Birgit hurried to open it, and entered the drawing room to say, in a stage whisper, ‘It is the lady we met in Madrid.’
‘Ah.’ Anna got up and hurried into the lobby. ‘Judith! How good to see you.’
Judith embraced her. ‘It is good to see you too.’ She indicated a valise by her feet. ‘Is it possible to stay the night? It is so difficult to find a hotel room in Berlin nowadays.’ She gave a little giggle. ‘Half of them seem to have been knocked down.’
‘Well, they are targets for the RAF. Of course you must stay the night. Come in. Birgit, put this case in my bedroom.’
‘Yes, Countess,’ Birgit said disapprovingly. ‘Ah . . .’
‘I am not throwing you out, silly,’ Anna said. ‘The Countess de Sotomayer will sleep in my room.’
Birgit looked more disapproving yet, but she carried the valise down the corridor. Anna showed Judith into the drawing room. ‘There are only the two bedrooms, you see. And she has one.’
‘Ah. But . . .’
‘Oh, she is assuming we are lovers. She would like to be one herself. Schnapps?’
‘Thank you. You mean you and she . . .’
Anna poured. ‘Oh, good God, no. She knows her place. But I suspect that she feels that if any woman is ever going to get into my bed, it should be her.’
Judith gave one of her giggles. ‘But you have just invited me to your bed.’
‘Yes,’ Anna said thoughtfully. ‘I have.’
‘I can hardly wait.’ Judith sat beside her on the settee, sipped her drink, and lowered her voice. ‘Can we talk? They told me it was urgent.’
‘Not now,’ Anna said, and smiled at her. ‘When we are in bed.’
*
‘You must forgive me,’ Anna said as they undressed after dinner. ‘I do not wear clothes in bed.’
‘I am glad of that,’ Judith said. ‘Neither do I.’
Anna got between the sheets. ‘What a pity we never did know each other as schoolgirls.’
‘Yes.’ Judith lay beside her. ‘Were you as exquisite then as now?’
‘I think I was somewhat thinner.’
Judith giggled. ‘So was I.’
She was actually the more voluptuous of the pair, although her legs could not match Anna’s for length. Anna took her in her arms, and Judith kissed her mouth. ‘You do not mind?’
‘I think you could grow on me.’ Anna hugged her. She had the strangest feeling of well-being, a total lack of tension that she had seldom felt before, certainly not since that heavenly interlude in Virginia. ‘How long can you stay?’
Judith’s breath rushed against hers. ‘I must return to Spain tomorrow. Is this room bugged?’ she whispered.
‘Yes.’
‘But can you not turn it off?’
‘Yes, I can. But as I never do, it would look suspicious. Just stay close.’ Anna massaged her breasts and shoulders. ‘The tape is regularly checked. I think we should gasp from time to time. Did London get my message?’
‘Of course.’ Judith did some massaging of her own. ‘Did you doubt that?’
‘I am not happy with the situation.’ Anna told her about Bartoli and Edda and Schlutz.
‘You think she is a plant?’ Judith’s mouth was against her ear.
‘No. I think she is a very ordinary woman. Therefore she is at the mercy of her emotions, of which jealousy is the most common. Bartoli cannot keep his hands off anything in a skirt.’
Judith’s hand slipped lower. ‘You mean he has had you?’
‘No, he has not. But he would like to. The point is that if he falls out with his wife, as he is bound to, she may well do something stupid.’
‘I will report that to London. But it will take time to set up a new Control.’
Anna kissed her some more. ‘Can you not be my Control?’
‘I would like that very much.’ Judith found what she was looking for. ‘I will see if it is practical.’
‘Tell me about Prague.’
‘Oh, yes.’ Judith’s fingers became less urgent as she concentrated. ‘Your contact is a man called Telfer. He is a doctor.’
‘The Hradcany has its own medical staff.’
Judith’s chin moved up and down against her shoulder as she nodded. ‘He is not an ordinary doctor. He is a chiropractor, a bone-setter. You must strain your back, as soon as you get there. Can you do this?’
Anna smiled into her hair. ‘As I will be required to sleep with Heydrich, that will not be difficult.’
Judith’s movements became lively again. ‘He is vigorous?’
‘Very.’
‘Well, you are in pain, a problem you have suffered before, and you have been given the name of this man. He is actually quite well known, and outside of Bohemia too, so there should be no problem. Now, the people coming in from England will arrive in a few days’ time.’
‘How?’
‘They will be parachuted.’
‘Can they hope to be undetected?’
‘They will be dropped in a remote area, and they know where to go to find a safe house. They will make their way to Prague, and they will await your instructions. Our people there will conceal them. As soon as possible, you must make up a plan of campaign and convey it to the doctor. Now, Anna, you must not, under any circumstances, become involved. London is very insistent about this. Date, place and time are all that is required of you. Some notice is necessary, of course.’
‘I understand. London is aware of what is going on in the Pacific?’
‘Everyone is aware of that. They are cock-a-hoop. They know that with America on their side, they cannot lose.’
‘That’s not the opinion held here.’
‘Well, they can hardly dare think anything else, can they?’
‘But London wishes Operation Daybreak to go ahead.’
‘London regards it as top priority. But you must understand that as regards us, you are out of touch until it is finished.’
‘I understand,’ Anna said. The temptation to tell this utterly delightful bed-mate about Himmler’s plan for bringing down Heydrich was enormous. But if Operation Daybreak was already under way, that might be to over-complicate matters. And however delightful Judith was, this was still only the second occasion they had ever met; her desire to get close to her might not be entirely innocent.
‘So you will make it as quick as possible,’ Judith whispered. ‘I should like to see you again, soon.’
‘I think I would like that too,’ Anna said. ‘Now, I think, for the sake of our listeners, that we should both indulge in some heavy breathing.’
*
‘Are you afraid?’ Judith asked later as they lay quietly together.
‘I cannot afford to be afraid.’
‘I am afraid.’
Anna turned her head, sharply; their noses touched. ‘You?’
‘We have to be taken, one day. And then . . . God, when I think of it.’
‘There is no reason for us to be taken,’ Anna insisted. ‘As long as we are careful. And if we are, well, you have your capsule. Don’t you?’
‘I am never without it.’
‘You don’t have it now?’ Anna asked in alarm; she had spent the past couple of hours kissing this woman.
‘It’s in my handbag.’
‘Ah.’
‘I carry it in my mouth, of course, whenever I am in public.’
‘Well, then, you have nothing to worry about. One bite, and oblivion.’
‘How brave you are. But suppose it didn’t work, or you couldn’t make yourself bite? Can you imagine what it must be like to be stripped naked by a bunch of strange men, to be tied up to be flogged, to have them finger your sex while they put electrodes into you . . . I would go mad.’
‘I have been though all that,’ Anna said.
Judith rose on her elbow. ‘You . . . what?’
‘It was a few years ago. I wasn’t working for MI6 then, so I didn’t have a capsule. But you know, I’m rather glad I didn’t, because I’m
still here. You can survive anything if you are determined to do so. Now go to sleep. Nothing is going to happen to you.’
But Anna herself lay awake, staring into the darkness. Shit, she thought. She had been counting on this woman’s strength. Now . . .
*
‘Have you known the Countess de Sotomayer long?’ Himmler asked.
The question came out of the blue. Anna was packed and ready to leave on the noon train, and she had in any event been surprised when he had come personally to see her off, as it were, as his final instructions had not differed greatly from those he had given her in his office. She was to watch, listen, and report. She was to supply the names of everyone Heydrich met in private, and, of course, where possible, convey the gist of their conversations. ‘But you must not endanger yourself in any way,’ he had repeated.
‘I shall endeavour not to, Herr Reichsfuehrer.’ How sweet all these people are, she thought, sending me into the utmost peril and solicitously warning me not to endanger myself. ‘I assume General Heydrich knows I am coming?’
‘No.’
‘Sir?’
Himmler had given her an envelope. ‘This is a personal letter from me to him, in which I explain that circumstances have made it necessary for you to be removed from Berlin for a few weeks, and that I am therefore sending you to him as a personal assistant. I am sure he will welcome you.’
‘Surely I should know what these circumstances are?’
‘That is what I have come to tell you. You have fallen foul of the Reichsmarshal, who has formed the opinion that you have been poisoning the Fuehrer’s mind against him.’
Anna realized that her mouth was open, and hastily closed it; she had never met Goering in her life.
‘This will place you firmly in General Heydrich’s camp, as he still regards Goering as the principal obstacle in the way of his being named as heir. In these circumstances, he is almost certain to confide his fears and hopes, and perhaps even his plans, to you. Pillow talk, eh?’
‘But if he raises the matter here in Berlin, will not the Reichsmarshal deny any knowledge of me?’
‘Of course. But he would do that anyway, would he not?’
Anna felt like scratching her head: this was becoming more and more complicated, and dangerous, with every moment. ‘Is not the Reichsmarshal still the second most powerful man in Germany?’
‘He thinks so, certainly.’
‘Thus if word of this gets back to him . . .’
‘By that time you, and I, will have brought Heydrich down.’
‘And I will be regarded as his creature, to be brought down with him.’
‘Have I not sworn to protect you, Anna? I am a man of my word. And with Heydrich gone, for all Goering’s posturing, I will be the second most powerful man in the Reich.’
And I will be utterly at your mercy, Anna thought. But was she not anyway? There were so many factors to be taken into consideration, and now came this question out of the blue. But of course her SD monitors would have felt the visit of an unknown woman, who had spent the night, was worth reporting. And Essermann had no doubt also reported their Madrid meeting, as he had said he was going to do.
‘We were at school together,’ she explained now. ‘And then we met by chance in Madrid.’ She allowed herself one of Judith’s giggles. ‘Her husband tried to sell me real estate.’
‘She is Spanish?’
‘No, she is Austrian. Her husband is Spanish.’
‘And she followed you here.’
‘Well, you know how it is, sir. One meets an old friend, and one is polite, and says the conventional things, like “do look me up if you are ever in Berlin”. One never expects that sort of invitation to be taken up. I was amazed when she appeared.’
‘Did she not tell you why she was in Berlin? If not to see you?’
‘Well . . .’ Anna attempted to look embarrassed. ‘She did not tell me, although I think she was here on business.’
‘But she spent the night here.’
How much had Birgit overheard of their conversation? ‘She told me that she had been unable to find accommodation in any hotel. So I agreed that she could sleep here.’
‘In your bed.’
‘Well, I did not wish to put my maid out.’
‘The tape indicates that you and this woman were . . . close.’
‘We were close friends as girls.’
‘And she wished to resume the relationship. I see. The things that go on in convents, eh, when the nuns are asleep.’
Fortunately, Anna thought, he did not seem to be aware that the convent she had attended in Vienna did not take boarders. ‘I am sorry, Herr Reichsfuehrer,’ she murmured. ‘I live a very lonely life.’ She fluttered her eyelashes, the clearest signal she could possibly send.
But it was to no avail. ‘You will soon be reunited with General Heydrich. But, according to your file, which I looked at this afternoon, when you were at SS training school you once broke the arm of a girl who, ah, made advances to you.’
‘Yes, sir. But that girl was not Judith.’
‘You are discriminating. That is good. Does General Heydrich know of your, ah, inclinations?’
Chance would be a fine thing, she thought. ‘I have never told him, sir. I do not think he would be interested. General Heydrich is very single-minded.’
‘Still, I think it would be a good idea not to tell him. Let us share this little secret, just the two of us, eh? You do realize that homosexuality, whether indulged by men or women, is a criminal offence punishable by imprisonment?’
Anna stared at him with her eyes at their widest, and he patted her hand. ‘However, as I have said, it shall be our little secret.’
Something else to bind me to him, Anna thought. ‘I shall be eternally grateful, Herr Reichsfuehrer.’
‘Of course. However, these, ah, feelings of yours are a weakness, a chink in your armour. I think it would be very unwise for you to see this woman again.’
Shit! Anna thought. There was a problem, certainly if Bartoli was going to be taken out. ‘If that is what you wish, sir.’
‘Yes, that is what I wish.’ He stood up, straightened his belts. ‘Now, I will also wish you a good journey, and look forward to hearing from you, very soon.’
Anna waited, for as always he was regarding her like a large cat – although he was some inches shorter than her – crouching over a particularly succulent mouse. But, as always, he merely squeezed her hands and left. She simply could not make up her mind whether he was himself a homosexual, or was simply afraid to place himself at the mercy of a woman who he knew could kill. Or now, of course, whether he did not wish to take a lesbian to his bed.
What a fuck-up. And yet, that night with Judith had been rather fun . . . until the disquieting end.
‘Is the Reichsfuehrer angry with us, Countess?’ Birgit’s tone could be every bit as innocently dulcet as Anna’s.
‘Is that any concern of yours?’ Anna inquired. ‘And what do you mean, us?’
‘Is my future not irreversibly tied to yours?’
Anna considered this and recalled that many people had assumed that Marlene Gehrig’s ‘suicide’ in Moscow had been caused by an unrequited love affair with Birgit. A love affair she knew had been far from unrequited. The maid had never aspired to her bed, but had that simply been because Anna had never hidden her aversion to any sex unless commanded to it . . . Until Virginia, and the presence of Clive for those unforgettable few days. That unavoidable insight into her true character should have more than ever convinced the maid that her mistress was not a lesbian, but the mental intimacy created by the situation had definitely emboldened her to ask questions. And the night with Judith had clearly led her to some provocative thoughts.
Once again, the question arose: was she too dangerous to be allowed to continue? But Anna remained reluctant to harm the woman to whom she had become so close over the past couple of years. Besides, it would be highly dangerous, with Himmler also in a question-
asking mood, for Birgit suddenly to have a fatal accident. And anyway, she was unlikely to prove a problem until after this assignment was over, by which time, if everything went according to plan, all things might be possible.
So she smiled. ‘Why, yes. That is probably absolutely true. I think that is something we should both remember, at all times.’
*
‘Anna?’ Reinhard Heydrich stared at his protégée in amazement. ‘What are you doing here?’
The office was in the Hradcany Castle, looking out from its hillside over the many spires of Prague. Anna had indeed found the return to the Czech capital more evocative than she had expected, or wanted. Stepping out of the train at the Central Station, as she had done only eighteen months ago, had brought back the most vivid memories; her leaving the train with that apparently civilized man who had shared her compartment from Dresden, who had suddenly seized her arm, pushed a pistol into her ribs, and told her to take him up to Meissenbach, waiting for her on the platform. She had reacted with instinctive and unhesitating violence, as she always did in such situations. She destroyed Reiffel with a blow to the neck, seized his pistol, and opened fire on the two men standing on the far side of the platform, who had also drawn their guns. English agents, of whom London had not informed her because they had had no idea she would be visiting Prague!
It was an incident that, however personally tragic, had left Heydrich, and by projection Himmler and then Hitler, in no doubt that she was the best they had.
‘Reichsfuehrer Himmler sent me,’ she said now.
Heydrich frowned. ‘To do what?’
‘To be with you.’
‘You have quarrelled with the Reichsfuehrer?’
‘No, sir. He has explained the situation in this letter.’
Heydrich took the envelope, gestured Anna to a chair, and then opened the letter. His expression never changed as he read it, but then his expression never changed, whatever might be happening around him.
He laid down the sheet of paper. ‘It appears that you have been interesting yourself in things that are outside of your duties.’
‘Not intentionally, sir.’
Angel of Vengeance_The thrilling sequel to Angel in Red Page 20