Chapter Twenty

AVA

‘Ava.' Her father placed a hand on her shoulder and leaned down, his breath whispering against her cheek he was so close. ‘I need you to listen without showing any emotion.'

She looked up, heart hammering as she felt the weight of his palm against her skin. He didn't remove his hand, and that told her everything she needed to know. Something had gone wrong.

‘There was a failed attempt on the Führer's life today.'

She trembled, thankful for her father's touch as she realised what a dangerous position they were now in.

‘Hundreds of men are being arrested, and there will be more tomorrow,' he whispered, directly in her ear, so low that she had to concentrate hard to hear him. ‘Noah is to be executed for treason.'

Her body stilled as her eyes filled with tears, her heart began to thud and the room swam around her. She dug her fingernails into her desk, leaning back into her father as he kept his hand on her back, steady, comforting her. He knew how much Noah had come to mean to her.

‘There must be something you can do to stop it,' she whispered back.

‘There is nothing I can do,' he murmured. ‘I'm sorry. They're all to be executed by firing squad.'

A tear escaped the corner of her eye and she lifted her chin, fighting the emotions that were rippling inside of her. Noah had known the risks, and so had she, but for him to be caught and arrested so quickly? She couldn't stop seeing it happening in her mind, his body being ricocheted by bullets, slumping over, his beautiful brown eyes lifeless as he fell to the ground.

Her father squeezed her shoulder, standing beside her for another moment before walking away, and she sat there, numb, digesting the fact that it had all been a failure. The risks she'd taken, the risks Noah had taken; it had all been for nothing.

‘Is something wrong?'

Ava blinked and quickly wiped her eyelashes with her finger, braving a small smile as she looked over at Greta, who was studying her with a puzzled expression on her face.

‘My father had news of a family friend who's just passed away,' she said. ‘It took me by surprise, that's all.'

It wasn't even a lie. As far as she knew, Noah was already gone.

‘Well, let me know if I can take over some of your typing for you,' Greta said. ‘I can see how much it's upset you.'

Ava only smiled and nodded, not trusting her voice. But as she shuffled the papers to her left, she saw that her hands were trembling so much there was no way she could resume her typing. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a couple of deep breaths, seeing Noah in her mind, remembering the last time they'd been together.

Noah had made it clear that he didn't love her the way she'd fallen in love with him, but it didn't stop her heart from breaking knowing that she would never see him again. And then her heart began to pound all over again as she looked up at the door, wondering if anyone was going to come in and look for her, wondering how long it would take for the SS to point the finger internally and ask who had access to information within the ministry.

Lieutenant Schw?germann entered the room, then disappeared into Goebbels' office without pausing to look at or speak to any of the secretaries. He was in there for some time before storming out in a hurry.

‘Do you think something has happened?' Ava overheard one of the other women whisper.

She closed her eyes again, trying to breathe, fighting against the feeling that she should walk out the door and run for the safety of their apartment. But she knew that if the SS wanted to find her, they would search for her everywhere, which meant that nowhere was safe. They knew where she was, they'd know where to find Hanna at the hospital, and they would know exactly where to find her mother, too.

Ava had held herself together for the rest of the day, but as she glanced at her wristwatch she was relieved to see that it was almost time to finish. There had been a steady stream of uniformed men coming in and out of the building for hours, but so far nothing had been said. And no one had come looking for her.

She had tidied up her papers before standing and reaching for her bag, when she felt someone watching her. Ava looked up and saw that Heinrich was standing in the doorway, his gaze trained on her.

She put her bag over her shoulder and collected her coat, before going over to him. He was smiling, but she still felt nervous, as if he might know something.

‘Heinrich! What a lovely surprise,' she said, hating how false her voice sounded.

‘I was called back to Berlin,' he said. ‘Have you heard what happened?'

She shook her head. ‘What has happened?' Ava hoped he bought her look of innocence. ‘We've all wondered what's going on, as there's been a lot of activity in the building today but no one has told us anything. Is something wrong?'

‘Look after this one,' Greta said as she passed them, leaving for the night. ‘She had some sad news today.'

Heinrich looked down at her, his eyebrows drawing together. ‘Sad news? What is she talking about?'

Ava's pulse ignited as she looked up at him. ‘A family friend passed away. Father came to tell me earlier, he'd had news.'

‘This friend, was that the man you'd been to visit that evening I came looking for you? The one you took fruit to?'

She nodded, touching his arm and trying to distract him. ‘Yes, that was him, but Heinrich, you had something to tell me. I'm certain it's more important than the news of my father's old friend passing.'

Her smile and warm touch seemed to catch him off guard, just as she'd hoped.

‘There was an attack on the Führer's life,' he told her, as she began to walk with him, through the building and down the stairs, still holding on to his arm.

‘There is always someone trying to take down our mighty Führer, is there not?' she asked. ‘It's a wonder they haven't all realised they can't succeed by now.'

‘I didn't tell you it was unsuccessful,' Heinrich said, stopping once they'd stepped out on to the footpath.

She looked up at him, at the strange way he was staring down at her, at the way his eyebrows were drawn tightly together as he studied her face.

‘You didn't have to,' she said, tugging him along while her heart began to race. ‘Heinrich, if it had been successful, our country would already be in mourning! That's not something that would have been kept secret all day. I might be naive at times, but I'm no fool.'

He began to walk again, and she leaned into him, as much as it made her feel sick to be so close to him, her head on his shoulder, doing everything she could think of in order to appear as an adoring fiancée. Her heart raced at how easily she'd almost been caught out.

‘Heinrich?' she asked, blinking up at him when she realised he still hadn't said anything.

‘Of course, you're right, I just—'

‘He's not hurt, is he? I wasn't too bold in believing no one could hurt him, was I?'

‘He's fine, barely a few scratches as far as I heard. The bomb was in a briefcase, and it blew out the windows nearby, but it was blocked from killing him thanks to a thick wooden table leg.'

‘A bomb?' she asked. ‘They tried to kill him with a bomb? How awful.'

‘Hitler was in East Prussia, for a secret meeting, and they were supposed to be in an underground bunker, the place they call the Wolf's Lair,' he said, seeming to enjoy the way she was hanging on to his every word. ‘But it was so hot that they decided to change location and use an above-ground bunker instead. It sounds as if the change saved his life, although two of the men closest to the bomb weren't so fortunate. If they'd been in the original location, there would have been no windows, and likely everyone at the meeting would be dead.'

Ava smiled, nodding along as if she were as relieved as he was, but inside, her heart had never been heavier. She had known precisely where he was going to be, for she'd been the one to relay the information to Noah. And to think that it was weather that had caused its failure – that had cost Noah his life.

‘Did they say who might be responsible?' she asked. ‘Do they have any leads or anyone in custody?'

‘Some of his closest advisors were responsible, from what I understand. They even thought they'd killed him, would you believe? They started having SS officers arrested right here in Berlin, thinking they were about to overthrow anyone loyal to Hitler! That's why it was so chaotic in the office for you today, although I am surprised you all weren't advised what was happening.'

Ava fought back a fresh wave of tears. They'd been so close, so close to putting an end to Hitler's reign of terror. She might have loved and admired the Führer once, but she wouldn't have spent a moment mourning him if the plan had been a success.

When they reached her apartment block, Heinrich took her hand and lifted it, pressing a kiss to her knuckles.

‘I know your father wanted us to wait, but I cannot wait so much as another month, Ava,' he said. ‘I've informed him that we are to be married at once, and I'd be lying if I didn't admit to having more influence than him right now. I dare say he won't fight me on this one, not any more.'

She smiled through her pain, struggling not to slap his face away when he brazenly kissed her on the mouth, right there on the street. Where Noah's lips had made her giddy, the feel of Heinrich's made her want to be physically sick, and to hear him speak that way about her papa... Her stomach turned.

Ava forced herself to lift her hand and placed it gently to his chest, pushing him back as softly as she could.

‘I would very much like that, although I do not want to show my father any disrespect,' she whispered, trying to encourage him at the same time as turning him down. ‘Why don't you and I decide on a date, and you can leave telling Papa to me.'

She didn't invite him in, kissing his cheek to make sure he didn't feel rebuffed, before saying goodbye and letting herself in. It wasn't until she was safely inside with the door of their apartment locked that she slumped to the floor, crying harder than she'd ever cried before.

Noah was gone.

Hitler was still alive.

And tomorrow more questions would be asked, and she had a feeling her name would be at the top of the list.

The door opened then, banging into her where she lay sprawled on the floor.

‘Ava?'

Hanna dropped her keys as she pushed the door shut behind her, gathering Ava up in her arms and drawing her close. She couldn't hold her tears back then, couldn't stop the pain that echoed through every bit of her body.

‘I risked everything for nothing,' she cried. ‘He's still alive. Their plan was a failure.'

Hanna rocked her back and forth, her lips whispering against Ava's hair as she held her.

‘I should have listened to you,' Ava whispered, ‘I should never have done what he asked. I should have told you what was happening, what it was all for.'

She could almost see them coming, could picture herself being handcuffed or simply dragged by her arm from their home or the office.

‘Father will never let anything happen to you,' Hanna murmured, as if she could read Ava's mind. ‘Everything will be all right, I promise.'

Ava didn't believe her. How could their father keep her safe, when they might be coming for him, too? When Heinrich had indicated that he couldn't even put an end to their wedding plans? She'd chosen to be part of this, and now she would have to deal with the consequences, whatever they were. Heinrich had said himself that they suspected some of the men closest to the Führer, which meant it was only so long before her father was implicated.

‘We need to let Mama know what's happened,' Ava said, pushing back her hair and sitting up. ‘We need to keep her safe.'

‘I've already been home. She knew more than I did about what was going on.'

‘She's safe?' Ava asked.

‘As safe as any of us can be right now,' Hanna said. ‘But unless they arrest Father, there's no reason for them to trouble her. She told me that we must go on as normal, to not do anything outside of our usual routine, in case we're being watched.'

‘How did you know what had happened? How did you even know to go home and warn her?' Ava asked.

‘Because it's not just in the city that men are being arrested, it's everywhere,' Hanna said, and for the first time, Ava saw fear reflected in her sister's gaze. ‘I had to leave a child behind today. There were SS everywhere, they were arresting people and...'

Ava took hold of her sister's hands.

‘I'm scared, Ava,' Hanna finally said, her eyes swimming with tears. ‘I'm truly, deeply scared.'

Ava's breath shuddered from her and tears began to slide down her cheeks again. ‘I'm scared, too.'

‘But we can only be scared inside these four walls,' Hanna said, clearing her throat, her voice sounding strong again. ‘We can't do anything that will draw attention, we have to go about our lives as if everything is fine. We can't let anyone see the cracks.'

Ava nodded and quickly wiped her cheeks. Hanna was right – continuing on was the only thing they could do, along with praying that no one ever found out about their involvement.