Page 16 of Vision of Love
They were so old for being so young. She didn’t have the worries they had when she was a child. Anya hadn’t been forced to grow up well before she should have. The Nazi’s were monsters for doing this to so many people. No one should feel persecuted. “We will do our best to protect you,” she promised.
“That’s all you can do,” Oskar said solemnly. “We thank you for helping us.”
“You’re welcome,” she said. “Now follow Mr. Jones’ instructions. We’ve dallied long enough.”
The children climbed into the storage space in the car and slid underneath a blanket. The lump returned to her throat. Now that they had the children, what would they do with them? She hadn’t planned this far ahead. She didn’t know if Mr. Jones had either. What should she do? Mr. Jones closed the hatch and turned to her. “Are you ready?”
“Mr. Jones…?”
“Don’t you think it’s time you called me Arthur?” He lifted a brow. “We are committing what many Germans believe is a crime together. We should be more familiar with each other.”
He made a valid argument. Still, she remained reluctant to use his given name. What was she? A woman from the twentieth century, or did she belong in Regency where there were even stricter social norms? “All right, Arthur, then you should call me Anya.”Drat.She’d slipped and said her real name.
“Anya?” He frowned but then nodded. “All right. I can do that.”
She breathed a sigh of relief. Her name was close enough to Ana he hadn’t questioned it. “Arthur,” she began again, “where will we take them?”
“I have an idea, but it will mean leaving Germany. They might not like it when we return.”
Anya could handle anything as long as the children would make it out of the country safe. “All right,” she agreed.
“You haven’t even heard my plan.” He tilted his head to the side. “We will be alone for days, and your fiancé won’t like that you’ve run away with another man.”
She gagged. “Dierk can go to the Devil for all I care.”
“Why are you marrying him if you don’t like him?” he asked softly. His expression remained blank. Why did he even care if she married Dierk?
“We can discuss this all on the way to where we are going.” She gestured toward the car. “Don’t we need to leave?”
“You’re right,” he agreed. “But I expect you to answer me.”
“I know,” she said. “And I will.”
They hurried and got inside. Mr. Jones—Arthur started the engine, and they took off. She hoped they made it out of the city without incident. Though once they managed to escape the main danger, the questions would start, and she didn’t feel comfortable answering them all…
