by Mary Wood
But these thoughts did not detract from her immediate love of the area where she was to stay. Here the buildings were majestic. Four-storeyed, they had church-like domed windows, many of them with ornate balconies in a variety of colours. Some were of the grey stone she had already seen, while others were painted – one pink, one yellow – and all made a picture that framed the wonderful parliament house at the end of the street. It was a view fit for a picture postcard.
Two days had passed since their arrival. They had snatched only an hour alone together. The urgency of their mission meant that preparations had begun immediately, and despite warnings of temperatures of minus twenty degrees in parts of the mountain terrain, they had set out on their first trip over the Tatra Mountains.
A horse-drawn wheeled carriage had picked them up from the point to which they had parachuted, at the base of the mountains on the Slovak border. Now they trundled through worsening weather conditions as they swapped that mode of transport for a sledge board, which was loaded with skis and the other equipment needed.
Beauty surrounded them in the white world of the snow-covered landscape, but none of it impacted upon Elka. Inside, she had closed herself to feelings of any kind, as she refused to let in the terror that constantly sought to invade her.
‘Soon Joseph and I will leave you, Ella. You will enter Poland, guided by Jan Marusarz.’
Elka was surprised and thrilled to hear this from Gerick. ‘The Olympic champion skier?’
‘Yes, the very same.’
‘Well, I am honoured. What does Jan do these days?’
‘He works for the Polish Consulate.’
Feeling much safer on hearing this information, Elka began to believe that, with Jan guiding her, she would make it. She was further comforted by the thought that a man with Jan’s capabilities and knowledge of the area wouldn’t attempt to make the crossing if he thought it too dangerous.
This thought was soon banished when they met Jan, because he immediately voiced his concerns. ‘This is foolhardy. A trip such as this is ridiculous in these conditions.’
‘It has to be done, Jan. Time is of the essence, and if anyone can make it through, you can.’
A heated discussion followed between Gerick and Jan, with Gerick winning.
Obviously in a mood fit to kill anyone who crossed him, Jan pulled on his balaclava, covering his thick black hair and handsome face. Though it was six years now since he’d been a champion skier, he still had the lithe body of one and this showed, as he impatiently drove himself off the ridge and flew through the air, landing on the slope beneath them. Pulling to a halt, he turned back towards them and waited.
‘Right – good luck, Ella.’
Brendan stepped forward. ‘Good luck. I wish I could come with you, but I will be monitoring your progress and sending your messages on. Gerick, may I have a moment alone with Ella?’
Something about his voice and expression sent a cold shiver down Elka’s spine.
Gerick nodded and moved away.
Using her given name, Brendan spoke in a low voice. ‘Elka, I’m sorry. It won’t be possible to get Ania out on this trip, and you mustn’t try. There is nothing in place for you to do so. I was forbidden to tell you until now. It may be possible that you will see your sister, but the network that you hoped would be set up to enable her escape hasn’t been.’
‘Why – why? Oh, Brendan, they knew that was a condition of me going. What kind of bastards do you work for? Well, I’m not coming back without her, and that’s that!’
‘You must. Think of Jhona—’
‘What! You don’t mean . . . ? Brendan, are you saying Jhona is in danger?’
‘I don’t know. I have only been told to tell you that, when making decisions to obey or disobey, you should think of what consequences there might be. Remember that Section D is a ruthless organization. They have to be, to get the work done. But remember, too, that they are fighting to win a war. Tough decisions have to be made. They want you to set up communications with Baruch’s men. Here, you will need this. There are instructions for the wireless code, and so on. They see Ania as a vital link in that chain of communication. They know, from what you have told them, that she is already in situ in the Gestapo office. She has access to so much more than many other people – vital information that may change the course of events.’
Elka wanted to hit Brendan. How could he keep this from her? But once again she had a lesson to learn. None of this was a game. It was for real. She was a member of a secret organization. She knew what was expected of her, just as Brendan knew what was expected of him. She must do her duty, just as he was doing – to the letter and without question – or she might jeopardize operations. In truth, this trip wasn’t just about getting information to the Polish people. It was about setting up a line of communication with the Resistance. Her sister was going to be a part of that, and so was she. She would do her duty.
Smiling up at Brendan, she nodded. ‘I understand. I don’t like it. I’m breaking my heart doing it, but I will do so.’ Turning, she took up the pose needed to begin the descent onto the slope. Just before she pushed herself off, Gerick stepped forward. ‘Ella, just follow Jan’s instructions. He will be fine, once he has skied for a couple of miles – his moods never last long. He has a list of shelters; all are with folk he has stayed with along the way. Baruch has been contacted and will be waiting for you. Everything you will need has been set up for you. I will see you when you get back.’
‘Right-o.’ Turning to Brendan again, Elka looked at his haggard face. ‘Don’t worry, my brother. We have to do what we have to do.’ With these words floating away from her, she jumped and skied up to Jan.
‘Impressive. You can ski then?’
She didn’t respond to his sarcastic remark. She didn’t blame him for being angry. It was madness – complete madness – to tackle this journey in this weather. Jan gave her a curt nod and set off again.
The bitter wind found its way through her balaclava and burned her face. Tears misted her view, brought on by the cutting air, and stung her cheeks as they turned to ice. But nothing would stop her keeping up with Jan.
Baruch stood outside a rundown lodge where, as carefree young people, he, Ania and Elka herself, with crowds of other young people, had once had such a good and happy time on a skiing holiday – their first without their parents. His awkward stance suggested something wasn’t quite right, and his expression confirmed this, as Elka skied up to him. Jan had left her, once she was on familiar territory, and had prepared to make his trip back into Hungary.
‘Good to see you, Elka.’ Baruch hesitated, obviously unsure.
Elka could do nothing to reassure him that all was well between them. The old animosities had gone, but she was too cold to tell him so, or to show him by any gesture.
‘Come inside and get warm. We have some brandy and tea.’
She didn’t ask anything. Her frozen face wouldn’t move to allow her to speak, but in any case her heart was afraid of the answers, so she undid the heavy wooden skis and stretched out her legs. Baruch steadied her. His hand held her at first, and then his arm came round her and held her to him.
Tingling pain took hold of her fingers and toes. Stamping, she tried to get her blood to circulate faster.
‘Get blankets, and warm towels – hurry!’ Baruch shouted orders and a woman hastily obeyed him. Stripping Elka’s outer trousers and jacket from her, Baruch began to rub her limbs with the warm towels. ‘You look so different. I knew you, of course, but your hair and . . . well, I don’t know what it is that makes you look so different?’
As life came back into her, Baruch offered her brandy. Spluttering and coughing, Elka gradually came back to normality. ‘They bleached my hair and my eyebrows. Otherwise, it is only the cold that has swollen my face. Is Ania . . . ?’
‘She has not arrived. She was meant to come yesterday. I haven’t had any word from my contact, Ste—’
‘No names. It is safer. Un
less it is a code-name?’
‘No. We have no code-names.’
‘You must set up that system then, as soon as you can. I know that you all know each other, but if anyone new comes into your organization, they are not to know any of your real names. Do it before you introduce me to anyone. My name is Ella Carter. That is who I must be to you. My cover is that I am a war correspondent attached to the Budapest News Chronicle. Now, memorize that, and never call me Elka again when we are in company or introduce me to any of your group as Elka. They must all know and accept me as Ella Carter.’
Baruch nodded. Something about him made Elka think he hadn’t really taken in what she’d told him. It was as if something was distracting him. With a feeling of trepidation, she asked, ‘So, what of Ania – where is she?’
‘I don’t know. That is what I was going to say. It was arranged that she would come yesterday; my contact and courier was to bring her. He told me that he could get her out for a couple of days, to see you.’
‘He knows I am Ania’s sister?’
‘Yes. It isn’t anything I have informed him of. You don’t know him, but he knew of both of you before the war. Ania more, as he is a long-standing acquaintance of mine and knew Ania by sight, and he knew she had a twin.’
‘No matter how much you trust him or anyone, Baruch, you shouldn’t have revealed to him that I am coming. I have been taught – no, shown – that the most trusted may be the enemy.’
Baruch hung his head.
‘Look, don’t take what I say as criticism. You are doing a wonderful job, and all without the benefit of the training I have had. So much so that London wants to involve you more and will be supporting you.’
‘What kind of involvement?’
‘I’ll tell you everything later. I’m hungry and tired. And there are too many ears. I need to eat. But I must know: do you know if Ania is safe?’
‘I have no recent news of her. I am distraught. We have been apart since our wedding night. Usually I hear when my contact brings information, but with him not arriving on schedule, and at such a time when all my hopes were to see my Ania, I don’t know what to think.’
‘Don’t give up hope. From what I know from Ania’s letter, she isn’t under suspicion and can come and go. She will find a way of contacting you. Especially if she knew I was coming. Did she know I was on my way?’
‘I don’t think so. I told my contact not to tell her. Just to say that I wanted to see her. I didn’t want Ania to be disappointed or upset if you didn’t make it through.’
‘That is good, and it’s how you have to school yourself to behave, Baruch. Don’t give out any information that may be useful to our enemies. Always be careful of that. That is the number-one rule. What someone doesn’t know, they cannot repeat.’
Baruch looked worried. Elka realized that he’d set up his operation without knowing any of the tactics and strategies that she had been trained in. And he had done well. Intelligence had informed them that he and his men had caused disruption and had held back the progress of the Germans on more than one occasion. It had also informed them that Baruch was a high risk, in that he was on the Gestapo’s ‘most wanted’ list. From what she’d read of the papers given to her by Brendan as they parted, it was up to her to help Baruch obtain the skills that would equip him with the expertise that would safeguard him.
They had eaten and she had rested a while, before they sat down together to talk. All other members in the camp had been dispatched to another room of the lodge.
Elka began by telling Baruch that she had material that needed to be copied into thousands of leaflets and distributed. This didn’t pose a problem, and Baruch immediately summoned a man whom he introduced as Paul. ‘Don’t worry, that is his code-name, Ella. You can see he is already getting used to it. He answered my call to him. We sorted out names for ourselves whilst you were resting.’ Baruch told Paul what was needed.
‘It will be with you in the morning – it’s no problem to me.’
‘Paul’s family owns a printing press. He has been allowed to continue running the family business because he is useful to the Germans. They have all the posters that need to be posted around the cities printed at his works, although the bastards pay very little for his services.’
‘That’s great. But no: there must be some other way. What if the Germans come whilst he is printing our material?’
‘I have a small Adana press. My father bought it for me when I was a young student, to pique my interest. I printed everything for my school. It is a wonderful machine and will cope with this job. It’s in my shed at home. I will soon get it going for you, Ella.’
‘Thank you. I have to start distributing them very soon.’ Elka felt particularly pleased; though she didn’t admit it, she knew who Paul really was and of his family’s business. Her grandfather, Gos, had used the family business and always spoke highly of them. She knew, too, that they had printed Jewish papers in the past.
The talk between herself and Baruch took the form of instructing him what the team in London required of him. She showed him wireless codes and how they would work, and what support London would give to him. ‘Do you have a radio, Baruch?’
‘We do. I use it to contact other groups like ours, to coordinate our operations.’
‘I’ll try it tomorrow, to make sure we have the range we need. But, Baruch, I would strongly advise you to find somewhere else to hide out in. I know this place is remote and little-known, but the Germans have a strong presence in Zakopane and many of their countrymen used this lodge in the past. They have you on a list of “most wanted” people. They are bound to deduce that you are in the mountains. What if someone among them remembers this place?’
Baruch looked forlorn once more.
‘Baruch, please believe what I said before. None of what I teach you, or tell you, is a criticism of what you have achieved so far. It is just that things are moving on. You have to be ahead of the game. You have to learn not to trust anyone. Not even me. Not even Ania. And especially not this contact you have. Cover your own and your men’s tracks at all times. Find a new hideout. And, when you meet your contact, don’t let it be in your hideout.’
‘But—’
‘Listen to me, Baruch. I know that you trust your contact, and that he is extremely brave to do what he does, but do you know how long he would hold out, if he was betrayed and captured? Would he break under torture? He might not. But if he does, then it is better that he does not have any vital information that he could give away.’
‘Yes, I can see that. I have to protect the core of the organization against individuals who may be more at risk of discovery, capture and torture.’
‘Exactly. Now, I have to go to bed. You have a lot to think about. And, Baruch, I know we didn’t see eye-to-eye in the past, but I have a lot of respect for you, and we should all have listened to you instead of thinking of you as a political agitator and a troublemaker. I am glad that you are married to my sister.’
Getting up, she put her arms around him and hugged him. As she looked into his face, she saw a tear glistening in his eye. Something in her stirred a trickle of worry. Was there something he wasn’t telling her? No, there couldn’t be. He’d had plenty of time to tell her if there was something wrong. Maybe she’d been a little hard on him, picking holes in something he was so proud of – and he had every right to be so. ‘It will all come right, Baruch. We have to believe that. People like you will make it come right. You will.’
18
Jhona
London, Late March 1940 – A Dangerous Assignment
‘We have to know where they are getting their intelligence from.’
‘I understand, but how do I go about such a task?’ Jhona was feeling increasingly concerned as he listened to the colonel. Coming into the War Office in Whitehall had been nerve-racking enough, but as he sat the other side of the colonel’s large mahogany desk, his fear of what he was about to hear intensified.
Just
after Elka left, three weeks ago, he’d been interviewed and told that he would need further training. This had taken the form of more extreme methods of clandestine operations – to the point where Jhona felt he could become an excellent burglar or even a hit-man, as he could now open a locked door in seconds, as well as locked drawers, and even blow a safe! More killing techniques had been shown to him, so that if a conversation caused him any concern, he could strike so quickly that his victim wouldn’t stand a chance, nor would he see it coming. It had been an intense time and an unnerving one.
Jhona allowed these thoughts to drift in and out of his head while he kept his gaze steady, looking the colonel in the eye, as he had been taught an honest man would. It was how he should look, if he was ever questioned. He found it a technique that gave him confidence and commanded respect. It also helped him to challenge the colonel. ‘Yes, I speak Russian, and like a native. I spent most of my early years living in Russia. My grandfather took us there during the Great War. I was four at the time; I was ten before they decided to move fully back to Poland. In the meantime I was attending a Russian school. I have often visited old friends, right up until this war was imminent, and have stayed for holidays in Moscow and St Petersburg. But is that enough for what you are asking?’
‘Yes, it is. We happen to know that one of your old friends, Vladislav Mihaylov, works for the Russian intelligence agency.’
‘What! Vlady? Well, I never knew that.’
‘That is the nature of the Secret Service. Even friends are unaware – and rightly so. How could it operate otherwise? It is essential that you maintain the outward appearance of your friendship, and that you keep the same easy manner there has always been between the two of you. But inside, you must always think of him as your enemy, who wouldn’t hesitate to kill you!’
Shocked, Jhona wondered if he could ever think of Vlady in that way, or ever want to, but he didn’t interrupt.