Page 25 of The Pianist's Wife
She nodded and did as he asked, wishing that perhaps he could have mustered something kind about her appearance at the very least.
But her heart raced again as they began the ceremony, the lie of what she was confirming almost catching on her tongue. Their marriage documents were set out on the altar, she could see the papers from where they stood, but she was still asked the one question that sent fear racing down her spine.
‘Do you, Amira Schäfer, confirm that you are of pure Aryan descent, and that you are not infected with inheritable diseases that would exclude you from marriage?’
‘I do,’ she said, clearing her throat as the officiant marrying them stared intently at her, before asking Fred the same question. This was the part her father had been so afraid of, and her hands shook in Fred’s as she did her very best to keep her smile fixed on her face.
‘Now, we come to the ceremonial act of marriage,’ the officiant said. ‘In the presence of the witnesses here today, I ask you, are you, Mr Frederick Schulz, willing to take Miss Amira Schäfer as your wife, and to worship our mighty Führer above all else?’
‘I am,’ Fred said, his eyes telling her that she could trust him as he took the plain gold wedding band held by the officiant and placed it on her finger, sliding it carefully into place. His voice loud and confident, as if he didn’t have a doubt in the world.
‘And you, Miss Amira Schäfer, are you willing to take Mr Frederick Schulz as your husband, and to worship our mighty Führer?’
‘I am,’ she said, swallowing away a lump in her throat.
Amira took Fred’s ring and pushed it on to his finger, cursing her shaking hands. At least she could put it down to wedding day nerves, and not the fact that she was waiting at any moment for her deceit to be discovered. She’d had nightmares about the Gestapo interrupting her vows and arresting her in front of everyone.
‘Well, since both newly-weds have stated their intentions, I declare this marriage as legal before the law. Congratulations, and heil Hitler!’
Fred stepped towards her then, as those gathered clapped and echoed the last words. He placed one hand on her shoulder and leaned in, before pressing a gentle, pleasant-enough kiss to her lips.
‘We will survive this, Amira,’ he murmured into her ear, disguised as a kiss to the cheek. ‘Together, we will survive.’
‘We will,’ she whispered back, before taking his hand and smiling to everyone as if she were the happiest bride in the world.
Gisele was first up to congratulate them, followed by little Frieda who wore a pout, her arms crossed angrily over her chest. When Amira bent to hug her, she didn’t receive one in return.
‘Darling, what’s wrong?’
‘I thought you loved Maxi,’ she said. ‘I thought you were going to marryMaxi.’
Amira bit down on her lip to stop her tears, wrapping Frieda in her arms once more until the little girl finally hugged her in return. ‘I did love Maxi, very much. But no one has heard from Maxi in a very long time.’ Amira took a breath, as tears ran from her cheeks down into Frieda’s blonde hair. ‘Our Führer wants women to marry and have families, and I am trying to be a good German woman.’
She was surprised how easily the lies fell from her tongue, but even more surprising was the way Frieda planted her hands on her hips, a defiance Amira had only seen in one other girl before. A girl who’d given a boy a bloody nose for teasing her best friend.
‘Well, then I hate him.’
‘Who do you hate, Frieda?’ Hans asked, turning to his daughter. The three men were all standing together – Hans, Fred, and the SS man who’d married them.
Amira was still crouched down beside the little girl and she murmured, ‘Do not repeat what you said. Do not say his name.’It was as if she could hear her own heartbeat thundering in her ears as she waited.Apologise to your father. Please apologise for your behaviour.
‘Nobody,’ Frieda said, glancing at Amira before smiling sweetly up at her father. ‘I’m sorry, Papa.’
The men all turned away, immediately uninterested in a child, but Amira caught the frown on Hans’ face.
‘We never say out loud that we hate the Führer. We never disobey him or say such things when others could hear. Do you understand?’ Amira cautioned in a sharp whisper.
Frieda stared blankly at her.
‘Frieda, tell me that you understand,’ Amira said. ‘Things happen to people who don’t obey the rules, very bad things. And not just to you, but to your parents and your brothers as well.’ She felt terrible scaring her and seeing her eyes widen in fear, but she needed her to understand the consequences, even if she was only a little girl.
‘Did something bad happen to Maxi?’ Frieda whispered. ‘Did Maxi say bad things?’
Amira touched the little girl’s cheek, gently rubbing her thumb across her skin. ‘No, sweet girl. I very much hope that he’s alright, but Maxi is a soldier, and sometimes, well, sometimes soldiers don’t come home.’
‘Come along, darling,’ said Fred, as if he hadn’t been standing near her the entire time. He held out his hand and she clasped it, rising and leaning into him when he put his arm around her waist. ‘We have a wedding breakfast to attend.’
Amira looked for Frieda but saw that she’d run to her mother and was tucked against her leg now, and as much as she loved Gisele, she hoped her daughter was better equipped at holding her tongue and keeping her fists firmly at her sides than her mother had been.
