Chapter 34

34

Several weeks had passed since the incident with Brandt, the golden autumn ending abruptly, and the beginning of November blowing in with an icy wind. Jana closed the shop for the day and decided to stay there a while before going up to the apartment. She went to the kitchen and made herself an acorn coffee, and then huddled up in the armchair taking small sips.

She lay a hand on her neck, the empty space where Mama's locket had hung, a gaping wound in her soul. For weeks, she had anguished over ways to retrieve the locket from Brandt; reporting the theft to the fascist police would only put her and her family in the spotlight and would get her nowhere. The police were unlikely to accuse a member of the Wehrmacht and Brandt would deny it anyway. Did he even still have her locket in his possession or had he sold it? Thinking the latter was most probable, she had begun to scour the second-hand jewellery shops but without success. She clenched her jaw; she would not give up till she found it and one day, somehow, she would wreak her revenge on Brandt .

It had been terrible telling Papa she'd lost the locket. She'd restrained from telling him that a German soldier had ripped it from her neck, afraid that he would be furious and cause a scene at the police station. Right now, it was important that they kept under the radar: the best way to protect the hidden children.

Jana shivered and took a gulp of her coffee. The shop was cold and there was no coal for the pot-bellied stove. How were her and Papa going to keep warm through the winter? There was no coal, no food and increasingly, no electricity. The Nazis were cutting power to homes in order to keep the factories producing armaments. And sturdy boots just for the Wehrmacht. Prague and the rest of the country had been occupied for over three years, and although there were rumours of Germany losing their grip in Russia, there was no sign of it in Prague. If anything, the Nazi hold was stronger than ever.

She heard a tapping sound and frowned as she listened. But all she heard was the patter of rain. Then the noise came again, louder: a knocking from the front of the shop. She put down her coffee and went to investigate.

A figure hovered outside the window. The street was in darkness, the lamps no longer lit. Goosebumps ran up her arms. Was it Brandt all these weeks later? Had he come for her? She could still smell the liquorice. Her stomach roiled.

But as she peered through the glass, she saw that the person was slighter and shorter than Brandt. She stepped closer.

‘Oh,' she murmured in surprise. It was Pavel.

‘Hello,' he said awkwardly as she opened the door.

She invited him in.

‘Come and sit down.' She gestured to the back of the shop.

He shook his head. ‘I was just passing and wondered how you were? '

The last time she'd spoken with Pavel, he'd accused her of betraying her country with a fascist policeman.

‘I'm well, thank you,' she said cautiously.

Pavel sighed. ‘Look, Jana, I'm sorry about what I said that time down by the river. It's not for me to judge your choice of boyfriend.'

‘He wasn't my boyfriend then and isn't my boyfriend now.' She stopped short of saying Andrej had vanished without a trace.

He raised his hands in apology. ‘I hate it when we see each other around town and look the other way as if we were strangers. Please, I'd like us to be friends again.'

At this, she softened, remembering how he'd always been there for her, before she had rejected him.

‘I'd like that too.'

They exchanged a few words about their everyday lives. Pavel still worked at the warehouse packing supplies for the German army.

They fell silent for a few moments before Pavel spoke again.

‘How is Michal? Still at your grandma's?'

A warning signal flashed in her mind; it had been a mistake to risk sharing that confidence with him all that time ago. She could say Michal was no longer with Babi but that would only lead to more questions; best to divert the conversation.

‘He's fine. How about your activities? Still annoying the Germans?' She kept her tone light.

‘Maybe.' His expression turned wary. He didn't trust her despite his claims of friendship. Why was he really here?

They spoke for a few minutes longer, their conversation stilted before Pavel said he needed to go. He didn't say why.

Jana's relief that he'd left soon turned to concern. It was strange that he'd suddenly turned up at her door after all this time. She wanted to believe it was out of desire to renew their friendship, but their conversation had been far removed from the easy banter they'd once shared. She went back to her armchair and finished the coffee that had gone cold.