“Come in,” his distinguished voice called out.
“You wanted to see me, Professor?” Anna entered the office that looked so different from all the other rooms in the Charité. Most of the doctors and professors who worked here had used the standard furniture. Not him. An immense mahogany desk occupied almost half of the space, with scientific magazines, research papers, and books stacked in neat piles on either side of the black writing mat. A glass of ink and an expensive-looking fountain pen lay at the ready to document his next brilliant thought.
“Yes, Fräulein Klausen. I’ve compared the results of your last week’s experiments with the tuberculosis bacteria to a similar approach I’ve read here,” he said, holding up a prestigious medical magazine, “and I think you’re on to something.”
“Oh,” Anna muttered for lack of a better word.
“In fact, I think you should do another series of tests with a slightly different approach.”
Anna took out a notebook and pencil and jotted down his suggestions.
“Come back to me as soon as you gather results. I believe with the knowledge we’ll learn from these iterations, we might see a breakthrough in treating this disease.”
“Thank you, Professor.” Anna beamed with pride.
“Don’t thank me, Fräulein Klausen. You have done the brunt of the work. I merely hinted at the right direction to you.” Professor Scherer stood to walk her to the door and added, “I’m glad to have you on the team.”
She returned to the laboratory with a bounce in her step, intent on doing her share to find a cure for the dreadful disease of tuberculosis.
Chapter 10
In the next staff meeting, Professor Scherer announced that he needed to leave on a business trip and wouldn’t be available for the next few days. Anna didn’t mind not having the professor around, but she would miss Peter’s regular visits, since the professor rarely left town without his trusted driver and personal security guard.
Much to her surprise, Peter later stopped by her lab with his usual grin.
“Peter, I thought you were gone with the professor?” she said, her heart taking a leap.
Not that I mind.
“We aren’t leaving until early morning. And I couldn’t leave without saying goodbye to you, now could I?” he asked and sauntered towards her.
The butterflies in her stomach did double dips as she noticed something purple in his hand, half hidden behind his back.
“You look peachy in that dress, Anna.”
She glanced down at what he could see of her dress, hidden by the white lab coat she wore, and shook her head saying, “You can’t see my dress as it’s mostly covered up.”
“Oh, well, maybe I meant to say you were peachy; therefore, anything you wear is by association peachy.” He hovered dangerously near, and his presence made her all light-headed and silly.
Anna blushed and giggled. “What if I was wearing a burlap sack?”
“You would still be beautiful.” He took yet another step and held out a single purple crocus for her. “I’m sorry, but that was all I could get.”
“It’s beautiful, thank you so much.” Anna took the flower and turned away to hide her burning cheeks. She busied herself looking for a vessel to use as vase. When she found a test tube and filled it with water, Peter stepped beside her and covered her trembling hand with his.
“Would you go out with me tonight?” he said leaning in to her, his low voice sending sweet shivers up her spine.
“Go out with you?” Anna looked at him and blinked a few times, dumbfounded.
“Yes. On a date.” He grinned at her, his eyes twinkling. “I want to spend time with you away from work.”
Anna swooned, her knees wobbling so much she gripped the counter to steady herself. She should like his attention…she did like it…but at the same time, the memories she’d locked deep down in her soul threatened to bubble up every time she considered…
“People do that? They actually do other things besides work?” Anna asked with a raised brow.
“If you have to ask, then you definitely need to say yes,” he insisted, taking the test tube from her and then holding both of her hands between his own strong palms, rubbing them with his rough thumb. Anna’s heartbeat accelerated under the soft caress. “Please. I know you want to, I can see it in your eyes. Say yes.”
“Yes,” Anna’s instinct answered before her rational brain had a chance to kick in and deny his request.
“Wonderful. I’ll pick you up after work here. Or do you need to go home first?”
“Afraid I’ll get away?” Anna teased him.
“Absolutely.”
“Don’t worry. I always keep my promises.”
“That’s my girl. See you soon.” He let her hands go and then whistled his way out of the laboratory.
She watched him disappear from view and then did a little twirl behind her counter. Until the fierce grip of self-doubt and dark demons attacked her, choking away her joy. A few hours later, having made a trip to the ladies’ bathroom to freshen up her face and hair, she returned to the lab to find Peter waiting for her.
“Ready to go?” He offered her his arm and led her outside. “So, what do you like to do for fun?” When Anna gave him an incredulous look, he revised his question, asking, “Hmm, let’s rephrase this. If we didn’t live in a city reduced to rubble with the worst war from time immemorial raging, what would you do for fun?”
Anna giggled. Peter had the refreshing ability to make her feel light, almost as if floating. Under the strength of his ministrations, darkness seemed to fade away. “Well, I like going to the motion pictures, and I like to dance. It’s been such a long time since I did either one of those.”
“There are still motion pictures to go see.” They had already left the grounds of the Charité, and Peter wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they walked along the river Spree and towards the Reichstagsgebäude. The formerly magnificent building had never been fully restored after the mysterious fire in 1933, and the damage from the constant air raids had turned it into a shameful ruin, reminding the citizens of Berlin of the war raging across Europe.
“Propaganda films…” Anna said and stopped to look at him. She needed to know where he stood and how far she could go in voicing her repudiation of the things the government did. He held her glance and then nodded.
“I agree. But the war won’t last forever.”
“You sound so certain of that.”
“I am. Everyone is. Let’s get a bite to eat.” He turned to continue walking along the Spree River to the bridge across and Anna pondered his answers. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but something about his demeanor hinted that he did not approve of the Nazis. Not enough, though, to trust him with her own opinions.
Peter stopped in the middle of the heavily damaged bridge and looked down into the black water flowing lazily beneath them. Just weeks ago the river had still been frozen over, much to the delight of the children. They walked straight ahead until they reached the street to see and be seen on: Unter den Linden.
To the left lay the heavily damaged Brandenburger Tor, the Quadriga miraculously still on top of it, and to the right the formerly beautiful grand boulevard. Peter steered her towards a restaurant that had managed to remain unscathed amongst the rubble. While eating, Peter entertained her with small anecdotes about his work with the professor, and Anna told him how much she loved to work with Professor Scherer.
Peter listened with interest, but didn’t talk much about himself, unlike most other men Anna knew, who could go on and on boasting about their importance. It endeared him even more to her, but a little doubt remained. Why did he avoid talking about his family or his upbringing? Maybe, she figured, his parents had died, and he avoided the resurfacing of painful memories?
“Thank you for such a lovely evening,” Anna said as it was getting late. They still didn’t have phone service at home and Mutter would worry if Anna returned too late.
“I’ll see you home, before it gets dark,” Peter said and paid for their meal, before he helped her into her coat and then offered his arm again.
She liked walking beside him, feeling his reassuring presence and the sparks coursing through her body. A kiosk stood behind the bus stop, radio blaring with the usual evening news. Despite the clear sky, the detested bomber pilots seemed to have taken a day off, because no air raid pre-warning was given. Anna shuddered and turned up her coat’s collar.
The most important news of the day was the assassination of the SS and Police Leader of Warsaw, Franz Kutschera, by members of the Home Army, the Polish resistance moment. In reprisal, three hundred Polish civilians had been taken hostage in an attempt to expose the murderers. Even as the reporter spoke about the despicable crime committed against Kutschera and Germany, Anna felt Peter tense and almost crush her hand in his forceful grip.
“Peter? Are you alright?” The sight of his tightly set jaw and dark scowling eyes frightened her.
“I’m sorry.” He glanced down at her hand and released it. “I hope I didn’t hurt you.”
“Just a bit, but are you sure you are fine?” she insisted.
“I am. I should get you home now,” he said and relaxed his facial muscles to send her a reassuring grin. A fake grin.
Anna couldn’t fathom why the news of a random SS officer being assassinated in Warsaw had sent him off-kilter. It wasn’t like these kinds of things didn’t happen every day. How could a man who wore a loaded Mauser at all times be squeamish about a single murder? Unless…the victim had meant something to him.
Anna swallowed hard as fear settled deep into her bones. Had he been sent to spy on her?
Chapter 11
At home Ursula and Mutter were already waiting for her, with huge smiles on their faces that brushed away her own anxiety.
“Anna! Guess what happened!” Ursula asked, bouncing up and down. Mutter waved a letter in her hand, answering her daughter’s question before Anna could say a word. “A letter from Richard!”
“Richard?” Anna put a hand across her heart. Her younger brother, who’d been missing somewhere in White Russia since last fall, had sent a letter. “Let me see!” she demanded and took the paper with trembling hands from her mother. “It’s dated Christmas 1943, that’s almost two months ago.” The words swam before her eyes and she couldn’t decipher more than the greeting Liebe Mutter. She flopped onto the couch in the sitting room and her mother and sister both talked at once.
“His battalion was defeated near Minsk and most of his comrades died, but he and another one managed to get onto a train to Warsaw…” Warsaw? Anna thought, that’s where the SS leader was assassinated by partisans. “…he’s not in a combat unit currently…can’t tell us where he is now…top secret…we can write letters to the German command in Warsaw…he’s confident the war will soon be over.” Anna tried to follow the conversation as Ursula and Mutter interrupted each other’s sentences. But one thing was clear: her brother Richard was still alive.
She hugged them both and all three women shed tears of happiness. Knowing Richard’s whereabouts took a huge burden from their shoulders.
When Mutter had taken to her room to write a letter to her only son, Anna found a frowning Ursula staring at her. “Where were you? You should have been home hours ago.”
For a split-second Anna considered lying, but Ursula would undoubtedly see through her. “On a date.”
“A date?” Ursula stumbled and had to grab onto the wall to steady herself. Being this clumsy was strange for Anna’s usually ultra-perfect sister.
“Yes, a date. And before you ask, his name is Peter and he works for Professor Scherer,” Anna added.
“Please be careful,” Ursula urged her.
“Don’t worry, he’s nothing like…” An icy chill ran down Anna’s spine, remembering the way Peter had almost crushed her hand earlier.
“I didn’t mean…” Ursula cast her eyes downward before saying, “but he’s a Nazi.”
“You’ve never met him! How do you know he’s a Nazi?” Anna glared at her sister, who wasn’t the slightest bit intimidated. In their adolescent years they used to yell at each other all the time.
“Only high-ranking Nazis have automobiles these days, much less a Mercedes limousine.”
“Just because Professor Scherer associates with the Nazis doesn’t mean he’s one himself. In fact, he does not support many of their ideas...” Anna shook her head. They’d already had this discussion several times. “And what does this have to do with Peter? He’s only the driver.”
“The driver for a Nazi. I see. That makes him automatically part of the resistance.” Every single word from Ursula’s mouth dripped with sarcasm.
“Please, Ursula, Peter is a good man,” Anna pleaded.
“The jury’s still out on that. What if he turns on you and you suffer the same fate as Lotte?”
Anna’s temper flared. “Don’t. Don’t speak to me about Lotte. I gave up everything to save her. Me! I gave up everything…” She stopped talking as tears threatened to overwhelm her. “Including my self-respect. Please, I don’t need you to tell me who I can and cannot see. I was hoping you might be happy for me.”
“Anna, you don’t know what you’re saying. You need to stop seeing him. Think of what’s at risk.”
“I know better than you what’s at risk. I lived it,” Anna said.
Ursula didn’t answer. She rushed into their room and when Anna followed her several minutes later, she could still hear her sobbing under the blanket. Ursula had been exceptionally grumpy and irritable lately, but Anna was too angry and tired right now to try and figure out the reason for her sister’s drastic mood swings and continuous fatigue. The war was taking a toll on everyone.
She put on her nightgown and disappeared under her own blanket, blocking out the sounds of Ursula’s miserable sobs.
***
One week later Anna dashed home to tell Ursula exciting news. “Sister, guess what?”
“More good news?” Ursula lounged on the couch, her feet up and holding her back in pain as she turned around to Anna.
“I’ve been invited to attend the official celebration of freshly graduated military doctors at the Charité,” Anna said and smiled at the thought that Peter, with whom she’d been walking out almost every day, would be there too and might even dance with her.
“Military doctors?” Ursula bit her lip. “It’s an honor, but…you shouldn’t go.”
“Why on earth wouldn’t I want to go to one of the few social dance events that are still held in Berlin?” Anna stared at her sister in disbelief.
“There will be all sorts of high-ranking Nazi officials there.” Ursula sighed, making a face as if Anna couldn’t understand a simple concept.
“I know, but it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve socialized with them, and it probably won’t be the last. You know, we live in the same country.” Anna straightened her skirt and challenged her sister to object.
Ursula looked horrified, saying, “How can you say that? Since when do you like the Nazis?”
“I don’t like them, but that doesn’t mean I have to avoid them at all costs. Apart from being something fun to look forward to, this event is important for my career.”
“Your career? Is your career more important than your moral values?” Ursula rose to her full height, and planted her fists on her hips. In that position she looked different than normal, somehow bigger.
“Ursula, don’t be ridiculous. It’s just a celebration. Nothing to test my moral values.” Except maybe if Peter makes a move and kisses me. Anna’s cheeks stained themselves with heat and she hastily added, “I’m not becoming one of them, just because I attend a party.”
“You could have fooled me,” Ursula said sullenly, but the next moment she smiled. “Knowing how stubborn you are once you’ve set your mind on something, I guess I’d better save my breath.”
“Thanks,” Anna said, hugging her sister.
“I hate fighting with you.”
“Come with me,” Ursula said, and gestured for Anna to follow her to their room. Once inside she opened her closet and took out her wedding dress, a dark blue woolen A-line skirt that ended mid-calf and a fitted jacket in the same color. “You’ll need something nice to wear,” she explained and handed it to Anna.
“That’s such a moving gesture, darling, but I already have a dress,” Anna said and reached into the bag she’d brought home with her to pull out a royal blue lace dress, holding it up in front of her. “What do you think?”
“Wow! It’s precious! Where did you get that?” Ursula squeaked.
“Professor Scherer. He probably guessed I wouldn’t have a formal gown to wear, and offered to lend me one that belonged to his late wife.” Anna didn’t mention that Peter had been sent to the lab with three different dresses and his eyes had almost popped out of his head when she’d modeled them for him.
Ursula stepped forward and fingered the elegant material of the dress. “Italian lace,” she whispered reverently as her fingertips slid across the intricate pattern. “This must have cost a fortune.”
“I know. I tried to refuse the offer, but as soon as I tried it on at work, my resolve disappeared. It looks as awesome as it feels.”
“So, you’re going, no matter what I say?”
Anna sighed and nodded. “Yes. I’m going.”
“Please be careful,” Ursula said and hugged her tight.
Chapter 12
The day of the celebration arrived, and Professor Scherer had insisted Anna take half a day off to prepare herself for the formal evening. She’d arrived home and taken care with her makeup and hair, donning the dress a few minutes before Peter was due to pick her up in the professor’s limousine.
“Good evening.” Peter opened the passenger door for her and when he put his hand on her back to assist her getting into the vehicle, this time she didn’t pull away. “You look absolutely gorgeous,” he whispered into her ear before shutting the door.
War Girl Anna (War Girls Book 3) Page 5
