Partisan

by Christopher Nicole

  The sergeant rolled his eyes.

  *

  The four men ran back into the pool room.

  ‘Gather everything up,’ Tony said. ‘Don’t forget the food.’

  ‘Have you come to join us?’ Elena asked, bouncing up and down in an unforgettable manner. Sandrine had sunk into the water until only her eyes were showing.

  ‘Germans,’ Tony said. ‘Come out.’

  Elena scrambled out, dripping water, and the sighs began again.

  ‘And you, Sandrine.’

  ‘I cannot come out,’ Sandrine said. ‘I have nothing on.’

  ‘You’ll have even less on if the Germans find you in there.’

  She approached the side; Tony reached down, grasped her wrist, and plucked her out of the water to the accompaniment of one of her shrieks.

  ‘Go, go, go,’ he snapped, holding her in his arms and carrying her round the pool to the door at the back. ‘Bring those clothes,’ he told the sergeant.

  Elena ran in front of him and opened the door; the soldiers crowded into the pump room, the sergeant bringing up the rear with the women’s discarded clothes.

  ‘To the back,’ Tony said. ‘Behind the pump.’

  This was a large machine, which filled the centre of the already small room. The men and women squeezed in there, Sandrine still in Tony’s arms.

  ‘I think you could put her down now,’ Elena suggested in French.

  Tony relaxed his grip and Sandrine’s wet body slid down his front. But she remained standing against him, preferring to conceal her front rather than her back. Elena pressed against her back, and the men pressed against her back. She looked at Tony above Sandrine’s head. ‘I think she’s growing on you,’ she remarked.

  Sandrine made a stifled sound against the middle of his chest, and he put his arms round her to encompass Elena as well, preferring not to reply.

  ‘Listen!’ the sergeant whispered.

  They heard the tramp of booted feet, the rasp of harsh voices. The Germans had come into the building after all. Ivkov was protesting, asking what they were looking for. But they did not even try the pump room door, and the noise quickly receded again.

  ‘I would like to get dressed now,’ Sandrine said.

  ‘Just let’s wait for Ivkov, first,’ Tony suggested.

  *

  It was ten minutes before Ivkov opened the door. ‘You see my hair?’ he asked. ‘It has turned white.’

  ‘At least you know they will hardly be back a third time,’ Tony told him.

  The bath-keeper stared at the women. ‘I should receive a reward.’

  ‘We’ll talk about it.’ He ushered the men outside to allow the women to dress. ‘We’ll continue as before.’

  The guard was re-mounted, and they settled down to wait, listening to the sound of the German army moving in. Now there was only sporadic gunfire.

  Tony knew he needed to concentrate very hard, but it was intensely difficult – he could still feel Sandrine’s naked body pressed against him. In addition, so much had happened during the day that he had not had the time really to consider the overall situation, or his own.

  From a personal point of view his duty was to regain the embassy staff as rapidly as he could, regardless of the risk of a court martial for being absent without leave. The problem there was that he had no idea where they were, or how to get to them.

  That was caught up in the general problem of what had happened to the country as a whole, and what was likely to happen in the immediate future. Were the Germans carrying out a punitive expedition just to inform the world that they would not be defied by any nation in Europe, however small it might be? He had thought so during the initial surprise bombing raid, and even when they sent in the paratroops. But the logistical cost in deploying panzers and ground forces strongly suggested they were here to stay.

  That made no sense in cold terms. Yugoslavia had nothing to offer Nazi ambitions, save the necessity to devote a large number of troops to keep the country in subjugation.

  On the other hand, the mountain passes did provide a corridor to Albania and thus Greece. It would therefore be possible to send aid to Mussolini, who certainly seemed unable to deal with the Greeks on his own. And a campaign in Greece would provide occupation for the German army, stagnating since its dramatic victory in France.

  It occurred to Tony that he might accomplish some good if he could find out just what the Germans had in mind. Which indicated remaining in Yugoslavia for a while. Which was going to require survival. But that . . .

  Elena sat beside him. If her tattered clothing made her look like a scarecrow, she was at least clean now.

  ‘How do you feel?’ he asked.

  ‘I am fine.’

  ‘Those bastards—’

  ‘Forget them,’ she said. ‘We killed them before they could get to me.’

  ‘Is Sandrine all right?’

  ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘I know she was very shaken by what happened.’

  Elena nodded. ‘It began with Bernhard’s abandonment of her. And then . . . She is not accustomed to physical violence. To being manhandled.’

  ‘Where is she?’

  ‘She is in the pump room.’

  ‘Still?’

  ‘She is ashamed to come out. She is not used to being naked in front of a lot of men, either.’

  ‘Shit,’ he commented.

  ‘I think you should go to her.’

  ‘Me?’

  ‘She needs reassuring.’

  ‘Surely you’re the one to do that.’

  ‘She needs the reassurance of a man. She is very complex.’

  ‘You can say that again. I must confess I’ve always felt that she was, well—’

  ‘She is, I think, basically.’

  ‘You’re not going to tell me she’s ever made advances to you?’

  Elena gave a throaty laugh. ‘No, no. I made advances to her.’

  ‘You . . .’ He was speechless.

  ‘Well, she is a lovely woman, don’t you think? I love lovely things.’

  Tony scratched his head.

  ‘So, do you still want to marry me?’

  ‘Of course I do.’ He spoke without thinking.

  ‘Good. If we get out of this we will get married. I do not think even your superiors will object, if we survive a war together. But listen, go and cheer Sandrine up. If you want to fuck her, you have my permission.’

  ‘But you have just said—’

  ‘That she is a very complex character.’

  ‘I don’t even think she likes me,’ Tony said. ‘Anyway, the whole idea is obscene. Especially in our circumstances.’

  ‘But you would like to do it. Admit it.’

  ‘Oh, for God’s sake, Elena. As you say, she’s a lovely woman. But really, I have too much else on my mind right now. Apart from the fact that I am engaged to you.’

  Could he really be engaged to a lesbian, even if she was only a part-time lesbian? Not for the first time he was realising that he had plunged into a world of human relationships that could not possibly be recognised, much less accepted, in a Somerset village. He wasn’t at all sure that he could accept it himself.

  ‘I have given you my permission. Just so long as you remember you belong to me. And what else do you have on your mind? We can do nothing until it is dark. That is still several hours away.’

  ‘I still have to work out what we do then.’

  ‘Well, we get out of the city.’

  ‘And then?’

  ‘We must try to get down to Montenegro.’

  ‘Do you not think the Germans are going to move into Montenegro as well?’

  ‘It will take them some time. We will get to Montenegro first, and you will requisition a boat in the name of the British army, and we will go—’

  ‘Yes? The Adriatic is an Italian lake.’

  ‘Shit! But you will think of something.’

  ‘That is what I am trying to do. But the first thing I am try
ing to think about is how we get to Montenegro. Or anywhere else.’

  ‘We will walk.’

  ‘Maybe a hundred miles. You have no shoes.’

  She looked at her feet, seeming to realise that for the first time.

  ‘And neither does Sandrine,’ he added.

  Elena giggled. ‘You will have to carry her.’

  *

  He went down to the pump room, as Elena insisted. The door was closed, and he knocked.

  ‘Who is it?’ Sandrine asked. ‘Is it you, Elena?’

  ‘It’s Tony.’

  ‘Oh. What do you want?’

  ‘To speak with you. I’m coming in.’

  He opened the door. She had retreated behind the pump.

  ‘For God’s sake,’ he said. ‘I am not going to harm you.’

  ‘You think that saving my life gives you the right to me.’

  ‘Listen. I’m engaged to Elena. And what about Bernhard?’

  ‘I shall never see Bernhard again. I shall never speak to Bernhard again. I shall never even think of Bernhard again. And the next time I see him, I shall kill him.’

  Tony deduced that she was not in a logical frame of mind.

  ‘That seems to be a sound idea,’ he agreed. ‘Now listen. You have to come out of here and join the others.’

  ‘Those men saw me with nothing on.’

  ‘Do you really think you’re the first naked woman they’ve seen? Okay, so it’s a good bet they’ve never seen anyone quite as beautiful as you, but I do promise that none of them is going to trouble you in any way. I will see to that. We are a team. We survive together, or we die. Remember this.’

  ‘Do you really think I am beautiful? Or are you just saying this?’

  ‘I really think you are beautiful.’

  ‘Do you think I am more beautiful than Elena?’

  Tony hesitated. But Elena had given him carte blanche as to how to handle the situation. Besides, it was the truth. ‘Yes.’

  ‘Does that mean you wish to fuck me?’

  ‘Yes. But now is not the time. The first thing we have to do is get out of Belgrade and link up with the Yugoslav army.’

  ‘All I need to do is reach my apartment and get my passport.’

  ‘Sandrine,’ Tony said as patiently as he could, ‘by now your apartment has been destroyed, or occupied by the Germans. And even if you could get your passport, it wouldn’t do you any good. We didn’t kill all of those German soldiers. Those who survived will have circulated our descriptions, and they will certainly remember you. If the German army lays hands on you again, it is going to execute you, probably after considerable unpleasantness first. Do you want that to happen?’

  She bit her lip. ‘You are trying to make me into some kind of outlaw.’

  ‘You already are an outlaw, in German eyes. I am trying to make you understand that your only hope of survival is to come with us.’

  ‘So that you – and those others – can have sex with me.’

  ‘I give you my word that neither I nor any of those soldiers is going to lay a finger on you unless invited to do so. All I am trying to do is save your life.’

  ‘You want to link up with the Yugoslav army. Where will you do that?’

  ‘There’s the point. It may take a little while, and involve a bit of walking.’

  She looked down at her legs and feet; both were red, and her feet were cut.

  ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘Now, obviously, if we see an opportunity, we will find you some shoes. But for the time being, we will have to wrap some of our clothes round your feet. I can’t promise it’ll be comfortable, but it should give you some protection. Now, will you please come out and remember that everyone here only wants to help you.’

  Sandrine sighed, but followed him into the pool room.

  *

  The soldiers were enthusiastic about helping the two women, but Ivkov was the most useful. Several of his regular clients apparently left their swimming costumes in his changing rooms, and these were very useful for wrapping round the women’s feet, to be secured with lengths of string. When Elena looked down at herself she burst out laughing, and even Sandrine smiled; when they walked they flapped like penguins.

  ‘I would like to come with you, when you go,’ Ivkov said.

  ‘It will be dangerous,’ Tony pointed out.

  ‘I do not think it will be as dangerous as staying here.’

  ‘What about your family?’

  The bath-keeper shrugged. ‘My children have all gone away from Belgrade. I cannot help them by staying here.’

  ‘You have a wife, haven’t you?’

  ‘I have had a wife for thirty years. The same wife. Now she has a moustache. And now . . .’ He looked at the women, sitting together, whispering.

  ‘I think you need to be certain of one thing, Ivkov,’ Tony said. ‘If you lay a finger on those girls, or if you harass them in any way, I will shoot you.’

  Ivkov snorted. ‘You think you have the right to do that?’

  ‘I am assuming the right, now. I have been asked to take command by the sergeant, and I have done so. If you really wish to come with us you are welcome, but you will then be placing yourself under my command, and will obey my orders at all times.’

  Ivkov considered. ‘I saved your lives.’

  ‘And we are grateful. But now it is up to us to save our own lives. And we can only do that by acting as a unit, with one commander.’

  Ivkov nodded. ‘I will come with you. It will be better than staying here.’

  ‘Then, welcome.’

  But the conversation had raised other considerations. He sat beside Elena. ‘What are you going to do about your family?’

  ‘What can I do about my family?’

  ‘Not a lot, I’m afraid. But—’

  ‘My mother wishes to make peace with the Germans. If she manages to do this before they shoot her, she will be all right. My father always does what my mother tells him to, so he will be all right. Svetovar is with the army. If he has not been killed, he will have withdrawn with them and be somewhere in the hills. Maybe I will see him again. But I can do nothing about him at this moment.’

  Tony wondered if, in similar circumstances, he would be capable of such pragmatism. But at least her courage and determination were not in doubt. He hoped Sandrine would turn out as well.

  He joined the sergeant.

  ‘What is your plan, sir?’

  ‘Firstly, to have you tell me your name.’

  ‘It is Matanovic, sir.’

  ‘Right. Well, Sergeant Matanovic, as soon as it is dark we are going to get out of the city, and then we are going to try to link up with your people. I am relying on you to help me in this.’

  Matanovic nodded. ‘They will have retreated to the south.’

  ‘That makes sense. Will we find them?’

  ‘I should think so, sir. Or they will find us.’

  ‘Well, then, that is our plan.’

  It was Tony’s idea to reach Dubrovnik, although he had no positive plan as to what he could do after that; the Adriatic was an Italian lake. But if he could get to a radio and send a message, it might be possible for him to be taken out by submarine, or even by aircraft. If anyone in Athens or Cairo would be sufficiently interested in an itinerant captain, that is. Especially if he intended to get the women out as well. He did not feel he could just abandon them.

  But his first business was to get them out of Belgrade.

  *

  The sounds of conflict dwindled throughout the afternoon; the sounds of conquest grew. The rumble of tanks and transport filled the air, and aircraft continued to zoom overhead. An occasional shot rang out, but this was just the Germans flushing out any final resistance. An armoured car rumbled past the baths, a voice in good Serbo-Croat issuing orders through a loudspeaker: as the city had surrendered it was the duty of its citizens to welcome their new masters. Instructions were added as to where people should go to apply for their ration cards.

  Ton
y and his group continued to be on the lookout for a return visit from an enemy patrol, but although they saw the occasional group of soldiers, none approached the baths. In fact this area of the city was very quiet, with apparently all resistance stamped out.

  ‘This is a sad day for Yugoslavia,’ Matanovic observed. ‘For all Serbia.’

  ‘You are Serbian?’ Tony asked.

  ‘Of course, sir.’

  ‘But there are other nationalities in your army, are there not? Croats, Slovenes, Montenegrins . . .’

  ‘Bah,’ Matanovic said. ‘The only good soldiers are Serbs. The rest are useless. They are cowards, and cannot be trusted. The Croats are worst of all. They are Fascists at heart.’

  Tony looked at Elena, willing her to be silent; she accepted his unspoken command, even as she looked daggers.

  Fortunately the sergeant had made no inquiries as to her nationality, but Tony was beginning to realise that this six-person unit was going to be far more difficult to command than a company of the Buffs.

  *

  They ate part of their looted food, and as dusk approached – it was still only early April – carefully packed the rest away in the soldiers’ haversacks, Elena’s satchel, and a shoulder bag Ivkov produced.

  ‘My handbag!’ Sandrine exclaimed, apparently realising for the first time that she no longer had it.

  ‘I’m afraid it got lost in that fire we ran through,’ Tony said.

  ‘It will have been burned to a cinder,’ Elena said.

  ‘But . . . my make-up was in there.’

  ‘You look fine,’ Tony assured her, hoping she was not going to get to a mirror in the near future.

  ‘But . . . the key to my apartment!’

  ‘When we get back to your apartment, we’ll break the door down,’ Tony promised.

  ‘If someone else hasn’t done it first,’ Elena said, receiving a glance from Sandrine which could, Tony suspected, indicate the end of a close relationship.

  ‘I should have a weapon,’ Ivkov said. ‘I cannot escape without a weapon.’

  ‘There are none to spare.’

  Ivkov looked at Sandrine, who still clutched her tommy-gun. ‘She has a weapon.’

  ‘There is no ammunition for it. There is very little ammunition left for any of our weapons,’ Tony told him. His service revolver and Elena’s Luger, which she had reloaded, were the only fully functional guns they had left, and there was only one magazine left for Elena and a handful of bullets for him.