‘What? Oh, don’t worry about her. She can’t speak German. She doesn’t have a clue what we’re saying,’ said Kranz with a laugh.
‘Are you sure?’
‘Of course. Watch this.’ He then called out to me in French. ‘Nathalie, come here.’
I did as I was told. ‘Yes?’
‘You don’t understand what I’m saying do you?’ he said in German.
I looked at him blankly. ‘Sorry, I don’t understand.’
Kranz laughed. He nudged the other officer. ‘See I told you.’ Then he looked at me again. ‘You’re nothing but a French whore. A filthy slut.’
I had to force myself not to react. I couldn’t give anything away. ‘Please, I don’t understand,’ I repeated.
Both men laughed. Then the other officer spoke. ‘Let me try.’ He looked at me. ‘If you’re a French whore then you won’t mind spreading your legs for me.’
I looked from one man to the other as if I had no clue what they were saying. This caused them both to laugh out loud.
My heart was racing. There was an atmosphere in the room that was rapidly turning from amusement to something more sinister. The officer threw some more insults at me, together with vile and vulgar suggestions. It took every effort not to react. To not show them that I understood.
‘That’s enough now,’ said Kranz. ‘We can’t upset Nathalie, here. She’s Chanel’s little pet and I don’t want Chanel to decide I’m no longer welcome in her suite.’
‘Oh, I see,’ said the officer, eyeing me up and down. ‘Maybe another time, then.’
Kranz held the door open. ‘You should leave now,’ he said to me.
I didn’t need telling twice and hurried from the room.
As soon as I was safely back in my sewing room, I wrote down what I’d heard Kranz say about Bochette in my sketchbook using the invisible ink. I didn’t know if this information would ever be worth anything, whether there would come a time that it could be held against her, but I knew it was important and certainly information Bochette would not want anyone to know about, least of all the Resistance or the Allied forces. One day, she would get her reckoning and I wanted to make sure every scrap of evidence could be used against her.
Chapter 26
Nathalie
I loved spending time in the sewing room Chanel had arranged for me. It reminded me of being back at the shop and working for Papa in the days when life was easier, simpler, happier, and when Edgar was still alive. The only good thing about now was that I had Marcel and although one didn’t counter the other, my feelings for Marcel reminded me that life was still worth living and fighting for.
That morning I had arrived at the Ritz early so I could spend an hour working on the dress before my day’s work began. The sewing room had come to be something of a sanctuary– a place where I could immerse myself in creating the dress for Chanel, and for just an hour or so, I could forget about the war and all the wretchedness that came with it.
However, when I entered Chanel’s suite later that morning, I was reminded of the real reason I was here: Kranz. He sauntered out of the bedroom, fastening the top button of his shirt.
‘Ah, here comes the little assassin,’ said Kranz with a laugh.
‘Erich, don’t tease the staff,’ scolded Chanel, walking around him and sitting on the sofa. I placed the tray I was carrying with the fresh coffee onto the table.
‘It’s just a bit of fun,’ said Kranz, clearly amused by himself. ‘Fortunately, her skills lie with the needle and thread, rather than a pistol; otherwise I might not be here today. Now, wouldn’t that be a shame?’
‘A shame, indeed,’ said Chanel. She turned to me. ‘And how are you enjoying the sewing room?’
‘Oh, it’s wonderful,’ I replied, pouring the rich coffee into the cups.
‘Glad to hear it. You can show me how you’re getting on later,’ said Chanel. She took a sip of her coffee. ‘If you can start in the bedroom today, please.’
‘And don’t worry,’ said Kranz. ‘I haven’t left my gun lying around this time.’ He laughed at his attempted humour.
‘Erich,’ scolded Chanel. ‘That’s enough. Leave the girl alone.’
I was relieved to get away from Kranz, vowing that if I had the chance again, then I wouldn’t hesitate to use the gun. Oh, how I would love to see the look on his face as I fired it.
