The Fragile Hour Read online

  As Anna and Klaus were shown to their table, she glanced towards the civilian guests seated with their German hosts. She recognised several known collaborators and most had brought their wives and even their grown-up daughters with them. Anna guessed that those girls were in great demand as dancing partners, for although every table was taken the officers more than outnumbered the women. She was aware of the sharply interested gaze of many of the officers as she went by with Klaus.

  Their table was in a prime position on the edge of the dance floor and not too near the lively band. No sooner were they seated, when one of the resident officers at the Hotel Ryan came to speak to them. His rank was that of hauptman, and he was a red-faced, self-satisfied man with a loud voice, who would shout even louder in contempt when some of the domestic staff failed to understand his rapid German. So far he had not learnt a word of Norwegian beyond skal.

  “Guten abend, Fraulein Larsen. And to you too, Major.”

  Before he could say another word, Klaus stopped him with a raised hand. “Listen to me, my good fellow, I’m having the first and last dance with my charming companion and all the rest in between.”

  Hauptman Bauer looked displeased. “You can’t blame me for trying.”

  As he left, Klaus looked triumphantly across the table at Anna. “I’m pulling rank this evening. I want to keep you all to myself.”

  It was not what she wanted. It was only if there was conversation with others that she might pick up a snippet of something useful, because even a few casual words could be pieced together with other scraps of information.

  “No, Klaus,” she said with a little laugh, “that won’t be the right thing to do. Of course the first and last dances are yours as well as most of the others, but, as a Norwegian, I’m very conscious of being entertained here this evening. What chance is there of furthering good relations between our two peoples if I seem to spurn dancing with any of lower rank than yours? It would appear very discourteous.”

  Klaus was slightly put out, but he could see that she would not want anyone to feel snubbed. “Very well, I agree, Anna. But don’t escape from me too often.”

  He had expected reassurance from her, but a waiter had come to take his order for wine and the moment passed. When that was done, he took Anna onto the floor just as the band struck up Lili Marlene.

  He was an excellent dancer, which was what she had expected. Such a man as he, proud and self-assured, would want to excel at anything he did. He was holding her very close, his clean-shaven chin smelling faintly of aftershave lotion, which was so pleasing that she thought it must be French. Anything good had flowed out of the occupied countries into Germany from the start including cattle and corn from Norway.

  Klaus drew back his head to smile down into her eyes. “You’re looking serious, Anna. Those French women aren’t still on your mind, are they?”

  “I wasn’t thinking of them.”

  “Then why so thoughtful?”

  As he had spoken, a woman vocalist in a red evening gown had stepped in front of the microphone to sing. It gave Anna an outlet to his questioning. “Perhaps it’s this song of separated lovers that had a momentary effect on me,” she declared, smiling again. “But I do like it.”

  They both listened to the song as they danced, he holding her still closer as if the poignancy of the words might have some significance for them. As it came to an end, people all over the room began taking it up again and the band played on. Soon the whole gathering was singing lustily, the vocalist encouraging them. To Anna it made a refreshing change from the constant dosage of We March Against England that still echoed daily down the streets.

  The band-leader announced that the next dance, a foxtrot, would be an ‘Excuse me’ dance for the gentlemen. As a result, Klaus was tapped on the shoulder within half a minute and Anna was whirled away from him by a young oberleutnant.

  “I saw you as soon as you came in,” he said eagerly, knowing his time with her would be short. “Where do you live? I’d like to see you again. My name is Wolfgang. What is yours?”

  That was the end of the conversation, for she had no time to answer as he in turn lost her to another partner.

  The pattern continued, but at the end of the dance she had gained a grain of information. One of her partners had expressed the wish that he had met her months ago.

  “It’s my bad luck that we are moving out the day after tomorrow all the way up to Tromso,” he had said.

  The new posting of his company was nothing in itself, but there could be a special reason why a district was being strengthened.

  By now much of the company was noisy, the singing of Lili Marlene having led the way for louder voices, some of the officers unsteady on the dance floor. Only the presence of the Commanding Officer kept a curb on an evening that might otherwise have become a drunken bout. Klaus introduced Anna to him when they came from the buffet room.

  “Sir. Please allow me to present Fröken Larsen.”

  Oberst Weiss was grey-haired with chiselled features and a fine military bearing. A row of medal ribbons adorned his broad chest, including the Iron Cross. His whole attitude towards her was extremely courteous. “I’m honoured, fröken.”

  Anna judged him to be of the old school of the German Army, privately having little regard for Hitler while holding a great love for his own Fatherland. He invited Klaus and her to join his table.

  Klaus had to accept. Anna could tell it was something he had not expected and he was far from pleased. There were several other high-ranking officers at the table and he had to take a seat away from her. It also put an end to his having priority as her partner.

  “It’s a pleasure to have a charming young lady at my side,” Oberst Weiss was saying. She was seated next to him, somebody else having moved down, and wine was poured for her in a fresh glass. He and those nearest chatted with her, but all waited for him to take her on to the floor first.

  To Anna it was like dancing with a grandfather. There was no attempt to hold her too close, her fingers were lightly clasped, and the conversation kept to the music of Grieg and the beauty of Norway. She liked him. The others at the table danced in turn with her afterwards. Anna saw how exasperated Klaus looked every time.

  Yet they were dancing together when out of the corner of her eye Anna saw Nils arrive, dressed in what she guessed were borrowed evening clothes. She did not allow herself to look again in his direction until the dance brought him once more into view and she saw he was shaking hands with Oberst Weiss. The next time she glimpsed him, he was seated at the same table, but Klaus kept her for another quickstep before they returned there. She and Nils acted as if they were total strangers when introduced.

  “We are fortunate to have an Olympic Gold Medallist with us this evening,” Oberst Weiss explained to Anna. “My son won a Bronze in running at the Summer Games in Germany that year.”

  “Is he in Norway too?” Anna asked. Nils was seated on the other side of the Oberst, which had moved Klaus still farther away from her.

  “No, he’s on the Eastern Front and I’m proud to say he is serving the Fatherland well.”

  It was almost the end of the evening when Nils finally allowed himself to ask Anna to dance. The band was playing The Blue Danube and, with other dancers rotating around them with speed, they were able to talk closely together without being overheard.

  “We must look as if we’re chatting about unimportant things,” she said at once, “because I know I’m being watched.”

  “By all the men in the room, do you mean?” he teased.

  “No! By one man in particular.”

  “I know whom you mean. That Major hardly takes his eyes from you.”

  “Alf rang me. I was so thankful to know you were safe. How did you get away?”

  “I’ll tell you, but first there is something I want you to do for me. I’m involved here for the next two days in getting orders for supplies and I’ve an important message for you to deliver. Don’t trust it to anybody
else.”

  “I’ll do as you say.”

  “Just inform the right quarters that an important delivery is to be made early Wednesday evening.”

  Anna guessed immediately that sections of the great gun would be arriving. “I’ll do that tomorrow.”

  “Good.” He smiled approvingly. “Now that’s settled I’ll tell you how lucky I was. As you know yourself, it was so quiet in the church that I heard when a truck drew up in the road. Then came the crash of boots as soldiers jumped out and I knew I’d been found. I threw on my coat and as they came rushing up the path, I started thumping on the door with my fists, yelling to be let out.” He laughed quietly. “It must have surprised them, because when they threw open the door to seize me, I expressed my relief and thanked them for rescuing me.”

  “That was brilliant! Did they believe you?”

  “Not at first. Their officer questioned me and I said I’d been at the wedding, but as there was no reception through the German ban on any gathering of people, I had stayed to look round the church. That’s when I had been accidently locked in. Your travel pass saved me, showing that I’d had permission to travel.”

  “Thank God for that! Did you know one of your fellow saboteurs was taken?”

  He nodded, guarding his expression. “He and I came face to face as he was taken away, but neither of us showed any sign of recognition. Nobody does in those circumstances.”

  Anna felt heartsick at what that man’s fate would be, but somehow kept an empty smile on her lips. She listened intently as Nils went on to tell her how he was taken to the wedding couple’s home to be identified as someone known to them and to their families.

  “I was certain that was the end, because they wouldn’t know my name, but by sheer chance, the bridegroom’s father remembered me from the district ski events before the war. ‘That’s Nils Olsen,’ he said. ‘I saw him at the wedding.’ Then, because he could see I was in serious trouble, he added, ‘He was there by invitation.’”

  “Oh, Nils! That was luck indeed!”

  “I still wasn’t released. They kept me in custody overnight and took me to Molde next day for further identification from a German officer with whom I’ve done business. It was only then that they released me.”

  Anna knew that the waltz would soon be coming to an end and there was still much more to say. “I won’t be at the jump tomorrow to cheer you on, but make sure you win.”

  “I will,” he promised confidently. “I would have liked more time to get into my stride, although I had some practice runs today. I enjoy a challenge, as you know. The tougher the better.”

  “You always were spurred on by stiff competition, especially where girls were concerned,” she agreed with a laugh.

  “True,” he admitted with amusement. “But don’t rake up my past, Anna. That was all before our summer together.”

  It gave her an opportunity. “That was only July and August. Two months, Nils. A fleeting, happy time.”

  “But not forgotten by either of us. I had competition then, I recall.”

  “Not really. I just couldn’t believe you’d changed your attitude towards me at last. That’s why at first I continued to keep dates with somebody else.”

  “But not for long.” His clasp on her tightened lovingly. “I wasn’t going to lose you then and I feel the same since finding you again.”

  The dance ended and they came to a halt so near Klaus, who was waiting on the edge of the floor, that she was startled at seeing him there.

  “We were coming back to the table,” she said.

  Klaus smiled. “I wasn’t going to risk it. This is the last dance of the evening.”

  Nils bowed slightly to them both as formal Scandinavian manners demanded and bade them both good night. “I’ll be leaving now as I have a big day ahead of me tomorrow. It’s been a pleasure to meet you, Fröken Larsen. And you, Major.”

  Anna did not see him leave, making sure she did not glance once towards the glass doors.

  It was not until they were being driven back to the hotel that Klaus asked her what Nils had been saying to hold her interest so intently.

  “We were discussing skiing,” she replied.

  He had taken hold of her hand. “What else? Was he trying to make a date with you?”

  She laughed softly. “No. He’s about the only one who didn’t.”

  “But surely he asked if you would be at the contest tomorrow?”

  “Yes, but I told him I couldn’t be there.”

  “He looked particularly serious at one point. Was it when you told him that? Or was there some other reason? I’d like to know.”

  Anna’s patience was running out. “Is this an interrogation, Klaus?”

  “Why should you think of that?” he gave back keenly. “Some association of ideas perhaps?”

  Anna knew herself to be on slippery ground. “No. I’m just not used to being cross-questioned.”

  Klaus brought his mouth close to her ear and lowered his voice in order not to be overheard by the driver. “It’s only that I want to know everything about you and to see you look at me as you did at Olsen when you were in his arms. You didn’t even blink in any other direction.”

  Anna did not find that surprising. She and Nils had been discussing a life and death situation. Yet maybe Klaus, watching closely, had seen something in her face of what would always be in her as far as Nils was concerned. “You must remember that one doesn’t meet an Olympic Gold Medallist every day. He was kind enough to tell me what it’s like to take part in the Games.” That was true, but his account had been given to her and others seven years before. “At the time I followed it all on the newsreels at the cinema.”

  “I was an oberleutnant then, but I was lucky enough to be present when the Führer opened the Games.”

  There flashed into Anna’s mind the newsreel image of thousands of arms raised in the Nazi salute and she almost shuddered.

  At the hotel the entrance was locked, but Klaus had a key. On the first floor where his room was located, Anna stopped to say a brief good night, but he shook his head.

  “There’s no need for the evening to end yet. I thought we’d have a glass of wine together.”

  “No, it’s late and I couldn’t drink anything more.”

  “Then I’ll see you to your door.” He was carrying his hat and stuck it on the newel post before throwing his greatcoat over the bannister rail. He caught her up on the next flight. Again she would have parted from him, but he put a proprietary arm about her waist, ignoring her insistence that guests were not expected to go up to the fourth floor.

  “Fru Sande doesn’t sleep up here, does she?” he said, more as a statement than a question.

  “No, she has her own small apartment adjoining the office, but Margot is my neighbour.”

  On the fourth floor Klaus looked around in surprise. “It’s larger up here than I expected. What are all these doors?”

  “Two lead into storage rooms, one to the bathroom and the other two are the bedrooms.”

  Having satisfied himself that there was no one in range likely to intrude, Klaus turned back to Anna. With a smile he set the flat of his hands either side of her on the door. “You intrigue me, Anna. There’s something elusive about you I can’t understand. I find everything about you fascinating — your looks, your voice, the way you laugh. Yet however close we are physically, as when we danced and how we are now, you keep your innermost self distant from me.” His eyes were searching hers. “Tell me how I can get through to you, Anna.”

  She decided to use the truth to her advantage. “If I seemed more at ease this evening when I danced with Nils Olsen, it was because I was with a fellow countryman. You must remember that you wear the uniform of a conqueror.”

  He grinned widely and began to unbutton his jacket. “That’s easily remedied.”

  “No, don’t!” she exclaimed angrily, grabbing his hand; in an attempt to stop him. It was her mistake. Instantly he seized her wrists and s
he thumped back against her door as he held her pinioned, his mouth clamping down on hers, his tongue probing. She was helpless, his whole body pressed hard against hers. Her only weapon was a total lack of response. As he became aware of it, he drew his mouth away from hers, meeting her cold stare.

  “I couldn’t help myself, Anna,” he said thickly. “You’re so lovely. Unlock your door. Let’s talk this over.” He stroked his hands down her arms and she shook him off.

  “Please go.”

  “Liebling, you must know how much I have come to care for you! I could make a difference to your whole life if you would only meet me half-way. Surely there should be a time for loving in the midst of war? I care for you and we need each other, Anna.” He put his fingertips lightly against the side of her face, looking deeply at her, tenderness vibrating in his voice. “I can make you happier than you ever dreamed possible.”

  She remained totally still. “I want you to leave, Klaus. The evening is over.”

  He stepped back from her, angry colour rising up his neck, and he threw out his hands in exasperation. “You’re impossible! I don’t understand you. I know you’re attracted to me as I am to you. We’re fellow Aryans. There is nothing to keep us apart.” He brought his face close to hers again, his damaged ego spurring him to mockery. “Don’t tell me you’re still a virgin with your looks and in this house of men.” Seizing her breast, he squeezed as with his other arm he pulled her to him.

  Instantly Anna shot up her hand and caught him under the chin with the ball of her palm, making his jaw crack and jerking his head back with all her strength. His arm fell away and he drew back, staring at her with narrowed eyes, his face congested with temper, his nostrils dilated. “Where did you learn that trick?” he demanded heatedly.

  Too late she realised that a slap across the face was what he might have expected, not a trained act of self-defence.

  “A boyfriend taught me years ago. It’s not the first time I’ve used it.”

  “But you dared to use it on me!” His furious outrage threatened to choke him. “Me!”