Erik’s respect for the old gal went up another notch. For all her disapproval over some of her adventurous grandson’s schemes, it seemed she was in Erik’s corner when it came to him and Annelise. Yep, he liked that dear lady.
Acutely aware of Erik’s presence in the kitchen with her, Annelise filled the water kettle and set it on the hottest part of the stove, then moved to the icebox for cheese and other snack items. “Would you mind fetching a tray and a few napkins?” she asked to keep him busy. “And there are crackers in that cupboard behind you. Cookies, too, for the children.”
Erik took out a tin of cookies she’d baked earlier and brought them to her. He didn’t even ask where things were! He’d gotten to know his way around the kitchen and the rest of the house amazingly quickly and seemed at home now. How had Grams put it yesterday, those old eyes of hers sparkling? Such a good fit, he is. Already the opinionated lady treated him like part of the family, just one more grandson. A person would think that her granddaughter and Erik really were engaged—and that the mock wedding mere days away now was legal!
Smiling at the ludicrous thought, she conceded that the American was more than pleasing. He was charming, witty, and intelligent, and he displayed a rare gentleness whenever he was around the children. Still, it seemed that Grams and Axel were caught up in a fairy tale.
How many couples really lived happily ever after? Sure, her own grandparents had enjoyed a long and wonderful life together, but that was back when marriage was considered a sacred trust, when a man presented himself to his true love’s family, vowing to honor and protect her till death parted them. She couldn’t imagine Erik approaching her father with such a pledge. Frederick Christiansen lacked a single honorable bone in his body.
She shook off the bitter thought. I’ll never forgive him. Never.
“Is this everything, Annelise?” Erik interrupted her musings … and her idleness at the worktable.
“Hmm?” Her gaze collided with his, only inches away. “Oh.” She tried to regain her poise as she surveyed the tray. She couldn’t remember slicing the cheese or laying out the pickled herring, let alone arranging the apple slices, cookies, and crackers so artfully. What was wrong with her? “Yes, that’s fine, except we need cups.”
Erik studied her for another excruciating second before turning toward the china cabinet.
Her heart racing, Annelise asked a needless question. “The little ones will want cookies and milk. Do you think the airman will prefer those or the cheese and fruit?”
“Oh. You don’t care what Axel or I want, is that it?” He looked askance at her.
“I already know that.”
A mocking expression met her as he brought over the cups. “You do, do you?”
She answered too quickly. “Whenever there’s something sweet, you’re Johnny on the spot.”
His teasing grin broadened.
“And as for Axel, he’s a true Dane at heart and adores herring. But considering the wedding fiasco he’s gotten us into, he doesn’t deserve better than bread and water.”
Erik’s smile faded.
Had she hurt his feelings? She swallowed. “But you—you’ve been a wonderful sport about all of this. You really have.”
His gaze didn’t waver as he seemed to consider her words—or was it the meaning behind them? Abruptly his demeanor brightened. “Hey, for your brother to come up with a plan for me to smuggle several people out of the country by sailing up the coast in the company of Denmark’s fairest flower …” He shrugged and gave a lopsided grin. “I’m not about to complain.”
Denmark’s fairest flower? He was so very entrancing … which only increased her jitters. For a heartbeat, a small part of her wondered what it would be like to really be married to Erik Nielsen. And part of her wished she could find out. Filling plates methodically, she changed the subject. “But Rachel and Moshe. I’m so afraid for them.”
Erik exhaled a spiritless breath, as he did whenever she dodged personal subjects. “No matter when the children go, it’ll be dangerous. Wouldn’t you rather it was the two of us taking them out, instead of handing them over to someone who doesn’t love them as we do? How much would a stranger risk to keep them safe?”
“You’re right.” Annelise paused and turned to face him. He’d grown as attached to the youngsters as the rest of the household had. “Whenever I look into their big brown eyes, I want to wrap my arms around them and promise them the world, make them believe everything will be all right.”
With an understanding nod, he moved closer. She almost expected him to take her in his arms … and kind of hoped he would. Instead, he reached out to brush a tendril of her hair away from her eyes with the backs of his fingers, his touch sending a tingle down to her toes. “You’ve made things much easier for them while they’ve been here. Especially little Rachel, who understands more of what’s going on. That pretty dress for her, and one for her doll … you’ll make a wonderful mother someday.” He took her hand, caressing her palm with his thumb as he gazed from it to her eyes.
Her heart skipped a beat. Unless her imagination was getting the better of her, Erik was looking at her the way a man looked at a woman he cared about in a truly special way. Her pulse throbbed in her ears.
“My dad always told me,” he went on, standing much too close, “a man should search for a woman who’ll be a loving mother to his children. Not just a pretty face but someone with a beautiful heart. Someone he could love for a lifetime.”
Annelise could scarcely breathe.
“I—”
A deafening explosion rocked the house.
Instinctively, Annelise swayed against Erik, and he crushed her to himself.
Rachel screamed and flew in from the next room, trembling with terror.
Erik bent and lifted her up between them. “You’re safe,” he crooned, hugging them both close. “I’ll never let anything happen to you.”
Somehow Annelise sensed he was comforting her along with the child.
And somehow she believed him. She closed her eyes, reveling in their closeness.
Footsteps pounded up from below as Grams rushed in from the dining room. “From the front window, it would appear the crystal factory has blown up.”
“They must have used enough explosives to level the entire block,” Erik grated.
“Probably did,” Axel affirmed, bursting in from the hall. “The SS stored arms there.” He opened the back door and stepped out onto the porch. “Would you look at that!”
“What?” Annelise, with Erik’s arm still around her and Rachel, joined him.
The night sky was ablaze. Copenhagen, beautiful, ancient Copenhagen, was being destroyed bit by bit—by its own people. And it couldn’t be helped. Every Dane knew if the underground neglected to go after the Nazis, British bombers would do it for them. RAF planes roared over the country almost every day on their way to bomb strategic German sites. At least this way, the Danish people could pick and choose their targets.
“We must pray, all of us, for God’s protection on all the innocent victims,” Grams murmured and began to pray aloud.
Annelise pondered the fragility of life, how quickly it could be snuffed out. Within the warmth and strength of Erik’s arm while they stood watching flames lick the sky, Annelise wished fervently he truly could keep her and the little ones safe … that he could be that fairy-tale man, the one she could trust until death.
Annelise blew her bangs out of her eyes and peered closer at the itemized columns she’d entered in the ledger, making sure the figures matched the shipping manifests from the latest delivery truck. Axel would want the accounts up-to-date when he returned from wherever his latest “business” had taken him. She hated it when he was delayed.
The shrill of the street doorbell carried above the warehouse racket. Hoping it was her brother—or Erik, who also had been gone overlong—she glanced out the office window. How she resented Axel for risking other people’s lives.
At the thought o
f Erik, her mind drifted to the previous night in the kitchen, to the things the dashing American had said to her. And the things he hadn’t. Unless she was mistaken, he’d come pretty close to … to asking her to marry him for real?
Her breath caught. She had to stop this foolish daydreaming. Even if her imagination hadn’t been far wrong, his actions could be attributed to high wartime emotions. Likely he was caught up in the rush of danger and excitement, the same as Axel.
Sigrid Thomsen, the birdlike woman who ran the front shop, rapped on the office door and came in, all fluttery and nervous. “Captain von Rundstedt is here to see you.” She glanced toward the main entrance.
Before Annelise could respond, the Nazi brushed past the woman and strode right in. “God morgen, Miss Christiansen,” he said in his stiff, condescending way, while Mrs. Thomsen took swift leave.
What business brings him here? Annelise wondered. Perhaps Axel or Erik had been discovered, and he’d come to inform her … to interrogate her. She drew on her practiced calm, returning the greeting. “Good morning, Captain. How nice of you to come by.”
He gave a curt nod. “I did not see your brother’s sedan outside.” He peered out the inner window, scanning the warehouse.
Annelise followed his gaze, relieved that the shipping clerks had paused in their work to watch him. He’d be obliged to maintain proper decorum. “Axel’s down at the harbor master’s office arranging sailing permits.”
He continued his scrutiny. “Let us hope it is for those mechanisms that were to have been shipped last week.” He returned his attention to her.
She knew he referred to the remote homing devices for some new type of bomb that the BBC reported was being tested in Germany. Axel had been stalling the shipment while the underground made “minor adjustments” to them. “I do believe they went out, but I haven’t received the paperwork yet,” she answered nonchalantly. “Perhaps he’ll bring it with him when he returns.”
The captain gave a speculative nod. “I do not see the prospective groom around, either. Perhaps he, too, is bringing the papers.” His tone dripped with sarcasm, but then, he always acted and sounded suspicious of everything and everyone.
“No,” Annelise answered evenly. “He’s gone to the train station to pick up a carload of fresh produce ferried over from Jutland.”
“So I have you all to myself.”
His insinuating leer in no way put her at ease. This threat was more personal. She attempted a small smile. “So it would seem.”
Rundstedt pulled up a chair and plunked it uncomfortably close to hers, mostly below the view of the curious warehouse workers. “Now that your fisherman has been around on a daily basis, I thought you might be growing bored with him. It would not be uncommon for a young woman such as yourself to be having second thoughts about now.”
When she did not respond, he spoke again. “Surely you are aware that it has been difficult for me seeing one as refined and socially elevated as you wed to such a … common fellow.” He leaned closer. “Consider for a moment the life you would enjoy with a man of my breeding and taste. The clothes, the jewels, the finest villa. As you know, I am highly regarded in the party. And I intend to see that remains so. Once the Fatherland is victorious and controls global commerce, you could have anything in the world. Anything your heart desires … as my wife. Travel …”
Stunned by his unwelcome declaration, Annelise knew she had to be extremely careful not to offend him. She hoped her forced smile appeared sincere. “Why, Captain, I hardly know what to say. That would be a tempting offer for any woman. I haven’t the slightest doubt you’d be a thoughtful and loving husband. But what my heart has desired, for a very long time, is Mr. Nielsen. Despite his humble family, my love for him has not diminished at all. Nor, I truly believe, has his for me. He is the deepest desire of my heart. All else pales by comparison to the love we share.”
Rundstedt’s face hardened like his rigid posture. “I see.” A corner of his mouth lifted sardonically. “But surely you understand my reason for doubting this great love, at least on his part. I have seen no marriage announcement in the newspapers nor an application for a marriage license posted.”
Annelise feigned surprise. She snatched the opportunity to stand and step back from him, her hands to her face. “You’re right! We forgot all about the license. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. We must go to City Hall this very day, the minute Erik returns. We’ve been so busy trying to keep all the warehouse orders current while making wedding plans, writing out invitations, we’ve—” She forced herself to take the captain’s hand. “We’ve even put off having you for tea as we intended. But once we return from our honeymoon, you’ll be our very first guest. We’ll have you to our new home, you and all of the other kind people who’ll help make our wedding such a memorable event. Especially those at your naval headquarters.”
The door opened just then, and Axel entered, the huge smile he always flashed on the Nazis fixed in place. “Well, well. We have a most esteemed visitor, I see.”
Annelise extracted her fingers from the officer’s grip.
“You’ll be pleased to know, Captain, that shipment you’ve been concerned about is headed for Lubeck as we speak,” Axel announced proudly. He patted the briefcase he carried. “I have the shipping manifests right here. I’ll send your copy over with the others this afternoon.”
“Good.” His typical brusque nod accompanied the word. “I will inform the authorities when I return to my office.” His demeanor softened a fraction as he turned to Annelise and recaptured her hand, applying pressure. “I enjoyed our little talk. Do reconsider what I said.”
“Thank you again for that timely reminder,” she managed, tugging free with some difficulty.
He stepped back and nodded to Axel, then clicked his heels in a smart salute. “Heil Hitler.”
Axel moved to the door and cocked an ear as the Nazi’s footfalls receded. Then he swung to the warehouse window, deadly serious.
Following her brother’s gaze, Annelise spied two of the workers nodding purposefully at the captain and gesturing toward her and Axel. The Nazi did the same. Obviously he had issued some kind of order to them. But what was it? To watch her when he was gone? Did they have concealed weapons they’d use against her or her brother? The very thought turned her blood cold.
“What did the Kraut mean?” Axel asked. “What did he want you to reconsider?”
“Marrying Erik. He thinks I’m much better Nazi-wife material,” she replied dryly.
“That’s nothing new.”
“Maybe not. But here’s something that is. He noticed we haven’t bought a marriage license yet.”
“Never misses a beat, does he? But that’s easily remedied. Where’s Erik?”
“What do you mean, where’s Erik? You’re the one who keeps sending him out on the streets.”
Axel grimaced and turned away. “I take it he’s not back yet.”
“Oh, no you don’t. You’re not getting off that easily, big brother. From what Erik told me, he didn’t expect to be gone more than an hour or so.”
“Things don’t always go as planned,” Axel hedged.
“What things?” How she detested this constant secrecy! How could he think so lightly of endangering a friend? Her fear for Erik intensified. “What have you got him doing this—”
He clamped a hand onto her shoulder. “Look, sis, Erik is a soldier. It’s his job to do whatever he can to help win this war.”
“No!” she raged back. Then, remembering they could be seen by the warehouse workers, possibly even heard, she switched to an intense whisper. “His job is to forge papers. If he’s caught running errands for the underground, he won’t just be shipped off to a POW camp. He’ll be shot.”
Axel’s chuckle lacked humor. “Won’t we all.” His head jerked up, and he stepped nearer to the window. “Thank the Lord. That’s him now.” Wheeling around, he headed for the office door.
Vastly relieved, Annelise
chased after him through the shop and out the warehouse door as he went to meet the truck.
Her fiancé, as maddeningly relaxed and handsome as ever, hopped down from the cab. Spotting her, he grinned.
Axel was not half as calm. “What kept you? Did you make the delivery?”
His gaze lingering on Annelise, Erik nodded. “Yep. They’re all safe.”
Releasing an exasperated breath, Axel gripped his friend’s shoulder, drawing his attention. “Then what took you so long?”
Erik shrugged, unconcerned. “I had to take care of something.” He turned back to Annelise and withdrew a tiny velvet box from his trouser pocket. “This is for you.”
Realizing it was from a jewelry store, Annelise accepted the little box and opened it with trembling fingers. Inside she found a simple yet exquisite wedding band. “Ohh …”
“I wish I had the money to buy something more elegant,” he added softly. “One that would do justice to your beautiful hands.”
His tone and expression were so tender and sincere, she had the strongest urge to melt into his arms as she had last night. She tore her gaze from his and back to the ring. “It’s just perfect in its simplicity. Exactly what I would’ve chosen.”
“Really? You’re not just saying that?” He released a huge whoosh of air as if her approval was of utmost importance, then plucked the golden band from its container. “When I told the jeweler you had delicate fingers, this is the size he gave me. I hope it fits.” Taking her hand, he slipped the ring on her third finger.
The wedding band fit fine … but another band, an invisible one she could only feel, squeezed the air from her lungs. There they stood, the two of them, as if no one else in the world existed. Her hand rested in his much larger one, both of them fully aware of the ring’s significance, this symbol of something so very elusive … never-ending love.
A tiny thought swirled through her head as delicate and iridescent as summer’s first rainbow.
A girl could do worse than marry a man like Erik Nielsen.
A Sentimental Journey Romance Collection Page 37
