Page 1 of The Berlin Sisters
Chapter One
THEMINISTRY OFPROPAGANDA &ENLIGHTENMENT
BERLIN, GERMANY
23 DECEMBER1943
Ava’s fingers moved quickly over the keys of her typewriter, her back straight as she sat at her desk. When she finished, she took the paper and set it beside her, carefully reviewing it to ensure she hadn’t made any mistakes. Although she was one of five women in the room, no one spoke; the only sounds were the constant clack of fingers touching keys and the shuffle of papers, and it would be that way until lunchtime when they all took a short break.
Satisfied with her work, she moved on to her next assignment, although a noise made her pause. It was the sound of a child giggling, which could only mean one thing.
‘They’re here again,’ said Lina, the secretary seated closest to her. ‘Don’t you just love it when they come to visit?’
Soon all five of them had stopped typing, their eyes glued to the door as first a beautifully groomed Airedale dog trotted in, followed immediately by six immaculately dressed children, their facesbeaming with smiles. Their mother was only a few steps behind, wearing a tailored, emerald-green dress, her hair swept elegantly from her face; as meticulously presented as her husband always was, in perfectly cut cloth with never a wrinkle to be seen.
There was nothing quite like a visit from the Goebbels family, and it was almost certain to put her boss Joseph in a good mood. He loved when his children came to see him for lunch – every visit boosted the morale of the entire office – and this time Magda had brought all of them, instead of just the youngest two.
‘Frau Goebbels, it’s such a pleasure to see you,’ Lina said, standing. ‘I shall go and tell Dr Goebbels you are here.’ As his personal secretary, she was permitted to knock on his door.
‘No need, Helga will surprise him. She’s been looking forward to seeing her papa all morning.’
Ava smiled at Heidrun, who was standing tucked against her mother’s leg, the youngest of the brood. She gave the little girl a wave as the child smiled and fiddled with the large bow in her hair, her smile melting Ava’s heart. They were the most gorgeous children, and Goebbels’ wife was always as friendly and kind to the secretaries as he was himself. Magda was the epitome of the perfect German wife and mother, and they were always rather star-struck when she came to visit.
‘How is your workload today, ladies?’ Frau Goebbels asked. ‘I trust my husband is treating you well?’
A chorus of pleasantries erupted, and as Ava was nodding the dog made his way over to her, tugging along one of the children, who was holding his leash. Tell, as he was called, had once been nervous of being approached in the office, but he’d soon become used to the secretaries who worked in close proximity to his master. But just as Ava extended her hand to pat him, Joseph Goebbels walked out from his office, his limp noticeable, commanding everyone’s attention despite his small stature, smiling broadly as his childrenlined up in front of him. His son shook his hand, and his five daughters all curtseyed, as Ava and the other secretaries sighed and smiled at how well behaved they all were, watching as he bent down to speak to the two smallest girls first.
It was at that moment that Ava’s father appeared, his smile wide as he nodded to his daughter and entered the office, tall and handsome in his uniform. He was everything to look at that Goebbels was not, with thick blond hair and sparkling blue eyes, his shoulders and chest broad, his stride effortless. She watched as he called out hello to Joseph and exchanged pleasantries with Magda, before moving slowly towards Ava. She stood with the other secretaries, laughing as the children showered their father with affection, telling him most animatedly all about their exciting day, but even with such a distraction Ava didn’t miss the way her father leaned against one of the desks as he passed, appearing to look for something. She turned her head slightly, careful not to make it obvious that she was watching him, as he reached for a piece of paper.
She stared in disbelief as he casually took the paper from the top of the pile Lina had been working on only moments earlier, folding it before sliding it inside his jacket pocket. Ava quickly looked away, glancing back at the other secretaries, but she could see that they were all focused on the children, enraptured by the little performance taking place before them. No one else had seen what he’d done, only her, and he was such a regular visitor to the office – not to mention a personal friend to Joseph Goebbels – that no one would have thought twice about him being there in the first place. And they certainly wouldn’t have dared to accuse him of any wrongdoing. Besides, it wasn’t unusual for him to collect documents, but to conceal it in his jacket like that? She swallowed, nervously, knowing instinctively that he’d done something wrong.
‘Ava,’ her father said as he came to stand beside her, kissing her cheek, and certainly not giving away whether or not he’d noticed her watching. ‘Lovely to see you, as always.’
‘Father,’ she whispered, her pulse racing as she brushed a kiss to his smooth cheek in return.Does he know that I saw him? What did he take?Why would he do something like that?
Her papa was one of Goebbels’ closest lieutenants, which was why she’d recently been able to secure such a high-paying job at the ministry. She may have been one of the most proficient typists at her previous job, but she was no fool; there was only one reason a nineteen-year-old girl would be appointed one of Goebbels’ five secretaries, a position that was not only highly coveted but highly paid, and that was due to her family connections. There were women all over Berlin with years of experience behind them who would have done anything to fill her position, and yet she was certain she’d been the only one interviewed for the job when it had become available.
‘Mama said you’ve been feeling unwell,’ she said, keeping her voice low as she stood close to her father. ‘How are you today?’
‘Nothing more than a cold,’ he murmured. ‘I actually wanted to see if you’d like to travel home with me tomorrow? It’s been too long since I spent some time with my family.’
‘For Christmas?’ she asked, her voice a whisper. It was no secret that Adolf Hitler was not a fan of traditional Christmas celebrations, not the type her family had once openly celebrated, and certainly not if they were to celebrate it as a Christian holiday. But nothing could stop her from looking forward to her favourite time of year.
‘Yes,’ he said, with a wink that she hoped no one else noticed. ‘I’ve organised two days’ leave. We will travel when you finish work tomorrow evening.’
Ava nodded as Magda gathered up the children across the room, like little lambs being herded, their visit already over. She watched two of the girls stand hand in hand, and it reminded her of her sister, Hanna, and what they’d been like as children. It seemed that Dr Goebbels wasn’t joining his family for lunch, after all, nor going home with them as he often did. The children lined up, their little shoulders straight like miniature soldiers as they all lifted one hand.
‘Heil Hitler!’ they said in unison.
‘Heil Hitler!’ Goebbels replied, not even glancing in their direction as the five secretaries all immediately responded in kind, as did Ava’s father, saluting their Führer and looking at his portrait on the wall as they did so.
Ava called out goodbye and waved back to the children as they turned at the door, before returning to her desk with the other secretaries, her father smiling to her and then crossing the room to speak briefly to Goebbels. She imagined he was headed straight back to his office in the same building as she watched him go.
‘Aren’t they just so precious,’ said Greta, one of the other secretaries. ‘What I wouldn’t give for a large family like that. Eight would be the perfect number, if you ask me.’
‘Eight?’ Lina repeated. ‘You only want eight so you can show off your gold Mother’s Cross award and have tea with the Führer as your reward!’
‘That’s precisely the reason,’ Greta said with a grin, looking as if she might swoon as she began to fan at her face, her colour rising. ‘Imagine that – tea and cakes with the Führer himself!’
