Binningen, Switzerland
Allina arrived at Adele’s home at half past midnight, feeling bruised and so worn out she swayed on the steps.
When the door opened, she was shocked into silence.
Karl’s beloved aunt was a far cry from the tower of strength she’d anticipated. Adele von Strassberg was the tiniest human being Allina had ever seen. The woman looked slight enough to blow away with the next stiff wind. Each facial feature was classic but also in miniature. She had Karl’s aristocratic cheekbones, although the familial resemblance ended there. Adele’s ivory skin was smooth for a woman in later years, and she had a sharp chin and auburn eyebrows that arched wickedly above amber eyes. With her head crowned in pin curls, and wrapped in a green satin dressing gown that pooled onto the floor, Adele seemed more forest fairy than human.
“Come in, my dear,” Adele said as she waved her over the threshold. “You’re worn through, and no wonder. Elias can bring in your bags,” she added, gesturing to the dark-eyed, rangy young man who’d met Allina at the train station.
Adele ushered Allina down the hall. “Let’s get you upstairs to your bedroom. You don’t mind waiting until morning to see the house, do you?” Adele pointed a slender finger at Katrine, who was deep asleep and flung over Allina’s shoulder like a sack of flour. “With luck, this little one will allow you a few hours’ rest. Can I bring you anything? Some toast and warm milk, perhaps?”
Gratitude and relief filled her, and Allina’s legs nearly buckled. She declined the offer of food and followed the older woman upstairs, limbs growing heavier with each step. Her bedroom was done in massive amounts of ivory lace, but Allina was too bleary-eyed to take in most of the details. There was, however, a small trundle bed beside hers, for Katrine.
Adele pulled the toddler gently from Allina’s arms and nudged her toward the bed.
“Sit down,” she whispered.
Allina sank onto the plush mattress with a sigh. Her eyes fluttered closed as she surrendered to fatigue and the muffled sounds of Adele von Strassberg at work: the soft wisp of cloth against cloth as she slid Katrine under the covers, the purr of a suitcase zipper, and Adele’s sweet humming.
Cool fingers cupped her cheek, nudging Allina toward consciousness.
“Let’s get you comfortable,” Adele murmured.
Allina let the older woman help her out of her clothes and into a nightgown, sinking into the gentle touch and the warm scents of vanilla and talcum powder. When Adele wished her good night and turned out the light, she managed a mumbled thank-you. Rolling to the center of the mattress, Allina pulled the comforter over her body and fell asleep.
She woke in the same position hours later, just after dawn and to the sound of her daughter’s demanding little voice.
“Hungry, Mama.”
Cracking an eye open, Allina saw two bright blue eyes peeking over the edge of the mattress.
“Hungry,” the little one said again.
Allina’s stomach gurgled in response.
Katrine giggled and pointed at Allina’s belly.
Miracle of miracles, her daughter didn’t seem concerned by their new surroundings.
As the sleep fog cleared, questions began circling in Allina’s mind. How long would they be here? When would the children arrive? And more important: How much did Adele know about Karl’s plan?
Heaving herself over the edge of the mattress, Allina nearly tumbled to the floor. Half of her body had fallen asleep. Groaning as the pinpricks spread through her legs, she rubbed at her feet to wake them.
“Mama, hungry,” Katrine reminded helpfully.
“I’m hungry too, kitten.” Allina pointed to their suitcase, lying open on the floor. “Pick out your clothes. We’ll wash and change and see what Auntie Adele has for breakfast.”
In twenty minutes, due in no small part to Katrine’s eagerness, Allina managed to wash the necessary bits, dress them both, and tame her daughter’s willful hair into braids. As they descended to the first floor, the yeasty scent of fresh-baked bread wafted up the stairs.
Katrine ran toward the blissful smell before Allina could stop her—and right into Adele, who was still in her dressing gown.
“Whom do we have here?” Adele called out, and picked up her great-niece. “Can this beauty be our Katrine?”
Suddenly shy, the little one giggled before burying her face in Adele’s shoulder.
It was all so normal, so ordinary. Allina braced her hand on the wall for support. “I haven’t thanked you,” she said, throat tight with tears.
“Don’t be ridiculous. You were dead on your feet last night.” Adele said, eyebrows arching. “Besides, we’re family.” She set Katrine down and took the girl’s hand, beckoning for Allina to follow. “We’ve much to discuss, but not in front of the child. Lisel has breakfast laid out. Let’s get some food into you first. We’ll talk after.”
The three walked into the kitchen, where Adele introduced them to Lisel, a blond, round-cheeked young woman who served as her cook and personal assistant. The four ate family style on the butcher-block table, feasting on apple tart, sausage, cheese, and fresh-baked bread.
The food and Adele’s easy familiarity tempered Allina’s impatience to learn more about Karl’s plan. By the end of the meal Katrine had settled in, and her happy chatter and giggles filled the room. She took a particular shine to Lisel, who answered a never-ending stream of questions about everything from the burnished copper pots that hung from the ceiling, to the birds chirruping in the tree outside the kitchen window, to the coil of blond braids wrapped around Lisel’s head.
“It’s no bother,” Lisel said simply when Allina chided her daughter for asking so many questions. “I’m the eldest of nine. I’ve taken care of my brothers and sisters for as long as I can remember.”
Twenty minutes were the outer reaches of her daughter’s good behavior, after which Katrine hopped off her chair and proceeded to scramble around the kitchen table on all fours and bark like a puppy.
“Katrine,” Lisel called out, cheeks dimpling, “would you like to go outside and see our garden? You can watch the birds take their morning bath if you’re quiet.”
The little blond head popped up. Quivering with excitement, she turned a begging gaze to Allina.
“Of course you can. Mind Lisel.”
As soon as they were out the door, Adele took Allina’s hand in a strong, bony grip. “Come. Let me show you the house,” Adele said. “Then we’ll have our chat.”
When they entered Adele’s parlor, Allina was dumbstruck. The room was— Frankly, she wasn’t sure how she’d describe the room if asked. An antiques shop? A museum? A collector’s lair? This parlor was nothing like the elegance and orderliness of the rest of the house. It was filled with ornate, obviously expensive furniture, but beyond that, every shelf and surface was crammed with silver tea sets and candlesticks, china and crystal, and enough artwork to make an antiques dealer claustrophobic.
“I receive all my guests here,” Adele said with a grin. “What do you think of it?”
The truth hit in a flash. The room was crammed with enough precious objects that even repeat visitors wouldn’t notice when a thing or two went missing.
“This is where you keep the pieces you sell,” Allina said, “to pay for the children’s transport out of Germany.”
“Aren’t you clever? Of course, the state of this room also helps maintain my reputation as a nutty old spinster,” she said. “Karl was always partial to a pretty face, but I knew he’d marry a wife with brains as well. I take full credit for that.”
The mention of his name was like an electric shock. Tears flooded Allina’s vision.
Adele stood on tiptoe to pull her into a tight, surprisingly sturdy embrace. “I know, my dear,” she whispered against her chest. “The waiting can be unbearable.”
All her pain and fear—everything she’d held back for the last twenty-four hours, for the last month and more—poured out of Allina, rough and wild as an unchecked river, here in the parlor of a stranger who held her with the fierce protectiveness of a mother.
When the worst was over, Adele sat her down on a chaise longue. “Settle yourself,” she commanded. “You can bear this. Karl tells me you’re stronger than you know.”
“But he’s kept me in the dark.” She gripped Adele’s hand, begging. “Please, what did he tell you?”
“As little as he could get away with,” Adele said drily. “That’s how my nephew operates.” Straightening her spine, she spoke in a clipped voice that brooked no argument.
“There will likely be resolution within a fortnight. We won’t hear from him until the time is set. I know,” she said, to Allina’s moan of distress. “It will be hard to wait. But you’ll get the sleep you need these next few days, as you’re stuck tending to me on my deathbed.” Adele snorted. “I shall make a miraculous recovery, of course. We’ll plan some outings for you and the child toward the end of the week. You must show your face around town.”
“Then what? What will happen after—?”
“We’ve prepared for any outcome,” Adele interrupted in a less-sure voice, one that cracked and made Allina’s stomach sink. She explained the necessity of faking Allina’s return to Hochland Home, while she and Katrine remained here in hiding, or out of the country if it became prudent. Even if Karl succeeded—if Hitler was eliminated—the power structure in Germany would likely remain precarious for some time.
“He’ll send for you and Katrine once it’s safe,” Adele said. “You must surrender to what will be. Trust him, my dear. All plans are in place. They have been for months.”
“What will we do if he fails?” Allina whispered.
“We won’t think about that now.” Adele smoothed the hair back from Allina’s face. “You must focus your mind on what you can do today. Otherwise you’ll go mad.”
The great monstrosity of a grandfather clock chimed nine o’clock. Its ponderous ding-dang-dongs echoed throughout the parlor, as certain as Adele’s advice.
Once again, there was nothing to do but submit to the circumstances of her life.
Allina took hold of herself, and shook her head to clear it. “You’re right. How can I help?”
Adele’s amber gaze turned misty. “My nephew chose well. I’d love your assistance with the children. Karl says you’ve a knack with them, and one is in a sad state. She hasn’t spoken since her arrival.”
Another shock, and this one had her heart hammering in her chest.
“The children are here? Already?”
Adele’s smile was proud. “Forty-six Jewish children arrived last week. I housed more than a dozen for the first few days. It was as busy as a train station,” she said, rolling her amber eyes. “Thank God, Binningen is a sleepy little village. We couldn’t have managed sneaking them in and out otherwise. All but two have settled into new homes.”
The woman was a Valkyrie, disguised as an elf. “Where are they?”
“Come with me.” Adele sprang up with the energy of someone twenty years younger and walked to the far side of the room, which was dominated by the ancient grandfather clock. Dropping to her knees, she wedged a slender hand behind the clock’s base. With a sharp click, the clock unlatched from the wall, revealing a narrow doorway.
“My parlor holds more than one secret,” Adele said with a wink. Behind the door was a staircase leading to the cellar. Hitching up the hem of her robe, she bent to retrieve a flashlight from the top step. “I sing to let them know it’s safe,” she said, switching on the light and handing it to Allina. “Watch yourself. The stairs are steep.”
They descended slowly to Adele’s lilting, off-key version of “Here Comes the Mouse.” At the bottom of the staircase was a windowless, cavernous room bordered by a dozen cots. It was unfinished, with block walls and a cement floor, but clean, and a row of hurricane lamps were set on plain pine shelves affixed to the wall. They lent no warmth to the dampness, but gave off enough light to see by.
At the side of one of the cots stood a painfully thin girl of about nine or ten, with a wan face and dark, mournful eyes. Dressed in a clean nightgown, she held hands with a smaller child who was lying on the cot and staring blankly into space. The older girl smiled when she saw Adele; the younger remained unresponsive.
“Klára, this is my niece, Allina,” Adele called out softly as they approached. “She’s come to say hello. Perhaps she might even read to you and Sofie for a bit.” Adele motioned toward a small stack of children’s books on the shelf. “Would you like that?”
Klára nodded. The younger girl, Sofie, continued to stare at the wall.
“That’s settled, then,” Allina said, giving the girls a bright smile. “I adore books, and I’d love to read to you.” She walked to the shelf and selected a volume of fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen before perching on the bed next to the girls.
Adele grabbed the girls’ meal tray, half eaten, and frowned. “Let’s hope your reading helps these two work up their appetites. We must do better with lunch.”
Allina stayed with the girls for the rest of the morning. Klára warmed to her quickly, enough that she forgot herself and leaned against her arm. Allina was careful not to touch Sofie for fear it might startle the child, but she included her in conversation, hoping the sound of her voice might help bring the girl back. It did not. Sofie remained as quiet as a ghost, and though her eyes seemed a bit more focused at times, they stayed on the wall.
The next five days were filled to the seams with activity. Allina spent mornings with her daughter and, thanks to Lisel’s patient affection for the child, a good portion of each afternoon with Klára and Sofie. Sofie remained unresponsive, but Klára grew more animated as time passed. Her German was decent, and she was enamored of the stories. She asked questions about each and was comfortable enough on the second day to read aloud. Klára also revealed that she and her sister were alone in the world; they’d left Poland after Mama and Papa disappeared two years ago.
In the hours Allina wasn’t occupied with the children, Adele lined up a list of chores to keep them both busy. The two women polished silver, aired out rooms, changed linens, and helped Lisel in the kitchen, often to the young woman’s irritation. Allina called Hochland Home twice at Adele’s insistence, mostly to set the stage for the older woman’s miraculous recovery. Rilla came on the line during the second call and regaled her with stories about the wedding. Allina’s heart ached as she listened. She promised to return soon.
While amazed at Adele’s stamina, Allina understood the frenzied activity was for both their sakes. Work meant less time to think, and fear for Karl was never far from her mind. It was only in the evenings, after putting the children to bed, that the two women spoke of him. Adele shared anecdotes of a boy’s skinned knees and stubborn defiance. She cried when Allina told her about Karl’s proposal and of the moment he met their newborn daughter. And the two wept together as Adele recalled her mother, Ekaterina—the country she left, the faith she had to abandon, and the secrets she’d kept, ones that had haunted her grandson and changed the course of all their lives.
The two women were careful to remain in this artificially constructed limbo. All stories of the past were welcome. Neither spoke about the future.
On Wednesday evening, a foster family came for Klára and Sofie—a young couple by the name of Bryner, who had a small farm outside Binningen but no children of their own. It was an uneasy parting for Allina. The hesitation in Klára’s eyes made a lump form at the back of her throat.
“The Bryners are happy to have you stay with them,” Adele said to Klára. Herr and Frau Bryner agreed with wide smiles.
Allina handed Klára the volume of fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen. “A parting gift from me to you,” Allina said. “You’ll remember to read to Sofie each night, won’t you?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Klára clutched the book to her thin chest.
Then the miracle happened. A ghost of a smile played on Sofie’s lips.
Allina sank to her knees and cupped Sofie’s face in her hands. “You’d like that, would you?”
The little girl smiled again.
“My sister is getting better every day,” Klára whispered. “She was just confused. And afraid. Last night, Sofie asked if we were dead.”
A strained, painful silence filled the parlor as the four adults looked at each other, and then again at the children.
“Why would she think that, Klára?” Adele asked gently.
The little girl’s ashy face paled further. “When we left Theresienstadt, they put us in a coffin. They told Sofie and me to be very quiet, or else we’d die for real. It was dark, and the ride here took forever, and we arrived in the middle of the night…” The girl shuddered before turning haunted eyes on Adele. “I’m ever so grateful to you, Frau von Strassberg, but the cellar is also very dark.”
“You’re not dead,” Allina managed, though her throat was aching. She planted a soft kiss on Sofie’s forehead. “You and Klára will have wonderful, long lives.”
The two women kept smiles in place while the Bryners packed the girls into their car. They waved gaily as the family drove away. It was not until they returned to the parlor that Adele and Allina fell completely, hopelessly apart.
On Thursday morning at breakfast, Adele declared herself cured.
“Now that I’m recovering from my recent brush with death,” she told Allina, flicking her fingers in the air, “it’s time to show your face about town. You must do this in an ostentatious way. Have you brought a navy suit or dress, I hope?”
“Both,” Allina replied.
“Choose whichever is most elegant,” Adele ordered before Allina could ask why the color of her clothing should matter. “Dress your hair simply, in a chignon. Wear pearls if you have them. Put Katrine in her best clothes, too. I’ll be up in twenty minutes.”
Nonplussed, Allina did as she was told, and dressed in a fashionable navy suit. When Adele came into her room, the woman was holding the most astonishing hat Allina had ever seen. Done in glossy navy satin, the fussy confection was wide brimmed, plumed with navy and cream feathers, and trimmed with a dramatic polka-dotted veil.
“Pretty,” Katrine cooed, chubby hands reaching for it.
“This hat,” Adele said, holding it aloft as if it were a trophy and carefully out of the child’s reach, “clearly belongs to the wife of an SS Gruppenführer. Everyone who sees this hat will remember you.”
Allina’s stomach twisted, for she guessed what instructions would come next.
“You must make your presence known today, and for the next several days,” Adele continued as she pinned the hat to Allina’s head at a daring angle. “People need to see you and hear you, so they will notice when you depart. Do you understand me?”
When Adele turned her toward the mirror, Allina nearly laughed. The hat was ridiculous, and not her style at all.
“Pretty Mama,” Katrine said with a giggle.
“Rudeness doesn’t come to you naturally,” Adele continued. “If you cannot be a bitch, my dear, then maintain silence. And lift that chin of yours. There. Very good,” Adele said when Allina complied. “You’ve no idea how arrogant a chin can make a woman.” She painted Allina’s lips a garish red before pulling the veil down over her face. “Don’t worry. Elias will help you.”
“Elias?” Allina asked faintly.
“He’ll serve as your chauffeur. I’ve given him a list of cafés and shops,” Adele said. “He will regale every shop owner with tales of your tender attention toward me and remind them you are the wife of my beloved nephew, Gruppenführer Karl von Strassberg.”
“Wouldn’t it be better if I kept a low profile, for your sake?” Allina asked hopefully.
Adele brushed a speck of lint off Allina’s shoulder. “Absolutely not. Your presence about town will help maintain my reputation as a Nazi sympathizer.”
At Allina’s open-mouthed stare, Adele burst into laughter. “Surely, my nephew has schooled you in such tactics,” she said. “The best subversives hide in plain sight.”
Elias remained by their side all day, escorting them to a dozen cafés and shops in Binningen and Basel, and introducing her in the most obsequious fashion imaginable. She kept silent and unsmiling as Adele had suggested, although her daughter’s sweet temperament won people over initially. As the day progressed, Allina grew accustomed to the fear and distaste in people’s eyes, and how friendly smiles turned polite, then icy. Just as Adele had predicted, she overheard plenty of muttered comments about that damn ridiculous hat.
By the time they returned to the house, Katrine was peacefully asleep on her shoulder. Allina was exhausted, and perversely giddy.
A gray-faced Adele met them at the door.
“What is it?” Allina asked, panicked at the sheen of perspiration above the older woman’s lip.
“Karl has moved up his timeline. A courier delivered this,” Adele said. She handed over a slip of paper that read: 48, my heart.
“What does it mean?” Allina asked.
“The number 48 means we must fake your return to Hochland Home in the next forty-eight hours,” Adele replied, “and make preparations to transport you out of the country if necessary.” Frowning, she bit her lip. “As to ‘my heart,’ I can’t be sure. He’s broken with protocol.”
“I know what that means,” Allina said. She buried her nose in the sweetness of her daughter’s hair and wept.
Adele decided it was best to wait until Saturday morning to enact their plan, which gave them an extra day to strategize. Lisel would serve as Allina’s decoy, but the right outfit was essential, and they spent half of Friday debating how to dress her. Lisel was as slender as Allina but three inches shorter. In the end, they settled on Allina’s navy dress, as it worked with minor alterations and coordinated with Adele’s outrageous hat. Worn at the same jaunty angle, and with the veil pulled down, the hat would mask the differences in their features. Franka, Lisel’s youngest sister, was Katrine’s age, and would stand in for Allina’s daughter.
Allina helped Lisel dress on Saturday morning and fashioned her hair into a low bun. She painted Lisel’s mouth in the same bright red lipstick she’d worn on her trip into town. When she was done, the young woman appeared every inch a sophisticated lady and the wife of a Gruppenführer.
“Why are you doing this?” Allina asked. “You hardly know me, and it’s an awful risk for you and your sister.”
“I feed every child who comes through this house,” Lisel said. “I know what your husband has done for them, what he’s risking.” She took Allina’s hand. “Besides, there’s very little threat to us. We’ll change clothes on the train and get off at Mülheim. A car will be waiting with another set of fake papers to drive me farther up the line. Elias can pick us up at the Basel station this afternoon. We’ll be home by dinner.”
This may have been the truth, but Lisel was so tense her teeth chattered.
“Are you sure?” Allina whispered.
Adele came in, for once without knocking. “It’s time. Elias is waiting in the car.”
There was no chance for more than a hard hug, and no words that could adequately convey Allina’s gratitude. Five minutes later, Lisel left Adele von Strassberg’s home with a change of old clothes in a suitcase and Allina’s papers in her purse.
Adele led Allina and Katrine into the cellar with a tray of cocoa and biscuits to sweeten their confinement. The space would be their home until they received further news. Katrine had an endless stream of questions, but they explained the situation to her as best they could.
Allina read to her from the library of children’s books on the cellar shelves until she settled down. The little one fell asleep again within an hour, which left Allina alone with the tangled confusion of her thoughts. She feared for Lisel and was terrified for her husband. Despite all efforts to discipline her mind as Adele had suggested, panic hit at the oddest moments. It would not let her rest. Allina was sure all their careful planning was about to fall apart.