Page 41 of Shadows In Paris
At 5.55 p.m. after they had cleared the day’s work, the secretary removed what was left of her personal possessions from the desk drawers and stood up.
‘Well, that’s it for me. I shall leave now. Good luck, Collette.’
‘Thank you for all your help and good luck to you too.’
Hannah watched the secretary knock tentatively on the major general’s door and she heard him bark a command to enter. The door opened and closed, and Hannah wondered what was being said, but could only hear a low hum.
The secretary emerged within a couple of minutes, an expression of disappointment etched onto her face.
Hannah was about to pack up to leave when the secretary said, ‘Herr Major General would like to see you in his office now.’
Hannah hurried to the door, which stood ajar, and stepped inside.
‘What are you working on?’ he asked, skipping the niceties.
‘Herr Major General, your secretary has just finished showing me my tasks and I was about to leave.’
He snapped, ‘There’s an urgent letter I need you to translate now.’
Hannah nodded, attempting a smile, even as her stomach churned. She wanted to hurry back to the farmhouse to check on Lizzie. ‘Of course, I will stay as long as you need me.’
‘Good,’ he replied, his tone stiff and reeking of self-importance. ‘I imagine you’ll be out of here in good time to get home before the curfew, and if not, my driver will take you.’
Hannah’s heart pumped at the mention of home. Being driven in a Nazi vehicle was not what she had planned.
Her new boss pulled a chair nearer to him and beckoned for her to sit down.
Hannah had no choice but to comply, and she shuddered inwardly when he leaned nearer to show her the letter.
‘This is the covering letter from the French police department tasked with assisting the Special Staff for Pictorial Art to retrieve and confiscate Jewish owned art. It will be helpful for you to read it carefully, so you understand the project, as it’s an important part of our work.’
Fierce emotions rolled over Hannah as she held the paper and scanned the French text, acting as though it was just an ordinary letter for her to translate.
The major general pointed to the report. ‘This is a detailed list of all the artworks found so far and exactly where they are located. I must update the general first thing,so please have a German copy ready for me before you leave tonight.’
Hannah seethed more with every word that came out of his repulsive mouth, but the entire operation depended on her being able to show indifference, no matter what loathsome things he said or did.
‘Any questions?’ he asked, his legs now so close they touched hers.
‘It all seems quite clear. I’ll get started right away,’ she said, springing up from the chair.
‘Very good,’ the major general said, looking her up and down.
Hannah saw he was devouring her with his eyes and struggled to hold on to her pleasant expression.
He called after her just as she was about to slip out of the room, her heart thudding at the prospect of what she must do next. ‘Collette?’
She turned back, ‘Yes, Herr Major General?’
‘Leave the door open in case you have questions.’
Hannah did as he asked before taking a seat at her new desk. She began translating the document, anger coursing through her, making it difficult to concentrate. She had known before taking the job that they were implementing terrible things, but witnessing how they were stealing Jewish-owned art in such a methodical industrial manner knocked the breath out of her.
She forced herself to translate the text as quickly as she could. If she took too long, she’d miss the window to leave before the curfew. If she was driven home, she’d be leading them right to the door of a British agent who might even be in the middle of transmitting a message to London. Hannah couldn’t risk it, so she translated at lightning speed and then typed up the German copy. Her blood felt as if it was sizzling in her veins when she translated how the Special Staff forPictorial Art, thereafter, referred to asthe Staff, had seized art treasures in Paris and looted the art collections from the Rothschild family palaces.
There was a long list of Jewish names and art collections, and by the time she was finished, Hannah felt sick. The more she discovered about the systematic persecution the Nazis perpetuated, she realised it was just as she feared.
They meant to do in France exactly what Hannah watched them do in the pre-war Germany of her youth, which was to strip the Jewish population of all civil rights until they were forbidden to work, study, own a home or business, or marry a Gentile. They were completely segregated from the rest of the population. The Nuremberg Laws of 1935 introduced yet more heinous antisemitic legislation and resulted in German Jews being imprisoned or transported to labour camps, unless, like Hannah, they escaped whilst they still could.
