asked, looking at him sadly. ‘I don’t know why you should. I treated you so badly but now I’m punished for it.’
‘Adam . . .?’
‘Gone! I don’t think I’ll ever see him again.’ To his amazement, she burst into tears.
‘V . . . ’ he pleaded, ‘dearest V – don’t take on so.’
‘Oh God. . . ’ She gulped away her sobs. ‘Don’t be kind. I can’t bear it. Why don’t you hate me?’
‘I never could. Now, please, stop weeping. You have streaks of black running down your cheeks. Here, let me.’ He took out his handkerchief and tried to mop up her tears. Instead of meekly letting him, she threw herself into his arms, clutching at him like a drowning man hanging on to a lifebelt. ‘I do love you, Edward.’ She blinked blearily up at him. ‘I’m so tired. If you hold me, I can rest.’
‘You’re safe – that’s all that matters.’
She tore herself away, angry not at him but at the world, at herself. ‘I’m safe but hundreds, perhaps thousands are not safe.’
‘Tell me what happened,’ he said gently. ‘You were arrested. Did they . . . did they . . . hurt you?’
‘They roughed me up but they weren’t serious about it. If they had been, I would be dead.’
‘What happened exactly? I only know what I read in the New Gazette .’
She steadied herself. ‘I think it would do me good to tell you.’
‘I need to know. I love you, V, and I want to know how it has been for you. Everything.’
‘Well then, let me think. You heard that Hitler ordered Schuschnigg to cancel the plebiscite? That was last Friday. On Saturday Schuschnigg resigned and the Nazi, Seyss-Inquart, replaced him as Chancellor. On Sunday the “Reunification of Germany” was decreed and Austria ceased to exist. All day long huge bombers roared over our heads. I watched it all with Georg Dreiser. He was so sad. It was as if someone he loved had died.
‘I went back to my flat to listen to the wireless while Georg went off to pack and say goodbye to his family. It was so strange listening to history being made on the wireless. They played military marches between accounts of German troops being welcomed by the grateful people of Austria. According to the man describing events, Hitler was met by thousands of people raising their arms in homage to their Führer and I am sure he wasn’t lying. It was everything I had dreaded. And it all happened so fast. The Führer’s Mercedes was crossing the border . . . the Führer was in Linz . . . Then, unaccountably, there was a delay. Linz is only two hours from Vienna but Hitler did not come. The crowds gathered. The Vienna Nazis, their numbers swelled by thousands imported from the provinces, waited tensely for their hero but all they could do was wait. Shout, march, threaten and wait. Apparently, I learnt afterwards, Police Chief Himmler had rejected the security precautions designed to safeguard Hitler. One shot from a maddened Jew or an Austrian patriot might have led to a bloodbath.
‘On Monday the Brownshirts began to round up Jews in Leopoldstadt – that’s Vienna’s Jewish district. Anyone carrying a suitcase was in danger of being arrested. I hardly dared go out because gangs of Nazi thugs were roaming the streets looking for “enemies” but I had to see Georg off. The trains were still running to the Swiss border and, thank God, no one stopped him at the station. It was not until Monday evening that the Führer entered Vienna. I prayed, though you know what I think about religion, that Georg had got across the border but I knew the rest of his family was still in the city. Himmler, they said on the wireless, was already preparing the “great spring cleaning” to rid Vienna of its Jews . . .
‘I went out to see for myself. Don’t let anyone tell you that the Viennese – I can’t speak for the rest of Austria – did not welcome Hitler. They did. The church bells were ringing as first the tanks and then the soldiers marched through the centre of
‘Adam . . .?’
‘Gone! I don’t think I’ll ever see him again.’ To his amazement, she burst into tears.
‘V . . . ’ he pleaded, ‘dearest V – don’t take on so.’
‘Oh God. . . ’ She gulped away her sobs. ‘Don’t be kind. I can’t bear it. Why don’t you hate me?’
‘I never could. Now, please, stop weeping. You have streaks of black running down your cheeks. Here, let me.’ He took out his handkerchief and tried to mop up her tears. Instead of meekly letting him, she threw herself into his arms, clutching at him like a drowning man hanging on to a lifebelt. ‘I do love you, Edward.’ She blinked blearily up at him. ‘I’m so tired. If you hold me, I can rest.’
‘You’re safe – that’s all that matters.’
She tore herself away, angry not at him but at the world, at herself. ‘I’m safe but hundreds, perhaps thousands are not safe.’
‘Tell me what happened,’ he said gently. ‘You were arrested. Did they . . . did they . . . hurt you?’
‘They roughed me up but they weren’t serious about it. If they had been, I would be dead.’
‘What happened exactly? I only know what I read in the New Gazette .’
She steadied herself. ‘I think it would do me good to tell you.’
‘I need to know. I love you, V, and I want to know how it has been for you. Everything.’
‘Well then, let me think. You heard that Hitler ordered Schuschnigg to cancel the plebiscite? That was last Friday. On Saturday Schuschnigg resigned and the Nazi, Seyss-Inquart, replaced him as Chancellor. On Sunday the “Reunification of Germany” was decreed and Austria ceased to exist. All day long huge bombers roared over our heads. I watched it all with Georg Dreiser. He was so sad. It was as if someone he loved had died.
‘I went back to my flat to listen to the wireless while Georg went off to pack and say goodbye to his family. It was so strange listening to history being made on the wireless. They played military marches between accounts of German troops being welcomed by the grateful people of Austria. According to the man describing events, Hitler was met by thousands of people raising their arms in homage to their Führer and I am sure he wasn’t lying. It was everything I had dreaded. And it all happened so fast. The Führer’s Mercedes was crossing the border . . . the Führer was in Linz . . . Then, unaccountably, there was a delay. Linz is only two hours from Vienna but Hitler did not come. The crowds gathered. The Vienna Nazis, their numbers swelled by thousands imported from the provinces, waited tensely for their hero but all they could do was wait. Shout, march, threaten and wait. Apparently, I learnt afterwards, Police Chief Himmler had rejected the security precautions designed to safeguard Hitler. One shot from a maddened Jew or an Austrian patriot might have led to a bloodbath.
‘On Monday the Brownshirts began to round up Jews in Leopoldstadt – that’s Vienna’s Jewish district. Anyone carrying a suitcase was in danger of being arrested. I hardly dared go out because gangs of Nazi thugs were roaming the streets looking for “enemies” but I had to see Georg off. The trains were still running to the Swiss border and, thank God, no one stopped him at the station. It was not until Monday evening that the Führer entered Vienna. I prayed, though you know what I think about religion, that Georg had got across the border but I knew the rest of his family was still in the city. Himmler, they said on the wireless, was already preparing the “great spring cleaning” to rid Vienna of its Jews . . .
‘I went out to see for myself. Don’t let anyone tell you that the Viennese – I can’t speak for the rest of Austria – did not welcome Hitler. They did. The church bells were ringing as first the tanks and then the soldiers marched through the centre of
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