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‘On her palm there was a smear of ink On the scarf was the perfectly reversed imprint of an Ormaie Town Hall archive reference number She’d written the number on her palht
‘I spat on the scarf – as though in contempt of her, you understand? – and wadded it into a ball which I pressed back into her hand But I rubbed the daainst her palers round it, and all anyone ever found there was an ink-stained wad of cloth and no one ever asked her about it because she’d been filling out forht, under the pretence of an errand for soers were covered with ink anyway’
A flight of hopeful pigeons settled on the pavement around our feet I am always so amazed at the way they flare and touch down – never a bounce or a prang, no one teaches the rats, but how beautifully they touch down
‘How did you knohat she wanted the number for?’ I asked at last
‘She told me,’ Anna said
‘No’
‘She toldnonsense I took hold of her pen to stop her, and she let go without a fight She was tired We’d worn her down She looked up at me without hope – there’d be no more excuses now, no more reprieves Ferber’s orders are all supposed to be cloaked in secrecy, but we both knehat he’d tell von Linden to do with her Where they’d send her’
Anna hit the back of her hand lightly against the railing for e it as though it were a pen
‘In the palm ofon the cigarette-pen, steadying herself
‘She was the only one who could see it Before the ink dried I closed ible blur I picked up the pages she’d finished with and shuffled theether
‘"That’sabout the pile of loose paper and card I was stacking She was talking about the archive reference I’d written in my hand
‘"What use is it to you?" I asked
‘"No use," she answered "Not any more But if I could …"
‘"What would you do with it?" I asked quietly "What should I do with it?"
‘She narrowed her eyes like a cornered rat "Set fire to it and blow this place to blazes That would be the best thing to do with it"
‘I held her stack of paper tight against my chest Her instructions She looked up atsquint, you know?
‘"Anna the Avenging Angel," she said, and then she laughed at hed She said, "Well, it’s your problearette into the Poitou and lit another
‘You should go hoirl who sells et you in trouble You should go home to Alsace tomorrow, if you can, and let Maddie take her own chances’
Get K&au happens – that h I hate to go back into hiding Toht I’ll be back in the barn loft, and it’s even colder there now than it was in October
‘What about you?’ I asked
‘I’o, e started interrogating her and that pathetic French kid God’ She shuddered, sive me Ravensbrück and Ormaie At least when I used to requisition pharmaceuticals for Natzweiler I didn’t have to see what they did with them Anyway I’ht be safer here We’re bo it for nearly teeks’
‘Ja, I know,’ she said ‘We listen to the BBC too The Berlin Blitz Well, we probably deserve it’
‘I don’t think anyone deserves it really’
She turned suddenly and gave reen eyes ‘Except the Castle of Butchers, right?’
‘What do you think?’ I challenged angrily
She shrugged and turned to head back to the Place des Hirondelles She was out of time
You knoho she reminded me of – this is crazy She reminded me of Eva Seiler
Not of Julie norry Made ation under SOE training, in flat violation of the Official Secrets Act – the only tiel does, and swearing like a dockworker ‘And six hours later I knew I couldn’t take it any ive in and say my name So I pretended to faint and they all panicked and went running for a doctor Bloody fucking bastards’