It had been a week since Celia had bid farewell to her sister and Archie, when she received a letter from Phoebe who rapturously extolled both Archie and Sandsend’s virtues. Clearly Phoebe was blissfully happy in her marriage and Celia felt much lighter to know that she no longer had to worry about her. She was the only family left to her, and with Phoebe happily ensconced in her new home, any responsibility that weighed on her shoulders had now seemed to vanish.
Celia was beginning to feel a little lost and unsure what to do or where to go next.
There was a knock on her bedroom door. ‘Letter for you, Celia.’
Thanking the trainee nurse, she took the letter and went to sit on her bed to read it. She looked at the envelope and vaguely recognised the writing. Opening it, she took out the slip of paper and saw that it was from Elsie. Celia’s mood dipped and she felt the familiar irritation when thinking about the woman who had been so vile to her and Otto. Her instinct was to scrunch up the sheet of paper and burn it, but something stopped her. Maybe there was news of Otto? She couldn’t risk missing something important.
She began to read.
Celia,
I hope my letter finds you well. I am smiling and imagining your reaction seeing this but want you to know that I write to you in apology. I am truly sorry for my unforgivable actions.
Celia groaned. What could have happened to change her ex-colleague’s feelings? Celia took a deep breath and read on, unable to rid herself of her suspicion that this letter held an ulterior motive.
I deserve any ill will you hold towards me. The reason for my feelings changing are simply that I had the good fortune to work with Doctor Hoffman (yes, that is how I now think of him) these past few months in the isolation hospital in the camp. I had no idea he was a doctor, not that his profession should make a jot of difference, and I admit that getting to know him better has brought about a respect for him that I hadn’t imagined possible before. In fact, I have found myself reconsidering my feelings towards the prisoners. Prior to this I thought of them as ‘The Enemy’. Nothing more, nothing less. All they deserved from me, I believed, was my contempt and, as you well know, that is all they received.
I am now ashamed to think of my behaviour and wish to make what amends I possibly can. It is for this reason that I am writing to you. I should not be sharing this information but hope that in doing so you will believe the depth of my regret.
The prisoners are being repatriated to Germany. Some have already left but Doctor Hoffman will be one of a group stopping at Victoria Station in two days’ time. They will be at Platform 6 at noon and will have a waiting time of approximately thirty minutes before their next train is due. Should you wish to see him, I will not stand in your way.
Celia gasped. Two days? She glanced at the date and saw that was tomorrow. Thank heavens the letter hadn’t been delayed. She could barely believe that she would see her beloved Otto again, and so soon.
Without a second’s delay Celia left her room and rushed to Matron’s office to request the day off. ‘I have an urgent family issue to which I must attend,’ she said, reasoning that Otto would hopefully one day be her family and that her request wasn’t too far-fetched. ‘I’m sorry for the lateness in my request, but I was hoping you would be able to give me permission to take a day’s leave earlier than I had imagined.’
‘How early?’ Matron didn’t look up from making her notes.
‘Tomorrow.’
Matron glanced up and then considered her words before nodding. ‘Yes. You’ve worked tirelessly over these past months, Nurse Robertson, and like most of my nurses, have time owing to you. Take tomorrow and I hope that whatever you are dealing with, it works out for the best.’
She thanked Matron and returned to her room to finish reading Elsie’s letter.
The men will only be allowed to disembark to be led immediately to their next train on Platform 3 leaving for Dover. I shall be travelling with them as far as that and will then go my own way. If I do see you, I should like to apologise in person.
If I do not, then I hope you find it within you to forgive my previous actions.
Yours faithfully,
Elsie Baker (Miss)
* * *
Celia was waiting at Platform 6 two hours earlier than she needed to be. She knew it was probably ridiculous but found comfort knowing she would be ready and waiting when Otto’s train arrived. She hoped to be able to see him when he got off the train and follow discreetly to Platform 3 where she would also board. She had no idea what she would do after that but would decide when the time was right.
Several porters stopped to ask her if she needed any assistance. She thanked them and said that she was waiting for a friend to arrive and had got the time wrong. She pushed her hand into her coat pocket and felt the smoothness of her train ticket to Dover.
Her heart raced as she watched the train slow to a halt. Otto is on that train. She took a steadying breath, hoping he would see her and that she didn’t lose him between this train and the next. The doors opened and passengers rushed to be on their way, but although she waited, Celia didn’t see a group of men she thought might be the POWs. She certainly hadn’t seen Otto anywhere.
Then, when the platform was fairly clear, two doors in a rear carriage opened and several guards, two nurses, one of whom she realised was Elsie, and approximately fifteen to twenty men stepped off the train and began walking in pairs along the platform.
Elsie saw her and glanced over her shoulder, as if to tell Celia to look behind her. Celia acknowledged her subtle message with a nod. She held her breath as she scanned each man, looking for Otto.
Then she saw him.
She stared at him, willing him to sense her presence, and seconds later he did. His step faltered and the man behind him gave him a light push, and smiling, Otto began walking again.
She saw him mouth her name and she mouthed I love you in reply.
As he passed her she whispered, ‘Meet me on the train.’
He looked stunned to hear what she had said but kept walking. She waited until they were off the platform to follow at a safe distance. Then keeping watch, she made sure she sat in the next carriage to theirs, facing the rear of the train, so that she had the best view of the lavatory door between his carriage and the one she was occupying. She had to trust that Otto would ask to use the bathroom at some point, giving her the opportunity to meet him.
Celia could think of no other way to spend some time with him. She trusted Elsie to keep to her word and help Otto not to be followed by one of the guards. It was all rather wishy-washy but there was little else Celia could hope for.
She was grateful the train was fairly empty and that she was in a carriage alone. She kept the carriage door slightly ajar in order to hear the door opening further down, and about an hour into the journey she heard the door in Otto’s cabin open and waited to see who came out.
‘Otto,’ she whispered, her heart racing as he looked around him and then, not seeing her, went to the lavatory and closed the door. Aware they had little time to waste, Celia immediately made her way to the same lavatory and knocked once before opening the door and stepping inside, immediately closing the door behind her and locking it.
‘Meine Liebste.’
She leaned against the door, staring at him, unable to believe they were finally together. ‘Otto.’
With one step he took her in his arms and held her against him, his lips finding hers. Celia’s thoughts and worries vanished as his kiss sent sensations coursing through her body. She heard him groan and clung onto him, not wishing the moment to end but aware that it had to.
‘Meine Engel,’ he whispered. ‘I could not believe my eyes when I saw you waiting. And now you are here.’ He kissed her again. His mouth then moved to kiss her mouth, her eyes, her neck. ‘I cannot bear to leave you again.’
‘I know.’ Celia realised she needed to be strong for both of them. ‘I had to come.’
‘But how did you know?’
She stared into his bright-blue eyes and, taking her hands from around his waist, placed them either side of his face, remembering that she needed to take in every inch of it, to savour it until she was able to stare into his beautiful eyes once more. ‘Elsie wrote and told me.’
‘Elsie?’ He frowned in confusion. ‘Ah, Sister Baker. She is a strange woman. I do not understand her.’
‘Neither do I,’ Celia admitted. ‘We don’t have time to waste talking about her, except to say she wrote and told me she was sorry for everything she did and wanted to make up for it.’
‘That is surprising, but good.’
‘It is.’ She kissed him again, wishing they could have more than stolen moments together. ‘We need to make a plan. They might wonder where you’ve got to and come looking for you.’
His face was etched with pain and she saw that he was as unwilling to part from her as she from him.
‘I will remain at King’s College Hospital for as long as it takes for us to make plans.’
‘Yes. I shall write to you there once I know where I will be. Or when I am at my family home. Then we find a way to reunite.’
Celia smiled, aware it wasn’t reaching her eyes but desperate to do her best, for she wanted his last look of her to be one where she was smiling. ‘It won’t be long now, Otto,’ she insisted, hoping she was right. ‘We’ve done the difficult bit and you survived.’
‘We both survived,’ he whispered, taking her face in his hands and kissing her longingly. ‘I love you with all my heart, Celia.’
Someone banged heavily on the door and Celia shrieked in fright, relieved when Otto covered her mouth to stifle the sound. ‘Oi, what you doin’ in there?’
‘I will be one minute longer,’ Otto said, not taking his eyes from hers. ‘I must wash my hands.’
‘No dawdling. You’ve been too long already.’
‘Yes, Officer. One moment more.’ Turning back to Celia, he whispered, ‘I will go out first. Then you follow when he accompanies me back to the carriage.’
‘I love you,’ she whispered as he pulled her to him and gave her a last passionate kiss.
The officer banged on the door impatiently. ‘I am coming now,’ Otto shouted, his impatience with the man barely concealed.
He gave her a smile. ‘I will write to you as soon as I can.’
Panicked that he was leaving but aware he had no choice, Celia wanted something to hold onto. ‘Where will we meet up?’
He frowned thoughtfully before smiling. ‘Switzerland. We will reunite in Lucerne.’
‘Perfect,’ she said, standing on tiptoes to kiss him one last time as he reached for the door handle.
‘Until we meet again in Lucerne.’
‘It won’t be long to wait now,’ he assured her as he opened the door and walked out to join the grumbling guard, closing the door quietly behind him.
Celia leaned against the door and touched her lips where his had been moments before. ‘Yes, Otto,’ she murmured. ‘Not long now.’