Page 39 of The Berlin Sisters
‘He looks harmless enough,’ Ava said.
‘Trust me, he’s not,’ Hanna replied, walking ahead of her into the coffee shop before muttering: ‘Noah isanythingbut harmless.’
They ordered their coffees and produced their ration cards, before making their way to the table beside Noah’s. Hanna managedto keep up a steady stream of small talk, which Ava did her best to keep up with, and they completely ignored Noah until their coffees arrived. He spoke only when they were both taking their first sip of the strong, bitter drink.
‘I’m very pleased to make your acquaintance, Ava,’ he said, sitting back in his chair and nursing his own coffee. ‘It’s very important that we always act as if we don’t know one another, and that we always sit at different tables. If you have something for me, you will place it on the table, tucked into a napkin, and you will leave before me so that I can retrieve it after you’ve left.’
‘What things would I be leaving for you?’ she asked.
‘Documents, notes that you’ve made, information that I’ve requested for you to retrieve for me.’
They sat quietly for a long moment, as Ava thought over what he’d just said. It didn’t sound any different to what she’d been doing for her father. ‘What if I need to contact you? What if something goes wrong?’
‘You don’t have a plan for when something goes wrong? Because mark my words, something will go wrong. It’s only a matter of when.’
Ava glanced at Hanna, who only nodded to her in reply.
‘What is it you want from me? Why are you approaching me now? Why are you coming to me directly rather than through my father?’
Noah looked at her then – truly looked at her. His eyes seemed to linger, his full lips impossible not to track with her eyes. She felt herself blush under his scrutiny.
‘Because I’m told you are now the private secretary of someone very important to the cause, and that you may be the only one who has access to his diary, among other things,’ he said, looking away again and lifting his coffee cup to his lips. ‘I need you to give me any key dates when he might be meeting with the Führer, aswell as locations. I need to know when he’s going to be in Berlin, and where, and something tells me your father wouldn’t want his darling daughter to be doing something quite so brazen. Although I think we both know his influence is waning.’
‘Waning?’ she asked, glancing at Hanna, not sure she understood. What did he mean bywaning?
She saw the way Hanna clenched her fingers around her coffee cup, either irritated, taken by surprise, or both. ‘Our father’s influence is certainly not waning, despite what you might have been told.’
Noah shrugged. ‘Perhaps I’m wrong then. But regardless, back to you, Ava. Are you prepared to help, or not?’
Ava had a feeling that Noah was very rarely wrong, and she carefully considered her next words, hoping that she didn’t sound as naive as she felt. ‘You must know that I’m the only woman in the office currently with access to his diary. If anything leaked, it would be obvious it was from me.’
‘Which is why we’re having this conversation,’ he said. ‘Everything rests in your hands, Ava. Although if we’re careful with the information you gather, I disagree that fingers would immediately point towards you.’
The way he said her name, the way he glanced over at her, sent ripples through her that she wasn’t entirely comfortable with. She could tell Hanna wasn’t happy – it was obvious in the stiff way she was sitting, her back turned slightly to Noah – but all she could feel right now was excitement. That this man could be sitting here asking for something that only she could do.
‘I’ve heard rumours about some of the Wehrmacht officers, that they’re not as loyal as they once were,’ Ava said, thinking out aloud, her voice barely a whisper. ‘It could be that they think someone closer to Goebbels, someone more trusted, has betrayed him, although I’m certain I would still be a suspect.’
‘Or they could realise immediately that it was you, which is a far more likely scenario,’ Hanna whispered. ‘You don’t have to do this, and you certainly don’t have to decide today. You can think about it.’
‘I’ll do it,’ Ava said, wishing her voice didn’t sound so shaky.
‘Your assistance will never be forgotten, Ava,’ Noah said. ‘This could be the final piece of the puzzle that we’ve been waiting for, so thank you.’
Someone called out to Hanna then from across the street, and Ava watched as Hanna rose, touching her shoulder as she passed and murmuring that she would only be a moment. Which meant that she was suddenly left alone with Noah.
She kept her gaze straight ahead, finding it almost impossible not to look at him, to pretend they were complete strangers.
‘I’d heard you were very capable, Ava, but no one told me quite how beautiful you were.’
She blushed, catching her lower lip between her teeth as she fought not to smile.
‘Tell me, how do you feel, now that you’ve seen the truth?’
‘Foolish,’ she said, shaking her head. ‘As if I couldn’t see what was happening right before my eyes.’
‘But you’re not foolish,’ he said, his voice deepening. ‘You are clever and intelligent, which means you’re the perfect asset.’
She glanced over at him, wondering how often he’d said these words, or if they were truly just for her.
