Winter of the World

The government had opened an exhibition in Berlin’s Lustgarten, the park in front of the cathedral. ‘The Soviet Paradise’ was the ironic title of a show about life under Communism, portraying Bolshevism as a Jewish trick and the Russians as subhuman Slavs. But even today the Nazis did not have everything their own way, and someone had gone around Berlin pasting up a spoof poster that read:

Permanent Installation

The NAZI PARADISE

WAR HUNGER LIES GESTAPO

How much longer?

There was one such poster stuck to the tram shelter, and it warmed Carla’s heart. ‘Who puts these things up?’ she said.

Frieda shrugged.

Carla said: ‘Whoever they are, they’re brave. They would be killed if caught.’ Then she remembered what was in her bag. She, too, could be killed if caught.

Frieda just said: ‘I’m sure.’

Now it was Frieda who seemed a little jumpy. Could she be one of those who put up the posters? Probably not. Maybe her boyfriend, Heinrich, was. He was the intense, moralistic type who would do that sort of thing. ‘How’s Heinrich?’ said Carla.

‘He wants to get married.’

‘Don’t you?’

Frieda lowered her voice. ‘I don’t want to have children.’ This was a seditious remark: young women were supposed to produce children gladly for the Führer. Frieda nodded at the illegal poster. ‘I wouldn’t like to bring a child into this paradise.’

‘I guess I wouldn’t, either,’ said Carla. Maybe that was why she had turned down Dr Ernst.

A tram arrived and they got on. Carla perched the basket on her lap nonchalantly, as if it contained nothing more sinister than cabbage. She scanned the other passengers. She was relieved to see no uniforms.

Frieda said: ‘Come home with me. Let’s have a jazz night. We can play Werner’s records.’

‘I’d love to, but I can’t,’ Carla said ‘I’ve got a call to pay. Remember the Rothmann family?’

Frieda looked around warily. Rothmann might or might not be a Jewish name. But no one was near enough to hear them. ‘Of course – he used to be our doctor.’

‘He’s not supposed to practise any more. Eva Rothmann went to London before the war and married a Scottish soldier. But the parents can’t get out of Germany, of course. Their son, Rudi, was a violin maker – quite brilliant, apparently – but he lost his job, and now he repairs instruments and tunes pianos.’ He came to the von Ulrich house four times a year to tune the Steinway grand. ‘Anyway, I said I’d go round there this evening and see them.’

‘Oh,’ said Frieda. It was the long drawn-out ‘oh’ of someone who has just seen the light.

‘Oh, what?’ said Carla.

‘Now I understand why you’re clutching that basket as if it contained the Holy Grail.’

Carla was thunderstruck. Frieda had guessed her secret! ‘How did you know?’

‘You said he’s not supposed to practise. That suggests he does.’

Carla saw that she had given Dr Rothmann away. She should have said that he was not allowed to practise. Fortunately, it was only to Frieda that she had betrayed him. She said: ‘What is he to do? They come to his door and beg him to help them. He can’t turn sick people away! It’s not as if he makes any money – all his patients are Jews and other poor folk who pay him with a few potatoes or an egg.’

‘You don’t have to defend him to me,’ said Frieda. ‘I think he’s brave. And you’re heroic, stealing supplies from the hospital to give to him. Is this the first time?’

Carla shook her head. ‘Third. But I feel such a fool for letting you find out.’

‘You’re not a fool. It’s just that I know you too well.’

The tram approached Carla’s stop. ‘Wish me luck,’ she said, and she got off.

When she entered her house she heard hesitant notes on the piano upstairs. Maud had a pupil. Carla was glad. It would cheer her mother up as well as providing a little money.

Carla took off her raincoat then went into the kitchen and greeted Ada. When Maud had announced that she could no longer pay Ada’s wages, Ada had asked if she could stay on anyway. Now she had a job cleaning an office in the evening, and she did housework for the von Ulrich family in exchange for her room and board.

Carla kicked off her shoes under the table and rubbed her feet together to ease their ache. Ada made her a cup of grain coffee.

Maud came into the kitchen, eyes sparkling. ‘A new pupil!’ she said. She showed Carla a handful of banknotes. ‘And he wants a lesson every day!’ She had left him practising scales, and his novice fingering sounded in the background like a cat walking along the keyboard.

‘That’s great,’ said Carla. ‘Who is he?’

‘A Nazi, of course. But we need the money.’

‘What’s his name?’

‘Joachim Koch. He’s quite young and shy. If you meet him, for goodness’ sake bite your tongue and be polite.’

‘Of course.’

Maud disappeared.

Carla drank her coffee gratefully. She had got used to the taste of burnt acorns, as most people had.