“Fred, surely you must see that we can’t spend the very limited risk credit we have trying to harbour individual Jews,” Claus said, scoffing. “This is far, far bigger than that now. Don’t be stupid, man.”
“And for the love of God, stop listening to her,” Ludwig fired at Friedrich, indicating Audrey. “She has turned your head. We never should have allowed a woman—”
“Give it a rest, Ludwig,” Aldous said quietly.
“You need to find somewhere else for her to go,” Claus said, his gaze flicking back and forth between Audrey and Friedrich. “You must. You must.”
Friedrich was staring at the wall behind Claus, avoiding his eyes.
After a moment, Ludwig threw his crystal glass into the fireplace, making Audrey jump. “She is to be gone within forty-eight hours, or so help me, Müller, you will get into a bar brawl of your own!”
He seized his coat from the front hall and exited, slamming the door behind him. Then, one by one, the others turned to go, but Audrey didn’t stay to watch. She raced upstairs to Ilse.
Daniel was on the floor, hammering one wooden block as he chomped on another, drool pooling around his mouth.
“I heard shouting. They heard him, didn’t they?” Ilse asked, panicked.
Audrey watched her with a sort of disconnected grief. “Yes.”
“It’s his teeth,” Ilse said. “They’re cutting on the top and bottom, and it’s driving him mad. I couldn’t stop him from shrieking. I tried everything I could think of. I’m so sorry.” She stopped. “What did they say?”
“It wasn’t… good,” Audrey began. She explained how they’d tried to cover up who Ilse was, but the truth had come out. “They’re insisting you and Daniel be moved elsewhere.”
Ilse’s face fell. “No.”
“Ludwig could report us for harbouring Jews if he wanted to. And he threatened Friedrich. It isn’t safe for you here anymore.”
Ilse’s voice rose. “I thought they were working against Hitler. Why would they…?” She trailed off at the sight of Friedrich in the doorway, looking flushed.
“Audrey’s right,” Friedrich said. “It’s not safe for you here.” He said a few choice words about Ludwig. “It isn’t your fault, Ilse. We were foolish to think we could continue this arrangement. As Daniel grows, concealing him will become more and more difficult.” He took a deep breath, but he still seemed deflated, as though all the fight had gone out of him. “The fact is that we are no longer able to protect you here. I know you do not wish to leave your family home, but we must find an alternative. For all our sakes, but primarily yours and Daniel’s.”
As Friedrich spoke, Ilse looked down at Daniel, tears in her eyes.
“But how?” Audrey said.
Friedrich turned from Ilse. “Aldous.”
“Aldous?”
“He stayed after Claus and Ludwig left.” Friedrich paused. He seemed to be struggling with what he was about to say.
“He has a connection with another cell in the Red Orchestra through one of his university friends. One of their members, Wendelein Von Albrecht, has a country home outside of Enschede, in the Netherlands, not far from the border. Her family is wealthy. She and her Dutch husband have been using it to smuggle Jews to safety for the past year, I’m told, with great success. They might have a room for you and Daniel. He’s going to try to reach them tonight.”
Daniel offered Ilse a red block. “Ma ma ma,” he said. Ilse took it, blinking rapidly.
“Aldous can make you false papers and if you keep them with you, there is no reason anyone should ever suspect you. You can remain there safely until we have reclaimed Germany from Hitler’s grasp.” Friedrich twitched his moustache thoughtfully. “He told me these would not be the first papers he has made for Jews trying to flee. I didn’t know he’d been doing that.”
Audrey’s esteem for Aldous rose immediately. “I wonder what Ludwig would make of this information,” she muttered. Friedrich didn’t answer.
Ilse was quiet a moment. “How long would we be gone for?” she asked.
Audrey exhaled. She must be considering it.
“A year, or longer,” Friedrich said. “Truly we cannot know. A war is coming, that much is clear. No one will allow Germany to keep invading its neighbours without consequence. But I cannot tell you how long it might go on.”
“And what happens if my mother and brother return whilst I’m away?”
Pity rippled across Friedrich’s features before he answered. “If that happens, I will bring them to you at the Von Albrechts’.” He took Ilse’s hand and looked deep into her eyes in a way that made Audrey pink with jealousy. “I promise you, Ilse. You have my word.”
Audrey struggled to find her voice. “So you’ll do it?” she asked, her nails digging into her palms.
Ilse wiped her tears. “Yes, I’ll go. For Daniel.”
Friedrich’s face cleared. “I’ll call Aldous.”
When he was gone, Audrey sat down on the edge of Ilse’s bed, fingering the familiar embroidered yellow flowers. “You’re doing the right thing,” she said.
But Ilse shook her head. “There’s no control anymore, is there? No true choices. For any of us. It’s always just life or death, and nothing in between.” She looked down at Daniel. “I do love him so. Though he’s someone else’s. Is that fair? Is that right?”
“I don’t think it could ever be wrong to love a child. He’s yours. For now, at least.”
“What if his parents return?” Ilse asked.
A shiver crept over Audrey at the memory of Daniel’s home. She knew Ilse had to believe that their return was possible, because if it wasn’t, that might mean Ruth and Ephraim were doomed as well.
“We will cross that bridge if ever we come to it. In the meantime, the best thing we can do for him—and the parents who love him—is to keep him safe, and love him as they would have done.”
Ilse gazed upon his little form. “I would do anything for him,” she said. “This love of mine.”
