“Really? Do you know who it is?”
“Sergeant Lewis.”
“Oh? That’s kind of him.” Kitty’s face gave no hint of what she was thinking, but Martha wondered whether he was the one who had sent her back from the Victory Dance with that twinkle in her eye. She hoped so. Because Kitty was going to need someone who cared about her when she got to Vienna.
The sun had sunk below the trees by the time Martha left the office. As she passed by blockhouse fifteen, the urge to go inside was overwhelming. All day she’d been thinking of Stefan, marking the hours as they ebbed away. This time tomorrow he would be hundreds of miles from her.
Delphine had tactfully offered to vacate the cabin for a couple of hours to allow them some time together on this last evening. But Martha had declined. It would have been unbearable to sit over a meal with him, to raise a glass to the future. She had decided it would be better for them both if their goodbyes were said in public, at the station. That way, she would be forced to keep her feelings under control.
But as she made her way along the darkening path, a figure emerged from the shadows.
“Can I walk with you?”
She could see his breath in the cool evening air. Her heart raced as he took her arm, guiding her away from the path, into the forest. “Stefan . . . I . . .”
“Please . . .” He drew her closer. She could feel that his body was shaking. “I have to see you,” he whispered. “I cannot go away without saying this to you.”
His lips were almost brushing her forehead. She longed to wrap her arms around his neck, to find his mouth with hers.
“I don’t want to leave, but I have to. You understand?”
She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She felt his arms encircle her. He held her tight. The warmth of his skin, the musky scent of him, triggered an agonizing surge of longing. It was unbearable—to feel like this when she had to let him go. In the short time they had known one another, he had rekindled what Arnie had snuffed out. He’d given her hope. And now he was leaving. And she didn’t know if she would ever see him again.
CHAPTER 18
The departing DPs sat next to their piles of luggage in the chilly morning air, waiting for the trucks to come. Their faces were alive in a way that marked them out from the others in the camp who had turned out to wave them off. The taunts from those staying behind about Russians waiting over the border to pack DPs off to Siberia fell on deaf ears. These people were returning to where their hearts were.
Martha was glad that Aleksandra and Marek were not among those leaving the camp. Last night she had hugged little Rodek to her as they had all sat outside the cabin. His parents were unaware of just how much comfort that gave her. It wasn’t just about the baby she had lost. Holding Rodek close had helped—just for a moment—to blot out the pain of Stefan’s imminent departure.
When the trucks were all loaded, Martha got into the car and Kitty jumped in beside her. They were bringing up the rear of the convoy, driving behind the supply vehicle, which was packed with food to be loaded onto the train: sacks of loaves, great wheels of Bavarian cheese, crates of tinned meat and milk.
“Have you got your identity card? And your rail pass?” Martha realized she sounded like a mother sending a child off to college. But she was more worried about Kitty’s side trip to Vienna than she was letting on.
“Yes.” There was a lightness in Kitty’s voice. If she was afraid of what she would discover, she was doing a good job of hiding it.
“Promise me one thing,” Martha said. “Whatever happens, just let me know. You can wire a message from the base.”
“I promise,” Kitty replied. “Please don’t worry. I know the odds are stacked against me. I just need to know the truth.”
Martha nodded. Just like Stefan. But unlike him, whether she found her parents or not, Kitty was free to return to the camp. But the military had made it clear that that was not an option for the DPs who were about to board the train. Once they left Seidenmühle, they were barred from readmission, whatever lay in store for them when they reached their homeland.
Major McMahon was waiting at the station when they arrived, along with a contingent of five GIs. Martha couldn’t help feeling a stab of envy when she saw the look that passed between Kitty and Sergeant Lewis.
The major went along the platform, positioning a man in front of each carriage to check paperwork. As the DPs clambered aboard, Martha went from car to car, blowing kisses to the families, clasping the outstretched hands of the men who stood in the doorways.