"Yes." Muller nodded. "I don’t know—that is something for you and her to discuss. I won’t force her to have a maid, especially here. You will need to convince her of that."
"There is my problem."
"Eva is a stubborn woman, but for this matter let her make the choice."
Edith nodded. "There is one more thing."
"Yes?"
"I found quite a few pills thrown away in the garbage and I know they belong to Eva."
Muller leaned forward on the edge of the bed. "Are you sure they’re hers?"
"Yes, quite sure."
Muller sighed. "What was I saying about my daughter being stubborn? What medication is it?"
"Pain medication."
Muller shook his head. "She would rather be in pain than take the drugs?"
"She tried this in Paris and I let her get away with it."
"What happened then? You didn’t tell me about this."
"Hans, you don’t need to know everything. If it’s important I will tell you. It lasted a few days until she couldn’t hold out anymore and she started to take them on her own," Edith said with a smile.
"That won’t always work."
"I know, but eventually she does buckle."
"Alright, I will have a word with her. Other than her being stubborn, how is she?"
"It’s a difficult place for someone like Eva."
Muller nodded. "She will just have to adjust."
"She is trying and she has been exercising more with going out of the house. This is a good thing." Edith reached out and touched Muller’s hand. "Dieter wants her to move around, and walking will ease the pain in her back."
"It will?"
"Yes. She needs the exercise."
"General Rhimes’ nurse Frieda said she saw a church not far from here. She thinks it would be a good landmark for her to reach."
"I agree with Frieda. By the way there’s a nice lookout not far from here…"
Muller grinned as he held Edith’s hand. "You found a lookout after being here for a few days?"
"I didn’t find it on my own." Edith smiled at the look she was getting from Muller. "Despina told me about it. It’s called Athena’s Bluff—beautiful location overlooking the valley."
"Hm, maybe when the mayhem dies down a little, we could go up there and have a look?"
"Oh? When do you anticipate the mayhem dying down a little? You don’t even sit down to eat properly and you’re going on a picnic with me?" Edith teasingly asked.
Muller chuckled. "Yes, that’s true. That will have to wait. So you want to send Eva to this church and then to Athena’s Bluff?"
"Yes, it would be good for her to get out and it will strengthen her legs and back."
"Alright. I’ll have two guards escort her when she’s out." Muller got up to leave and started to walk away when he stopped. "Edith, have you noticed anything I should be worried about?"
"I would tell you if I did. There is nothing to worry about." Edith nodded. "Dieter’s therapy has worked, so that won’t happen again. Didn’t he tell you?"
"Dieter told me that the therapy worked and that Eva was cured. I don’t know though…."
Edith took off her glasses and regarded Muller for a moment. "Dieter has been experimenting with his method of eradicating unwanted personality traits for a long time. He has worked with some of the best. Now, many of us as little children stuck our hand in a fire, didn’t we?"
"Of course."
"Once we got burnt, we realized that sticking our hand in the fire wasn’t a good idea because it would hurt," Edith patiently explained. She held up her hand to forestall Muller’s question. "We know that if we continued to put our hand in the fire, we would cause ourselves pain."
"Unless you were a ‘useless eater.’"
"Hans! I really hate that phrase."
"It’s true," Muller responded with a shrug.
"Need I remind you that my brother was wounded during the Great War and was crippled? I dislike that phrase."
Muller sighed. "I’m sorry Edith, I wasn’t referring to Konrad. He is a war hero."
Edith dabbed her eyes with her handkerchief. "I love our Führer, but I dislike that phrase."
"I know." Hans moved to sit next to Edith and put his arm around her shoulders to comfort her. "I’m sorry."
"Where was I? Oh, yes, we don’t go around putting our hand in a fire. We learn by experience, and Dieter has perfected his conversion therapy so that Eva is physically very ill when…" Edith stopped when she saw Muller’s furrowed brow deepen. "Do you want me stop?"
"No." Muller shook his head. "Explain it to me."
"When someone like Eva is physically attracted to a woman it would be the equivalent of her sticking her hand on an open flame—it would hurt her. Eva’s interactions with women are fine as long as she doesn’t have any physical feelings for them."
"She can interact with you or any other woman without the hand in the fire reaction?"
"Yes. If Eva has any feeling of a sexual nature, then Dieter’s therapy will trigger the pain response."
Muller looked down at his hands for a long moment and nodded, feeling uncomfortable about discussing Eva’s mental lapse. After a long moment he looked up at Edith. "How do we know if this has worked?"
"Dieter tested Eva back in Aiden. She was married to Erik for two years and he believes she’s cured. It’s worked, Hans. I’ve treated a few patients that had similar mental problems such as Eva and they have been cured. It’s a mental problem that is easily fixed."
"What about here?"
Edith smiled at Muller’s reluctance to believe the conversion therapy had worked. "I will be keeping an eye on her and she will be tested. I saw Eva and Captain Reinhardt kissing yesterday. They have been flirting since he joined you after the bombing."
Muller smiled broadly at such good news. "Really?"
Edith chuckled. "The normal response to that revelation would be one of shock and dismay that your little girl is kissing a boy."
"Yes, it would be, but I don’t have a normal little girl."
"She is normal. She lost her way but she’s back now."
"Good, maybe I should--"
"No, you should not meddle. Let the young man court her without having her father looking over his shoulder," Edith gently reprimanded her friend. "Eva is finally jumping back into the pond."
"She can jump in the pond if she wants as long as she doesn’t jump in the other pond."
"That won’t happen."
"I hope you are right."
"Don’t worry, Hans."
"Good," Muller replied as he rose to leave.
"Are you taking Eva with you?"
"Yes."
"It is raining; maybe you should leave her here."
"No. I want her there. Having you there will show her what strength and courage is all about," Muller said as he opened the door and left to go find Eva.
***
The windows rattled as the wind got stronger outside. The unseasonably warm May weather of yesterday had deteriorated overnight. Eva sat in her desk beside the window and watched the rain splatter against it. She hated Larissa. She hated the backward villagers who didn’t bother to hide their hatred. She knew she would; that wasn’t the surprise. She wasn’t sure if the villagers pitied her or out rightly despised her on her sojourns outside.
Eva’s attention was drawn away from her thoughts of the humiliating ‘walk’ when she heard Muller talking to one of the soldiers outside. Moments later, he entered the room she had been given as a small office. She wasn’t sure why she needed an office when she had a bedroom, but she wasn’t about to question her father on that or why she was placed upstairs and not downstairs.
"Get ready. We are going out."
Eva mentally sighed as she got up from her seat. "Father, it’s raining--"
"I’m well aware that it’s raining. I can see it," Muller tersely replied.
"I don’t want to go outside," Eva mumbled as she looked
down at her hands.
"That is not your decision to make."
Eva looked up at Muller. "Father--"
"Did you not hear what I just said to you?"
"Yes, sir."
"Think of it as an extension of what you have been doing."
"It was dif—"
"Don’t show weakness." Muller grabbed hold of Eva’s cheeks and held her face in a vice-like grip. "You are a Muller, god dammit! Behave like one. We do not show weakness," he growled as he came inches from her face. "Do you understand me?"
Eva swallowed her fear and blinked back the tears that threatened to spill. "Yes."
"Yes, what?"
"Yes, Father," Eva said as Muller released his grip. She dropped her eyes and stood with her hands clasped together in front of her.
"Your uncle wants me to give him reports on your progress. You will continue this regime, as I said, but you won’t do it piecemeal. You will walk to the church every day. If it takes you an hour or four hours, you will do that. If you have to stop every five steps, do it, but you will walk to that church and beyond. Edith tells me there is a nice lookout just out of town. I want you to aim to get to the church and to that lookout."
"Yes, sir."
"Sergeant Franz will continue as your guard. You are not to leave the house without him. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir."
"You will not pull the same stunt by leaving on your own like you did in France. We have discussed this more than a few times but you seem to want to disobey me."
"I won’t disobey you."
"Good, because the next time you do it, I will have both guards shot. Their deaths will be on your head and you will have to write to their mothers to tell them why. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, Father."
"Good. Now as for your walks, you can take as long as you like to get there and come back. Your uncle wants you to get stronger. You’ve spent a lot of time healing in Aiden and then France. It’s been a difficult time and you have resisted your uncle’s advice." Muller sighed and sat down on the sofa. He took off his hat and ran his hands through his short blond hair. "You are too stubborn, Eva. Erik was too much in love with you to follow Dieter’s instructions and you spent years doing nothing in getting stronger."
"I don’t see--"
"I don’t care what you see or don’t see. You will listen to your uncle’s advice. He is your physician and he knows what you can and can’t do. Had you listened to what he was asking you to do, you would be able to walk more easily."
"It’s a bit hard to do when I can’t move properly," Eva muttered.
"Whose fault is that?" Muller asked as he leaned back on the sofa and regarded Eva. "I know I said I wasn’t going to mention this again because you have been cured of this sickness, but you shamed me and your mother by being with that woman. Did you not consider that this would come to the light?"
"Father--"
Muller rose from the sofa and stood in front of Eva. He stared into her sky-blue eyes. "Your uncle tells me this deviant behavior has been cured and I want to believe him. If you give me a reason to doubt it, I will not be as merciful as I have been in letting you live."
Eva swallowed audibly and nodded. "I am cured, Father."
"I hope so. Now Edith has told me you are refusing to take all your medication."
"They make me sick; I feel funny when I take them."
"Are we going to have this discussion again? You will take your medication or I will be forced to have the medics give it to you with you strapped down to a bed. What do you prefer?"
"I will take it."
"Good. Now what is this about you not wanting a maid?"
"We are in the middle of a war zone--"
"I’m well aware of that. I just lost good men to the Resistance when they blew up the train line. What does that have to do with your reluctance for a maid? You had one back home. Never mind, I don’t have time for this. If you want a maid, tell me when you are ready."
"I will."
Muller gazed at Eva for a moment. "A little bird has told me that a certain young captain is courting you."
"Yes." Eva nodded bashfully.
Muller nodded. "Good. I will tell him to behave himself."
"Father! Please don’t make him nervous; he’s already scared of you."
"Good, a young man should be scared of the father of the young lady he is courting. Now get dressed and wear something warmer."
"Where are we going?"
Muller stopped at the door and turned back. "To teach the Greeks a lesson."
"It’s raining."
"Yes, I know, I can see."
"But--"
"Eva." Muller stopped at the door and sighed. "Get ready," he said and closed the door behind him.
Eva leaned against the desk and dropped her chin down to her chest as the pain from her back injury overwhelmed her. Standing up to Muller took a lot of effort. His threats were real. She was living proof that he could inflict the pain he threatened her with. He would kill her if he wanted to without any remorse.
Eva glanced back at the window when it rattled as thunder boomed overhead. Someone was going to die today and there was nothing anyone could do about that.
Chapter Six
Eva looked up at the dark sky and waited for her guards to get themselves organized. She stood outside the house just under a tree which afforded her some shelter from the rain. A car was standing by to take them the short distance to the town square. They didn’t need a car, since the field where the villagers were being assembled was a few minutes’ walk. Eva didn’t think this was for her benefit. She smiled when she saw Reinhardt exit the house and put on his hat.
"You’re going to need a hot drink after this," Eva whispered when Reinhardt joined her at the bottom of the steps.
Jurgen Reinhardt was what Hitler envisioned the Aryan race to be—a tall, muscular young man of twenty five, blond-haired, with blue eyes and a devotion to the army; a career soldier. He had been Major Muller’s right hand man since joining him in France and now in Greece. He smiled when he saw Eva and put his arm around her. "Your father just had a chat with me."
"Oh, dear."
"Hm. I think I need something stronger than a hot drink," Reinhardt said with a slight smile. "He’s given us his blessing."
Eva mentally sighed. "Remind him next time he yells at you."
"I don’t think I’m going to remind him of that," Reinhardt replied as he tenderly brushed a leaf that had fallen on Eva’s hair. "Why are you out here in the rain? You should go back inside. There’s no need for you to be here."
"Papa wants me to be there."
"Ah, well, that explains it." Reinhardt looked around at the assembled men. "I won’t be able to be at your side but I’m sure Franz will protect you," he said as he watched Eva’s guard heading their way. Sergeant Henry Franz was a giant of a man who towered over Eva’s six foot two frame. His helmet covered a bald head. He had thick blond eyebrows over deep-set green eyes.
"You are to escort Fraulein Muller when we get to the field. Do not let her slip, do not let her fall, do not let her get wet. You are to protect her."
"Yes, sir," Henry replied, causing Eva to smile. Henry’s quiet voice was in stark contrast to his size. Eva turned to Reinhardt, who had put on his hat and adjusted his uniform. "Go and organize your troops."
Reinhardt smiled, hesitated for a moment before he kissed her gently on the lips and walked away to assemble the men.
"It’s going to a very wet day, Henry."
Eva looked around at the soldiers and also at the villagers who were heading in the direction of the field. She wondered if they knew what awaited them. Would it make any difference if she told them to run, to escape? More than likely she would get them killed and herself. She turned to Henry, who was standing very close to her holding an umbrella. The umbrella looked ridiculously small compared to his size.
"You’re getting wet."
Henry smiled. "I’ll li
ve."
"We’re going to be sloshing through the mud."
"I know, but if need be, I will carry you."
Eva nodded, well aware that Henry was capable of carrying her if there was any trouble at the execution of innocent lives. The thought made her sick to her stomach—innocent lives would be snuffed out on the say so of one man. She involuntarily shuddered at the impending deaths. Orders were being barked out and Muller had descended down the stairs wearing his gun holster. Henry held out his arm for Eva to hold as she slowly made her way to the car.
Riding with them was Major Bonhoffen, who had arrived in the afternoon. Eva felt nothing but a dread come over her whenever Bonhoffen was in her vicinity. He was brandishing his pistol and smiled menacingly at the villagers who passed him. He was a much-despised man, a violent and irrational German. Eva had witnessed his brutality first hand in France. She had seen people shot dead in retaliation for Resistance activities without remorse. It was Bonhoffen who insisted that the soldiers’ deaths in Larissa needed to be avenged, and Muller agreed.
***
Zoe and her mother Helena walked slowly towards the field. As she looked around the small farming community, Zoe carefully watched her fellow countrymen walking quietly to the town center. They were subdued. Memories arose of balmy summer nights walking along with her friends, memories of carefree days when the worst that happened was a boy yanking her hair and being generally a nuisance.
Those boys were no longer there, no longer part of her life. Zoe felt her throat constrict and tried to swallow the lump in her throat but couldn’t. Tears threatened to spill but were kept back by sheer will. She didn’t want those German bastards to see her cry. She didn’t want to show any weakness. It was also the last thing she wanted for her mama to see. Too many nights were spent crying over the deaths of her brothers and her father. Zoe mentally shook herself and glanced at Helena, who was talking animatedly with her cousin.
Zoe’s attention shifted as a group of soldiers passed by. She wondered when the nightmare would end. To the Germans, the Greeks were a stubborn people who refused to surrender when all was lost. To the Greeks, the Germans were going to know that the country was not going to be subjugated without a struggle, without exacting a heavy price from the occupying force.
In The Blood Of The Greeks (Intertwined Souls Series Book 1) Page 4
