge him. As usual, he didn't have a clue who any of them were, but nodded anyway. Halfway down the hallway, Frau Schultz stopped at the second door on the left. Opening it, she stood aside and waited for him to enter. Motioning with a sweep of his hand, he waited for her to walk in ahead of him. "After you, I insist."
Despite being a woman in her forties, Frau Schultz found herself blushing like a teenager. The Captain certainly hadn't lost any of his charm. "Please make yourself comfortable," she quickly scanned the room, making sure everything was in place. Despite its intimacy, it was a room of considerable size with a large leather sofa along one wall and a set of matching high-backed armchairs facing. A round table with seating for a party of eight was on the opposite side of the room. "Would you like a drink?" she began walking towards the bureau in the far corner of the room.
"I can get it myself, thank you," his response was abrupt, not because of her request, rather his growing unease at meeting with Leitner. "I'm sure you have far more important things to do," he added with an apologetic smile.
"Well, if you insist on pouring your own drink, is there anything else I can get while you're waiting?"
"I'll be fine," Georg smiled, "thank you, Frau Schultz."
"Shall I send Captain Leitner through when he arrives?"
Georg nodded, "yes, please."
And with that, he watched Frau Schultz turn towards the door. After it was closed firmly behind her, he waited a few moments before letting out a long sigh. Spinning around, his eyes fell on the bureau in the corner of the room. God, he needed that drink. Striding across the room, he picked up one of the decanters, and looked at it suspiciously through the crystal. What on Earth was it? He quickly told himself, if it was alcoholic, then little else mattered. Pulling off the glass stopper, he poured himself a tall glass.
Walking over to one of the armchairs, he went to take a seat, but hesitated.
First rule of combat: Never turn your back on the enemy.
If he sat in an armchair, he'd have his back to the door. Instead, he dropped down onto the sofa's soft leather. Feeling a little awkward on the wide expanse of the sofa, he sat back and crossed his legs – trying to appear relaxed, even though that's the last thing he felt.
Ordinarily, his mind would be on the meeting ahead – focusing on the outcome, running through the conversation that would lead them there, preparing himself for the questions and the inevitable tactics Leitner would use to test his allegiance to the Fuhrer.
But as he took a sip of the liqueur – a rather pleasant dessert sherry – his mind drifted off to another lunch on the other side of town. How was Maria surviving Hede's onslaught? He wished he hadn't left her alone, wished he could be there to deflect his sister's interrogation. But he'd had no choice. Things were moving so fast. It was important to keep Leitner warm after their encounter at the party. And besides, John and Aggie would be leaving for England any day now, and he needed to hand over the drawings as soon as possible. Leaning into the sofa's soft leather, he wasn't used to playing double agent. It was difficult faking loyalty to a regime he despised.
Whatever it takes to undermine the Nazis and their madness…
Hearing heavy footsteps in the hallway outside, he took a swig of sherry and braced himself for the hour ahead. By the time the door opened, he was on his feet and partway across the room, ready with a smile and a warm greeting for the man he loathed.
"Georg!" Leitner burst through the door, hand extended.
"Great to see you again, Anders," Georg pumped Leitner's hand enthusiastically.
What he would give to be lying on a picnic blanket with Maria while the children were off picking strawberries…
oOo
After all the unwanted attention at the train station, much to Maria's relief, it hadn't taken a lot of convincing from Hede for Georg to agree to take them to a quiet little place she knew on the edge of the old town centre. He'd dropped them off at one of the laneways, promising to pick them up from the same spot in an hour.
Without the pull of the river, there weren't as many cafés or crowds down this end of town, which suited Maria just fine. Still, she hoped they wouldn't need to walk too far along the uneven cobblestones. Despite Georg expertly re-applying the bandage earlier in the day – she shivered a little remembering his touch – her bruised and swollen ankle was starting to protest with all the walking and standing. Ignoring the dull pain whenever she placed weight on that foot, she was sure it would be fine. Anyway, she'd be off it over lunch, and it would be better for the rest.
The café was reached by a cobblestone lane, under a shady canopy of overgrown grapevines. They must have been trained along an overhead trellis at one time, but now they had taken over and seemed to be holding everything up. Judging by the vine's trunks growing through gaps in the cobblestones, they could have been planted centuries ago.
They both agreed it would be a shame to waste such a perfect day, so sitting outside under the cool shade was an easy decision. Having almost their choice of table, they quickly settled into a corner of the café's discreet little courtyard. On such a gorgeous sunny day, most people seemed to have deserted this part of town in favour of the gardens and eateries along the river. Apart from an elderly couple at another table in the opposite corner, they were alone. Maria smiled to herself. The old man was hidden behind a newspaper and his wife was buried in a book with a worn cover. She wondered if that would be her and Georg in years to come, but then quickly decided, they'd never run out of things to talk about. At least, she wouldn't…
Making themselves comfortable, Hede ordered a jug of lemonade from the attentive waitress. She returned within minutes, making them think there mustn't be too many diners inside either. Pouring each a large glass, she promptly ran them through the lunch menu. They both decided on something light – the Vienna sausage salad – and waited for the young girl to drift inside with their order.
"I'm so glad you've made the trip to Salzburg, Hede," Maria smiled over her glass of lemonade before taking a sip.
"I hope Georg doesn't mind too much…"
"Oh, don't let him fool you – he's as excited as the children to see you!"
Hede gave Maria a look, suggesting she didn't believe that for a minute.
"Well, alright, I might be exaggerating a little, but there's no denying, the children will be excited to see you."
"I can't wait to see how much they've grown," Hede straightened the cutlery she'd clumsily knocked with her elbow.
"How long has it been?"
"I'm almost embarrassed to admit, but it must be more than twelve months," Hede shrugged. In the end, it had been easier to stay away. "It was a difficult time for everyone… visits were few and far between..."
"There's no need to explain," Maria smiled. "That's all behind us now."
"I hope you're right…" Hede truly wanted to believe Maria. She adored her brother, but he'd changed so much after Agathe's passing, she was resigned to having lost the old Georg forever. His new fiancé, who'd barely met him if the gossip was to be believed, couldn't possibly know the doting father, the kind and generous man he'd been. But even if only part of her old brother had returned, she'd be eternally grateful. Not wanting to cast a shadow over lunch, she told herself not to dwell too much. She'd just have to see for herself. Right now, was the perfect opportunity to get to know her future sister-in-law without Georg fussing and fidgeting, so she'd make the most of their hour together. "What are the children up to today?" An easy question to ease into the conversation…
"Picking strawberries with their Uncle Max," Maria smiled.
"Oh! Max is staying?" Hede's eyes lit up. "I didn't realise."
Maria nodded, wondering for a moment what Georg and his sister had talked about on the telephone last night. "But I have to warn you, the children don't know you're coming…" she raised her brow at Hede. "They were so sad saying goodbye to their grandparents this morning, I really wanted to tell them to cheer them up…"
"Hmmm… Georg?"
"He was right, the children would have wanted to come along to greet you at the station," Maria laughed. "They were upset enough, so rather than tell them they couldn't come to town and upset them all over again, it was easier to keep your visit a secret."
Hede leaned back in her seat, giving Maria a long look. "You care about them, don't you?"
"I do," Maria answered simply. "But don't worry, I realise I'll never replace their mother," she was suddenly serious, "I wouldn't even try." She took another sip of the icy cold lemonade. "But yes, I love the children with all my heart."
"I suppose it makes sense, your liking children," Hede followed suit and took a sip of lemonade, studying Georg's fiancé over the tall glass. "Well, you are a governess," she added shrugging at Maria's frown.
"I did train as a teacher back in Vienna some years ago," Maria explained, "but it's been a few years since I taught anyone."
"Is that how you hurt your ankle?"
"My ankle…?" Maria could feel her cheeks growing warm.
"Yes, I noticed you were limping, and the bandage is a dead give-away," Hede smiled. "I assume it was from chasing after the children."
"Oh… it wasn't exactly the children I was chasing after," feeling her cheeks redden, Maria looked down. "It was one of their pets…"
"The children have a puppy?" Hede's eyes lit up with excitement. Georg certainly had changed…
"No… I wish it was a puppy," Maria smiled. A puppy would be much easier to manage than the flock of orphaned swans. "A cygnet."
"A swan…?" Hede frowned.
"Mozart," Maria nodded. "It's one of the orphans the children have adopted – don't worry, I'm sure you'll be introduced to them all," she smiled. "He's not as strong as the others, even though he tries to keep up. But he struggles, especially on the water…"
"The water…?" Hede asked, wide-eyed. "You rescued it from the lake?"
"Well, he was being swept out on the current, and someone had to save him," Maria shrugged. "Like I told Georg, we couldn't have one of the children's baby swans drown in front on them, could we?"
"You were in the lake?" Hede bit the inside of her mouth, trying not to laugh. Well, that's one place Georg would never have found Elsa Schraeder! "Saving a swan?"
"Well, apart from being a little wet, everything was fine until I put my foot in a hole I couldn't see," Maria dropped her head a little to one side.
"Oh, what bad luck!" Hede laughed.
"I thought so too!" Maria giggled, deciding she liked the sound of Hede's laugh.
"Apparently, it was where the old boathouse used to be…"
"The old boathouse…?" Hede suddenly stopped laughing and her smile dropped away.
Nodding slowly, Maria frowned at the unexpected reaction. "Hede, what happened to the old boathouse?" She narrowed her eyes at Georg's sister.
"Didn't Georg tell you?"
Maria shook her head. "He did mention something about it burning down, but wouldn't say anymore. He said it wasn't important…"
"Huh! I bet he did!" Hede scoffed. Looking up, she saw the waitress approaching the table with their lunch. She waited patiently for the plates to be placed in front of them and the girl to return inside. She hadn't noticed, but the elderly couple must have left some time ago, so they now had the courtyard to themselves. Picking up her cutlery, she fixed a look on Maria. "It was Georg and our brother Werner who burnt it down," she whispered.
"Georg burnt it down…?"
"Well, with Werner's help," Hede nodded.
"What on Earth happened?"
"One afternoon, the boys – Georg must have been eleven or twelve – nicked some of Father's tobacco and rolling papers," Hede nodded as Maria's blue eyes widened in disbelief. She probably found it hard to picture strict, disciplined Georg as a mischievous tearaway. "They hid in the boathouse, rolling and smoking their cigarettes, having a grand time…"
"And they burnt it down?"
"Well, not straight away… They mustn't have stubbed out one of their smokes properly, because around midnight, there was a fearsome fire down by the lake," Hede continued. "The commotion woke us all, and I can still remember standing on the terrace wearing only my nightdress as we watched in shock at our beloved boathouse burning down. No one could work out how it had just burst into flames in the middle of the night."
"I'm sure your father must have handed out a harsh punishment to teach them a lesson."
"Oh, Father was livid, but he had no idea who was responsible. The boys didn't own up," Hede took another sip of lemonade. "The boathouse was burnt to the waterline, so Georg and Werner decided there'd be no chance anyone would find the discarded smokes, let alone whose they were. Of course, I was sworn to secrecy."
"Hmmm…. no wonder Georg didn't want to tell me…"
"Our father had the new boathouse built further along the shore," Hede explained. "And to make it safe for swimming and boating, at the end of the summer when the level of the lake dropped, he had what was left of the pile's removed…"
"And that was one of the holes I stepped in…" Maria rolled her eyes. "What are the chances?"
"I bet Georg thought the same thing!" Hede laughed and Maria joined in.
Wiping her fingers on the napkin, Maria leaned back in her chair. She like Hede – she liked her a lot! There was a warmth about her that was infectious, put you at ease straight away.
"Now, Maria, I've answered your question, I hope you don't mind me asking a few of my own."
"No, of course not!" Maria smiled. "Ask me anything you like, Hede. I meant what I said at the station – I want to get to know you. How are we supposed to do that if we can't ask each other questions and be open and honest?"
"Oh, I like your attitude!" Hede sighed with relief. "I can see we're going to get along just fine!"
"Of course, we will!" Maria smiled.
"But I do need to warn you," Hede looked around and dropped her voice to a whisper even though the courtyard was empty, "the gossip is already out of hand."
"Already?!" Maria rolled her eyes. "Georg warned me it would be cruel. So did Countess Whitehead."
"Countess Whitehead?"
Maria nodded. "She told me to just ignore it."
"Great advice… trust me, don't listen to any of it..."
"Well, now that we've agreed on that, what did you want to ask me?" Maria asked before taking a mouthful of sausage.
"Alright then, why don't I just get right into it…?" Hede had a list of questions as long as her arm, but there was one thing she was most curious about. "Were you really a nun…?"
oOo
Watching the young waitress place their plates on the table, Georg noticed Leitner's eyes follow her as she turned and walked away from them towards the door. His stomach turned. The waitress couldn't have been much older than Liesl. He pitied Anna, the man's long-suffering wife. Maria had said something about him making her skin crawl, and she'd barely spent five minutes with him. Agathe had the same reaction to the man.
Interesting, how a woman's intuition was so much more finely tuned than a man's. Perhaps it was men's arrogance and their shallow belief you could overlook a man's flaws, as long as you were getting what you wanted. Much like he was doing now… He supressed a sigh, not that Leitner would notice. He was still looking the young girl up and down as she walked across the room.
Realising he was staring at Leitner staring at the girl, his eyes dropped to the plate of Weiner schnitzel. Leitner had always chased any pretty young thing in a skirt, despite having a devoted wife and children at home.
What in God's name was he doing here?
Placing the linen napkin on his lap, Georg picked up his cutlery. "It's been a long time since I've had lunch here," he took a bite of the schnitzel. "I'm glad you suggested it." There, that should appeal to the pompous fool's sense of importance.
"Always a good choice for a quiet meeting," Leitner's matter-of-fact shrug barely hid his self-congratulation at having such an honoured lunch companion. "And the food's good, too," he added with a smug smile.
Taking a mouthful of sauerkraut, Georg decided Leitner fancied he was doing important business on behalf of the Nazi regime. "Anna and the children keeping well?" He was sure he'd asked the same question the other night.
"Yes, although Anna misses the older children," Leitner placed his knife on the side of the plate and took a sip of the red wine he'd ordered with their meal. A rather nice Cabernet Sauvignon from Bordeaux. "You know how women get when the nest starts emptying."
"Hmmm… I wouldn't really know much about that," Georg mumbled, surprised that Leitner didn't realise his comment was particularly callous. The mother of his children would never feel that tug. "My children are younger, and still very much at home."
"Yes, well, I see you've taken care of the children, securing that pretty little governess for the summer," Leitner winked at Georg over the top of his glass. "And from what I hear, old man, she's not just taking care of the children…"
Georg placed his knife and fork down on the edge of the plate. God, help him, he wanted to kill this man with his bare hands. With an expression that remained unchanged, he picked up the napkin from his lap and wiped the corners of his mouth slowly, deliberately. "Oh, Anders, been listening to gossip, have you?" He forced a light-hearted laugh. "If I was you, I wouldn't believe everything I hear," his tone was overly pleasant. "Seriously, with seven children aged between five and sixteen, do you think my governess has any time for me?"
A smile spread across Leitner's thin lips, and he laughed. "You're right, Georg!" He was pleased to see that his friend was in a jovial mood. "We only had four, and God knows, that was a handful."
"Well, I can only speak for my children, but they're on the go before the sun rises, and don't stop until the middle of the night," Georg reached up and tugged at his ear. He doubted Leitner had been home long enough to notice his children – and most of the time, his absence wasn't because he was off on naval duty. Picking up his cutlery, he cut off another slice of Weiner schnitzel. "In fact, they're up and down during most of the night as well," he took a mouthful. "Nightmares, glasses of water, bloody thunderstorms… you name it, they'll come up with anything." He reached over for his glass and took a sip. God forgive him for painting his beautiful children in such a bad light…
"It was the same with us," Leitner nodded sympathetically. Thankfully, he'd married younger than Georg, so apart from the youngest, the children were well and truly out of their hair. He placed his cutlery on the edge of the plate and ran the back of his hand across his mouth. Sitting back in the chair, he fixed Georg with a long, hard look. "We're both busy," he began, "so perhaps we should just get down to business?"
"I couldn't agree more, Anders," Georg replied before taking another mouthful of the delicious potato gratin, although it was hard to digest anything sitting here in the presence of such a despicable human. He was sure he'd be suffering a bout of indigestion later.
"I must admit, I was a little surprised to hear from you," Leitner was still studying his lunch companion.
"Surprised…?" Georg chuckled to himself. "We're both military men, so it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise."
"Be that as it may, you haven't made a secret of your feelings, have you?" Leitner reached across to pick up the bottle of wine and topped up both glasses.
"No…" Georg placed his knife on the plate and took a sip of wine, "but like you, I'm a realist." What a lie! He was nothing like Leitner. "We're strategists, logical animals, we ignore emotion. It allows us to think clearly, without our decisions being clouded. I like to think it's instinctive when you've been a commander in the Imperial Navy."
"Hah! I couldn't agree more, Georg!" Leitner's expression was a mix of relief and amusement. "It's futile backing a cause, when you no longer have the means to back up the rhetoric. It just becomes emotional claptrap."
Emotional claptrap…? Is that what he thought defending Austria had become?
"In my mind, we have two choices," Georg took another sip of wine. God, his throat was dry. "Side with an old enemy or join with our neighbour to defend ourselves."
"A stark choice, isn't it?" Leitner agreed.
"It is, but I didn't risk my life sinking the British and French, only to side with them two decades later," Georg leaned back in his chair and fixed Leitner with a steely gaze. "That doesn't make much sense, does it?"
"None at all," Leitner agreed. "I'm pleased you've finally come around, Georg," he leaned in closer and dropped his voice to a low whisper. "The momentum is shifting, everyday we're closer to uniting the Saxon nations!"
"Hmmm… I believe you're right," Georg smiled. God, this man was as unhinged as the rest of them! Surely, he'd learned something from this time in the navy. This warmongering was insane!
"I have to be honest with you…" Leitner continued.
"Please do, Anders…" although Georg doubted Leitner knew the first thing about honesty, or loyalty, or respect.
"For some time, Georg, you've been a vocal opponent…"
"I didn't want to draw attention, you must realise, there's still a fine line to walk…"
"Mmmm…" Leitner paused for a moment to contemplate. "I want to assure you, I've kept our conversations, your reaching out to me, confidential…"
"I appreciate that, Anders," Georg answered mechanically, even though he knew it was a lie. A man like Leitner wouldn't have been able to stop himself from boasting to the next traitor up the line.
"…so, Georg, I just need to make sure we're both on the same page."
"Which is exactly why I wasn't in contact until I had something concrete," Georg lowered his voice
"Concrete…?" Leitner's brow shot up. He'd assumed this was just a friendly catch-up, a feeling-out of sorts.
Georg smiled. Leitner could barely sit still in his chair, the anticipation was killing him. "Yes, concrete…"
"What do you have?" Leitner asked a little too quickly, cursing himself for looking too keen, almost desperate.
"Let me say three words," Georg again dropped his voice to a whisper. "Whitehead. Drawings. Revolutionary."
"What…?!" Leitner hissed, the three words music to his ears. "I saw John the other night, we even chatted. I thought the old man had retired."
"Oh-ho… do any of us ever really retire?" Georg raised a brow and watched Leitner shake his head slowly. "He's been working on something for the Brits…"
"Traitorous son of a…" Leitner cursed under his breath, catching himself as he remembered the man was the grandfather of Georg's children.
"I know… in the wrong hands, it could be a game changer," Georg took a sip of wine.
"You've seen it?" Leitner demanded, no longer bothering to curb his enthusiasm.
Georg nodded. "He asked me to cast an eye over it," he stated matter-of-factly, pausing to take another sip of wine.
"Where are they… the drawings?"
"John's making a few small changes," Georg picked up his cutlery and took another mouthful of sauerkraut. "The Germans would be powerless to defend their coast with half the Kriegsmarine fleet obliterated…"
"It's that revolutionary?"
"Trust me, if we had this last time around, Christmas 1914 would have been spent at home with our feet up surrounded by our families," he nodded for emphasis. "You and I would still be in the Imperial Navy gazing out over the Adriatic."
"Do you have any of the blueprints?" Leitner asked, once again cursing himself for sounding so desperate.
"Not yet," Georg casually reached down for his napkin and folded it slowly, deliberately. "John didn't leave a copy with me."
"When can we get them?" Leitner hissed.
"John left this morning," Georg explained. "He wants me to cast another eye over the final drawings and promised to send them in the next day or two…"
"How?"
"A confidante of his – I don't know who, someone he trusts – will bring them over the border without drawing attention," Georg explained. Of course, the drawings were locked safely in his dressing room, but John and Aggie needed time to set sail for England. A day or two should do it. "I'm not sure of the exact details – the who, the how – but John did say I'd have them within two days, three days at the most."
"Georg, I'm glad you called me!" Leitner smiled broadly at his old naval friend. "This is tremendous news! It's massive! For both of us..."
"Oh, there's no need to tell me, Anders, I know," Georg smiled back. "Why else do you think I arranged this meeting…?"
oOo
"Well, you two seem to have enjoyed yourselves," Georg turned to smile at Maria, his heart soaring when her face beamed back at him. "Hede," he called out over his shoulder, "I hope you haven't been spilling too many secrets."
"Of course not, Georg!" Calling back innocently from the back seat, Hede reached up to sweep strands of hair from her face. Rushing along the country lane with the car roof down, her bun was in danger of becoming completely undone.
"Hmmm…" he frowned at his sister in the rear-view mirror before returning his eyes to the road ahead. He was pleased Maria and Hede were getting along and seemed to have hit it off so well over lunch. Thoughts of lunch sent his mind hurtling back to his meeting with Leitner. He still felt dirty. Still felt no better than a traitor selling out his beloved country.
At least, being surrounded by Maria and Hede's easy chatter and laughter was a welcome distraction. And it was one less thing to worry about. God knows, he had enough on his mind with Leitner and these damn blueprints.
He'd arranged to meet Leitner in three days to hand over John's designs, with their cleverly concealed and very deliberate fault. The Germans wouldn't suspect a thing until they'd built a stockpile of the faulty torpedoes. Even when they realised there was a problem, they had little or no hope of understanding John's brilliant design fault. But still, it felt like he was colluding with the enemy. How did men like Leitner sleep at night?
"…don't you think so, Georg?"
"Hmmm, what was that, Maria?"
"I was just telling Hede how nice it would be to go somewhere with the children tomorrow," Maria tried to hide her concern behind a smile. Poor Georg had been so distracted on the drive home.
"Oh, yes… of course," Georg reached across and squeezed her hand apologetically, wishing his head wasn't filled with the unpleasantness of lunch. "I think that's a wonderful idea."
He held onto her hand, wanting nothing more than to tell her about his meeting. But that would have to wait until later tonight. God, he needed to hold her, to lose himself in her. She'd tell him he'd done the right thing, and everything would be alright in the end. Reluctantly, he let go of her hand and shifted into a lower gear as he eased around the bend. They'd be home soon.
He reached for her hand again, reminding himself why he was doing all this.
It was for Maria and the children – the only things in his world that mattered…
oOo
"Would the children like some lemonade on the terrace, Herr Detweiler?" Frau Schmidt bustled into the drawing room. She'd been hovering outside in the foyer, waiting for a pause in proceedings before interrupting.
"Thank you, Frau Schmidt, perhaps a little later," Max turned towards the door, waving her away with a theatrical sweep of his arm.
"Ooooh, but Uncle Max… I can't stand here much longer…" Marta whispered, as she tugged at his sleeve.
"My feet hurt," Kurt stared in horror as Frau Schmidt turned and disappeared into the foyer. "I think they're going to drop off."
"Nonsense, young man!" Max ruffled the boy's hair. "We've only just warmed up those vocal chords of yours, and a cold drink will undo all our good work."
"But Uncle Max…" Louisa began.
"Now, now, not much longer. Just once more, from the top, and I think we might have finished composing our song."
"But what about the puppets, Uncle Max?" Brigitta asked.
"Puppets…?" Max looked at the girl's upturned face as if she were completely mad. "I know nothing about puppets, sweetheart. I'll leave those for Fraulein Maria to work out."
"But she's not here," Gretl stated the obvious.
"I know, Gretl! That's why we're not going anywhere near the puppets until she returns," Max nodded at the smile that filled Gretl's face. "Now, children, once more from the…"
"What's that?" Friedrich interrupted.
All the children's heads turned towards the row of windows lining the sitting room. Max strained his ears, but couldn't hear a thing. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the children, convinced they were just looking for an excuse.
"They're home!" Louisa called out.
"Now, come on…" But his words were lost in the whirlwind and excitement of the children pushing past him towards the door. Within moments, he was the only one left in the sitting room, with the sound of footsteps thundering across the foyer and disappearing into the distance the only reminder the children had ever been there.
Sighing, he decided he might as well follow them.
Stepping into the foyer, the shouting and squeals of excitement were growing louder. He smiled. They must have realised Hede was onboard! Reaching the front door, he stood and watched on as the children jumped up and down, waiting for their father to bring the car to a stop. The roof of the car was down, but he wouldn't expect anything less from Hede. Or Fraulein Maria for that matter.
Waiting on the front step for things to settle down, he watched Georg get out of the car then help the ladies. He smiled to himself as his friend lingered over Fraulein Maria. Chaperoning Georg and Elsa had been blindingly simple, but there'd never been much of a spark between the two of them. He made a mental note to keep a closer eye on this pair.
"Alright, alright… let your aunt catch her breath," Georg frowned at the children hugging and gathering around Hede. His frown turned to amusement as the children soon had Maria swept up in their excitement. He glanced across at Max and they shared a look. Neither of them stood a chance with the children when Hede and Maria were around. But he wouldn't have it any other way.
"Come on children," Maria called out above the noise. "Let's go inside and have a cool drink."
"Uncle Max wouldn't let us," Gretl pouted.
Maria looked across at Herr Detweiler. "Oh…?"
"He was teaching us a song," Brigitta nodded.
"Well, that sounds like fun!" Maria answered brightly. "Come on…" she expertly ushered the children towards the front door.
"I hope I didn't step on any toes, Fraulein Maria," Max whispered quietly after the children had filed past with Hede.
"Oh, no, not at all!" Maria gave him a wide smile. Passing through the front door, she stepped down the stairs into the foyer. The children were milling around Hede, still firing questions from all directions. Her eyes found Georg, standing off to the side. His head was down, concentrating as he leafed through the stack of mail that must have arrived while they were in town. She often teased him about all the fan mail he received.
She stopped to watch Franz approach and hold out a small envelope. She'd become used to the telegrams that arrived every other day since Georg returned from Vienna. Watching him place the wad of letters down on the side table, he took the envelope from Franz. By the time she'd stepped across the foyer to stand beside him, he'd opened the envelope and was unfolding the small piece of yellow paper.
"…can we show Aunt Hede the swans?"
Maria turned, somehow instinctively knowing Louisa's question was directed at her or their father, even though she'd lost track of the conversations going on between Hede and the children. "Perhaps we should let Hede have a rest first?" She caught Louisa's nod, before turning back to Georg.
He was staring at the yellow paper. Something was wrong! She glanced up at him. His jaw was tight, his face red. "What is it, darling?"
Georg looked at her. He wanted to lie, wanted to tell her it was nothing, that everything would be alright. But he couldn't pretend. Not to her. Not when those beautiful blue eyes searched him for answers. He looked away, glancing at Hede and the children. They were perfectly distracted, and would be for some time.
His eyes found Maria again. The children… He gave the slightest shake of his head – it was almost imperceptible – and motioned towards his study. He couldn't tell her, not here.
What did any of this have to do with the children?
His feet started moving, taking him towards the safety of his study. This wasn't supposed to happen, it wasn't supposed to be like this.
Where was Maria? He needed Maria… He couldn't think, couldn't breathe, his heart felt like it had stopped beating.
He hated the Nazis, hated them with every fibre of his being…
oOo
Thank you everyone for continuing to read along!
Special thanks to the guest reviewers, who I can't personally thank.
I'd promised some readers I'd reveal how the old boathouse burned down – I hope you weren't disappointed!
Of course, I don't own TSOM, just having a lend.
"Immerse your soul in love"