manoeuvred him back to face Antoine and the bar.
“Gentlemen, gentlemen, please,” she said breezily. “Have you not heard? The war is over and France and Germany are at peace.We might as well all accept it and get on with our lives…” she flashed a knowing look at Antoine, still standing defiantly behind the bar. “Please make that four brandies… and I shall pay,” she turned round to the astonished people in the café and lifted her arms in a gesture of reassurance. “Nothing more to see here!” she shouted, as Antoine dutifully poured the drinks and placed them on a tray.
It was as if someone had pricked a giant balloon. The tension from the room evaporated; people turned back to their drinks, food and chatter.
As Marianne escorted the soldiers towards a booth the students quickly evacuated. She put the tray, with four filled glasses, down on the table. She raised her glass, downed the rich dark liquid and banged it on the table. She glanced flirtatiously at the officer and his comrades, who, not to be outdone, downed their drinks. Marianne clicked her fingers over her head and a waiter came scurrying to the side of the table.
She smiled. “You might as well bring the whole bottle…”
And for the first time the SS officer smiled too.
From across the other side of the café, Jean-Yves whispered to Jack and Angus, “My wife’s a brave woman – one of these days she is going to get herself killed.”
“Who is that officer?” Jack asked.
“Axel Gottschalk,” Jean-Yves whispered back to him. “A rising member of the SS. He knows Adolf Hitler personally. He is based in Villiers-sur-Oise, to the north, but he is often in Paris. He is an important target for us. I am not surprised to see him – particularly given what is happening over the next few days.”
“Nasty piece of work…” Angus said.
“Yes,” Jean-Yves replied, “he has something of a reputation. We must leave, before anything else happens.”
But as they approached the main entrance of the café, the big glass door swung open and a man walked in. He was slim and wore a light suit and a dark tie. He was well groomed and his short, light brown hair was brushed back to show that it was starting to thin at each temple. He had a confident, authoritative air about him and he scanned the restaurant impatiently until his eyes came to rest on Gottschalk sitting with the two soldiers and Marianne in the window booth. He walked briskly over to their table. Gottschalk clearly recognised the civilian and invited him to sit down next to them. There was something oddly deferential about the way Gottschalk acted in front of the new arrival. It was particularly strange as one was an officer in a victorious army and the other seemed to be no more than a non-descript civilian. In contrast, Jack felt there was a self-consciousness about the civilian, a reluctance to be seen with these bullies from the SS. Marianne was now being introduced to the civilian and they shook hands. Soon she was in animated conversation with the four men and her eyes sparkled as she smiled and gossiped. They were putty in her hands.
“And who is that man?” Jack whispered.
“Albrecht Altenberg. He is a German scientist. A physicist, I think. Quite famous. He is seen with Gottschalk frequently here in Paris but also in Villiers. I think they are friends,” Jean-Yves replied. “We must go. Marianne can handle it. Come on. Our place is not too far.”
Jean-Yves continued walking to the door of the café followedby Sophie, Angus and Jack. Jack wanted to ignore Gottschalk, but somehow he just couldn’t. He glanced over to their booth as he made for the door, trying hard not to walk too fast. Gottschalk spotted the movement from the corner of his eye and looked up. It was as if Jack had been caught in the cross hairs of an assassin’s rifle. A shiver ran down his spine… he wanted to look away, but he found himself staring back. As Gottschalk looked at him, his
“Gentlemen, gentlemen, please,” she said breezily. “Have you not heard? The war is over and France and Germany are at peace.We might as well all accept it and get on with our lives…” she flashed a knowing look at Antoine, still standing defiantly behind the bar. “Please make that four brandies… and I shall pay,” she turned round to the astonished people in the café and lifted her arms in a gesture of reassurance. “Nothing more to see here!” she shouted, as Antoine dutifully poured the drinks and placed them on a tray.
It was as if someone had pricked a giant balloon. The tension from the room evaporated; people turned back to their drinks, food and chatter.
As Marianne escorted the soldiers towards a booth the students quickly evacuated. She put the tray, with four filled glasses, down on the table. She raised her glass, downed the rich dark liquid and banged it on the table. She glanced flirtatiously at the officer and his comrades, who, not to be outdone, downed their drinks. Marianne clicked her fingers over her head and a waiter came scurrying to the side of the table.
She smiled. “You might as well bring the whole bottle…”
And for the first time the SS officer smiled too.
From across the other side of the café, Jean-Yves whispered to Jack and Angus, “My wife’s a brave woman – one of these days she is going to get herself killed.”
“Who is that officer?” Jack asked.
“Axel Gottschalk,” Jean-Yves whispered back to him. “A rising member of the SS. He knows Adolf Hitler personally. He is based in Villiers-sur-Oise, to the north, but he is often in Paris. He is an important target for us. I am not surprised to see him – particularly given what is happening over the next few days.”
“Nasty piece of work…” Angus said.
“Yes,” Jean-Yves replied, “he has something of a reputation. We must leave, before anything else happens.”
But as they approached the main entrance of the café, the big glass door swung open and a man walked in. He was slim and wore a light suit and a dark tie. He was well groomed and his short, light brown hair was brushed back to show that it was starting to thin at each temple. He had a confident, authoritative air about him and he scanned the restaurant impatiently until his eyes came to rest on Gottschalk sitting with the two soldiers and Marianne in the window booth. He walked briskly over to their table. Gottschalk clearly recognised the civilian and invited him to sit down next to them. There was something oddly deferential about the way Gottschalk acted in front of the new arrival. It was particularly strange as one was an officer in a victorious army and the other seemed to be no more than a non-descript civilian. In contrast, Jack felt there was a self-consciousness about the civilian, a reluctance to be seen with these bullies from the SS. Marianne was now being introduced to the civilian and they shook hands. Soon she was in animated conversation with the four men and her eyes sparkled as she smiled and gossiped. They were putty in her hands.
“And who is that man?” Jack whispered.
“Albrecht Altenberg. He is a German scientist. A physicist, I think. Quite famous. He is seen with Gottschalk frequently here in Paris but also in Villiers. I think they are friends,” Jean-Yves replied. “We must go. Marianne can handle it. Come on. Our place is not too far.”
Jean-Yves continued walking to the door of the café followedby Sophie, Angus and Jack. Jack wanted to ignore Gottschalk, but somehow he just couldn’t. He glanced over to their booth as he made for the door, trying hard not to walk too fast. Gottschalk spotted the movement from the corner of his eye and looked up. It was as if Jack had been caught in the cross hairs of an assassin’s rifle. A shiver ran down his spine… he wanted to look away, but he found himself staring back. As Gottschalk looked at him, his
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