The Consuming

By Carole McEntee-Taylor

The Consuming is the fourth book in 5 part series, Obsession, which tells the stories of five families across England, Germany and Poland from the 1920s through to the aftermath of WW2.

Annie seems to have everything she wants, a happy life with Sam and a job she enjoys. But then her old friend Daisy reappears needing help.

Rob has somehow survived Majdanek concentration camp, but each day his chances to remain alive are reducing. Fearing he will never see Felcia again Rob has almost given up when he is suddenly given a second chance. Having discovered where Rob is incarcerated Felcia too has lost hope, so she can hardly believe her good fortune, but its not long before the war causes yet more heartbreak.

With the war coming to a close Hans decides its time to leave, but first he needs to make sure Karin is safe. With Gerhard missing and the Soviets rapidly approaching Franz determines to protect his wife and the woman his son loves. The two men form an uneasy alliance, but their decisions leave their women in terrible danger.
Contains adult content

• Language: English
• Publisher: Carole McEntee-Taylor
• Release date: Jun 17, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005219482

Carole McEntee-Taylor

I write military history, historical fiction and memoirs and sometimes a mixture of all three. I am also a ghost writer of novels and memoirs.My non fiction, published by by Pen and Sword Books Ltd, include Herbert Columbine VC, Surviving the Nazi Onslaught, A Battle Too Far, Military Detention Colchester from 1947, The Battle of Bellewaarde June 1915, From Colonial Warrior to Western Front Flyer, The History of Coalhouse Fort and A History of Women’s Lives in Scunthorpe.I have also written a biography of John Doubleday to be included in his book: The Work and published The Weekend Trippers and My War and Peace myself. I am always on the look out for new military memoirs to publish. If you would like to know more please visit my website.My spiritual books are The Re-Enlightenment and The Holiday From Hell.My fiction includeSecrets ( a book of six short stories)Lives Apart: A WW2 Chronicle - a five book series inspired by the true story of my in-laws.Obsession - a five book series inspired by the true story of the missing POWs at the end of WW2.Betrayed - a stand alone murder mystery set in WW2 Germany and Palestine.Secret Lives - a six book series set before and during WW1.A One Way Ticket - a four book series inspired by the true story of Bill Young through WW2 and beyond.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Bayswater, London

‘He’s definitely gone, Daisy. There’s no sign of him anywhere. He obviously just wanted to frighten you before he left.’ Robin reached out and pulled her into his arms.

‘You’re absolutely sure?’ As he heard the fear in her voice Robin could feel his temper rising. He recalled the terror on her face when he’d arrived home before Christmas to find her cowering on the floor, Alan’s letter crumpled a few feet away, where she’d dropped it. The cold threatening words echoed around his head. ‘You still owe me and I’ll be waiting for as long as it takes.’ He’d been horrified to think the man had not only been following her, he had also had the audacity to break into the flat and Robin had vowed to do something about him. But, although he’d spoken to the police and some of his other contacts, there had been no sign of Alan. He’d disappeared completely.

‘Perhaps that’s just what he wants you to think?’

Robin sighed. ‘His studio was empty, everything gone; the same as his flat. He was probably furious to see you looking so happy and wanted to try and ruin it for you.’

Daisy shuddered but she didn’t answer.

Robin pulled back, took her chin gently in his hand and stared into her eyes. ‘You can’t let him destroy the rest of your life, Daisy. I genuinely don’t believe he is in London anymore. I think he’s moved his base somewhere else in the country, miles from here so we can’t find him.’

She nodded, although he could see she wasn’t convinced. Robin sighed. Unfortunately, despite what he’d said, he couldn’t guarantee her safety one hundred percent unless he knew where Alan was and, so far, all his attempts to find him had failed. He had people checking the other major cities, but until he had some success, he would continue to worry about her.

*******

Warsaw

Gerhard stood to attention in front of Hans’ desk and waited to give him the latest update on the investigation into Andreas’ murder. Gerhard still wasn’t sure Raisa was completely innocent of killing her former lover and he wished she hadn’t just disappeared. Her note said she was safe and he could only assume she had gone home. Unfortunately, he didn’t dare risk going to see her, in case he led Hans to her. He was also sure Kohl was suspicious of him for some reason and Gerhard had too much to hide to want to risk Kohl’s attention. So far no one had connected him to the supply of weapons into the ghetto and he was praying he could keep it that way.

Hans watched Gerhard thoughtfully. He had grown suspicious of him after Andreas’ murder but, despite the Gestapo investigation, there was no evidence to suggest Gerhard had anything to do with his brother-in-law’s death. The only thing the Gestapo suspected was that Gerhard had probably been sleeping with Raisa and had helped her leave Andreas. They also seemed to think that he believed she might have killed her former lover.

Hans was sure that Raisa had run away from him, not Andreas, which meant Gerhard must know about his little arrangement with her. Unfortunately, Hans still hadn’t thought of a suitable punishment for Gerhard because, other than disloyalty to him, Gerhard had done nothing wrong. Hans had decided to bide his time and carry on as normal until he either had proof that Gerhard was guilty of something more, or he’d thought of a way of getting rid of him which wouldn’t arouse suspicions. Gerhard’s father, Franz Emmet, was working for Generalmajor Gehlen and Hans didn’t want to risk falling foul of him or his powerful friends, which he might do if he issued some arbitrary punishment. Having no evidence that Gerhard was involved in the actual murder, the Gestapo had gone back to reporting to Gerhard, who in turn updated Hans.

‘The latest is that the Gestapo think he was killed by a man and a woman, probably part of the Polish underground, but they don’t have any information on who they were, or what the motivation was.’ Gerhard didn’t add just how relieved he was that the report named a male and female as the murderers. That meant it wasn’t Raisa.

Hans frowned as he realised the same thing… unless she had an accomplice of course. Maybe Gerhard was involved after all? He turned his attention back to his subordinate.

‘Have they linked the murder and the person supplying the Jews with weapons?’

Gerhard shrugged. ‘They seem to think it’s likely that the Polish underground were also responsible for that too.’ Gerhard was keeping his fingers crossed the Gestapo continued to look in that direction.

Hans stared at him for a few seconds then smiled. ‘Thank you, Gerhard. Keep me informed.’

Gerhard nodded. ‘Jawohl.’ He breathed a sigh of relief and walked back to his desk.

*******

Berlin

Wande sat on the floor next to the toilet and wondered what she was going to do. She’d been sick every morning for two weeks. It was time to face the truth: she must be pregnant. Only she had no idea who the father was. She thought back to the horrible letter she’d received from Ivo when he’d told her he didn’t love her and that she was only one… one ‘tart’ among many that he’d lied to, had sex with, and then hired out to his friends. She shuddered. The father could be any one of them and, even if she wanted to find Ivo, which she most emphatically didn’t, she couldn’t, because he hadn’t even given her his real name. How could she have fallen for his lies? Wande felt tears running down her cheeks and made no move to wipe them away. Ivo, or whatever his name really was, had been so convincing and she’d been so innocent and wanted a boyfriend so much, she’d believed every word that came out of his mouth.

She couldn’t tell her parents. Wande felt cold and even more sick at the thought of facing them, telling them what a mess she’d made. They would be so ashamed and angry with her; they would probably lock her up and never let her go anywhere again. Maybe they were right. She was too stupid to be allowed loose in the world. Wande finally brushed away the tears and blew her nose. She would never trust anyone ever again.

Her tears started afresh as she realised the trouble she was in. She would lose her job once Karin found out, then she would have no option but to go home. Her only friend was Luther. Perhaps she could talk to him? Wande hugged her arms tighter around her body and sobbed even harder. What could she tell him? Not the truth, certainly. She could never tell anyone that and anyway, she no longer had any proof. She’d torn up the poisonous letter from Ivo and thrown it out in the rubbish. She would have to lie, to say… to say what? That Ivo had lied to her, not told her his real name and gone off leaving her pregnant? The thought of Luther staring at her in disgust was too much. He would blame her for being so stupid.

‘Wande!’ Karin’s shout broke into her thoughts. Wande jumped and began hurriedly wiping her eyes again.

‘Why haven’t you fed the children yet?’ Karin was standing outside the bathroom and she didn’t sound very happy. ‘Are you ill?’

‘No, gnädige Frau. I’m sorry, I’m just coming.’ Wande reached up and pulled the toilet chain and left the bathroom. She kept her face turned away so Karin couldn’t see her blotchy eyes and tear stained face and hurried towards the nursery kitchen. She only hoped she could keep her breakfast down.

Karin followed her and watched Wande cooking eggs and ham for the children. Her eyes narrowed. Despite Wande’s bowed head, Karin had caught a glimpse of the nanny’s red nose and swollen eyes as she’d left the bathroom. The girl had been sick every morning for the past few days to her knowledge. If she wasn’t ill, the only other option was that she was pregnant.

The realisation was a shock. Karin leant back against the wall and thought hard. She must be wrong. Wande didn’t have a boyfriend, at least not as far as she knew. In fact she hadn’t had any boyfriends in all the time she’d been working for her. She never went out in the evening and spent her days off in her room; at least Karin had never heard her go out.

Then Karin felt her blood run cold. If the girl never went out, the only person who could have made her pregnant was Luther; all those cosy evenings supposedly reading stories to the children. Heidi’s remark about Luther liking Wande popped into her head and she stumbled into her bedroom and lay down on her bed. How could she not have seen the signs? After all her experience of living with Andreas, she’d done it again… She’d fallen in love with another man who had a roving eye.

*******

Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire

Annie sat at the table in the canteen and picked at her food. She’d somehow managed to pretend nothing was wrong during Christmas by forcing her concerns to the back of her mind and concentrating on making sure Charlie enjoyed himself. She must have been successful as neither Sam nor her parents appeared to have noticed any difference in her behaviour. But now she was back at work again the conversation with Joan kept reverberating around her head. She wanted to shrug it off, believe she must have misunderstood Sam when he’d said they couldn’t go away on honeymoon because Neil was taking Joan away that weekend and so was unable to cover at the farm for him, but she couldn’t. If Joan and Neil had already broken up by then, there could be no doubt about it. She hadn’t misheard or mistaken Sam’s excuse and now she’d begun to think about it, she couldn’t help but remember other occasions where he’d been late home or even stayed out all night. He’d always blamed the Home Guard but Annie was beginning to wonder whether he was lying to her. Even their stay-at-home honeymoon had been interrupted several times with Sam excusing himself to apparently check on the livestock. At the time she’d not thought anything of it, but now…

The worry was making her ill. She’d lost her appetite and felt sick just thinking he might have another woman somewhere. She didn’t want to believe he was being unfaithful to her, but there was no other reason she could think of that would explain the discrepancies.

‘Penny for them?’ Cathy placed her plate on the table and stared at Annie in concern. ‘Is something the matter? You look awful.’

Annie gave a wry smile. ‘Thanks!’

Cathy grinned. ‘Sorry, but you do look a little peaky.’

Annie sighed. ‘If I ask you something, will you promise not to say anything to Jim or Sam?’

‘Of course.’ Cathy looked worried. She hoped Annie wasn’t ill and wanting her to keep it a secret from Sam.

Annie took a deep breath and tried to find the best way of phrasing her question without actually saying what she was worrying about. Unfortunately she couldn’t think of any way of doing that, so eventually she just said what was on her mind. ‘Do you think Sam would ever be unfaithful?’

Cathy was so relieved Annie wasn’t sick, she laughed. Then she realised Annie was being serious. She reached across the table and took Annie’s hand. ‘Of course not. Sam loves you and Charlie more than anything. He’s not like that at all, I promise. He hasn’t had many girlfriends, but he’s always been honest with them. I can’t imagine anything that would make Sam do something like that. What on earth makes you think he’s got another woman?’

Annie shook her head. She was beginning to feel stupid. Of course Sam wasn’t having an affair. They’d only been married a matter of months. ‘It doesn’t matter. You’re right, Cathy. I don’t know what’s the matter with me.’ She fell silent.

Cathy sighed. ‘Perhaps you’re scared of something happening to Sam, like it did to Rob, so you’re trying to find reasons not to let yourself love him too much?’

Annie was about to say that was ridiculous when she stopped. Maybe Cathy was right. In any case, she had no proof and now she’d said it out loud, she realised how preposterous the suggestion sounded. If she wasn’t careful she would ruin her marriage… and for what? An overactive imagination?

Chapter 2

Berlin

‘Thank goodness you’re home safely.’ Hannah greeted Franz with an enormous hug. He’d been in Russia for ages and, as well as worrying about him, she’d really missed him. For his part, Franz was also relieved to be home. Joachim’s words about the Nazis not being Germany and needing to make peace with the Allies before Germany was completely destroyed, were still ringing in his ears and he knew he would have to make a decision soon. His problem was whether he could trust Joachim and Gehlen. On the other hand, they’d made their move now. If he didn’t agree to go along with them they might consider him a security risk. Either way he had a serious problem and not doing anything at all was probably even more dangerous.

Hannah lowered her voice. ‘Are you on your own?’

Franz nodded. ‘Yes, Joachim has gone home.’ He saw the worried expression on Hannah’s face. ‘What’s the matter?’

Hannah shrugged. ‘I’m a bit concerned about Rebecca. She was dreading your return.’

Franz looked confused. ‘Why would she be dreading my return?’

Hannah laughed. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean that. She and the children have missed you almost as much as I have. No, she’s worried that now you’re back, there’s a good chance Joachim will be round here more often. She was very uncomfortable with the way he behaved with her and so was I. Obviously he thinks she’s just a Polish slave and I’m worried we won’t be able to protect her from his unwanted advances.’

Franz sighed and rubbed the stubble on his chin. ‘We’ll just have to keep his contact with her to a minimum somehow. At the moment he seems convinced I’m still having an affair with her, presumably thanks to you spreading the word far and wide, so that should keep her safe from his attentions for a while. To be honest, we’ve got other more pressing problems…’

‘Opa, you’re home!’ Aron launched himself at Franz, who smiled and gave the boy a hug.

‘Goodness, Aron, you’ve grown since I’ve been away.’ He turned his attention to Sarah, who was standing shyly to one side. ‘Hello, my darling girl.’ He reached over and picked her up. ‘Have you missed me, Sarah?’

Sarah smiled and put her arms around his neck. ‘Yes, Opa. Oma has been reading my story in the cellar at night when the bombers come over, but she doesn’t read it as well as you.’ Franz and Hannah laughed.

Rebecca was standing by the door. She stepped forward and gave him a hug. ‘I’m so pleased you’re back safely. We were all worried about you.’

Franz suddenly found his eyes were watering. His ready-made family were just wonderful. It was all the more reason to be extra careful with Joachim.

*******

RAF Northolt, Middlesex

Alek climbed into the cockpit of his Spitfire and put on his flying goggles. He placed the latest photo of Lizzy and Leslie on his dashboard and started up the engine. He could still hardly believe he and Lizzy were married with a beautiful son. He knew Lizzy’s parents, her mother in particular, weren’t very happy with the situation, but given Lizzy was pregnant they’d had little option but to accept him as their son-in-law. Although he hoped the relationship between them would improve eventually, he had a feeling it would probably just get worse when the war ended and he and Lizzy went to live in Poland. He knew that was at the root of the problem. Gertrude didn’t want her daughter and grandson living in Europe. She wanted Lizzy to remain in England and, although he understood that, and to a certain extent sympathised with her, that wasn’t going to happen. Alek didn’t want to cause problems, but his home was in Poland and that was where his family should live. Gertrude would just have to accept that.

Lizzy was already fed up with her mother’s pointed comments about Alek and constant interfering and was talking about finding somewhere closer to the base to live. He would like that, as it would mean he could spend more time with his son, speaking to him in Polish and teaching him Polish culture and customs. He was concerned his son would struggle with the language when they went home if he never heard any Polish. Alek knew he knew he was lucky to be based as close as he was, especially as the rest of 303 Squadron were still in Northern Ireland having a well-earned rest. Alek had been transferred back to Northolt at his own request after his son was born, and he was still there. He enjoyed flying escort missions more than convoy duty and now the U-Boat menace was almost under control, there was more chance of killing Germans when they were on escort patrol.

They were accompanying the American long range bombers this afternoon which meant he would get his first glimpse of Germany. Admittedly it would be from the air, but with a bit of luck the allies would open the second front soon and then they could take the war into Germany properly.

He thought back to his last conversation with Stani and smiled. He was proud of his brother for killing the Nazi and rescuing their sister although, unlike Stani, Alek wasn’t entirely sure Raisa hadn’t known about Mariusz’s abduction. Still, his brother and the rest of the family had given her the benefit of the doubt, so he would have to do the same. If only they could find Mariusz and take him back to Felcia.

He realised the other aeroplanes were taking off. Alek put everything out of his mind and taxied down the runway after them. There would be plenty of time to think about his nephew later.

*******

Berlin

After the initial shock of finding out her maid was pregnant, Karin thought long and hard about what to do. She could confront Luther but he would probably deny it and so would Wande. She had to decide whether she could ignore his indiscretion – she’d had enough practice – or throw him out. Karin sighed. Could she really put up with seeing a pregnant Wande every day, knowing the child was Luther’s, even if she did love him? And what would happen when the baby was born? Even if she could somehow ignore Wande’s pregnancy which was doubtful, she could never endure the humiliation of having their baby in her house. She would be a laughing stock. If only she didn’t love him… but she did and she couldn’t bear to lose him. Eventually she made up her mind. She would get rid of Wande and give Luther another chance.

*******

Outside Lublin, Eastern Poland

‘Would you like me to take Janina for a walk in the snow?’ Raisa finished washing the dishes and turned to look at Felcia just in time to see the panic on her face. Raisa sighed. ‘I’m sorry, Felcia. I understand you wouldn’t think that’s a good idea.’ Although she’d been back home a while now, she knew Felcia still didn’t completely believe she’d had nothing to do with Mariusz’s kidnap and Raisa wasn’t surprised. If the positions were reversed she wasn’t sure she could ever forgive someone who’d run off with the man who’d stolen her son, especially as the relationship between them had always been fraught with animosity, mainly from her side. Raisa wished she could persuade Felcia that she’d changed, but she knew she was just going to have to be patient.

Felcia stared at her sister and tried to stem the fear that had engulfed her. ‘No, I’m sorry, Raisa. I have to trust you at some point. It’s not really you. I’m terrified to let either of the girls out of my sight. I only let Mama look after them under protest.’

Felcia was telling the truth up to a point. She did believe Raisa was innocent of kidnapping Mariusz, but they had never really been close, so she was finding it hard to let down her guard completely. But her real fear was that the Germans would take her daughters too. Ultarek had been snatched from the train by the Russian soldiers during their escape from Kazakhstan and she presumed he was probably dead. But she still had Janina, a permanent reminder of Ultarek’s kindness and love at a time of her life when Felcia had almost given up the will to live. If Ultarek hadn’t wanted to make her happy by taking her home, he would still be alive. Then there was John, the English POW who had been taken by the guards and from whom she’d heard nothing since his departure. She’d almost given up again when they’d taken him but then she’d discovered she was expecting his child. When Joanna had been born, she’d counted herself lucky she had two healthy daughters. But her pleasure and happiness had now turned to fear that someone would take away the girls. There was no reason for them to do that, but she couldn’t see any reason for them taking Mariusz either, yet he’d still been stolen from her.

Raisa sat down at the table next to Felcia. Janina was playing with her dolls on the mat and Joanna was fast asleep in her cot.

‘Does she look like John?’

Felcia smiled. ‘Yes, she’s got his blond hair. I know I’m blonde but his was more yellowy, and she’s got his blue eyes. Even now, she has a couple of expressions that remind me of him.’ She sighed. She’d promised herself to concentrate on her daughters and try to forget about John. Until the war ended she was unlikely to know where he was or what had happened to him, but she was struggling with her decision and frequently found herself day dreaming about him and pleading with him in her head to contact her.

‘There could be any number of reasons he hasn’t written to you,’ Raisa mused. ‘Maybe he’s trying to protect you. The prisoners aren’t supposed to have relationships with the civilians. Perhaps he thinks if he writes to you, the Gestapo will come back and arrest you.’

Felcia nodded. ‘That’s what Tata said.’

‘What did Tata say?’ Ala came into the kitchen with some dirty laundry and caught the end of the conversation.

Felcia quickly repeated what Raisa had said. Felcia was so busy thinking about Raisa’s explanation that she failed to notice the fleeting look of fury and contempt that crossed Ala’s face. But Raisa didn’t and she felt uneasy. Surely Ala should be pleased John cared so much for their sister that he wanted to protect her? And if she wasn’t, why not?

*******

Berlin

‘So what were you going to tell me?’ Hannah had been worrying about it all day, but this was the first chance she’d had to question Franz. Rebecca had just taken the children upstairs to get them ready for bed before going to the cellar and Hannah had seized her opportunity to ask him.

Franz checked the sitting room door was closed then sat on the sofa and indicated Hannah should sit next to him.

‘I think Joachim is trying to recruit me to some kind of underground group.’

Hannah paled. ‘What for?’

Franz shook his head. ‘That’s the problem. I don’t know.’ He quickly recounted the conversation he’d had with Joachim in the Soviet Union. ‘From the little he did say, I assume he’s working for someone higher up.’

‘Like who?’ Hannah sounded even more worried.

Franz was silent for a moment. ‘I’ve given it considerable thought and the only person I can think of is Gehlen.’

Hannah gasped. ‘But surely the Generalmajor isn’t likely to be involved in anything…’ She couldn’t think of the right word, so she fell silent.

‘He recruited me. He’s well known for his outspoken views but because he’s very good at his job and says what he’s thinking, everyone assumes he’s not a threat.’

‘So what do you think they’re planning, and why do they want you?’

‘Ah, those are the questions I’ve been wrestling with. I don’t know why they want me, unless they know I have contacts with the allies.’

Hannah looked horrified. ‘Is that possible?’

Franz shrugged. ‘Maybe. But if that’s the reason they want me, then the answer to the other question is that maybe they’re planning some kind of coup, and then Germany’s surrender.’

Chapter 3

London

Lionel cleared his throat and looked nervously at his daughter. He had summoned Lizzy to his study because that was his sanctuary from Gertrude, the one place he could escape her. His wife had been badgering him for weeks to speak to Lizzy and so far he’d resisted. But with the rumours he’d been hearing lately, he’d eventually realised he had no option but to warn her. He’d decided he would feel more comfortable if he spoke to Lizzy in his own safe haven; that way Gertrude couldn’t overhear or interfere. ‘Your mother’s asked that I have a word with you.’

Lizzy stared at her father, ensconced behind his desk, a suspicious expression on her face. ‘About what, Daddy? Mummy’s usually quite capable of speaking for herself.’

Lionel tried not to smile. ‘She thinks… ahhh, we think,’ he corrected himself quickly, ‘…we think it’s not a good idea for you to rush over to Poland to live after the war, not with the Russians…’

Lizzy frowned. ‘What do you mean, ‘with the Russians’?’

‘Well, they may decide not to go back to their own borders after the war is finished.’

Lizzy stared at him. ‘You don’t know that.’

Lionel sighed and thought carefully about his next words. ‘No, but they’ve never been easy neighbours with Poland. No one knows what’s going to happen at the end of the war, so all I’m asking is that you don’t rush into anything.’

‘Have you heard something at the War Office?’

Lionel shook his head. ‘No of course not, I’m just being cautious. You’ll both have your whole lives ahead of you, just don’t make any hasty decisions.’ He hated lying to his daughter, but he could hardly tell her that there were deep concerns about their supposed ally. The consensus was that it would be extremely difficult to push Stalin back behind his own borders, hence the determination to invade Europe this year before the Soviets travelled too far west. ‘Just think about it, alright?’

Lizzy nodded. Her father hadn’t said she shouldn’t ever go, just not too quickly. She also had a feeling he knew something he wasn’t telling her.

*******

Isle of Axholme, Lincolnshire

‘Are you alright, Annie?’ Sam was waiting by the kitchen door. It was just after dawn and he could see the frost glistening on the path and the icicles on the outside toilet. Annie had returned from driving to the east coast and he’d made her some eggs and toast, which she’d just started to eat before rushing off to the toilet. He’d thought she looked very pale and now he was sure he’d heard her being sick. Although he’d agreed to her continuing to work at the steel plant until the end of the war, Sam still worried about her driving, especially on icy nights. On the other hand, trying to juggle two lives, and keep one of them secret from Annie was quite fraught at times. At least when she was working nights, it made life easier for him.

‘I’m fine.’ Annie flushed the chain, let herself out of the toilet and walked back into the kitchen. She normally hated using the outside toilet in the winter but at the moment she was quite enjoying the fresh air. Sam was watching her with such concern, she decided she’d better tell him.

‘I’m pregnant, or at least I think I am.’ She’d realised not long after she’d voiced her concerns about Sam to Cathy but hadn’t wanted to say anything because it had taken her a while to quieten the suspicious voice in her head. Eventually she’d accepted Cathy was right and she was worrying about nothing. But she still hadn’t told Sam, not because she wasn’t pleased, but because she knew Sam would want her to stop working and for some unknown reason she was loathe to do that until she absolutely had to. Perhaps it was because she’d grown used to being independent, having her own money and feeling she was contributing her bit to the war effort. She also felt she owed it to Rob to keep working for as long as she could, even though she knew that was stupid. She was still having the occasional dream about Rob, but they were infrequent now, so she was pleased she hadn’t mentioned them to Sam. She knew he wouldn’t understand, and her instincts told her he was still worried about her feelings for Rob, even though he was dead and had been for nearly four years. Perhaps her pregnancy would make him feel more secure, although judging by his silent reaction… maybe not? She started to feel uneasy and her previous suspicions began to resurface.

Sam stared at her for several seconds without speaking, and Annie was about to say something. Then he grinned and swung her around in the air before remembering she wasn’t feeling well. ‘Oh, God, I’m sorry. I’m just so happy.’

Annie pushed aside her doubts and started to relax. ‘I wasn’t sure…’

Sam stared at her in amazement. ‘You silly girl. I love you and Charlie so much and our own baby will just be the icing on the cake.’ Sam held her close to him. ‘I can’t believe I’m going to be a father again.’

Annie smiled and her other concern, that he might treat the new baby differently from Charlie, also vanished.

Sam sensed her thoughts. ‘I said ‘again’ because I already feel like Charlie is my son and I promise this baby won’t make any difference to how I feel about him.’ He fell silent thinking about his other life. It was even more important now that Annie never found out he’d been lying to her since he’d met her and was still lying to her now. ‘Do you want me to come with you when you tell your parents?’

Annie sighed. ‘Let’s leave it a while. It’ll be nice just us knowing.’

Sam nodded. ‘Whatever you want, my Darling, although I have to admit I want to shout it at the top of my voice.’

Annie was about to say something when she felt the nausea rising. ‘Sorry…’ She ran back to the toilet. Sam sighed. His biggest problem was how he going to keep such exciting news a secret.

*******

Berlin

‘So what have you decided, Franz?’ Joachim looked at him across his desk. ‘I can’t really wait any longer.’

Franz sighed. He’d been dreading this moment but he realised he couldn’t put it off any more. He took a deep breath. ‘I’m with you.’

Joachim smiled, stood up, walked around the desk and shook his hand. ‘Good man. I knew you’d agree.’

Franz smiled. ‘I take it there is a plan then?’

Joachim nodded. ‘All in good time, Franz. As you can appreciate, we have to be very careful.’

Franz nodded. Joachim’s words were actually reassuring. Maybe this wouldn’t be such a disaster after all.

*******

Majdanek, Poland

Rob pulled the last of the gold teeth from the dead man’s mouth and placed them with the pile on the long trestle table. The body was then loaded into the crematorium oven and he started on the next one. He no longer felt sick or disgusted while examining the bodies for gold and jewels; in fact he no longer felt anything at all. He rarely thought about Felcia anymore because he had trouble distinguishing her from the numerous women’s bodies he loaded daily onto the pyres or into the ovens. When he did think anything, Rob thought how strange it was that he was still alive. Members of the Sonderkommando rarely survived for long as the Germans periodically murdered them because they were witnesses to the Nazi’s crimes. If it hadn’t been for his determination to tell people what he’d seen and experienced so he could avenge his friend Joseph’s death, Rob would have given up months earlier but instead he kept fighting to survive… just another day… and another… and then one more.

Occasionally news from the outside reached them, rumours that the Russians were slowly moving westwards and the Germans were in retreat. But whether the war would be over soon enough to save him, Rob didn’t know and sometimes he no longer cared.

*******

London

‘But I thought you were quite happy to come and live in Poland after the war?’ Alek looked confused. The last of the air raids on London that had begun in January seemed to have finally finished but they were still on their guard, which meant he’d had several sleepless nights.

Lizzy shrugged. ‘It’s just such a long way away, and Europe’s so dangerous. Who knows what’s going to happen when the war’s over.’

Alek looked even more puzzled. ‘After the war, the Germans will be defeated and Poland will be free again. I don’t understand what you’re talking about?’

‘The Russians.’ Lizzy stared at him and he could see the fear in her eyes. ‘Daddy says the Russians won’t leave Poland if they get their feet back in there…’ She tailed off when she saw the fury in his face.

‘So this is your parents talking, not you?’ Alek leaned towards her. ‘I know your parents don’t like me and they think you married beneath you, but I thought you loved me and wanted to be with me. You know how important it is to me that my son is brought up in Poland.’

‘I don’t mind going on holiday there several times a year but I would prefer to live here, at least until we know for certain that it’s safe.’ Lizzy stood her ground. ‘Surely that’s the sensible thing to do?’

But Alek wasn’t listening. ‘You mean your parents would prefer you to live here?’ He yelled.

‘Yes, alright. My parents want me to live here, but so do I,’ Lizzy shouted back and burst into tears.

‘That’s right, turn on the waterworks,’ Alek muttered in Polish. He searched for the same words in English and then gave up. ‘Look, don’t cry, Lizzy. I have to go back to the airfield soon. I don’t want to waste our precious time together arguing.’

Lizzy stopped crying and attempted a smile. ‘No, you’re right. There’s plenty of time to work it out when the war is over. I do love you, Alek.’

He nodded. ‘I love you too, Lizzy.’ He stepped towards her and pulled her into his arms. If only her parents would leave them alone, they would be perfectly happy.

*******

Berlin

‘She left to go somewhere else. Apparently they offered her more money than I could afford.’

Luther stared at Karin in astonishment and then frowned. He was surprised Wande hadn’t said goodbye to him. He’d thought they were friends, but perhaps she was too embarrassed. He shrugged. ‘You’ll have to find a new nanny now then, or are you not going to bother? The children are both getting older aren’t they, so they don’t need quite as much looking after.’

Karin had been watching him carefully and his reaction was not what she’d expected. She recovered quickly from her surprise and shrugged. ‘Yes, that’s what I thought. They’ll be at school soon.’ She gave a wry smile. ‘If there are any schools left after the British and Americans have finished bombing.’

Luther sighed. ‘I noticed the new craters on my way here. It’s starting to become difficult to navigate around the city. So many landmarks have gone. I know Berlin really well, or I thought I did, but even I got lost yesterday.’

‘I was thinking of what you said about moving out of the city. I think it’s a good idea.’

Luther nodded. ‘Good. Have you decided where yet?’

Karin shook her head. ‘No. I suppose that depends on you. Are you able to get a transfer somewhere, or will we just have to leave and take our chances?’

Luther sighed. ‘I don’t know. I’ll find out, then we can make some plans.’

Chapter 4

Bayswater, London

‘What are you going to do with yourself today?’ Robin smiled across the breakfast table at Daisy. He saw the shadow pass across her face and frowned.

There was a long silence before she answered, ‘I thought I’d just listen to the wireless and do some housework.’

‘You can’t stay in here all the time, Darling. I’ve had people watching out for him; he’s not anywhere in London.’

‘But you can’t guarantee that, can you?’ Daisy glared at him. ‘I know it’s stupid and cowardly but I’m too scared to go out on my own.’ She turned away so he couldn’t see the tears in her eyes.

Robin sighed. ‘He wouldn’t dare touch you in daylight, not on a busy street, Daisy. You can’t let him win.’

She stood up and walked over to the window, wringing her hands in despair. ‘I know, but I can’t go out, not yet. Please don’t make me.’

Robin stared at