The Soldier's Girl: A gripping, heartbreaking World War 2 historical novel

by Sharon Maas

  ‘It was very real, for me.’

  ‘I’m not going to argue with you, Sibyl. You are adult and must know what you are doing.’

  ‘I do. I’ve already spoken to someone from the Red Cross. I am going to volunteer with them, as a nurse. Go with them into Germany. The war is not yet over. There is work to be done.’

  ‘Ah, that’s a good idea. It will help you to help others, I think. Very good…and…oh! But I heard there was a will? He left you everything? Is that the real reason you want to return? Are you going to claim your inheritance? Will his parents contest it?’

  ‘I am not that mercenary.’ Sibyl looked straight into Margaux’s eyes. ‘I told you this before, Margaux. I have no legal right to anything he might leave me. His will – well, he left it all to Marlene Schuster, as I told you, who does not exist, for she is an alias of Jeanne Dauguet, who is dead. I am not going to take what is not rightly mine.’

  ‘Nobody need know that you are not Jeanne Dauguet. And besides…I’m sure a good lawyer could make the argument that it is YOU he loved and left everything to, not some ghost.’

  ‘It’s possible. But I would never make such a claim, or fight such a battle. It wouldn’t be right.’

  Margaux shrugged. ‘If you say so.’

  An awkward silence fell between them, filled by a name they all seemed reluctant to mention; a name that kept cropping up only to be dismissed again. As if it didn’t matter. Though they all knew it did. Finally Sibyl found the courage to speak it.

  ‘So – Jacques? You said he’s busy? Busy doing what?’

  The back door blew open with a gust of cold air. And there he stood.

  ‘Speak of the devil,’ said Jacques, and swept Sibyl into his arms.

  Margaux and Elena melted discreetly into the parlour. Jacques rubbed his hands together, blew on them to warm them. ‘It is freezing outside,’ he said.

  ‘Shall I make you a tisane? It will warm you.’

  ‘You will warm me,’ said Jacques. He sat down at a kitchen chair and pulled Sibyl onto his lap. A ridiculous shyness overcame her. She had no words, could not look at him.

  ‘Look at me!’

  She did. But then she stood up and put a kettle on the stove to boil water for his tisane.

  ‘It’s all right, Sibi. I know. You did a job. Everything you did was right.’

  ‘You don’t know,’ she whispered as she opened a cupboard for a mug. ‘It’s not fair. Jacques, not fair to you. Everything has changed. Our hopes, our promises – I have betrayed everything. I am going to volunteer with the Red Cross. I am going to work in Germany.’

  ‘Ha! Since when do you owe the Germans your allegiance?’

  ‘Because I – because…’

  ‘It is over, Sibi. The war is over. Last year we promised each other that when the war was over, our life would begin.’

  ‘Everything has changed. I have changed. You have changed. I must find a different future. There is so much work to be done. There are tasks to be done. The concentration camps in Germany…’

  ‘Sibi, there is work to be done everywhere. Alsace is in ruins. I am helping to build it up again. People are desperate, homeless, starving, sick. Why would you run off to work in Germany, when Alsace is bleeding?’

  Guilt, she wanted to say. Because I misled a good German and I am responsible for his death. But she could not say it. Not to Jacques. Instead, she said:

  ‘It’s a long story, Jacques, and I will tell you one day. But not today.’

  She placed herbs in Margaux’s old cracked teapot. She filled it with hot water.

  ‘I don’t want to hear your story. Ever. It is over. It has all been a terrible nightmare and we all did things that we’d never have done if not for one insane tyrant. He has destroyed Europe, Sibi. Will you let him destroy your life as well? I remember so well that day when you dropped from the sky. I remember the almost full moon, the whiteness of your parachute, and then the joy that lit your eyes when you recognised me. You brought goodness with you; I felt it, I knew it, that night. Will you let that tyrant destroy that goodness? We must move on, Sibi, away from destruction. We must heal what has been destroyed. You and me. We must stand up in the middle of these ruins and find healing – for ourselves and for the world around us.’

  ‘Here is your tisane.’ She placed a steaming cup on the table before him. He cupped it with his hands. Then he let go, pulled her to his lap, placed her hands around the cup, and his around hers. He held her close. Spoke so softly she could hardly hear his voice. Slowly, gently, hesitantly and at first his voice cracked as he spoke, as if he himself was cracked, deep inside; but with every word strength gathered and filled the words, until at last they became triumphant.

  ‘We Alsatian winemakers have a saying. In a year when a war begins, the wine is bad. It is a reflection of the life outside, Sibi, a mirror of the evil in the world. The wine is bad and our hearts are filled with fear and loathing. But in a year when a war ends, the wine is good, and our hearts are filled with goodness. This will be a good year.’

  If you loved The Soldier’s Girl, don’t miss The Lost Daughter of India by Sharon Maas – a heart-breaking story of loss, secrets and the strength of a mother’s love.

  Get it here!

  The Lost Daughter of India

  One woman. One impossible choice. Her daughter or her happiness…

  * * *

  When Caroline meets Kamal the attraction is instant. He’s enchanting, charismatic and she can’t wait to set up a new life with him in India. Both their families are against the union but Caroline is convinced they’ll come round, especially when she gives birth to a beautiful daughter, Asha.

  * * *

  Asha is an adorable child but Caroline, homesick and beginning to hate the remote Indian village they live in, struggles with motherhood. Kamal is hardly ever there and she feels more and more isolated. In the grips of severe depression Caroline flees back to America, leaving Asha behind.

  * * *

  Ten years later…

  * * *

  Caroline recovered from her illness, is consumed by thoughts of the daughter she abandoned. Desperate to find Asha, she reunites with Kamal, intent on tracking her down. Will they ever be able to find their lost daughter? If they have any chance, they must confront the painful truths of the past and a terrible secret that has been kept for many years, until now.

  * * *

  A heart-breaking and beautifully written story of loss, secrets and the strength of a mother’s love against all odds. If you enjoyed Diane Chamberlain and Lucinda Riley then this book will find its way into your heart and stay there.

  * * *

  Get it here.

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  Also by Sharon Maas

  Of Marriageable Age

  The Lost Daughter of India

  The Orphan of India

  The Soldier’s Girl

  * * *

  THE QUINT CHRONICLES

  The Small Fortune of Dorothea Q

  The Secret Life of Winnie Cox

  The Sugar Planter’s Daughter

  The Girl from the Sugar Plantation

  A Letter from Sharon

  Dear Readers,

  I do hope that you enjoyed reading The Soldier’s Girl as much as I enjoyed writing it, and that as you turned the last pages you felt something of the satisfaction I felt at writing the last words; that sense of arriving at a journey’s end. If you did enjoy it, and want to keep up-to-date with all my latest releases, just sign up at the following link. Your email address will never be shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

  Sign up here

  * * *

  And what a trip it’s been. I
t really began many decades ago, when I was a student in the wonderful South Germany town of Freiburg, just across the Rhine from Colmar. Every summer I would visit my dear friend Trudel, an extraordinary woman who in those years had become something of an Ersatz-mother to me. I first met Trudel in 1974, in India; she took me under her wing, rather in the way Margaux, in The Soldier’s Girl, takes young people, waifs and strays, under her wing. After all, I was more or less on my own in Germany, finding my legs and my independence after a failed marriage.

  Trudel was born in Ribeauvillé and considered herself an Alsatian; but she told me very little about Alsace during the summers I spent with her. Her stories were of Berlin during the war years, and of the incredible island on the Seddiner See where she met her future husband, unforgettable stories of unforgettable people. Her home near Colmar, nestled in the garden she so loved, was a magnet for young people like me; I will never forget the 80th birthday party her children Regine and Thomas threw for her, when the older ‘Berliner’ crowd met with the younger generation. She was truly a stalwart; one of those marvellous women who, just by being who they are, bring strength and inspiration to others. Trudel passed away at the ripe old age of 102, physically frail as one would expect of a woman of her age, but mentally as astute and wise as ever. She had been living alone in that Alsatian house, winter and summer, for many years at the time.

  So when my publishers suggested that I might like to try my hand at a World War II novel, the setting was as clear as day. Where else but Alsace?

  It seemed the perfect place: not only one of the most picturesque regions of France, but a place I already loved, balanced as it was between the two European countries I knew the best. But that was just the beginning…

  The story of Alsace, I discovered, is a captivating chapter the history books almost forgot to tell. It gave me great joy to discover that chapter for myself, and now to tell that tale as a backdrop to Sibyl’s story. Somehow, I felt that it was Trudel guiding my hand as I wrote it.

  I hope you loved The Soldier’s Girl and if you did I would be very grateful if you could write a review. I’d love to hear what you think, and it makes such a difference helping new readers to discover one of my books for the first time.

  I love hearing from my readers – you can get in touch on my Facebook page, through Twitter, Goodreads or my website.

  Thanks,

  Sharon Maas

  * * *

  www.sharonmaas.com

  Historical Notes

  This is a work of fiction, but the historical background – the annexation and liberation of Alsace – is true. I have added a detail to the known history: a Resistance movement. An Alsatian living today might inform you that there was no Resistance in Alsace because it was annexed, not occupied. But fiction is all about ‘what if’ and I am sure there were people such as Jacques and the other maquisards, young men and even women who loathed the situation so much that they tried to do something about it. Marcel Weinum was one of these; he lived, resisted, and was executed for his troubles, aged only 18. Had he not been executed no-one would have heard of him. Let us remember him and others like him who resisted anonymously, forgotten by history.

  There was no Special Operations Executive agent sent to Alsace. There were, indeed, only 39 female SOE agents. Sibyl is a fictitious 40th female agent.

  Heinrich Himmler was indeed appointed Commander of the Alsace action, Operation Northwind, reporting directly to Hitler; he did go to Alsace. However, as far as I know, there was no assassination attempt against him. More’s the pity!

  The Orphan of India

  Available now.

  A beautiful, unforgettable tale of a young girl torn between two lives…

  * * *

  Monika and Jack Kingsley are desperate for a child of their own. On a trip to India, they fall in love with Jyothi: a small, shy girl, whose family has been ruined by poverty.

  * * *

  Jyothi has been living on the streets of Bombay, seeking comfort in the music she hears around her. When her mother is involved in a tragic accident, Jack and Monika are determined to adopt the orphan child.

  * * *

  Eventually they return to England, but Jyothi finds it difficult to adapt to her new home. She feels more alone than ever and music becomes her solace once more. Even when Jyothi’s extraordinary musical talent transforms into a promising career, she still doesn’t feel like she belongs.

  * * *

  Then a turbulent love affair causes her to question everything. And Jyothi realises that before she can embrace her future, she must confront her past...

  * * *

  The Orphan of India is an utterly evocative and heart-wrenching novel that will stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page. Perfect for fans of Dinah Jefferies, Santa Montefiore and Diane Chamberlain.

  Get it here.

  Of Marriageable Age

  ‘It’s a wonderful panoramic story and conveys such vivid pictures of the countries it portrays. I was immediately transported and completely captivated. A terrific writer.’ Barbara Erskine

  * * *

  A spellbinding story of forbidden love. Three continents, three decades, three very disparate lives:

  * * *

  Savitri, intuitive and charismatic, grows up among the servants of a pre-war English household in Madras. But the traditional customs of her Brahmin family clash against English upper-class prejudice, threatening her love for the privileged son of the house.

  * * *

  Nataraj, raised as the son of an idealistic doctor in rural South India, finds life in London heady, with girls and grass easily available… until he is summoned back home to face raw reality.

  * * *

  Saroj, her fire hidden by outward reserve, comes of age in Guyana, South America. When her strict, orthodox Hindu father goes one step too far she finally rebels against him... and even against her gentle, apparently docile Ma.

  * * *

  But Ma harbours a deep secret… one that binds these three so disparate lives and hurtles them towards a truth that could destroy their world.

  * * *

  Get it here!

  The Small Fortune of Dorothea Q

  Thirty years of family secrets. Three generations of women. One family heirloom that could change everything.

  * * *

  When she ran away from her childhood home in Guyana, Rika swore that she would never return. Cut off from her family, she has fought hard to make a life for herself and daughter, Inky, in London.

  Now, over thirty years later, Rika’s cantankerous, wheelchair-bound mother, Dorothea, arrives in London. But as old wounds re-open, Dorothea and Rika are further apart than ever.

  Inky soon learns that her grandmother is sitting on a small fortune. As she uncovers the secrets of the past one by one, she unravels the tragedy that tore her mother and grandmother apart. But nothing can prepare her, or Rika, for Dorothea’s final, unexpected revelation.

  * * *

  An epic, mesmerizing tale of tragic loss, the strength of words left unspoken, and the redeeming power of love.

  * * *

  Get it here.

  The Secret Life of Winnie Cox

  Two people. Two very different worlds. One heartbreaking love story.

  * * *

  1910, South America: Winnie Cox lives a privileged life of dances and dresses on her father’s sugar cane plantation. Life is sweet in the kingdom of sugar and Winnie along with her sister Johanna, have neither worries nor responsibilities, they are birds of paradise, protected from the poverty in the world around them.

  * * *

  But everything can change in a heartbeat…

  * * *

  When Winnie falls in love with George Quint, the post-office boy, a ‘darkie’ from the other side, she soon finds herself slipping into a double life. And as she withdraws from her family, she discovers a shocking secret about those whom are closest to her. Now, more than ever, Winnie is determined to prove he
r love for George, whatever price she must pay and however tragic the consequences might be.

  * * *

  A breathtaking love story of two people fighting to be together, in a world determined to break them apart.

  * * *

  Buy here!

  The Sugar Planter’s Daughter

  A breathtaking and unforgettable story of a woman torn between her family and the man she loves.