When the train arrived at Euston, we waited for the sailors in the corridor and the passengers in the compartments ahead of ours to get off first. As I passed by Mystery Man’s compartment, I saw he was still there, although everyone else was gone. He just had a small suitcase. Why hadn’t he left with the others?
Then it hit me. Were Mama’s jewels in that case? Or had he hidden them somewhere the police might not look?
“I’m going to the lavatory,” I told Mama.
“Use the one in the station,” she said tiredly.
“I need to go right now. Bibi, come with me.”
Bibi looked at me curiously, but she followed me back down the corridor.
“What’s going on, Käfer?”
“Nothing. Just stand outside the door. Please. I won’t be long.”
It was immediately obvious there was nowhere to hide anything. The WC held just a toilet and a wash basin with a mirror above it. A poster on the wall read: Is Your Journey Really Necessary? I stomped my foot in frustration. The jewels weren’t here.
“What are you doing?” Mystery Man’s voice. He was outside the door! Good thing I’d thought to ask Bibi to come with me.
“Waiting for my brother,” she replied.
“Why doesn’t he use the lavatory in the station?”
“Why don’t you?” Bibi retorted saucily.
“Don’t get cheeky with me, little girl,” he shot back, his burr gone. He was no Scot.
Why would Mystery Man be waiting to use the WC on the train? The jewels had to be in here. But where? I sank down on the toilet seat, my eyes scanning the tiny space from floor to ceiling. Think. As I looked at the sink mounted to the wall beside me, I spied what looked like a tiny scrap of blue material, barely visible through the bracket. It was so small, I missed it when I’d been standing. My heart quickened. Could it be what I thought? I leaned over and looked under the sink. There, flush up against the bottom of the basin, securely tied with a belt and concealed between the pipes, were Mama’s two blue jewellery bags. I’d been right about Mystery Man all along! Fingers trembling, I unfastened the belt as quickly as I could. The bags almost dropped to the floor, but I caught them.
“What’s taking him so long?” Mystery Man snarled, his burr back.
I thrust the bags down deep into my pockets, jammed the belt back up into the pipes, flushed the toilet, turned the cold tap on and off, took a deep breath, and opened the door.
“About time,” said Mystery Man. He moved closer, his eyes slipping past my face, focussed on the loo.
“Let’s go, Bibi. Mama will be waiting.” I edged past him, arms in front of my pockets to obscure them. He entered the WC and slid the door closed with a slam.
I took Bibi’s hand and we raced down the corridor and off the train. We were both breathless when we arrived on the platform beside Mama. She was saying goodbye to Lili and Mr. Noah.
“Good luck,” they both said.
“To you as well.” Mama and Lili hugged. She and Mr. Noah shook hands. “Oh, there you are,” she said when she spotted us. “Come now. Papa will be waiting in the Great Hall, by the newsagent.”
“Wait, Mama.” I pulled on her sleeve. “I have your jewels.”
She stopped dead.
“What?”
“They’re here.” I removed them from my pockets. “I was right. That man who was in Greenock stole them and hid them under the sink in the lavatory.”
“So that’s why you wanted me to come with you,” said Bibi. Her brown eyes shone.
“Käfer, I can’t believe it! That was so clever of you.” Mama hugged me, the worry lines in her face gone. She took the bags and quickly thrust them into her inside pocket. “I thought I’d seen the last of them. I dreaded telling Papa. Come now, let’s go and find him.”
As we headed toward the station, I glanced over my shoulder at the train. Mystery Man was standing at the door to the carriage, staring at me, his handsome face twisted in anger. His eyes narrowed as he tossed his cigarette butt viciously to the ground. I shivered. I was relieved to see the last of him.
***
The Great Hall at Euston Station was enormous, with a soaring ceiling and a wide double staircase that led to a gallery above. Even so early in the day, it was busy. People hurried in all directions. Papa spotted us first. He wore his trademark navy suit and crisp white shirt. Atop his head was a grey fedora with a jaunty little red feather sticking up from the band. It matched his red tie.
“Else. Here,” he called as he hurried over to embrace Mama, who practically fell into his arms. He hugged Bibi and patted Peter on the back, and then he turned to me.
I stood up straight and smiled.
But Papa wasn’t smiling back. “You, young man. What on earth were you thinking?”
My face fell. I knew what was coming.
“Ignoring the safety drills and running off after your mother’s jewels. You could have drowned!” He shook his head. “You have a lot to answer for.”
I shrunk back.
“It will have to wait, Rifat,” Mama said, putting her hand on his arm. “Right now, I want a nice long bath followed by breakfast.”
With a last dismissive look at me, Father turned to Mama and smiled. “Then that’s what you shall have, my dear. Come along. Claridge’s awaits.”
Claridge’s was the hotel where we’d stayed briefly before we boarded the Somerville. It was much fancier than our house in The Hague, but it was temporary, and Mama favoured it because it was elegant, close to Bond Street—and good shopping—and the service was superior. I liked it because the staff let me sit with them when they were on a tea break. I listened carefully and learned a lot about the other guests. And how the war was going.
“You’ve had quite enough excitement,” Papa continued as he headed for a cab stand. “Thank goodness your train arrived safely!”
“Why wouldn’t it?” asked Peter.
“A passenger train was bombed yesterday by the Luftwaffe.”
“Where?” Peter asked.
“Someplace in Essex. Seven people were killed, including two children. The newspaper report mentioned they had been on the Somerville.”
I stopped in my tracks. I felt light-headed and thought I might faint. It couldn’t be. There were other children from Essex on board the ship.
“Papa, can we get a newspaper? Please.” My voice sounded like it was coming from far away.
“What’s this, Käfer?” Papa asked impatiently.
“Käfer and Bibi made friends with two children from Chelmsford,” said Mama. She sounded concerned. “Can we check to be sure it isn’t them?”
Silently, we followed Papa over to the newsagent where he bought a paper. Bibi grabbed my hand and held on tight while Papa scanned down the page. The wait was interminable.
“The children’s names are Frederick and Fiona Wilson,” he said finally.
***
I was in bed with the lights out. The door to the sitting room was ajar. Everyone else was listening to a music programme on the wireless. Someone named Vera Lynn was singing about meeting again, don’t know where or when.
It was a sad song that matched my mood. I couldn’t believe Freddy and Fiona were dead. They had been so … alive. I could see them grinning. Hear them laughing as they teased each other. How could they be gone, so suddenly, and forever? I wanted Funny Bunny Blue, my plush rabbit with a blue coat. Aunt Charlotte had given him to me when I was born, but I had to leave him behind in The Hague. He’d always been there when I needed him.
Mama came in then and sat down on the bed beside me. I felt tears well up again as I snuggled up to her.
“I’m sorry, Käfer,” she said quietly.
“It not fair. It’s just not fair.”
“It’s not,” she sighed, “but life isn’t fair and the sooner you realize that, the better. There are children who are born brain-damaged. Others get polio. And then, there are children like Freddy and Fiona, who die senselessly long before they should.” She added softly, almost to herself, “Leaving their parents and the others who love them devastated. It’s just the way life is.”
I was silent as I thought about that. I’d been so caught up in my own feelings I hadn’t considered Freddy and Fiona’s mam and dad. Both their children were dead. We were lucky. We’d survived—twice—in the sea. We were all alive. I had Mama and Bibi. And Papa, who made sure we were all looked after. Even Peter didn’t seem so annoying at that moment.
“What happens to people when they die, Mama?” An image popped into my mind. “Do they go to black, like at the end of a film?”
“Some people believe that, Käfer. I like to think there’s a life after this one. A better one, if we’ve been good. A place with no war or fighting. Just pleasant times where we’re with the people we love.”
The thought of Freddy and Fiona together somewhere they were happy cheered me up a bit. Perhaps it was like Blackpool Pleasure Beach. Freddy told me his mam and dad took him and Fiona there once and it was the best day of his life. His favourite part was a roller coaster called the Zipper Dipper. He and Fiona and their mam and dad sat nervously in a car that went slowly up and up, and when it reached the top of the track, it came racing down. Freddy said he was frightened at first, but then he loved it and just wanted to keep going on the Zipper Dipper all afternoon. I decided that Blackpool Pleasure Beach was where I would imagine them to be.
Vera Lynn was on to another song. This one was upbeat, with a catchy tune.
What’s the use of worrying
It never was worthwhile…
“Will we take another ship to Canada?” I asked Mama.
“I don’t know. Papa and I haven’t had a chance to talk about it. It’s very dangerous crossing the Atlantic, Käfer, as we’ve learned first-hand. But it’s risky to stay here as well. The Germans are stepping up their bombing raids on England, though they haven’t touched London proper yet. Papa will make the right decision.” Mama paused. I could tell she was thinking about what she was going to say next. “I know sometimes you think Papa is hard on you. It’s because he worries about you. He cares very much for you, Käfer.”
I wasn’t so sure about that. For as long as I could remember, he always favoured my brother and sister. Peter especially could do no wrong. But I didn’t argue. I just wiped my eyes dry on the cuff of my pyjama top and changed the subject.
“Mama, can we get my film developed as soon I finish the roll? I want to send the photographs of Freddy and Fiona to their mam. She’d like that, don’t you think?”
“That’s a lovely idea, Kfer. We’ll get two prints of each, so you can have one to remember them as well.” I nodded. Mama pulled up the covers and tucked me in. “You’re my darling boy. Don’t ever forget that.” She leaned over and gave me a kiss on the forehead. “Now try and get some sleep. Whether we stay here or go to Canada, we need new clothes and toiletries. We’ll go shopping tomorrow and I’ll take you to lunch somewhere special.”
She walked to the door, turned and smiled back at me. “The best way to honour Freddy and Fiona is to live your life to the full. That’s what they would want you to do.”
***
Peter and Bibi came to bed some time later, but I pretended I was already asleep. I didn’t want to talk about Freddy and Fiona anymore. Not even to Bibi, who was almost as upset as I was.
Not long afterward, Mama looked in on us. Satisfied we were all settled in for the night, she went back to the sitting room and turned off the wireless. I heard the murmur of her voice and Father’s. I got out of bed, careful not to make any noise, and crept over the door, which was ajar.
They were sitting side by side on the sofa, Mama’s head on Father’s shoulder.
“I’m so thankful you’re safe, Liebling,” he said, taking Mama’s hand and giving her a gentle kiss on the temple. “I can’t imagine my life without you.” His eyes closed briefly and there was a catch in his voice. I’d never heard Father speak like that before. He was always so matter-of-fact.
“There were moments when I wondered if we would survive, Rifat. And when Käfer was standing on the deck above the lifeboat—”
“Don’t think about it. He’s safe. You’re all safe. That’s all that matters.” Father shook his head impatiently. “I wish he wouldn’t be so impetuous.”
I held my breath. Would Mama tell him about the newspaper man? And the story? He would be even angrier with me. My stomach clenched.
But to my relief, Mama replied, “Don’t be so hard on him, Rifat.”
“He reminds me of Lotte.” Mama had tried to convince Aunt Charlotte to leave Berlin with us, but she hadn’t. She had spied for the British and now she was in a concentration camp somewhere in Germany. “His recklessness will get him into trouble one day.”
“It worked out—”
“This time.”
“He was very brave, Rifat. And clever,” Mama said in her most persuasive voice. “He knew how important the jewels are to your business plans. Without his quick thinking, they would be gone too, and then what would we have done?”
“It would have made starting the business more difficult,” Father conceded. “I see now that I must sail to Canada first.”
Mama sat up straight and looked at him questioningly.
“If something happens to me, you and the children would be better off here in London.”
“Don’t, Rifat. I can’t even think about that.”
“We have to be realistic, Else. Crossing the Atlantic is getting more dangerous all the time and so far, at least, London has been spared.”
“How long do you think that will last?” Mama asked bitterly. “And will the British even win the war? The headlines in the newspapers are grim.”
Father shrugged. “Nothing is certain anymore. But I think it’s the best course of action. I will sail as soon as possible. You and the children will follow. But first I need to make sure that the fuel pump is being manufactured to specification. The companies making it are in Croydon and Slough, and I need to spend time at both of them.”
“Where will we stay?”
“Here. I can get to both factories easily by train. And Central London is safe for now.”
I had heard enough. I scooted back to bed. We would be staying in London, so I would get to explore the city! I just hoped Father would never find out about the newspaper story.