A Sentimental Journey Romance Collection

by Dianna Crawford

  “I’m sure Axel will come up with somebody,” Annelise suggested. “There’s no reason for you to endanger yourself, Grams.”

  “Hmph. After this latest brainstorm of Axel’s? I’d best take care of the wee ones. I’ve many trusted friends at the church. We’ll find someone willing to accompany them to safety.”

  “Did I hear my name being bandied about?” Axel peeked through the archway in his crisp white shirt, bow tie, and dark slacks. His blond hair was freshly slicked back, and a dinner jacket lay over the crook of his arm. He quirked a smile at Erik. “Everything all set for you, old man?”

  “Yes. Couldn’t be better.” Though spoken facetiously, Erik knew he’d stated the truth.

  Annelise hurried to her brother’s side. “Be careful. Promise? And for once, please don’t do or say anything that will dig this hole any deeper.”

  “Whatever you say, little sis.” A peck on her cheek, and he dashed off.

  Mrs. Holberg frowned and sighed. “We’d better spend a good part of this night in prayer for that boy.” Then her cool gaze fastened on Erik. “I assume you are a praying man.”

  “Yes, madam, I am.” But even if I wasn’t, I’d tell you I was. I wouldn’t want to be on your bad side.

  “Good. I can’t abide heathens under my roof.”

  Erik had to grin. For a lady he’d first considered small and defenseless, she sure had spunk. And he liked spunk. In fact, he liked her. He liked her a lot.

  Annelise observed the banter between her grandmother and their new guest—whom anyone could see was dead on his feet—and admiration for the sailor-forger rose several notches. He was holding his own in the face of a woman many considered to be domineering and formidable. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad having him around for a while to keep Grams occupied.

  Still, the man was a perfect stranger, and beguiling smiles were something Annelise would never be fooled by again. Even if the military bigwigs considered him trustworthy, he had yet to prove himself to her and her relatives. She’d best stay on her guard. “I’ll take you upstairs now,” she offered, maintaining a businesslike tone.

  He nodded and bid her grandmother good evening, then followed Annelise to the staircase, where portraits bearing a strong resemblance to the family members he’d already met lined the walls.

  Once they reached the top landing, she gestured to her right. “That will be your room as long as you’re here. Directly across the hall is the bathroom. You’ll find everything you need in the cupboard. I’ll bring some of my brother’s clothes for you to use till yours have been laundered. Leave your soiled things outside the door, and I’ll take them down to the cellar to wash.”

  “Thank you … Annelise. I … hope you don’t mind my familiarity.”

  She grimaced. “Why should I? It would appear we’re an item, thanks to my big-mouth brother.”

  “Ah, yes.” He flashed a completely disarming grin.

  It made Annelise conscious of her less-than-friendly manner. Realizing she’d been nearly as gruff as her grandmother to the poor man, she softened her tone. “Look, I know we’ve made things difficult for you, and I do apologize. We’re all working toward the same objective, and it would benefit the lot of us to be friends.”

  He nodded. “I could live with that.”

  “Good. Well, I know you’re tired. Hungry, too, I’d imagine. I’ll bring a tray to your room so you can have a bite to eat when you’ve finished. Is there anything else you might need tonight?”

  “You’ve about covered everything for now. Tomorrow, though, we should get together and work on our … relationship. Since we’re engaged, we need to know a little about each other, decide when and where we met and all.”

  She looked down. “Let’s wait for Axel to get home. No telling what story he fabricated for the Nazis this evening.”

  “Good idea. Oh, one other thing. I had planned to visit my relatives in Sjaellands Point as soon as I can get away, to familiarize myself with the area. That part of my story needs to be kept straight, too.”

  “Sounds wise.”

  His lips spread into a knowing smile. “Of course, as my fiancée, you should probably come along and meet the folks….”

  A maddening sense that things were spinning out of control jolted Annelise. For a fleeting moment, all she could think of was throttling her brother.

  A ray of sunshine drifting through the edge of the drawn window shade warmed Annelise’s face. She opened an eye and checked her bedside clock, then bolted upright. Normally she awoke before daylight. Yesterday’s stress must have taken its toll. Wasting no time, she made quick work of her morning ablutions and dressed in a white blouse and navy skirt, then hastened for the stairs. Her devotions would have to wait.

  Male voices drifted up from below. “The guys had to separate,” Axel said. “Only five made it to a safe house.”

  “That’s not good news,” Erik answered. “Maybe a few others will—” He clammed up when Annelise entered the dining room.

  “Good morning,” she said brightly, masking the irritation she felt over always being kept in the dark about everything.

  “Well, well,” Axel teased. “If it isn’t Miss Punctuality. Your clock stop or something?”

  She glowered at him. “You could have rapped on my door when you got up.” Even as she spoke, her gaze took in their freshly shaved guest. Axel’s checked shirt and wool slacks suited Erik, though a touch small and tight-fitting. And his easy smile did strange things to her insides.

  “I figured you could use the sleep, sis. Besides, this way I get to repeat what I told Erik about my conversation with the distinguished captain last night.”

  “Which was?” She drew out a spindle-back chair from the table and took a seat.

  Her grandmother came in from the kitchen just then, bearing plates of sausage and eggs and dark rye toast for the men. She directed her attention to Annelise while setting the food before them. “I see you finally decided to make your appearance this day.”

  Annelise bristled as Axel and his new friend swapped amused grins.

  “I’ll start some more toast and eggs while you go down and fetch the children for breakfast,” Grams said, returning to the kitchen.

  Something about the smiles the two men had sported stuck in Annelise’s mind as she headed for the cellar door beneath the staircase. Her father’s smiles—just as roguish, but deceitful as well—had caused the family untold heartache. Tossing off the unwelcome reminder, she opened the door and flicked on the light to illuminate the wooden steps.

  The cellar’s space had dwindled when Axel enclosed secret rooms on either end, disguising the change with floor-to-ceiling storage shelves. Windowless walls made the close confines even drearier as Annelise picked her way through the cluttered maze of washtubs, food stores, and castoffs from the main floor. She carefully opened the secret door concealed with shelves of canned goods.

  Two narrow cots occupied one end of the long, shallow room. A small table with chairs sat at the other end, and in between, a bookcase held schoolbooks and picture books. An assortment of worn toys lay about the rag runner covering the floor.

  As always, when hearing the door opening, the children ceased their activity and huddled together in mute silence, their chocolate-brown eyes round with fear. Six-year-old Rachel peered up at Annelise, a froth of soft dark curls surrounding her heart-shaped face. She’d taken a protective position in front of her brother, Moshe, already a charmer at three. Both wore faded clothes, with their shiny curls neatly brushed.

  Annelise’s heart contracted at the sight of their too-thin frames. “It is all right,” she crooned in the high German dialect. “I’ve come to get you for breakfast. Grandmother has scrambled some nice eggs for you.”

  The boy’s brown eyes glinted, and he looked about to say something, but his sister put a finger to her lips. She relaxed her hold on him and stood, then bent to pick up his missing shoe and help him put it on. “There,” she whispered. “We are ready no
w.”

  No smile accompanied the statement, but then, only on the rarest of occasions had Annelise seen either of the little ones smile. They seemed to know instinctively never to make noise, never to speak unless spoken to, never to touch things that did not belong to them. She longed to gather them into her arms and love them to pieces … but Grams, in her wisdom, felt it would only cause the children more grief to become attached to yet more people who’d be shipping them elsewhere. So she restrained her motherly instincts and settled for being pleasant and warm, trying to instill trust in their hearts, showing them that kind people still existed in the world.

  “The cold days are almost over,” she remarked as they exited the secret room. “I’ve been making over a new dress for you, Rachel. A pretty one with flowers, for when you’re free to play in the park again.”

  The child’s sable eyes misted, and the hint of a tiny smile appeared. But Moshe’s rosy lips plumped with a pout.

  “And I haven’t forgotten you, sweetie.” She ruffled his dark curls. “You’ll have a new shirt and vest to wear.”

  Suddenly the door at the top of the stairs opened.

  Annelise automatically reached for the children.

  “It’s that Nazi!” Erik said, closing the door after himself. “He and a truckload of armed soldiers just pulled up out front. Get the kids outta sight!”

  Chapter 3

  Shaken by Erik’s announcement, Annelise maintained her composure but pressed a finger to her lips. She scooped up Moshe and made her way quietly down the steps to the secret room, its shelf-laden door left open for such emergencies. Rachel trailed silently behind, clutching Annelise’s skirt. “Don’t make a sound, my darlings,” she whispered, ushering them back inside their haven. “Though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we fear no evil, for God is with us.”

  Rachel, ever the protector, put her arms around her brother, and the pair huddled together on one of the cots. The sight of their huge, dread-filled eyes cinched Annelise’s heart as she carefully closed the door on the little ones. What a pathetic existence they lived, silent, invisible. Would they ever get to be carefree children? She breathed a prayer that God would be with them. Surely He would send His angels to surround and protect such sweet darlings.

  Some jars rattled from the movement of the shelves. Grabbing a bottle of her grandmother’s plum syrup as an excuse for being in the cellar, she joined Erik, who waited on the top landing, his ear to the cracked door.

  The sound of knocking carried from outside. “At least they aren’t pounding with their fists or rifle butts as they’re so fond of doing,” she muttered.

  “Not yet, anyway. That’s their second summons. Your brother’s taking his time answering.”

  “God morgen, Captain von Rundstedt,” came Axel’s greeting at last. “You’re up and about early after last evening’s festivities. What a pleasant surprise.”

  “Ja. We are on our way to Kirkgarde Engine Works to aid your authorities in breaking up a strike. Three stoppages this month alone. Traitorous agitators think they can thwart us by stirring up the workers, turning them against the cause. We will put a stop to it.”

  Annelise breathed more easily. The soldiers hadn’t come to conduct a raid on the house; they were waiting for their captain. But before she completely let down her guard, her gaze fell on Erik’s duffel bag still slumped where he’d left it last night—the bag containing forging tools, money, and stuffed dolls from America! Effecting serenity she didn’t feel, she took his hand and stepped with him out into the hall to draw Rundstedt’s attention.

  Resplendent in his immaculate uniform and polished jackboots, the Nazi officer had his military hat tucked under his elbow. “Ah.” A subtle hiking of his brows lengthened his thin face. “I see the lovebirds are also early risers.”

  Erik draped an arm around Annelise’s shoulders, its warmth steadying her. “Why, Captain,” she said airily, “we were about to sit down to breakfast. Won’t you join us?”

  “Nej. I am on duty. I stopped by to invite you all to tea on Saturday. Just a small, intimate gathering. Nothing grand.”

  Always stiffly proper, he never revealed emotion in his hard features, and little about the man inspired confidence. Annelise sensed his true motives were far from friendly. Certainly he suspected something amiss here. Nevertheless, refusal was no option. She smiled up at Erik. “That would be lovely, wouldn’t it, sweetheart?”

  “Wait a minute, sis,” Axel interrupted. “We’ve already made plans for the weekend. Erik placed a call early this morning to the pay telephone in Sjaellands Point. A neighbor was dispatched to inform Erik’s family he’s back and that you’ll be driving out there on Saturday to visit.”

  “Yes,” Erik confirmed, “and Willem Larsen, who took the call, is worse than a town crier when he hears a juicy bit of news. You’ll be meeting more than my family, my love. You may end up greeting the entire neighborhood.”

  Annelise seriously doubted that possibility would be much more enjoyable than having high tea with a German officer who was infatuated with her. “Oh, dear. I must make a good impression on your parents, your relatives, and the whole town?” But lest she sound too anxious, she turned to Rundstedt. “Then you must come to our home the following Saturday for tea, Captain. Surely things will have settled down by then.”

  “I beg to differ.” Her grandmother entered the hall from the kitchen, the black attire she’d insisted on wearing since her husband’s death adding to her austere demeanor.

  Knowing that the outright contempt Grams had for the overbearing Nazis gave the woman a tendency toward bluntness, Annelise felt another twinge of panic.

  “Not with an upcoming wedding to plan,” Grams elaborated.

  Eric hugged Annelise closer. “And the sooner the better.” He tipped his head politely at the officer. “We hope you’ll grace us with your presence on our happy occasion.”

  “Ah, yes. A wedding.” His steely eyes fastened on Annelise. “Have you chosen the date? I should like the honor of throwing your seaman a bachelor party, if your brother has not already commandeered that duty.”

  “That’s very generous of you,” Axel replied. “But I fear the nuptials will have to wait awhile. My sister still has crucial shipments to process this month to a number of cities in Germany. It is imperative they be arranged before she leaves for her honeymoon.”

  “Honeymoon.” Erik nuzzled against Annelise and kissed her cheek. “I like the sound of that.”

  Embarrassed and caught off guard by circumstances over which she had no control, Annelise eased out of his embrace. She needed time to think. Time for life to get back to the way it was before this stranger descended upon the household. In the meantime, however, she had to keep up the senseless charade. “Regardless of our wedding plans, we will make time to entertain our friends a week from Saturday.”

  Rundstedt took her hand and bowed over it, staring intently at her. “In appreciation, I will cancel my plans for Saturday and drive you all to Sjaellands Point in my touring car. It is far more comfortable than yours, Axel, and there’ll be no necessity of using your petrol rations.” He returned his full attention to Annelise. “What time shall I come by for you?”

  The Nazi had yet to relinquish her hand. As Erik moved up behind her, Annelise responded with an even tone. “We’ll expect you at eight o’clock. And tak. Thank you so much. This is most kind.”

  His thin lips spread into a mirthless smile. “So far from the Fatherland one has so few loyal supporters. It is the least I can do for true friends.” He finally let go of her. With a click of his heels, he straightened, then raised an arm. “Heil Hitler.”

  A heavy silence reigned after Axel closed the door. He led them into the dining room, where they waited several tense moments for the captain’s car and the open lorry lined with helmeted troops to rumble away down the cobblestone street.

  Erik let out a whoosh of breath and slumped into the nearest chair. “Well. We really will have
to contact my relatives now. Let them know they’re going to have unexpected visitors to entertain—me, my fiancée, and a nosy Nazi.”

  “Do you mean to tell me,” Annelise demanded, folding her arms across her chest, “you haven’t even placed that call yet?” She cut a glare to her troublemaking brother. “You made the whole thing up?”

  He flashed a sheepish grin. “Don’t give me all the credit. Nielsen, here, added a few creative touches.”

  She couldn’t decide which man infuriated her more.

  “Breakfast is getting cold,” Grams announced, breaking the strained moment. “Sit down. Eat. Axel, go get the children while I bring out their plates again. And take that putrid bag with you.” She turned to Annelise. “As for you, young lady, you and that fiancé of yours need to get busy on wedding plans.”

  Annelise didn’t dare glance at Erik. She was upset enough as it was. “But—”

  Grams allowed no opportunity to protest. “That will keep you occupied so you won’t have time to think about entertaining any church-burning disciples of Satan in my home. I declare. Your grandfather would roll over in his grave.” With a huff, she returned to the kitchen.

  “Is it ready yet?” Axel mouthed through the window separating the warehouse from the office.

  Annelise shook her head and held her hand aloft, fingers splayed. “Five more minutes.”

  He frowned, then turned back to the loaded truck waiting near the vehicle entrance.

  Amazed she’d actually found space for the carload of cabbage on a barge to Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, Annelise hurriedly finished typing the shipping manifesto. More than likely those large crates held more than produce, since Axel displayed undue concern. He’d already come twice to hurry her along.

  Erik, instead of working out in the warehouse, had spent the last few hours behind the filing room’s closed door, creating documents for some downed fliers who faced the possibility of being intercepted by the Gestapo in Holland. The Nazis didn’t bother with any pretense of friendship with the Dutch. They’d overrun the tiny lowland country in four days in 1940 and now occupied it with an iron fist. The active Dutch underground did all it could to arrange transport for the airmen to England, but the risks were incredibly high. Annelise prayed silently for the brave souls in Holland and Denmark, as well as the Allies.