Chapter Seven
AGerman ball was like any other ball. Champagne glasses were filled as fast as they were emptied. Most of the guests were inebriated or well on their way to becoming so. Anya had been sipping on the same glass of bubbly since she arrived. She didn’t want to lose her wits and give anyone a reason to believe she wasn’t Anastasia Wegner. So far, she hadn’t slipped, but there was a first time for everything. Drinking and Anya didn’t mix well, and she didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks.
She didn’t speak German, so that made some of the conversations difficult. Eavesdropping even more so… At least some of the guests spoke English and chose to humor her. Most of them ignored her though. No matter, she didn’t want to talk to any of them. Her stomach had been one never-ending ball of unease since she’d woken up in the wrong time and the wrong body, but this…was so much worse than she could have imagined.
Dierk circled the room, talking to what seemed like everyone in attendance. She dutifully followed him from group to group and remained silent the entire time. She didn’t ask any questions and kept her answers to as few words as possible. Dierk seemed to appreciate her demureness. Inside, she seethed. “This is my fiancée, Anastasia,” he introduced her to another man. “We’re to be married posthaste.”
“Is that so?” the gentleman said with a bit of enthusiasm. “You’re a lucky man. She is a beauty.” As if that was the only attribute a woman had to offer. “And quiet too. Shows she knows her place.”
Were all the men in this time misogynist gits? Should she speak or hold her tongue? She wasn’t sure what was expected of her, and it scared her too much. None of this made any sense. Why was she lost in the past, and how could she ever find her way home?
“That she does,” Dierk agreed. “The perfect wife. I couldn’t ask for a better woman to have as my own.” He slid his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. Anya wrapped her arms around her middle in an attempt to still the rumbling in her stomach.
“I try,” she mumbled. When could they go home?
“You do more than that.” He practically beamed with pride. As if having a biddable wife was the greatest gift he could have been given. He was disgusting.
“At least you do not need to worry she’ll give you inferior children. Not with her beautiful blonde hair and striking blue eyes,” the man said. It occurred to her that Dierk had told him her name but hadn’t done the same in kind. She had no idea what to call him. She supposed she could refer to him asarse, at least in her own thoughts. It fit all of the men she met at the damned ball. She was nothing but a mute broodmare to them.
“Did you hear about the Allendorfs?” the arse asked.
“No,” Dierk replied. “What about them?” This was the first conversation they held entirely in English. That was odd. What purpose did they have for making her privy to any of what they had to say? The first part, about her, she supposed they thought was important for her to hear. Like it was praising her worthiness or something. This, though, sounded off, and they hadn’t really said anything other than a name.
“They’re harboring rats.” Anger reverberated through his voice and his cheeks were tinged with red. “We’re going to raid their home tomorrow morning before daybreak.”
Her heart raced inside of her chest. Those poor people. She had no idea who the Allendorfs were, but she wished she could help them—find some way to warn them. Unfortunately, she didn’t know anyone in German society. Even those she’d met tonight she’d never consider allies. She had never felt so helpless in her entire life.
“What a travesty. They had such potential to be one of the best German families.” Dierk sighed. “Ah, well, there’s nothing to do about it. An example must be made of them. No one goes against our cause without due punishment.”
Anya swallowed hard. Was that warning meant for her? A reminder of who Anastasia was engaged to marry and what Dierk expected of her? He didn’t know Anastasia was no more and that Anya had taken her place. Had she done something in the past that had given Dierk pause, or was Anya the one who had made him worry over what she might do? She couldn’t be certain either way, and she’d have to tread cautiously. If she hoped to help anyone, she had to be careful. It wouldn’t do any good for her, or anyone, to get caught in the process.
“You are correct,” the arse said. She really should find out the man’s name. “Would you like to join us?”
“I enjoy a righteous raid,” Dierk replied, then shook his head. “But I must leave the glory to you. My fiancée needs my attention, and I must see her home. I’ll accompany you on your next assignment.”
She would like to tell them there was no need for Dierk to see her home, but neither one would listen to her. Anya might as well hold her breath for all the good it would do her. Though this could be the opportunity to escape she’d been hoping for all night. “I am feeling fatigued,” she said in a quiet voice. Hopefully he didn’t question her and think she might be giving him any falsehoods—even though she was lying through her teeth. She couldn’t stand him and would say almost anything to separate herself from him.
Dierk turned to meet her gaze. “You poor dear. It has been a long evening. I suppose we should say our goodbyes.”
Anya would have rolled her eyes if she didn’t fear he’d make her pay for the impertinence. “All right,” she agreed, and kept her gaze lowered. Perhaps she was a better actress than she’d given herself credit for.
“Enjoy the rest of your evening, Oberst Bauer, and good luck dealing with one of our rat problems.”So that was his name…Strange he had said his full name. Anya wondered why, but didn’t question it too closely. She’d have to be careful not to raise his suspicion. “I trust you’ll have them scurrying out of their hiding places without any difficulty.”
“You may count on it,” Oberst Bauer replied. “I’ll have a report for you immediately following our raid.”
“Good night,” Dierk said, then turned to Anya. “Come, dear. Let’s have our driver retrieve the car, and I’ll take you home.”
She let him lead her out of the ballroom and to the car. Partly because she didn’t have a choice, and partly because there was nothing she wanted more than to leave. Anya couldn’t wait to return to the embassy. Maybe once there she could figure out who the Allendorfs were, and then she might be able to save the Jews in their charge. What she didn’t know was what she’d do with them once she found them. She had no place to hide anyone, and she didn’t have anyone she could trust to aid her.
* * *
Almost everyone wasasleep at the embassy. After Dierk left, she’d went through the motions of preparing to sleep for the night. She wore her long chaste night-rail and slipped into bed. Sleep eluded her. Which was all right with her because she had plans. Ones that Ida did not need to be privy to…
She crawled out of bed once she deemed it safe, then dressed in a pair of dark trousers with a matching sweater. Anya wore a silk shirt underneath so it didn’t chafe her breasts. She slipped on a pair of leather boots and tied the laces. With her clothes acceptable, she wound her long hair into a braid and then made it into a bun at the nape of her neck, then pulled a dark cap over her head. She wished she had some gloves…
Dierk had talked with Edward on the way home about the Allendorfs. Apparently, they were a wealthy family that lived on the opposite side of Berlin. The Jews they harbored were children. It sickened her to think they were raiding that house to take children to concentration camps, and then they’d punish the entire Allendorf family for sympathizing with their plight. The horridness of it was almost more than she could bear.
It had been too easy for her to uncover the information. She should be scared, but refused to give in to fear. Children depended on her to be brave. She barely had a plan in place. Most of it had been dressing in the clothing she’d secreted away days ago for an emergency. The next step of her plan was to steal one of the cars and drive to the Allendorf house. After that…she’d improvise where necessary.
