Aiding the Enemy (War Girls)

by Julie Rowe

  Back in her room she sat on the bed for a long time, letting tears drip off her chin and onto her folded hands. She could have withstood any torture, any question, but not the expression of betrayal on Herman’s face.

  It was the one regret she’d take to the grave.

  Her evening meal came, but she barely ate anything. What was the point? She abandoned it to kneel in front of her cot and pray. Her guard came in, took her uneaten food and left without even looking at her.

  Hours later, a rattle at the door surprised her.

  The guard who came in wasn’t one she recognized. He examined her face for a long moment before saying, “Come with me.”

  She followed him down several hallways, seeing no one else along the way. They ended up at a poorly lit doorway. He opened it and gestured at her to go ahead of him.

  She found herself outside in an overgrown garden with vines roping over the stone walls on either side. Something was very, very wrong. Were they going to shoot her now?

  “What is this? Where are we going?”

  “Say nothing,” the young soldier said in a low tone. “Someone will be here soon.”

  “But—”

  “Three months ago,” the soldier interrupted, “you saved my brother’s life.” He inclined his head. “Wait here for your escort.” He shut the door in her face.

  Full darkness enveloped her in a soothing blanket of hope. Fear nibbled at the edges, but she held firm. Only minutes ago she’d contemplated what might happen to her. Nothing good had seemed certain. But now...now nothing seemed certain at all.

  A shadow rose out of the darkness and she nearly cried out. A male hand covered her mouth while another snaked around her waist, pulling her close to a body much taller and broader than hers.

  She raised her hands to push him away and sucked in a desperate breath through her nose.

  His scent.

  She knew it better than her own. Soap, a trace of ether and something uniquely woodsy.

  Herman.

  What was he doing? He’d already expressed his anger and hatred. Did he have more to say?

  “Rose,” he whispered, his voice confirming his identity. “Don’t scream.”

  Of anyone, he had the right to ask for her silence. She nodded and he took his hand away. “Are you all right? Have they hurt or abused you?”

  “You actually want an answer?”

  “Of course I want an answer.”

  “But—”

  “Just answer the question, Rose.”

  “No. I was absolutely terrified for the first few days, but I’ve discovered a limit to the amount of terror I can feel. I was mostly numb...until earlier.” She gave herself a moment to strengthen her resolve to endure whatever came next. “Did you want to say something more to me privately?”

  He snorted. “I have a great deal to say, but it can all wait until we’re safely away from here.”

  “I don’t understand. Am I being transferred to another location?”

  “In a manner of speaking. Follow me.” He turned to leave, but stopped when she didn’t follow.

  “I’m very sorry for deceiving you, sir,” she said quietly. “Very sorry.”

  He loomed over her, crowding her against the stone wall. “If you call me sir again, I swear I’ll turn you over my knee and spank you.”

  She gasped. “What do you want from me?”

  He leaned down, putting his palms on the wall behind her, his mouth next to her ear. “To save you. I’ve known about what you were doing for a long time. Confronting you with your so-called crimes was my way of getting inside this place—and giving me an opportunity to get you out.”

  Relief turned her bones to butter and she relaxed against him, her hands clutching at his shoulders for support. “You’re not angry with me?”

  He hugged her with equal fervour. “Oh, I’m angry, but not for the reasons you think. We don’t have much time. Come with me.”

  He released her with a slow preciseness that told her he was aware of how frightened she was. He slid one hand down to hers and took it in a firm grip, pulling her down the garden path.

  The moon was barely a sliver in the sky, making the stars seem brighter than they should be, intensifying the darkness of the night. His hand was her only link to the rest of the world and yet she felt as if she weren’t connected to the world at all.

  He guided her off the path and through heavy shrubbery that grabbed and clung to her dress and apron. They walked for several minutes, passing through a wooded area before emerging in a graveyard. Herman stopped long enough to look about before they headed for the church on the other side of the sea of dead. He let go of her hand when they reached the rear of the church and leaned down. When he stood, he was holding a bundle of cloth in his hands.

  “Here, put this on.”

  She unfolded it to reveal her dark traveling cape. “Thank you.”

  “Hurry. We can’t be seen.”

  She took off her apron and handed it to him then put on the cape.

  He folded the apron, stuck it in a hole and covered it with dirt. He handed her a bag with a long shoulder strap. “A few things I thought you might want.”

  “Oh, thank you.” Thank you seemed too small a statement, too little a reply to what he’d done for her.

  He threw the strap to another bag over his shoulder then grabbed her hand again. “Let’s go, and if we’re stopped let me do the talking.” He pulled her towards the street.

  “What are you—”

  “Rose, I’ll explain everything once we’re safe. I promise.”

  “Safe? What do you mean?”

  “I’m getting you out of Belgium.”

  “But you can’t. You’re a German doctor, in their army. If they catch you, you’ll be executed.”

  “Yes.” One word, nothing more, but his whole life was contained in it.

  She tried to drag him to a stop. “No. No, you can’t do this. Don’t throw your life away so needlessly.”

  He turned and she nearly stumbled, but once again he caught her. He put his face close to hers, close enough for her to feel his breath on her skin. “It is done. There’s no going back. Not for either of us.”

  She swallowed a sob and nodded. “All right.” But she could not stop the shaking of her body.

  He seemed reluctant to let go of her. “Are you able to continue?”

  “Yes.”

  He took her hand again and led her down the dark street. They walked for some time before entering a neighbourhood full of large houses. Palatial houses.

  “Where are we?”

  “Near the Royal Palace.”

  Good grief. “The palace has a commanding German army presence.”

  “Undeniably.”

  “But—”

  “Rose.” Herman glanced over his shoulder with a half smile. “Enough.”

  They walked openly on the street for several minutes then veered off on a garden path to approach a house from the rear. Herman opened a door and they walked into a kitchen. He guided her through it and up a set of stairs. The hallway was dark, but he unerringly found a door, pulling her in and closing it behind them.

  A match flared. He lit a candle. They were in a bedroom.

  “Where are we?” she asked, keeping her voice quiet.

  “My uncle’s home here in Brussels.” Herman went to the door and locked it. “This is my bedroom.”

  “Your uncle? The general-major?”

  “Yes.”

  Her mouth opened and closed, but nothing came out.

  “Don’t panic, Rose, we’re safer here than anywhere else.”

  “Until someone, anyone, finds us.”

  He removed his overcoat and hung it in a wardrobe. “What happened to your ability to look on the bright side?”

  He wasn’t behaving at all like she expected. “I can’t imagine. I’ve been arrested and questioned, and until a short time ago, I thought I would be punished for the crime of compassion.”

&nbs
p; “I think you’re tired, frightened and confused.”

  “I...you...” He was a lunatic. It was the only explanation for what he’d done. “Stop it, just stop. I made a conscious decision to help those men—British, Belgian and French soldiers—knowing the consequences. I won’t allow you to commit treason because of my actions.”

  A pirate’s smile stole across his face and his arms crossed over his chest. “Try and stop me.”

  She whirled and went for the door. He caught her before she could reach the knob, wrapped her in his strong arms and pulled her into his body, her back to his front. “I chose this path after careful consideration of all possible actions. I’ve worked with you for months. I know you. You don’t have a deceitful bone in your body.”

  “But I lied...”

  “Was it lying when you let that dying soldier believe you were his wife? When you comforted him in his last moments and allowed him to pass peacefully?” He gentled his hold, stroked her arm. “Was it?”

  “Yes, but...”

  “You’d do it again?”

  “I would.”

  “So would I.” His lips brushed the tip of her ear as he whispered, “You’re not alone anymore.”

  “I believed...” A sob shook her. “I thought I could live through anything and remain certain and strong, but I was so afraid.” Tears blurred her vision and she began to cry.

  Herman turned her, folding her in to his embrace, guiding her head to rest on his shoulder. “You have more strength than any man I know.”

  She relaxed in his arms. They were warm and steadfast, and his heartbeat under her ear reminded her he was as human as she. “Should I take that as a compliment?”

  “Yes.”

  She put her arms around him and held him as tightly as he held her. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  They stood there silently for several moments before she pulled a handkerchief out of her sleeve and blew her nose. “What now?”

  “We sleep. In the morning we’ll leave for the Netherlands.”

  “It’s gotten very difficult to cross the border.”

  “Don’t worry, I have a plan.”

  “What is it?”

  “I’ll explain everything tomorrow. Now it’s time to get some rest.”

  She pulled away from his warmth reluctantly. “All right. Where can I lie down?”

  “Here.”

  She stared at the lone bed in the room. “Where are you going to sleep?”

  “With you.”

  “With...me?” It came out a squeak. She couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think.

  He put his bag on a chair. “Yes.”

  She watched him remove his the scarf from his neck and couldn’t help imagining him removing his shirt...his trousers. Her hands shook and she pressed one to her breast. “I don’t understand.”

  He turned around, looked at her and froze. “I’m not going to hurt you, Rose.” He came towards her slowly, as if she were a frightened doe, and gently took her hand. “I promise.”

  “I...we...can’t.” Why then could all she think about was what he would look like without his clothes?

  He sighed. “I was going to wait until tomorrow morning, but perhaps now is the time to discuss it.”

  “Herman, for the sake of my heart, I think you should.”

  He smiled. “Your sunny outlook is something I admire about you greatly.”

  “It’s taken a beating in the last weeks.”

  “Indeed.” He took in a deep breath and nodded. “So. You and I are going to leave the country, but the authorities will be looking for a doctor and nurse. Therefore, we will not be those people any longer.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “My second cousin was a rector. He died a few months ago, falling off a horse. I managed to obtain his identification papers. We’ll say yours were lost in a fire.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Rose, will you marry me?” Out of his pocket he produced a plain gold ring. “And become Mrs. Anton Humphrey?”

  Chapter Six

  She stared at the ring as if it were a live bomb. “This isn’t necessary.”

  Of course she would say that. “Yes, it is. On the road, we’ll be together for an undetermined period of time. Sleeping in the same room...the same bed.”

  She looked from the ring to his face and back to the ring again. “Is this marriage an act or...”

  “Our marriage cannot be an act. We’re going to be hiding in plain sight. We have to be what we appear to be, a rector and his new wife, both of whom are very good at caring for the sick and injured.”

  “It’s not fair to you. You didn’t ask for this—”

  “Nor is it fair to you,” he interrupted. “You made a choice to follow your oath, to save lives. I am making the same choice.” He owed her. She’d given up everything—her nursing skills, her life—to help countless German soldiers, to help him without question or thought of her own safety.

  Would he have been able to operate on Rodney without collapsing? No. Rodney’s injuries and her arrest had broken his faith in his country’s military leaders. Even his uncle. They had crossed a line he hadn’t even known existed inside him. Herman loved Germany, but something was terribly wrong with the men who guided it.

  He owed her.

  “But your family, your brother and uncle, will they suffer as a result of you saving me?”

  “There is nothing anyone could do to hurt my brother more than he’s hurting now, and my uncle is too high an officer for the actions of his tender-hearted nephew to bring him down.”

  She stared at him, misery turning her face pale and downcast.

  “I promise to be a good husband to you.”

  Tears spilled over and rolled down her face. She wiped them away with her free hand, straightened her back, lifted her chin and cleared her throat to say, “I cannot in good conscience accept your proposal.”

  He frowned. “Really? Why not?”

  “It’s offered under duress.”

  “We’re in the middle of a war, Rose. Our whole lives are under duress.”

  “No, I meant that circumstances alone are the reason you’re asking me to marry you.”

  He paced away then turned. “And if I’d gotten you pregnant, would you marry me then?”

  She gasped. “Oh, well I...of course, we would...would have to marry in a situation like that, but—”

  “That’s duress, isn’t it?”

  “Herman, it is not at all the same thing.”

  “Sounds the same to me.”

  She stamped her foot. “No. One is the result of passion. The other is not.”

  So stubborn. So rational. He paced back and forth, moving from one end of the room to the other. “Passion makes a difference? You surprise me. You’ve always been logical, practical and not given to emotional excesses.”

  “Of course, I strive to behave properly in public or in the course of my duties. But I’m still a woman.”

  “So your argument against our getting married isn’t based on logic?”

  “Not...entirely.”

  “Do you hate me?”

  “No! Never...I simply refuse to trap you in a loveless marriage.”

  “You’re refusing to marry me because you care too much for me and you want to spare my feelings?”

  “Yes.”

  Ha! He had her. He stopped pacing right behind her and asked in a soft voice, “Do you care enough to help me then?”

  She whirled around, the hem of her dress brushing his legs. “I would do anything to help you.”

  “Except marry me.”

  “There has to be another way.”

  “It’s simple, quick and the most likely thing that will allow us to slip away unnoticed.” He put his hands on her shoulders. “Stop arguing and listen. Do you trust me?”

  “Yes, but I think this is mad.”

  He put his hand under her chin, urging her to look at him. “Mad is the only thing
that’s going to work.” His fingers stroked her cheek and he moved closer still. “We have to discard our old identities and become different people. The military police will be hunting us, but they’re looking for a doctor and a nurse. Not a newlywed couple who only have eyes for each other.”

  Her breathing became erratic, just like his own. “You mean we’ll have to...kiss in public?”

  He nodded, distracted by the living silk under his fingertips. “You have the softest skin,” he whispered, his fingers brushing her ear and neck. “We need to show the world that we’re married. We can’t do that if you’re skittish around me. His other hand pressed against her back, pulling her body into full contact with his. He was hard where she was soft, and he wanted to soak her up.

  “We shouldn’t.”

  The words were barely out of her mouth, then his lips were on hers. She was welcoming and warm, and she responded with surprising sensuality. His nurse, with her prim and proper exterior, hid a tigress inside.

  Her reaction enticed him to deepen the kiss. His lips pressed harder and she parted hers. His tongue stole inside her mouth. She tasted wonderful.

  She grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him closer. He obliged by holding her close and insinuating one thigh between her legs.

  She made a surprised sound as her knees gave way.

  Herman caught her, lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bed. “Just one more,” he whispered as he laid her down.

  He leaned over her and she gazed up at him, eyes glittering with some emotion he couldn’t define. “Just one?”

  He nodded and stroked her cheek with a lingering palm and fingers. He couldn’t stop touching her soft, pale skin.

  “This is a bad idea.” She sucked in a deep breath.

  “Very bad.” He kissed her again, her scent, her flavour seeping into his pores, his heart. He came down over her, one knee between her legs, and she squeaked in surprise. He trailed his lips down to her ear, teasing the lobe with his tongue and teeth.

  Instead of pushing him away, she pulled him closer. “H-Herman?”

  “Shh, it’s alright. I don’t want you to panic if I touch you.”

  He held her head still for another kiss. He petted her, allowing his hand to graze the lower slope of her breast.