A/N: My heartfelt thanks if you haven't given up on this story.
Recap: After the Anschluss, Maria and the children are trying to settle in England with the Whiteheads, while Georg is still missing in Austria.
Chapter 33: Glimpses
"Maria, there's someone I'd like you to meet. Can you come to London with me tomorrow? We can spend the night at our townhouse in Islington afterwards." John Whitehead sipped a drink in the library after the children had gone to bed.
Maria's heart leapt. "Is it about Georg?" she asked tentatively, hardly daring to hope.
John weighed his words carefully, balancing what he could and couldn't say. "There's someone who has arrived from Austria who met Georg just after the Anschluss. The information he has given us is classified as high-level intelligence so he can't tell you much, but I have gained permission from the 'higher-ups' for him to tell you what he knows about Georg. I can't say anything more for the moment. But I can tell you that Georg was fine when he saw him last, though it was some months ago."
Maria barely slept that night, riven by conflicting emotions of hope and despair. Her prayers were even more fervent that night. She tossed and turned, awakening heavy-eyed the next morning. She was desperate to hear what the person had to say, but frightened at the same time.
The drive to London seemed endless but finally they arrived at John's government office in Whitehall. With her heart thumping in agitation Maria only vaguely registered the hushed air of purpose in the hallways. All the rooms they passed were full of the incessant, noisy clatter of typewriters, and many of the busy people they passed nodded deferentially to John.
She braced herself as they entered a darkened room. A single window let in some light but the sullen grey skies outside barely penetrated the gloom. An older man stood in the shadows, leaning on a stick. He looked as if willpower alone was keeping him upright. His face was gaunt as if he had suffered recent hardships, but his profile held a rigidity and dignity that spoke of his military bearing. He bowed to Maria as John made the introductions, omitting his name but saying he was a former Colonel of the Bundesheer, the Austrian Federal Army.
The Colonel eased himself into a chair with difficulty after Maria and John were seated. Maria felt touched by his formal Austrian manners. They reminded her so much of her beloved Georg that she felt tears sting her eyes as intense emotions washed over her.
"Colonel, thank you so much for meeting me." Maria wanted to beg him to tell her everything or anything straight away, but she restrained herself.
"Baroness, I am enchanted to meet you. You are everything your husband said and more. I met Georg some months ago and I can imagine you are anxious to hear what I know."
"Yes, please," Maria knew she sounded desperate and she couldn't help the catch in her voice.
"I believe you heard about what happened at the Theresian Military Academy where General Towarek refused to allow the forces of the Third Reich to enter?" He glanced at John, who nodded.
Maria nodded too. "Georg was there too, wasn't he?" As soon as she had heard about the incident she had known that was exactly the sort of thing Georg would have done.
"Yes he was. We had gathered there, a small number of us - former and current military officers - though I can't tell you how many. We knew that the Chancellor was going to order a stand-down but we all felt we had to do something for the honour of Austria, and for our own honour too, as men who had sworn to defend our country to our last breaths.
"None of us blame the Chancellor for wanting to avoid terrible bloodshed; resistance would have been futile. There was no choice. It was the General himself who advised the Chancellor about this."
His voice was raspy as if he was troubled by an infection. He had to pause to drink some water.
"In the day or so before the Anschluss, those of us who believed in an independent Austria gathered at the Academy. Some of us had been on intelligence gathering missions for the General. Your husband was one of them."
Maria was startled by that piece of information, having no idea what that would have involved. She could only hope that he had not been in danger, but she remembered the tingling unease she had felt just before the Anschluss, that Georg's safety was in jeopardy. The sixth sense, that she was convinced connected them despite geographical boundaries, had been on alert.
"Can you tell me-"
But the Colonel was already shaking his head. "I'm sorry Baroness, I cannot give that information. I have briefed the British government about my own mission and what little I know of your husband's. All I can say is he conducted himself with great valour."
Maria nodded with understanding.
He continued with his story. "The young officer-recruits at the Theresian Military Academy were given immediate leave to go home, the General did not want them to risk their lives. So it was just us old warriors who were left in the building. As you know the Academy is in a castle in Weiner Neustadt, so it can be easily fortified. We barricaded everything and waited. We heard on the wireless when Austria's borders were breached. It was a moment of profound grief for all of us." He paused, remembering, rubbing his forehead.
"The Wehrmacht arrived and demanded entry. The General refused." There was an unmistakable note of pride in the simple statement.
"The stand-off lasted several days. We all waited, not knowing what would happen, not knowing if it would be our last stand. But surprisingly the Wehrmacht did not use force. Perhaps Fortune was smiling on us. Or perhaps it was because many of the older officers of the Wehrmacht had been brothers-in-arms with the General during the Great War. He is still revered in the military establishments of both countries. Perhaps they managed to stay the hand of the younger hot-headed Nazi fanatics who would have used brute force to take the Academy."
Maria swallowed hard, loving pride battled with dismay at Georg's involvement in the siege. She didn't know how she felt about it. On the one hand she understood his need to be a part of an act of resistance, but on the other she was troubled that he had put himself in danger even though he had a young family who needed him.
"The situation was on a knife edge of tension for days. Negotiations were conducted between the General and the Wehrmacht but he would not give in. Then...," the Colonel sighed ruefully. "Then he tricked us. He had been trying to find an escape for us so that he could stay behind to face the Wehrmacht alone, but we had all refused.
"One evening he took us down to the tunnels under the castle, telling us that he had some plans he had to go over with us. When we got there we found torches, maps, compasses and water bottles, enough for all of us. We were puzzled. Then the General spoke. He said that we all had a duty to live to fight for Austria's freedom, so it was time to make our escape. He made it a direct order. He said one day there would be many enemies of the Third Reich and we needed to be a part of that battle. He told us we had to find our own way out of the maze of tunnels, go into hiding, and then find our way across the border somehow. With that, he hastily left through another passageway that we knew nothing about, and locked the door so we could not follow him back into the castle."
He shook his head in immense admiration and exasperation. "The General is a stubborn man and one of the great heroes of Austria."
"We split up, going in different directions. I made it out of a tunnel into the countryside, avoiding being seen by the Wehrmacht troops, but I had to hide in the forest for weeks. Austria is a fortress now, it's nearly impossible for people like us – military personnel – to get out. I managed to cross into Hungary and made my way across Europe until I reached England. I'm afraid that's all I can tell you Baroness."
Maria wasn't sure she had taken a single breath while the Colonel had been speaking. She sat silently, her whole body tense, her hands clutched together to stop them shaking, while she tried to absorb the staggering information. She could picture Georg so clearly in that situation, and her heart clenched with a chaotic mix of tenderness, pride and wretchedness.
She managed a trembling smile as the Colonel reassured her.
"Your husband was in good health when I saw him last, in the tunnel. He was physically strong and mentally determined." He glanced at John who gave an imperceptible nod. "And more than that he is resourceful. He had managed to acquire a uniform of the Third Reich before he joined us, which would have enabled him to blend in after the Anschluss. It would have helped him initially at least."
Maria couldn't even begin to think how he might have got a uniform. She could imagine that he would have hated wearing it but he would have done whatever was necessary for his task.
She asked, "How many of you have made it out so far?"
John studied his hands to hide his troubled expression as the Colonel replied reluctantly, "So far as we know, only me. But that does not mean that the others won't follow in time," he added hastily as Maria gave an involuntary, distressed gasp. "The Captain is a formidable tactician as we all know."
Maria nodded, cloaking her emotions. For some strange reason she felt that it would be important for Georg that she did not break down and weep in front of the two men. If he could be strong and courageous she would try to be the same. "Thank you so much for giving me news of my husband, Colonel," she said with as much dignity as she could muster. "It means the world to me. It is a beautiful story of courage that I can also tell our children at some point. But I hope their father will be able to tell it to them himself soon. As much as it gives me pain to hear what happened I can only be grateful, and in awe of all of you who defended Austria's honour so bravely."
"Thank you Baroness."
She asked a final question. "What happened to General Towarek?"
"We don't know. We can only hope he was treated leniently." He added gently as he struggled to his feet, "Do not lose hope, Baroness. I am sure the Captain will find his way to you." The Colonel bowed to them and left, walking stiffly with his cane.
ooooOOOOoooo
Afterwards John reassured Maria as best as he could. He stayed in his Whitehall office to keep working. Maria was in a daze as she left. At least she had glimpsed what had happened immediately after the Anschluss but where was Georg now? The fear clawed at her as she imagined him as a fugitive.
She stared unseeingly out of the window as the Whitehead chauffeur drove her through London, her thoughts treading along the familiar tracks of anxiety.
The car passed Hyde Park. It was a riot of rich, vibrant colours on this late autumn day. While the sky was a leaden grey, the trees in the park were ablaze in a glory of gold, red and flaming orange. Normally such a gorgeous sight would have given serenity to Maria's soul, enabling her to revel in nature's splendour as it touched everything with a golden patina.
But she did not even notice the breathtaking colours, or the dead, skeletal leaves skittering on the pavement, whipped up into swirling dances by the crisp breeze outside. Maria was blind to it all. Her thoughts tumbled over themselves in an unsorted turmoil.
Was Georg thinking about her and the children right at this moment? Was he somewhere safe, protected by people who could give him warmth, food and sanctuary as he planned his next moves? Or was he somewhere out in the open; hungry and exhausted, a shadowy figure travelling secretly at night? With winter approaching he would need to be safe from the elements. The cold would be a deadly enemy, as threatening as the Nazis who hunted him.
Very soon the first snow would arrive. Usually snow filled her with joy, because it was like a blanket of purity and innocence, covering up ugliness and strife. It gave beauty and quiet tranquility to the world. But if he was unprotected, the bitter cold would sap him of his strength, and worse, the crunch of his footprints would leave a trail that could be easily followed by his pursuers.
Realizing that her thoughts were spiralling downwards Maria made an immense effort to reassure herself. He needed her to stay strong she told herself firmly. She would not let him down. She reminded herself resolutely that he had a wealth of experience to draw on from his military days: an inexhaustible patience which he had needed as a U-boat commander when for days on end he would have waited for action under the sea, alert and watchful. He also had the skills of stealth that would serve him well whether he was being hunted or the hunter. And he had the instinctive authority and foresight of a man born to lead and command.
With these thoughts she called upon every last once of her courage to be the wife, and mother to his children, that she wanted to be for him. She wanted to somehow send him a message across the vast distance that separated them, that all was well with them and he did not need to worry; that she had the strength to keep going no matter what. His only concern should be to escape. She almost smiled as she thought of the famous British stoicism and one of their favourite expressions: Keep calm and carry on. That was exactly what she would try to do.
ooooOOOOoooo
As the car passed near Covent Garden her mind was trying to tell her that her eyes were seeing someone familiar. She blinked and came out of her reverie to focus on a dark-haired woman on the street. She couldn't place her for a moment because she hadn't expected to see her again.
She gasped. Eliza! Good heavens what on earth was she doing here? In London of all places? When had she left Austria?
She tapped on the glass to the driver and spoke in halting English. "Do you think you could stop please? I saw a friend of mine from Austria on the street corner by Covent Garden."
The driver looked dubious. "It's not safe for you Baroness. Lord Whitehead told me to take you to the flat in Islington straight away."
"Oh please. I really must speak to her, and I won't know how to find her if I miss her now."
"Alright," he agreed reluctantly. "But I had better keep an eye on you. I'll be parked here to take you back."
Not waiting for the driver to open the door, Maria flew out of the car as soon as it stopped. "Eliza, good heavens, what are you doing here?"
Eliza, who was standing on the corner selling violets from her basket, stared at her in amazement. "Maria? Cor blimey this is a surprise!" Then she was shrieking with happiness and the two of them were hugging and laughing, causing quite a spectacle among the more reserved British people gingerly walking past the two ecstatic young women. A few haughty eyebrows were raised but they didn't notice.
"Oh it's so good to see you. When did you leave Austria?" Seeing her like this was like having a chink of sunlight penetrate the grey misery enshrouding Maria.
"I arrived 'bout a month ago, and I'm back to selling flowers on the street, same as I was before I worked for Frau Meyer in the flower shop. But it don't matter 'cos I'm so pleased to be out of Austria."
Maria took her arm warmly, delighted to see her. "Come on let's go to that park over there so we can talk properly." The two of them sat on a park bench in a secluded spot screened by bushes. In the distance people strolled by sedately.
"Tell me everything. How did you end up here?" Maria asked eagerly.
Eliza sobered and looked grave. "Well things got right blooming 'orrid after the Anschluss. It was terrible, just terrible, especially for Jewish people like my lady boss Frau Meyer. All of a sudden all those people who had been friendly customers and neighbours just stopped coming to the shop. If they saw 'er on the street they would pretend they didn't know 'er or cross the road."
Maria listened, aghast, dismayed that people could behave like that.
"Even worse, some of them became ugly with 'atred. Overnight someone painted a sign on the shop window saying Juden Raus! Just who the blazes do they think they are telling Jewish people to get out?" Eliza spluttered in outrage. "They're Austrians like the rest of us! I couldn't believe anyone would do anything like that to dear Frau Meyer. She was frightened. But I was just angry I was. Plain and simple."
Maria was appalled. So Georg had been right. It was the sort of thing he had predicted would happen, knowing what had been going on in Germany for five years.
"There was one boy called Rolfe, 'e was polite enough before the Anschluss, buying flowers for his grandmother once a month. 'e also bought some for a girl 'e was sweet on. Rolfe confided in us that 'e liked 'er, but 'er family would never approve, 'cos they were real posh and 'e was just a working lad. Rolfe said the girl's father was a toff and thought 'e was better than everyone else. Rolfe was blushing like mad whenever 'e spoke of 'is sweetheart. To us 'e was just an ordinary boy. But overnight 'e turned into a monster."
Eliza's tone was stupefied, as if she still couldn't make sense of everything.
"After the Anschluss Rolfe changed completely. 'e came over to the shop and 'e was wearing a nasty uniform, prancing around like a bleedin' peacock 'e was; shouting and being 'orrible, even though 'e couldn't have been more than seventeen. The scoundrel even took some flowers from the shop and didn't pay for them. Frau Meyer was too scared to say anything, but I did. Told 'im right off, I did. Told 'im that was stealing. I said 'e was a disgrace to 'is loverly grandma with 'er beautiful manners.
"At first Rolfe looked ashamed but then 'e got all red in the face and shouted that things are different now and we better get used to the new way if we know what's good for us. Then 'e boasted that 'e was a leader of a 'itler Youth group and 'e was coming back the following day with 'is troop. 'e was all menacing like," Eliza shuddered.
Maria recalled that Liesl had once mentioned a boy called Rolfe but nothing had ever come of it thank goodness. She continued to listen with a heavy heart, stricken by Eliza's tale.
Eliza paused, suddenly overcome with emotions at the painful memories. Tears slid down her cheeks and she almost couldn't continue. Maria choked up too, dreading to hear what happened next.
"Rolfe came back with a bunch of stuck-up young nitwits in their fancy uniforms, and was even worse when 'e was around the troop, swaggering around, lording it over everyone."
Her voice quivered as she continued. "They started breaking vases and smashing things in the shop, and we couldn't stop them. Then they… they made Frau Meyer go outside and clean the pavement on 'er hands and knees. With a toothbrush. And they were standing over 'er, jeering and laughing and saying 'orrid things and doing everything to 'umiliate 'er."
Maria's hands were at her cheeks, sickened, hardly able to believe that such things could happen in Austria.
Eliza gulped, the horror of the scene still fresh in her mind. "And people were walking past Frau Meyer and they did nothing. Nothing! Some of them even stopped to watch and sneer," she said in incredulous anger.
"I was getting so scared that me knees were knocking but I told Rolfe this was wrong. They couldn't do this to a nice lady. Then Rolfe and his goons got even uglier, and said to me: 'ow would I like to go Mauthausen with all the other Jew lovers?" Eliza trembled, eaten up with shame. "I got even more scared because everyone knows that the Nazis set up the dreadful Mauthausen prison for people who don't like their Fuhrer. Reckon there's thousands in there. But no-one knows for sure. So I shut up," She was clearly tormented by admitting that.
Maria froze in anguish, hardly able to breathe as an unbearable thought swooped down on her. What if Georg had already been captured and was now imprisoned in Mauthausen?
Eliza was crying openly now and Maria wept with her, her heart breaking. "I was so ashamed; shamed of meself for not having the courage to stand up to those scum, ashamed of those ordinary people who didn't do nothing, ashamed of the ones who laughed and jeered at Frau Meyer, ashamed of Austria. Ashamed of everything. The only thing I could do was get down on me knees and help Frau Meyer wash the pavement every day like they made 'er. I was sobbing me 'eart out; the tears were dripping on the pavement, but she was real dignified like, even though she was scared and shaking."
She dabbed at her eyes, swinging wildly between bewilderment, anger and disgust. "It was like Austria changed overnight. Ordinary people became just awful. 'ow could that 'appen?" It was a question that seemed to have plagued her for some time.
Maria just shook her head, speechless, unable to answer the question, disbelief and horror mingling.
"After that Frau Meyer said she would leave Austria because it weren't 'er 'ome no more. I felt the same. But we didn't do nothing for a while.
"Then one day this evil old guv'nor came. Said 'e was the cowlighter or Gauleiter or some such stupid title. You'd think someone 'ad made 'im the bleedin' emperor of the world the way 'e carried on. Zeller was 'is name, a real nasty piece of work."
The name tugged at an elusive memory for Maria. She remembered that Georg had tricked a Nazi called Zeller before they all left Austria, though she had never met him herself.
"That man was as evil as a snake and a right bully. 'e told Frau Meyer that by order of the Aryanization law or something, Jews 'ave got to sell their businesses and shops. That dirty scumbag 'ad a buyer all lined up and they cheated Frau Meyer by making 'er sell the flower shop for a pittance. There was just enough money for 'er to buy a visa to leave and that was it.
"The awful thing was Frau Meyer kept telling me that she was so grateful that I 'ad stood by her. I couldn't believe it. That kind lady with a 'eart of gold, always as gentle as a lamb; who 'ad saved me when I was dirt poor and gave me a proper job; who didn't look down 'er nose at me 'cos of the way I talked, was thanking me, even though I couldn't stop those terrible people. It just weren't right.
"I said I wanted to leave Austria too. So we left by train and 'ere we are." She sniffed and blew her nose noisily.
"Frau Meyer is staying with a nephew in Golders Green in North London, but I'm staying in a boarding 'ouse nearby. I work with the market traders and they are real friendly-like, so I'm as well as can be," she said with forced cheerfulness.
She mopped up the rest of her tears and gave Maria a tremulous smile.
"Now I can understand better why your Cap'n didn't want nothing to do with those Nazi vermin. 'e is a real 'ero; a brave, smart man. I was so pleased when the Chancellor said Austria shouldn't fight back against the Anschluss because it meant your Cap'n was safe."
Maria put on a brave face but her mouth wobbled. Her resolution to remain calm was faltering already, now that she had glimpsed the hell that had unfolded in Austria. The agonized foreboding was surging in her again and she was helpless to stop it.
Her voice quavered. "That's what I thought too, Eliza, but it turns out he is still in danger."
Eliza looked stunned.
"We haven't heard from him since we left Austria just before the Anschluss," Maria choked out. "It's been months now and we don't know anything. It's tearing me apart. I'm so frightened for him."
"Oh Maria, that's terrible." Eliza put an arm around her in sympathy, not knowing what to say to offer comfort.
"The children keep me distracted because they are finding it hard to settle in their new home and I need to help them, but whenever I have time to think of Georg I just want to start crying. But I know that if I start I won't be able to stop. I'm so scared Eliza," she whispered brokenly before the dam broke and she gave in to painful, heartrending sobs.
Eliza tried to soothe her as best she could.
The tears eased and Maria forced the words out that were preying on her mind. "Do you think they might have caught him and put him in Mauthausen?"
Eliza shook her head vigorously. "Surely not. There would 'ave been something in the newspapers in Austria and I never saw nothing like that. After all 'e is a famous naval hero. I'm sure 'e is just 'iding until 'e can find a way out."
Maria was willing to grasp at the tiny straws of hope.
Eliza patted her hand trying to be reassuring. "Let's just pray that 'e will be 'ome soon enough."
Maria nodded, feeling less burdened after the storm of weeping. "I pray all the time." She gave a strained, wry chuckle, "Just look at the two of us, crying our eyes out in the park! We'll never fit in here. At least I know you are here, my dear, dear friend from Austria." It certainly warmed some of the frozenness in her chest.
Calmer now, she added, "You must give me your address so that I can come visit whenever I get to London."
She was surprised when Eliza suddenly looked cagey.
"Eliza?" She asked curiously, distracted from her torment.
Eliza looked evasive but at Maria's persistent look, admitted, "Erhem. Well the thing is…., I met a gentleman," she said, shifty-eyed, her cheeks rosy with embarrassment.
"Really? How intriguing. You must tell me more." Maria's heart gave a little lilt at some happy news for once.
"Oh 'e is not interested in me romantically or nothing like that," Eliza hastily assured her.
She continued hesitantly. "But 'e asked me to move in with 'im."
"What?" Maria was scandalized. "Eliza, I think you should be careful. He might have dishonourable intentions."
"Oh no. It's not like that at all. He's a professor of languages and 'e says 'e wants to teach me the King's English. Said 'e is fascinated by my pastiche of an Austrian provincial dialect mixed with cockney English." She rolled the unfamiliar word around her tongue, tantalized in spite of herself. "'e claims he can have me speaking like a posh lady in no time. Said it would improve me prospects and I could start me own flower shop afterwards. Took a bet with a nice Colonel Pickering about it."
Maria gaped at her, amazed, though she did remember that Max and Sascha had also taken a bet about her winning the Festival. What was it about men and their silly bets? She also felt a twinge of amused guilt as she remembered how she had fooled Georg initially with a fake dialect and then the children had 'taught' her Hochdeutsch.
Eliza plucked nervously at her handkerchief. "I am tempted even though Professor 'iggins is a rude, insufferable beast most of the time. 'E is sarcastic and bellows a lot."
Maria was amused. A smile blossomed, then she chuckled, which then turned into a full laugh. Something she hadn't done in months.
"What's so funny?" Eliza asked, astonished and puzzled.
"I recall saying the same thing about Georg to you. Do you remember? I believe I told you that he was overbearing, arrogant and sarcastic. And look how that turned out."
"This is completely different," Eliza sniffed. "Professor 'iggins really is ghastly, nothing like your Cap'n at all. I ain't never gonna fall for the likes of 'im, that's for sure!"
Maria smiled. "I remember saying something similar to you, if you recall, but you insisted I was in already in love with him."
"Oh poppycock! It's not the same at all," Eliza protested vociferously.
"Well let's see," Maria teased her affectionately with the same infuriatingly knowing look that Eliza had given her months ago. "Do tell me how you get along and don't let him take advantage of you. Scream your head off if he tries anything, that should frighten him. What's his address? Will he allow me to visit you some time?"
"It's 27a Wimpole Street, and yes, I'll make sure I can 'ave visitors when 'e is not being a slave driver with the lessons," she said crossly. "Gah, 'e is a real aggravating so-and-so." She became lost in thought for a moment. Her eyes suddenly sparkled with gleeful malice over the dire punishments she wanted to inflict on her tormentor. "Just you wait 'enry 'iggins!" she muttered to herself indignantly. It made Maria smile more.
Eliza got up. "Now I best get back to selling me flowers, the performance at Covent Garden will finish shortly. Come and see me again soon. I'll be praying every night for the safe return of your Cap'n." She squeezed Maria's arm, as devotedly as if they were sisters.
They hugged warmly and went their separate ways.
ooooOOOOoooo
A/N: Thank you for reading and I would love to know your thoughts.