Ludwik bustled into Stella’s room the next morning, put a tray on her bed, and yanked the curtains open. “Good morning.”
“Is it?” Stella blinked at the bright blue sky. No smoke. That was good, but the radio was announcing all manner of horrors. “What time is it?”
“Eight. Time for your pills, I’m told.”
“Who told you?”
“Dr. Tulp.” Ludwik pulled a thermometer out of his pocket. “I’m to take your temperature, too.”
“Isn’t he coming?” Stella asked.
“He called. Something about a patient,” he said. “I think it might have something to do with the bombing. He just didn’t want to say.”
“How many were lost?”
“Over forty people and many more injured.”
Forty people gone just like that. No warning. No reason. Dead.
“I’m sorry to upset you,” said Ludwik gently.
“It’s worse elsewhere,” she said.
“They’re trying to get through to France, I think.” He put the thermometer in her mouth. “You’re worried about your family?”
Stella nodded. Uncle Josiah would be married by now. He could’ve left for Rotterdam. They could be in the middle of a battle, not looking at the clear skies over Amsterdam.
“I will pray for them,” said Ludwik. “I do have some good news though.”
She raised her eyebrows and he tapped the pot on her tray. “Dr. Tulp said you could have coffee. He thinks you might eat more if you don’t have the fennel tea.”
She smiled and he poured a cup of beautiful black coffee and added some lovely steamed milk to the cup. “I have eggs and ham. You need the strength to get to your family when the time comes?” It wasn’t a question, but that’s the way he said it, so she nodded.
He took the thermometer out and frowned. “It is higher. Why is it higher?”
“I need some aspirin,” said Stella, reaching for the bottle.
He got it for her and she took all her pills with coffee. That alone had the power to make her feel better.
“So, did you find tickets for Josiah Bled?” Stella wasn’t sure what she was hoping for. Tickets. No tickets. Only that he hadn’t left yet.
Ludwik beamed at her. “I did, but it wasn’t easy I can tell you. So many tickets at one time are hard to come by.”
Feigning ignorance, she asked, “How many are there?”
“Eight.”
Eight? Oh, no.
“His fiancé has a big family,” she said.
“There are six of them,” said Ludwik.
“Who’s the eighth ticket?”
“I don’t know. A friend in Rotterdam.”
Stella’s chest tightened and coughing erupted out of her. Rotterdam? Not Rotterdam.
“Maybe the coffee wasn’t such a good idea.” He gave her a couple of fresh handkerchiefs.
“It’s fine,” Stella whispered. “My chest is trying to clear. So, they’re taking a ship out of Rotterdam?”
“It’s the earliest one I could get tickets on for the whole group to New York.”
“Was there another choice?”
“IJmuiden, but that was to England and they don’t want to go to England,” said Ludwik.
“Why not?” Stella asked.
Ludwik took the cloche off her ham and eggs. “Josiah is anxious to introduce his bride to the Bled family. I gather she will be a surprise.”
“Anyone who’s met him would be surprised.”
Ludwik had a good laugh and there was a knock on the door. “Maybe the doctor was able to come after all.” He opened the door and to his surprise Josiah and Judith stood there.
“Are we interrupting?” he asked.
“Not at all,” said Ludwik. “I was just checking on Micheline.”
“Can we come in?”
Ludwik glanced at Stella, who was coughing again but nodded in spite of it.
“Come in,” said Ludwik. “But don’t stay too long. Dr. Tulp says she needs to rest.”
The concierge left and the couple came in. Judith wore a new dress in a fashionable plaid with a wide skirt and three-quarter sleeves. Not exactly an outfit to escape in, but Stella figured Uncle Josiah picked it out. He had a good eye, thanks to Milla, and she looked well in it. Other than the dress, Judith was unchanged with her long hair loose and undressed and no makeup. Her eyes, while tired, were happy and she cast loving looks at Uncle Josiah every second or two.
“Madam Dubois,” he said. “I wanted to introduce you to my new bride before we left. Micheline, this is my beloved Alice. Alice. Micheline.”
The women shook hands and smiled at each other while Josiah gazed at Judith with abject admiration. He loved her. Stella hadn’t quite believed it until she saw it. He looked at Judith the way Nicky looked at her. It seemed unlikely. They weren’t an obvious match. She was serene while he was jumping out of his skin with joy, but opposites attracted or so they said.
“I’m pleased to meet you, Alice,” said Stella. “I hear you’re going to Rotterdam.”
Uncle Josiah flashed a warning look at Stella and any thought she had of appealing to Judith’s good sense died an instant death. Her uncle was not having it. He looked exactly like her father when Aleksej made a decision. Stella didn’t know Uncle Josiah had that look in him. She barely believed he could make a decision.
“We are. The concierge got us tickets,” said Judith. “We’re very lucky.”
“You deserve all the luck.”
Judith came forward and took something out of the pocket of her dress, a long velvet box. “We know that it is due to you. You were our luck. My parents held this back just in case we needed it to sell later and now they’d like you to have it.”
“Let me see.” Stella took the box and found a gorgeous necklace in diamonds with natural pearls for accents in the Art Deco style. Florence would go mad for it. She adored Art Deco. “It’s stunning. You’ll get a good price in New York.”
“We’re not selling it,” said Judith. “We’re giving it to you.”
“I can’t accept it.” She closed the box and tried to hand it over, but Judith stepped back.
“You must. It’s all we have to thank you. My parents are aware that you took terrible chances to help us. Father Brandsma said you were being followed. It’s very dangerous what you did. Please take it.”
“I…”
Uncle Josiah gave her the look again and she said, “It’s too much, but thank you. I will treasure it.”
“I’m glad. Now I must go. My father, he isn’t well and we need to get him downstairs,” said Judith.
“You have a car?”
The young bride squeezed Uncle Josiah’s arm. “Josiah bought one. A Volvo and all for one trip. As I said, we are very lucky. There are no trains.”
“I think you are both lucky,” said Stella. “Congratulations.”
Judith went for the door and then glanced back at Josiah.
“Give me a minute. We need to discuss buying your parents’ bedroom suite back,” he said.
“They will be so happy.” Judith nodded at Stella and left the room.
“Rotterdam,” said Stella.
Uncle Josiah stuck his hands in his pockets and went to the window to gaze out at the square. “We’re going anyway. We have to get the visas.”
“But you don’t have to get on a ship out of that port.”
“Stella.”
“You know it’s a target. The radio says it about twenty times a day.”
“It’s decided,” he said, not looking back at her.
“Then change your mind,” she said. “I have a bad feeling about it.”
He spun around and raised his voice. “And they have a bad feeling about being in this country a minute longer than necessary. Klara is distraught. She hasn’t slept in days. Felix is falling apart. Judith seems fine but don’t let that fool you. She’s terrified. They all are. I am.”
“You could go to IJmuiden. There’s a ship there. It probably won’t be bombed. It’s not much of a target.”
“We can’t.”
“Why not?”
“We have enough gas to get to Rotterdam and that’s it.”
Stella balled up her fists. “You can get gas there.”
“Can you guarantee that? I can’t,” said Uncle Josiah.
“I know you,” she said. “You can do anything if you set your mind to it.”
“Well, I’m not doing that. We’ll leave out of Rotterdam. That’s it.”
“Why? You can wait until after the surrender.”
“I told Felix about that, but he wouldn’t go for it. The Nazis will be in charge and he won’t take the chance of being discovered.”
“You have the papers. You can—”
“No,” he barked at her. “I’m not going against my father-in-law less than twenty-four hours after joining his family. I’m not doing it.”
“He’s sick. He’s not thinking clearly. You can wait. You should wait.”
“Stella, he’s the head of the family,” Uncle Josiah said.
“Since when has that ever mattered to you?” she asked. “You joined the army without your parents’ permission and went to war.”
“This is different. I’m married and my wife is Jewish. This is their lives we’re talking about. It’s their choice, not mine, and it sure as hell isn’t yours.”
Stella sat back and a tear slipped down her cheek. She could get herself out of bed and drag herself down the hall to tell Judith her father had cancer and he shouldn’t be moved, but was that right? Elli would say no. It was Felix’s life, his cancer, his family.
“Don’t look at me like that,” said Uncle Josiah. “I understand everything you’re saying. I’ve heard the same reports, but have you thought of this? Why would they bomb Rotterdam’s port? It is one of the major reasons for taking this country. They want it to launch an attack on Britain.”
“I know,” she whispered. “I just—”
“Have a feeling, I know, but sweetheart, I thought of all of it. Ludwik found us a hotel in the center of Rotterdam, a block from our consulate. They’re not going to bomb us or the actual city for the same reason you don’t think they’ll bomb Paris. It’s beautiful. Historic.”
She wasn’t convinced, but she only had one card left. The name. Without Zebulon Wilcox, they’d have a harder time getting on that ship.
Uncle Josiah sat on her bed and took her hand. “We’ll stay at the hotel until the last minute. Does that help?”
“I don’t want you to do it,” she said simply.
“You can’t stop me.”
I can.
“Stella, we have eight tickets,” he said. “I want you to come.”
“I can’t,” she said. “There’s no reason for it. My cover would be revealed.”
“I don’t think I care.”
“I do.”
He squeezed her hand. “I’m your uncle and I’m thinking of what’s best for you.”
“I’m not leaving. I’d be done with the SIS,” she said.
“I could take you out of this bed. You couldn’t stop me. Nobody would if I told them who you were.”
“And I could withhold the name of the diplomat in Rotterdam.”
Uncle Josiah’s face fell. “You wouldn’t.”
“Same to you,” she said.
They looked at each other with the same blue eyes, each as strong as the other.
“What will I tell your mother?” he asked.
“Don’t tell her anything. You never saw me,” said Stella.
“I’m telling Judith as soon as we’re out of here.”
“So?”
He smiled and kissed her hand. “I forget you don’t know her. Judith isn’t a natural liar. Concealing that she’d seen you indefinitely will be difficult for her.”
“Then don’t tell her,” said Stella. “She doesn’t need to know right now. When I’m back in England, I’ll send word and you can let it loose then.”
Uncle Josiah put a hand to her forehead. “You’re still hot. When can you leave on your own?”
“Two days. Maybe three. Once the trains are going, I’ll get on one.”
“Don’t wait until it’s too late.”
She smiled at him and picked up her coffee. “You forget. It’s never too late for me. Being here is what I do.”
“Will you give me the name?” Uncle Josiah asked.
“Will you leave me here?”
Her uncle sighed. “There’s going to be hell to pay, but yes, I will, against my better judgement. I have feelings, too, you know.”
“Your feelings are all about Judith. You can barely see straight.”
“Very true.”
“Zebulon Wilcox III.” She gave him all the diplomat’s particulars. “It’s going to work. He’s waiting for you to contact him.”
Uncle Josiah kissed her forehead. “I don’t doubt you anymore.”
You do or you wouldn’t be going.
“I love you,” she said because nothing else would do.
“And I love you, sweetheart,” he replied. “Wish us luck.”
You’re going to need it.
Her uncle went out the door and she could do nothing or at least, she would do nothing. Stella wiped a tear off her cheek and picked up the sleeping pills Dr. Tulp had left her. If she couldn’t stop him, she could sleep through it. Two pills ought to do it. She washed them down with coffee and forced herself to eat the breakfast Ludwik brought. He was right. She needed her strength. She needed to get the hell out of there.