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‘Oh Teddy, Teddy,’ Ursula said, her voice low and strained, ‘I’ve warned you not to stay out late at night. These are terribly dangerous times we’re living in.’
‘I know. And I’m sorry, Frau Westheim. I know you worry about me. But Henrietta’s birthday party went on much longer than we expected. We kept trying to leave. Finally we got away around midnight. The havoc was just starting to break loose.’
Ursula frowned, thinking that their unimpeded journey across the rioting city was something akin to miraculous, and she probed, ‘No one bothered you? Stopped you? Shot at you?’
‘No, not when we were riding the motorbike. But … well … there was a little incident as we left the apartment. Willy accidentally barrelled into a stormtrooper outside the Mandelbaums’ building, and he grabbed hold of Willy, started to question –’
‘Stormtrooper!’ Ursula’s eyes opened wider. She brought a hand up to her mouth. Civilian mobs were one thing; the involvement of stormtroopers meant something entirely different – and much more threatening.
‘Yes, a stormtrooper,’ Theodora said, and speaking swiftly and graphically, she recounted exactly what had transpired between herself and the Nazi when she had rushed out to confront him on the street. And she did not leave out one single detail.
Ursula was aghast throughout this recital, and when Teddy had finished, she exclaimed, ‘What you did was terribly, terribly dangerous! The consequences for you and Willy could have been disastrous. Horrendous. The stormtrooper could have beaten you up, or killed you. What’s perhaps even worse to contemplate, he could have dragged you both to Gestapo Headquarters for questioning. People who have been made to take forced trips to the Prinz Albrechtstrasse haven’t always come out of there alive. And if they have, they’ve often been mindless wrecks because of the torture inflicted on them.’
Teddy went cold, realising that everything Ursula Westheim said was true. She bit her lip, responded quietly, in a chagrined voice, ‘I just reacted … without thinking. I was certain my insolence and superior manner would convince him I was not Jewish. I was right about that, Frau Westheim, and he really did believe my father was in the SS, and that he was a friend of Himmler’s.’
‘Teddy did what she thought was the best thing, I’m absolutely sure of that, and certainly she used her wits,’ Sigmund said to Ursula. Then he glanced across at Theodora and shook his head. His kindly eyes were grave when he murmured, after a slight pause, ‘I don’t think you should tempt providence again. It might not work a second time.’
‘Yes, now I realise that,’ Teddy admitted. ‘Willy was scared when I was shouting at the stormtrooper. Scared for both of us, he told me later.’
‘And where is Willy?’ Sigmund asked. ‘Is he downstairs?’
‘No, he went home. His father’s away and he was worried about his sister Clara being alone in their flat.’
‘But it’s dangerous out on the streets,’ Sigmund responded with a show of concern. ‘You should have insisted that he stay here tonight.’
Ursula said, ‘I’m certain Willy is all right, Sigi. He lives not far from here, just behind us, near the Landwehrkanal.’
‘Willy must be safely home by now,’ Teddy asserted, and explained, ‘It would only take him a few minutes on the motorbike, and everything was quiet in the neighbourhood when he dropped me off.’
Sigmund went across to one of the windows, parted the silk draperies and anxiously looked down into the Tiergartenstrasse. He saw that the street below was indeed empty, and this reassured him that the boy had undoubtedly made it home easily and without running into trouble. Nevertheless, he swung around, and gesturing to the phone on Ursula’s writing desk, he said, ‘I think we will all feel much better, Teddy, if you ring Willy.’
‘Yes, Herr Westheim,’ Teddy replied and did as he asked, walking over to the small desk and dialling. The phone in the Herzogs’ apartment was picked up after only two rings, and Willy was on the line. ‘Yes?’ he said warily.
‘It’s Teddy here,’ she answered. ‘Herr Westheim asked me to ring you up, Willy, to check that you’d arrived home all right.’ He told her that he had done so without any sort of incident and without seeing one single person, then they said goodbye.
Teddy replaced the receiver, turned to Sigmund. ‘He’s fine, he said he got home in a few minutes. The streets around here are quiet, Herr Westheim.’
Sigmund nodded. His immense relief showed on his face.
‘Stormtroopers,’ Ursula said and looked at Sigmund, then addressed Teddy. ‘So apparently the Government is no longer simply turning a blind eye to these anti-semitic demonstrations. Now, seemingly, it is actively involved in them.’
‘That’s the way it looks,’ Teddy responded. ‘I saw a lot of stormtroopers on our way home. They were leading the mobs –’ Theodora broke off as a wave of nausea unexpectedly swept over her and she brought her hand up to her eyes. She swayed slightly on her feet, and wondered if she was going to faint.
Ursula ran to her immediately, put an arm around her to give her support. ‘Come, Mein Kind,’ she murmured, ‘come, my child, take off your things and let’s sit down until you feel better.’ She helped Teddy remove her coat and tam o’shanter, mothering her as she would Maxim. Taking hold of her hand, Ursula led her over to the fireplace where a few embers still glowed in the grate. Glancing over her shoulder at Sigmund, she said, ‘I think a glass of cognac would help Teddy. Her hands are icy.’
‘Of course. I’ll get it right away.’
Sigmund strode into the adjoining room. This was his upstairs study where he sometimes worked, and where there was a small but well-stocked liquor cabinet.
Meanwhile, Ursula and Teddy seated themselves on the chaise and Ursula continued to hold the girl’s hands, rubbing them between her own, trying to warm them.
Theodora looked at her suddenly, and exclaimed, ‘They were so vicious when they smashed the synagogue, set fire to it. I couldn’t believe such a dreadful thing was happening.’ This scene stood out with such agonising clarity in her mind that she began to weep, and the tears rolled down her cheeks unchecked.
Ursula brought her hand up to Teddy’s face, and gently wiped the tears away with her fingertips, and endeavoured to comfort her.
Sigmund was back within seconds, carrying a silver tray upon which there were three liqueur glasses of brandy. ‘I think we all need a drop of this,’ he said, coming over to the chaise, offering the tray to his wife and Teddy.
Theodora took a big swallow of the brandy and she felt the warmth of it in her throat at once. She took another swallow, and put the glass on a nearby table, looked from Ursula to Sigmund. ‘Thank you,’ she said softly, her expression one of deep gratitude. ‘Thank you for being so kind to me always.’
Sigmund had tossed back his small glass of cognac in one quick gulp, and now he said, ‘I must go and make several phone calls … to Hedy, to make certain she and my mother are all right. I’m absolutely positive they are, out there in the Grunewald. Sigrid, of course, is in Hamburg with Thomas on business, so we don’t have to be concerned about them. And then I must reach the night guard at the bank, check out the situation in the Gendarmenmarkt.’
‘Yes, you had better do that,’ Ursula concurred.
Sigmund nodded, and disappeared in the direction of his study.
Theodora, who had been fumbling around in the pocket of her blue wool dress, pulled out her handkerchief and blew her nose. ‘I’m sorry I broke down before, Frau Westheim. But I couldn’t help it. This has been the most terrifying experience. I know one thing … I’ll never forget the ninth of November … Henrietta Mandelbaum’s twenty-first birthday and the night the Nazis torched the Central Synagogue. No, I’ll never forget it,’ she finished vehemently. ‘Not as long as I live.’
‘I don’t think anyone will,’ Ursula replied.
She rose, walked over to a window, drew open the draperies and stood looking out at the sky. It was jet black and littered with bright stars, and on the horizon she could see a jagged patch of red flaring upwards. Fire, she thought. They’re burning something else in another part of the city. Another synagogue perhaps. Or someone’s home. Or both. Where will this end? Dear God, where will this end? She felt chilled to the bone, icy.
Sigmund did not remain on the telephone for very long, and he soon returned to the bedroom, saying with obvious relief, ‘I spoke to Hedy. The Grunewald is as peaceful and sleepy as it always is, and the night guard at the bank tells me nothing untoward is happening down there in the financial district. So perhaps the demonstrations on the Ku’damm and the Fasanenstrasse are simply isolated incidents, started by the rowdies and thugs who are so frequently out of control –’
‘I doubt that,’ Ursula remarked in the softest of voices. ‘Not when there are stormtroopers involved. This is much more serious than anything we’ve ever seen before.’
‘Perhaps,’ Sigmund muttered noncommittally. Privately he agreed with her, but he did not want to foster her alarm; nor did he wish to frighten Theodora further, who had been through enough as it was this night.
Abruptly, Ursula said, ‘It’s the beginning.’
‘The beginning of what, Frau Westheim?’ Theodora asked.
There was a silence before Ursula replied. ‘The beginning of the end of the Jews in Germany.’
After Theodora had gone to bed, Ursula and Sigmund sat together on the chaise, talking quietly, sharing their thoughts, trying to analyse the dramatic events of that night, trying to understand what they meant, and what they predicted for the future.
At one moment, Ursula turned to him, and said slowly, ‘Stop trying to protect me by not telling me what you truly think, Sigi. I’m far too intelligent to be duped, especially by my own husband, a man I’ve known since childhood.’
‘Yes, you are,’ he said with a faint sigh. ‘And I only meant the best for you.’
She tried to smile, unsuccessfully. ‘As always, my dearest Sigi, as always.’
Taking hold of his hand she held it very tightly in hers and after a while she said in a voice choked with emotion, ‘We have to leave, Sigi … leave this house … leave the villa in Wannsee … leave the bank … leave the art collection … leave all of our possessions … and go. We have to leave Berlin, Sigi. We have to get out of Germany.’
‘Yes, I know,’ he said with resignation. ‘I’ve known it for a long time, really, but I suppose I haven’t wanted to face it.’ He sighed again. ‘The entire family must get out. And Theodora. We cannot leave her behind, that would be unthinkable. She will come with us, and I must get exit visas for everyone, and entry visas for another country.’
‘How?’
Indeed how, he thought, but said, ‘To be honest, Ursula, I don’t know … yet. But I will. And very soon. Certainly I’ve got one thing in my favour.’
‘What is that, Sigi?’
‘Money.’
Chapter Ten (#ulink_bff57a67-1c46-52b0-803f-dc77d31dde22)
‘Entschuldigen Sie, gnädige Frau,’ the butler said, excusing himself for disturbing her.
Ursula looked across at him from the Louis XVI writing desk at the far end of the bedroom, where she sat working on some papers. ‘That’s perfectly all right, Walter. What is it?’
‘Die Gräfin von Tiegal ist da, gnädige Frau.’
Ursula was momentarily startled. ‘The Countess von Tiegal is here?’ she repeated, making it sound like a question.
Walter nodded, ‘Ja, gnädige Frau.’
‘Please show her into the library, and I’ll be down in a moment. Offer her coffee, and I’ll have a cup, too. Thank you, Walter.’
‘Gnädige Frau,’ he murmured, inclining his head, backing out, and quietly closing the door behind him.
Ursula slid her papers into the top drawer of the desk, locked it and pocketed the key. She rose, smoothing down the skirt of her dark-grey woollen dress with both hands as she walked over to the dressing table, where she glanced at herself in the mirror. Her face was drawn, her mouth pale and tense, and there were dark circles under her eyes. This hardly surprised her, in view of the events of the previous night. She had not slept, had lain awake until the first light, worrying and pondering their predicament and their future. Sigmund had not slept either; he had risen at six and gone off to the bank very early. He had already spoken to her on the telephone several times since leaving the house, keeping his promise to stay in touch, to inform her of any new developments after the night of havoc in the city.
She ran a comb through her short blonde hair, smoothed a hand over it abstractedly, then walked to the door, looking at her wristwatch as she did. It was still early, not quite nine o’clock. There was no question in her mind why Renata was downstairs, asking to see her. She had come out of genuine concern for them, and Ursula was immeasurably touched by the gesture.
A moment later she was hurrying down the stairs, crossing the vast hall and pushing open the double doors which led into the library.
Renata was standing looking out of the window, and she swung around when Ursula entered and ran to meet her. She caught hold of her almost roughly, hugged her close, saying, ‘Oh, Ursi, Ursi,’ several times before releasing her. ‘Forgive me for bursting in on you like this, unannounced,’ Renata went on, ‘but I wanted to speak to you urgently, and our phone isn’t working. For some reason, it seems to be out of order this morning.’
‘It was good of you to come, Ren, and I’m glad you’re here. You always make me feel better. Walter is bringing us coffee. Come.’
Arms linked, the two of them walked over to the Biedermeier sofa, where they sat down. Drawing back and looking at her closely, Renata said, ‘Of course you know that last night’s riots were not only in Berlin, but took place all over Germany and Austria as well. Yes, I can see from your face that you do.’
‘The whole thing is incredible. Hard to believe.’
‘And even harder to stomach! You’ve seen the newspapers? Heard the radio?’
‘The papers yes, but I haven’t listened to the radio.’ Speaking quickly, Ursula explained how they had learned about the demonstrations from Theodora in the middle of the night, and recounted the girl’s experiences.
Renata had paled as she listened, and she exclaimed, ‘Teddy and her friend were extremely lucky, they could easily have been killed. Quite a few people were.’
Ursula stared at her. ‘Jews were killed.’
‘Yes.’ Renata leaned closer. ‘Listen to me, Ursula, you must –’ She broke off as Walter knocked, opened the door, and came gliding in with the coffee tray.
‘Danke schön, Walter,’ Ursula said.
The butler deposited the silver tray on the occasional table in front of the sofa and discreetly withdrew.
In hushed tones, Renata continued, with some urgency, ‘You must make plans to leave Germany. It’s not safe for you here anymore.’
‘I don’t think it has been for a long time. We should have gone last year, even the year before, perhaps. But we believed in German law and order, and we thought we were safe. We also drew comfort from the belief that Hitler couldn’t last, couldn’t possibly stay in power. Many Germans did, and not all of them Jews, you and Reinhard included. But we were all wrong. Now I don’t think there is any turning back. This is the end. For Jews anyway.’
‘For us all.’ Renata looked at her intently, her dark eyes very bright, and blazing with sudden anger. ‘That damned megalomaniac Hitler is leading us into a dark abyss of brutality and murder. Germany is being destroyed from within by him and his depraved cohorts. Why, they’re nothing but terrorists, for God’s sake!’
‘I read in the papers that the Nazis are saying last night’s demonstrations were spontaneous. That they were provoked,’ Ursula said. ‘And all because of that seventeen-year-old German Jewish refugee living in Paris, Herschel Grynszpan, who shot and killed Ernst vom Rath, the third secretary at the German Embassy in Paris. You see, Renata, they’re blaming the Jews yet again.’
‘We read that story, but Reinhard is convinced the riots were not spontaneous, that they were cleverly and expertly orchestrated by Heydrich and the SS. And he’s right, I’m certain. What’s more, we both believe there are bound to be additional demonstrations, and many other acts of brutality directed against Jews.’ Renata shook her head, finished in a worried voice, ‘We think Hitler wants to kill every Jew in the land, Ursi.’
‘But that’s inconceivable,’ Ursula stammered. ‘How can Hitler kill an entire people? Millions of people. No one could do that …’ Her voice trailed off helplessly.
‘He aims to try.’ Renata’s tone was more apprehensive than ever. ‘Read Mein Kampf again. And believe it this time.’
‘We are Germans,’ Ursula began, and stopped abruptly.
She clenched her hands together and took a deep breath. ‘Our families, Sigi’s and mine, have been here for hundreds and hundreds of years …’ Once more she came to a halt as her voice cracked, and she looked away, steadying herself. ‘But we must leave our country … yes … we must leave this country we love … if we are to survive …’
Feelings of compassion and loving friendship washed over Renata, and she reached out, put her hand on Ursula’s arm consolingly. Ursula turned, stared into her face, and they shared a look that was very direct and intimate and full of truth.
Tears welled up in Renata when she saw the anguish casting a deep shadow across Ursula’s face, the profound sorrow darkening her soft, grey-blue eyes. ‘I don’t want anything to happen to you!’ she cried fiercely, her voice choked with anxiety. ‘I love and care for you, and for Sigi and little Maxim. So does Reinhard. We will help you in any way we can, do anything to help you leave Germany safely. And you must leave, darling, you know you must … to save yourselves.’
‘Yes.’ Ursula sat staring into the distance, her eyes focused on the pale blue sky outside the tall window, and with an unexpected rush of clarity she finally came to understand what it was that had haunted her for so long a time. For a while she was unable to say anything, so shaken and alarmed was she, but at last she turned her head and looked deeply into Renata’s eyes once more.
Renata felt as if Ursula was staring into her soul, and she shivered slightly, and said, ‘Why are you looking at me like that? Whatever is it?’
‘A moment ago I said that it was inconceivable … that Hitler cannot kill an entire people. But he can. Oh yes, he can. I know that now. The knowledge is deep within me, in my bones, in the very pores of my skin. For months I’ve had desperate feelings gnawing at me … the ones I’ve spoken to you about. I thought they were feelings of apprehension and dread, but they weren’t. What I’ve harboured within me all this time is an overwhelming sense of doom. We are doomed, my family and I.’
‘My dearest, my most beloved friend –’ Renata found she was unable to continue, so overcome was she by the pain she felt for Ursula. What she was facing was monstrous: upheaval, flight, exile. But if she and Sigi and little Maxim stayed they would be hounded, persecuted and ultimately harmed. The evil and injustice of it filled Renata with rage, and the rage swamped her and she cried passionately, ‘Those Nazi bastards! This shouldn’t be happening! It shouldn’t! It’s wrong!’
‘Don’t, darling. Please don’t. We’ll be all right. Somehow.’
Renata reached for Ursula’s hand and clasped it in hers; they sat quietly, neither of them able to continue the conversation for a while.
Eventually Ursula cleared her throat and said in a voice that was oddly calm, ‘Sigi does have a plan of action, you know. He’s working on it right now. He has a good contact, apparently. He’s hoping to buy exit visas for us. And new passports.’ She paused, then went on, ‘You see, last month we had to take our passports to be stamped … with a J … for Jew.’
Startled and shocked, Renata looked at her in consternation. ‘How ridiculous! What evil nonsense!’
‘Yes, but the Nazis have made this a law, and we had to comply.’
Renata made a supreme effort to suppress her immense anger, control her flaring emotions, thinking that if Ursula could be so brave, so contained, then so must she. She even managed to push a smile onto her face, when she said, ‘Reinhard and I want you to come out to the Mark Brandenburg and stay at the Schloss. Until you leave Germany it will be much safer for you at our country estate than in Berlin.’
When Ursula did not immediately respond, Renata said, ‘Look,’ and took hold of her arm, brought her face closer to her friend’s, ‘it could take Sigi several weeks to get the necessary documents together, to arrange everything to facilitate your departure.’
‘It might, that’s true. And thank you for inviting us to the Schloss. It’s so kind and thoughtful of you. But I can’t leave Sigi alone here in Berlin. You know how much he needs me. We’ve never really been apart since we were children, except when I was at school in England with you and Arabella.’
‘He can see you at weekends. He can drive down to the Mark with us every Friday afternoon. Please say yes.’
Ursula remained uncertain. ‘Let me think about it, and I’ll discuss it with Sigi.’
The telephone began to ring and Ursula rushed to answer it, wanting to pick up before the butler did.
