by Mary Wood
Elka’s trauma showed in her every gesture as she nodded her head and raised her hands in a despairing shrug. ‘If that’s what has to happen, then let’s get it over with, so that I can go home.’
After instructing the driver, Brendan gently told Elka that if she needed to talk to him, she could. ‘The driver is part of our team, he has signed the Official Secrets Act. You need have no fears about whatever you may say, but you need to be prepared to go through it all again at HQ. I’m sorry, my dear, I wish it could be different.’
Once she’d told him everything, Elka seemed calmer. But for Brendan the shock was immense. Had they been right to trust Baruch? What were his motives? How could he allow his wife to go through what she had, and then sanction her murder? As Elka had said, the two Resistance workers who were positioned ahead of the retreating truck could have shot at and killed the Germans driving the vehicle. They could have rescued Ania.
Colonel Wright greeted them, his manner that of a caring father towards Elka as she went through her story once more.
‘Why do you think they went to the lengths they did? Are you sure they could have saved Ania?’ he asked.
‘I’m certain. We had the other soldiers engaged. They wouldn’t have been a threat to Gabriel and Karol. They could have left their shelter and attacked the soldiers in the truck.’
‘Did Baruch show genuine grief at Ania’s passing?’
‘Yes, he was like a broken man. I just can’t understand it. I couldn’t get near him to ask my questions. And anyway I was trying to cope with my injury and my own grief. But it seemed to me that the other members of his group shielded Baruch, telling me that he couldn’t bear to face me. That he just needed time. The journey back to camp was horrendous, but I thought once we were there he would talk to me, but he wouldn’t. Then, within hours of our return, the message came through that I was to be lifted out sooner than planned. Did he arrange that?’
The moment Brendan dreaded was upon him. But then, looking into Elka’s distraught face, he knew it wasn’t the time. He looked over at the colonel and shook his head, before saying, ‘No, the plans were changed and we needed you back here.’ It occurred to him then that Elka hadn’t asked about Jhona. He was grateful for this.
‘I can’t go on another mission. Not yet. I’m not fit. And besides, what happened has changed me.’
‘We know, and we won’t ask that of you,’ the colonel said. ‘But, Elka, what we do ask is that you try and go over everything you know and heard and saw. There must be some reason for what happened to Ania. Does Baruch know that you feel her death was avoidable?’
‘Yes. I screamed it at him, even though I couldn’t see him. But his team closed ranks around him and I began to feel threatened.’
‘It can’t be because they thought Ania was a traitor. You said they thought Stefan was the one to betray the escape—’
‘That’s it, Brendan! Supposing it was a lie that Stefan was captured? Supposing they did suspect Ania of giving away their secrets, or of being on the brink of doing so?’
‘It is an explanation, I agree. What do you think, Colonel?’
‘Yes, if you think about it, the whole thing could have been an elaborate plan to make it look as though they were getting Ania out and it went wrong. You say that Stefan instigated her escape? And what of the chap who brought her out – could he have been involved?’
‘I don’t know. I did once know Hadriel, and wouldn’t have said he was capable of doing anything to hurt Ania or me, but nothing is how it was . . .’ After a moment Elka continued, ‘But I don’t think Hadriel was involved, as I got the feeling that he was used – a disposable person whose days were numbered. No one seemed to mourn his passing. One of them spoke of his bravery, but mostly they didn’t make much of his death.’
‘So, do you trust Stefan?’
‘Again it is difficult. I have never met him. But from what I heard of him, he always seemed to be in the right place at the right time. Take the incident in the shop that I told you about. How come that German officer turned up at that shop at the same time Stefan had arranged to meet Ania there? The officer’s mission was clearly to terrify Ania into confessing. And I know that after she’d heard the shot that probably killed the first office girl, Ania would have admitted everything to save the rest of those girls. But Stefan was ready again. Just at that moment he lured her to the house across the road . . . Come to think of it, how did Baruch know every detail of what had happened concerning the shop incident, and so soon?’
‘It all sounds very suspicious and too coincidental. It smacks of everything being arranged to dispose of Ania. But how? Though I guess the “how” is of little consequence now. We can’t change anything. What we can do is cut all ties with Baruch’s group, unless it cuts the ties with Stefan. I feel certain, from what you are saying, that Baruch was convinced of his wife’s possible future betrayal of them, and that he agreed to her escape plan. Whether that included agreeing to her death, if anything went wrong with that escape plan, is debatable, but seems likely.’
‘A plan, Colonel, that Stefan had put in place. Stefan is the key to all this. Maybe Ania had begun to suspect him and he needed her disposed of. I doubt that he has really been captured. I would even bet money on him reappearing and continuing to offer his services, with some plausible story of why they let him go free.’
The colonel nodded his agreement.
‘How could Baruch have been taken in by Stefan?’ Elka’s plea held such pain.
‘Didn’t you say they were friends before the war?’ asked Brendan. ‘Men capable of doing what we think Stefan is doing can be very plausible, and will court whoever they think could be useful to them. They are always charming and likeable. Stefan could have been in the pay of Germany, even back then, and could have made a point of befriending anyone who might be useful to him. Think about it, Elka. How did Baruch end up on Germany’s “most wanted” list? How did they even know about him? He disappeared into the hills, once the invasion was under way. He didn’t join the Freedom Army, as he thought that clandestine operations would be the only way to go. Why should his name be out there, unless somebody put it there?’
‘Stefan – it must be. And it must be Stefan who made Baruch believe that Ania had betrayed him.’
‘It’s possible. Baruch sounds like one of those men who is passionate about his cause – and ruthless in the face of it. That shows in what he has allowed to happen to the woman he loved. And it shows in the grief you saw. His inability to face you was probably the result of guilt, but I would say that a good measure of it was genuine, inconsolable grief.’
‘Yes, I can see that. You could be right, Brendan. Poor Baruch . . . But, what can we do to convince him? What if Stefan betrays him fully – not just by informing on him as a dissident, but by telling where he and his men are?’
‘We will discuss this further with the whole team and will come up with a solution. Now, Elka.’ The colonel softened his tone and glanced at Brendan.
Brendan turned to Elka. ‘On another matter, Elka, I – I have to tell you—’
‘Jhona! It’s Jhona, isn’t it? Y-you brought me back because . . . No, no, Brendan, not Jhona, please God, no.’
‘My dear, I’m so sorry, but we have lost communication with Jhona. He didn’t check in at the appointed time with his contact. He was supposed to report back, even if he had nothing to tell us.’
‘Does that mean he . . . he is—’
‘We don’t know. We have recently acquired a double agent in Russia.’
‘Russia!’
‘Yes, Jhona was sent to Russia. Look, we now know that he was compromised.’
‘No! No, Brendan – please tell me he’s not dead.’
‘I’m sorry, Elka. We will tell you all we know.’
After telling her what they knew from their informer, the double agent, Elka asked, ‘But why didn’t the agent tell a lie and say he didn’t know Jhona?’
‘He had no choice, a
s he had to show his loyalty to Russia. They would have found out if he’d lied, and then he would have been disposed of. These double agents are cold-blooded and dangerous; they constantly have to take actions that make each side believe in them.’
Elka didn’t respond, but her demeanour showed her distress. Her glance at Brendan was accusatory. He wanted to shrivel away from it. At this moment he felt he was the guilty party, as he was partly responsible for Elka’s suffering. He had to convince her that if they didn’t know Jhona’s fate, then there was still hope. There had to be hope. The colonel expressed this same sentiment.
‘We are all hopeful at HQ. We think we would know if Jhona was dead or imprisoned. Our agent has told us only that Jhona is missing. He is worried because he cannot believe what he has been told: that Jhona has escaped and gone into hiding. Jhona was with another agent when he was identified, but we have hope, because that agent was a long-standing friend of Jhona’s.’
‘Vlady?’
‘Yes.’
‘Vlady is a spy! Though I don’t know why I am surprised, because the whole world has turned upside down and has turned us into people we never imagined we’d become.’
‘Vladislav Mihaylov has been a spy for a long time – since long before the war began.’
‘Knowing that, you still trusted him with Jhona’s life!’
The colonel looked shocked at this from Elka, but didn’t react. He spoke in even tones. ‘It may have been the best move we made, in the circumstances. We could have sent him out there as a cold spy, with no contacts on the other side. But whilst I agree we underestimated Vladislav, as it was he who ordered the double agent to identify Jhona, we also think there is a very remote possibility that once Vladislav knew Jhona’s true reason for being in Russia, he helped him to escape, rather than accept him as a double agent – which was what we hoped he would do.’
Elka looked stunned. She sat stiffly and stared at the colonel. Brendan could almost hear her mind working and saw the moment when she came to a conclusion, as her facial expression changed to one of hardened determination. ‘If Vlady helped Jhona, he would have taken him to the Krakow border. I have to go back there. Jhona will try to make his way to Baruch. I must be there to protect him.’
‘You are not fit enough to go, Elka.’
‘I will get fit. My arm is healing already, as nothing was broken – the bullet only glanced me. And yes, it has made a nasty surface wound, but with the care I received, there is no infection and it’s already a lot better.’
‘I actually think it is a good idea that you go back.’
Brendan couldn’t believe the colonel had said this. Emotionally, physically and mentally, Elka wasn’t ready. She had ulterior motives – she must have, after all that had occurred. Yes, she’d want to be there if there was a possibility that Jhona would make his way to Baruch, but she would also want to even the score and try to do something about Stefan.
‘If you go back,’ the colonel continued, ‘you will make them think we still believe in them, despite what has happened. That will mean that if they do have a traitor amongst them, his guard will be down. The group is useful to us – very useful. Their activities help us, and the intelligence they have given has been of immense use to our future plans. We need them, but it is obvious something is wrong. We need you to find out what, or who, is the weak link. That is the greatest service you could do us, and Ania, Elka.’
Something about Elka had changed. Brendan saw a broken woman transform into a strong, determined agent once more.
‘I will do it. I need to do it.’
This last sentiment worried Brendan, but he said nothing. He would wait and watch and make sure he detected no motive of revenge. If he did, then he would speak out. But if Elka’s transformation had shocked him, what she said next shook him to the core. ‘My mother is not to be told that Ania is dead. I will tell her that I have seen her from a distance and that she looks well. It is the only way I can cope with having a second devastation laid upon me. And I must cope. If Jhona is going to Baruch, then he is going blind, without the knowledge that we have. He will be in great danger. He will tell them what has happened to him and this will make him valuable to the Germans. The traitor will betray him. The Germans will not believe that Jhona doesn’t know anything about the Russian plans. Added to that, he is a Jew.’
Brendan couldn’t speak. It was as if Elka was a stranger to him. And yet he had to agree with her on everything she said about Jhona. ‘Sir, I will go instead. My Polish is almost perfect now. I can communicate with the group. Besides, the journey won’t have to be on skis at this time of year, so that won’t be a problem. I will go. Elka can stay.’
‘No. I’m sorry, O’Flynn, but only PMf can take on this mission. It will not be plausible to Baruch – or his men, and definitely not to the traitor – if it is anyone else.’
Hearing the colonel revert to using Elka’s code-name, Brendan knew there was no arguing with him. But how was he going to face his Aunt Edith? How can I carry on as normal with her, knowing as I do that one of her daughters is dead and the other is going back and will be in extreme danger?
Elka didn’t appear to have any such concerns. It seemed that she had focused solely on saving Jhona, and had put her grief for her sister to one side for now. What this cost her, Brendan couldn’t imagine, but he knew he was witnessing extreme courage.
‘I want my mother told that I will be home in a couple of days and that my debriefing will take that long. In the meantime I want to go somewhere I will have complete peace to come to terms with everything. Then I will be ready to leave in a week.’
Brendan went to protest, but the colonel spoke first. ‘Of course, I know just the place. I have a cottage on the edge of Epping Forrest. It was left to me by my grandparents. My wife and I go there whenever we can. It is remote, and the area is as peaceful as it can be, given the times we are in.’ He went on to tell Elka about the grazing pasture that had provided a haven of tranquillity, but was now a hive of activity, as farmers churned every available bit of land to cultivate it, in order to feed the nation. ‘Elka, a new organization is now in force, and you have been seconded to it. You are now an agent of the Special Operations Executive. They mostly use the acronym “SOE”.’
As the colonel explained to Elka about the new organization, Brendan felt excluded from the world they had both entered. A world where there was no pain of loss and the dangers of the near future didn’t exist. At the same time he felt admiration for Elka, as he realized she had all the strength it took to be a spy – and now an SOE agent – and his colonel had the ability to turn a situation to its best advantage. He wondered at his own capabilities. Yes, he was strong, but his emotions ran high and he wore them on his sleeve, visible for all to see.
He thought of his Aunt Ada, and how she would hide her true feelings and act with courage and strength. He stood tall at the thought. He wouldn’t let the side down. The colonel and Elka were right, and he would support them in their decision and not put forward any further objections.
25
Edith
London, Late July 1940 – Coping with Change
‘I – I’ve come to tell you I’m leaving. Dr Edith, I want to do sommat as helps the war effort.’
‘Oh, Ginny, no. I don’t know what to say.’
Ginny’s expression was one of determination, but it seemed to Edith that this was a mask she’d put on, in order to get through the ordeal of telling her she was leaving, and that it wasn’t how she really felt.
As she stood up from her chair behind the desk, Edith felt more able to deal with the situation. Now she could be on a level with Ginny. ‘I’ll be so sorry to see you go. We will miss you. Won’t you reconsider? Your work here is important, and we are contributing to the war effort by taking care of the people left at home.’
‘I know that, but me skills could be put to better use helping the injured. Anyroad, I’ve joined the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Navy Nursing Service,
so there’s naw turning back. I’m reet sorry, as I love me work here, and I know as I should’ve told you of me plans before, but I was afraid you’d persuade me not to go.’
Edith watched the emotions playing across Ginny’s face. She knew the reason behind them. Eloise had expressed her concerns about Ginny only a week ago. ‘She’s head over heels in love with Brendan, poor girl. But nothing can come of it, because it is a forbidden love.’ Edith now knew Eloise was right and recognized that this would be Ginny’s way of dealing with her feelings – distancing herself from Brendan and immersing herself in difficult and dangerous work.
Though her words came out on a heavy sigh, Edith meant every one of them. ‘Go with my blessing and my prayers, Ginny. I’m proud of you. But worried, too, as I know what life in a field hospital in the midst of war is like. But on a moving ship? That will be far more dangerous.’
‘I know, but I’m prepared for that. The recruitment office put me through some rigorous tests to see that I had the mettle that was needed. I passed with flying colours. I took the tests when I had a few days off, a while back. I lied to you about going back up north to see some mates. I – I shouldn’t have.’
‘It’s all right. I know how it is. I had to do a lot in secret, for fear of others preventing me from going to the front. But, like you, I was determined and nothing would stop me, so I do understand.’
‘Aye, Brendan told me some of what you went through, and it inspired me. And, well, I’m reet grateful for your blessing.’
‘Oh, Ginny, what you are doing is a very brave thing, far more so than what I did. Your grandmother Ada would be so proud of you.’
‘Eeh, I wish she were here.’
There was a knock on the door. Edith felt a sense of relief. She thought Ginny was about to cry and didn’t know how she would cope with that. It all left her with a sinking feeling, especially her worries about Elka. Her last visit home had been uncharacteristic – spending such a lot of time away, and then taking off again within days. She’d hardly discussed Jhona’s disappearance and hadn’t wanted to talk about Ania at all.