Page 31 of Love in the Shadows

“I work for Kommandant Neumann and his wife, Herr Oberleutnant. I cook for their guests. I should have taken more care with my timings today.”

He stepped away at the mention of his kommandant’s name, as she had hoped he would, and studied her papers once more before throwing them in her direction. “You’re lucky, tonight, Fraulein Brun. I’m in a good mood.”

“Yes, Herr Oberleutnant. Thank you.”

He indicated for the soldier to get out of the van.

She closed the doors, got into the driver’s seat, and restarted the engine.

“Go straight home.”

“Yes, Oberleutnant.” She drove away slowly.

Her heart was still thundering when she turned towards the cottage and parked outside. She slumped forward and rested her head against the steering wheel. Her hands trembled and she wondered if she might be sick. She got out of the van and started towards the front door, then spotted something on the step. Cautiously, she moved closer until she could make out the tortoise shell-coloured fur nestled in a tight ball. She clicked her fingers to attract the kitten’s attention. It didn’t respond. She went to it, lifted its lifeless body, and scanned the house across the yard. The red tip of a lit cigarette. Hauptmann Müller retreated into the alley.

Putain de salaud.

What type of man would break a child’s heart for pleasure?

13.

“THERE IS NO PLACE for sentiment in war, Fraulein Brun,” Müller said. “Death is a price to be paid.”

Johanna entered the kitchen “What’s that, Hauptmann Müller?”

Müller turned sharply towards her. He clearly hadn’t realised she was there.

“You may leave,” she said before he answered.

He clicked his heels, bowed his head, and marched towards the foyer.

Fraulein Brun looked pale, and her normally alluring brown eyes were empty of emotion. There was a distance between them, a distance that she should be keen to maintain for her own wellbeing, but that she wanted instantly to close. The urge to take the Frenchwoman into her arms and comfort her was strong. “What’s happened?” she asked.

“He killed Nancy’s kitten.”

She closed her eyes to block out the pain emanating from Fraulein Brun and inhaled a deep breath. “Oh my God.” She rubbed her forehead and looked at her again, hoping to see a shift in her appearance, though knowing if she were in the same position she would feel such desperate agony that no amount of empathy from a stranger, let alone the enemy, could ease it. “I am so very sorry.”

Fraulein Brun shook her head. “He killed a kitten. Who does that for their own amusement?”

Johanna took a glass from the cupboard and quenched her thirst with water from the tap. “You’re sure it was him?”

Fraulein Brun glared. “Would your husband do such a thing?”

Johanna would have said no before the war, but now she wasn’t sure what lengths Gerhard would go to. He hadn’t returned until very late, and she didn’t think he would be bothered by a kitten, so she very much doubted it was him. She was sure Nanny wouldn’t have done it. “Müller is capable,” she whispered.

“He is evil.”

She touched Fraulein Brun’s arm. The muscle was tight beneath her fingers, and the woman remained frozen. It was instinctive to want to comfort her, but it was Johanna who needed to feel soothed by their contact. Fraulein Brun stared at her hand but didn’t move away when Johanna caressed her arm. “Nancy will be devastated.”

“I told her that he had probably run away. But yes, she is. Once again.”

Johanna let her go. How many hearts would be broken by this war? She knew hers had been several times over. Had she protected Astrid enough? She didn’t think so, but she didn’t know what else she could do. Since her husband had no time for her, and she was effectively being watched by Müller as closely as the Frenchwomen, she was as powerless as they were. “I have to get on,” she said.

“Are you going to do anything about it, Frau Neumann?”

The discomfort of her own grief made Johanna angrier, but the fury was made worse by the frustration that came with feeling helpless to do anything about the situation. “I will see if I can get Müller reassigned, but the kommandant has already dismissed the idea once before, so I don’t hold out much hope.”

Fraulein Brun clenched her teeth. Her eyes narrowed as if she couldn’t stand the sight of Johanna and she turned away.

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