War Girls Complete Collection Chapter 68

Chapter 13

I

n the wee hours of the morning Professor Scherer escorted Anna to the waiting limousine and Peter’s care. “Make sure she gets home safely.”

“You know I will, Professor,” Peter answered, assisting her into the back seat of the vehicle, before he asked the professor, “At what time shall I return for you?”

“Don’t worry about me. I will see myself home. Fräulein Klausen, it was a pleasure having you here this evening. Goodnight.” Professor Scherer performed a small bow and then returned inside.

Peter took the driver’s seat and remained quiet until he had pulled out onto the streets. Due to blackout restrictions darkness enveloped the automobile, but still Anna could feel his eyes on her in the mirror.

She had no idea how he drove through the dark night with the dimmed headlights. Maybe his eyes adjusted to the poor lighting, and since there was hardly any traffic on the streets, including foot traffic, it probably seemed riskier than it actually was.

“Peter?” Anna whispered into the stillness of the night.

“Yes, Anna?”

“Could I sit up front with you?”

“Certainly.” Peter chuckled and pulled over. A moment later he opened her door and pulled her from the vehicle and into his strong arms saying, “Are you spooked?”

“Not really, but it was rather lonely back here, with no lights on anywhere in the city…” She had no idea how to explain that she’d been missing the comfort of his nearness.

“You don’t have to explain. I’d love to have you sit beside me.” He opened the front passenger door and handed her back into the automobile before he hurried around to the driver’s side.

After starting their forward movement once more, he reached across the seat and searched for her hand. Anna basked in the warmth emanating from him and when he tugged her over closer to him, she felt peace settle into her bones. “Thank you.”

“For what? I didn’t do anything.”

It wasn’t true. Being with him seemed to heal her weeping soul. By his side she could forget.

“Did you have fun tonight?” Peter asked after a while.

“A lot. I can’t remember having had so much fun in years. It’s not as if there are many chances to go out and dance these days.”

“I wish I could have danced with you.” He squeezed her hand and gave a slight chuckle, continuing, “Don’t get me wrong, I want you to be happy, but I hated seeing you in the arms of all those young men. Young men that weren’t me.”

Anna giggled. “Don’t tell me you were jealous.”

“Not really… maybe a bit. Fine, I admit it. I’d rather have you all to myself.” At his husky disclosure, Peter growled with such fierce possessiveness that her heart jumped and she wanted to yelp with joy.

He pulled up in front of her building and turned off the engine. When he made no move to get out, she gazed at him. His expression turned fiery, and he stared at her with desire flaming in his eyes. Her heart missed a beat or two. Images of another man kissing her flashed through her mind and she tensed.

No, I will not cloud this moment with regret and shame from the past.

The expression in Peter’s eyes changed, became softer, as he reached up and fingered a lock of her hair that had escaped the pins of her elaborate hairdo.

“I want to kiss you,” he said, his finger tracing its way down her cheek. A delicious tingle followed in the wake of his caress and suddenly the world stopped spinning. Time stood still as she waited with rapt anticipation to be kissed by him.

“Kiss me,” she whispered and leaned into him. Moments later, his lips landed softly on hers and the overwhelming sweetness of his touch seeped deep into her soul. Anna struggled with the intensity of her emotions, and when he reached out to press her tighter against him, she instinctively jerked away.

“I should leave. It’s late.”

“What are you afraid of, sweetheart?” His voice was calm and soft, his hands holding hers in a reassuring grip.

I can’t possibly tell him. Not when all I want is to forget. Cut my link to the past once and for all

. She shook her head, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

“Anna, sweetheart. Don’t cry, please.” Peter used his finger to wipe the tear away. “I would never do anything to harm or scare you.”

She nodded.

“Please promise to tell me if I ever do something that makes you feel uncomfortable. Will you?”

She nodded again.

“Good. Get some sleep and I will see you at work.” Peter placed a kiss on the top of her head and asked, “Now should I walk you to your door?”

“Better not. I’d rather not give Frau Weber a reason for gossip.” She cocked her head and pondered whether she should tell him about how her neighbor had called the Gestapo on the sisters, because she’d seen a man enter their apartment.

Maybe another time

. “Good night Peter. I did enjoy the kiss, it’s just…” She sighed, at a loss for words. How did a woman explain to her new romantic interest that she’d been brutalized for so long, so tormented by a violent past, she didn’t even remember what it was like to feel whole?

“No use sweating over it,” Peter said.

Anna smiled, letting the moment pass, and then slipped from the Mercedes, quietly making her way into the building. Kissing Peter had been wonderful, but she needed time to process the emotions moving through her body. And sleep. She needed sleep.

The next morning,

when Anna woke up late, Ursula was already waiting for her, tapping her toe on the floor in annoyance.

“How was the party?” She held out a mug with hot tea. “Sorry, not even

Ersatzkaffee

left in the house.” Recently, even the ration cards couldn’t buy anything anymore. Hundreds, maybe thousands of shops in the capital had closed, because their owners had been forced to leave or to work in war-related industries.

“It was wonderful and overwhelming all at the same time. There were so many important people there, and Professor Scherer introduced me to all of them.”

Ursula grimaced and Anna could read her thoughts.

Nazis. All of them. You’d better stay away

.

“Not all of them are bad. I even met Reichsführer Himmler–”

“And what exactly is

not

bad about him?” Ursula’s scathing comment cut through the air like a knife.

“Of course, he is evil. But there were others, recent graduate doctors–”

“–happily following Hitler into his monstrous war,” Ursula completed her sentence.

It wouldn’t make sense to tell her sister about the champagne, food like there was no shortage, exotic fruits most Germans had forgotten existed, and real chocolate.

“Professor Scherer has promised to promote me; he may even help me to get accepted into university. Can you imagine?” Anna beamed with pride, but her sister’s face went from sour to worried. “He says I’ve made so much progress with the tuberculosis vaccines. And he couldn’t stop telling people I was his new scientific discovery. His star pupil.”

Ursula’s eyes squinted and she put a hand on her stomach. “Have you ever thought that your professor wants something in exchange for his mentorship? He’s a widower after all.”

“You’re…vile! How dare you say such things about the professor? He’s been nothing but supportive and a perfect gentleman.”

Ursula sighed theatrically. “Just be careful. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”

As if even worse things could happen to me than already have

. Anna snorted. “Ursula, I appreciate your worries, but you haven’t even met Professor Scherer. He’s a wonderful man. You would like him, I know you would.”

Ursula shook her head, arguing, “No. I wouldn’t. I don’t care how nice and gentlemanly he appears to be, he’s still a Nazi.”

“Not everyone who is a Nazi is evil,” Anna said.

“Really? You can tell that to me after seeing what they are doing to people? What they did to our sister? To you?”

“The professor didn’t do anything to Lotte or the other prisoners.” Anna trembled with fury. Why couldn’t Ursula see how her constant judgments colored her beliefs?

“But the people he affiliates himself with did. And he knows,” Ursula said, seemingly out of breath.

“You’re just jealous.” Anna walked past Ursula towards the bathroom.

“Jealous? Of you?” Ursula asked incredulously, trailing after her.

“Yes. Because I’m finally about to fulfill my dream of becoming a scientist, while you’re stuck in that awful job of yours.” Anna slammed the door shut, locked it behind her, and stepped under the cold shower – they hadn’t had hot water for months.

Twenty minutes later she stepped into the kitchen, where Ursula was preparing lunch.

“Ursula,” she said to the back of her sister. “I’m sorry. I know you are worried about me, but can’t you also be happy for me?”

Ursula turned around, her eyes full of misery. “I am. You know I will always support you, and I am proud of you, but you need to be careful. Please, be careful.”

“Who needs to be careful?” Mutter had entered the kitchen and placed two bags with groceries on the table.

“We were talking about my work at the hospital,” Anna answered, evading Mutter’s glance.

“Why don’t I believe you, Anna Klausen?” Mutter said while Ursula busied herself putting the meager results of hours of standing in queues into the pantry.

“Is this all you’ve got for the entire week?” Ursula asked.

Mutter cast her a glance that meant “I-know-what-you’re-doing” and gave a deep sigh. “Unfortunately, yes. Thank God for the allotments and Lydia’s packages from the farm.” Since both sisters worked irregular shifts and long hours, their mother had taken the brunt of the tedious standing in queues to organize food.

Having raised four children, she’d never held a formal job, but lately she had started to exchange sewing work for food, coal, or basically anything that could be traded.