“And it isn’t burnt!” Chaisley tossed over her shoulder.
“Well, will wonders never cease?” Rick’s warm baritone floated over to her.
Chairs moved and plates clinked as her friends took their seats.
“I’ve got news.” A crunch followed the words. Rick must have bitten into his toast.
“Do tell.” Chaisley leaned back in her chair. “Does it have something to do with the meetings you told us about yesterday?”
“It does.” His cup clinked against the saucer. “I received a wire just a few minutes ago that they’ve granted the Führer Sudetenland.”
She gasped. “They gave him what he wanted? Don’t they realize that could be disastrous?”
“I tend to agree with you, but my superiors are hopeful. As is the rest of the world. They believe this will bring peace in Europe.” The scrape of a knife followed his statement. He must be buttering another slice of toast. “Granted, most people don’t know about this yet, but it will soon be on the front of every newspaper.”
“Wow.” It was hard to believe that they’d come to any kind of agreement. Could this truly be the beginning of the end? After all this time building a network across Europe ... communications came in almost every day. People had been seeking help to flee their homes. Would all of that come to a stop if there was peace?
And what about Hitler and his Nazis? Just because they gave him part of Czechoslovakia didn’t mean that he would stop spreading hate.
The silence surrounding her was somber. They were thinking it too. She could feel it. She gripped the edge of the table. “This isn’t over, is it?”
chapter
Sixteen
Amsterdam, Netherlands—Tuesday, October 18, 1938
Celestia coughed into her handkerchief and rolled over onto her side. It had been many years since a sickness had caused her to be bedridden. But here she was.
Movement over in the chair caught her eye. “You’re still here,” she rasped.
“Of course I am.” Grafton leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees. “You’ve got to take better care of yourself, Celestia.”
“Posh. If it’s the Lord’s time for me to go, it’s time.” She coughed again. “You did get ahold of Chaisley, didn’t you?”
“Yes. They are on their way back. Should be here soon, I suspect.”
“Good. Thank you. There’s much I need to tell her ... ask her ... just in case.”
His head drooped a bit but he didn’t argue with her.
“You also spoke with my lawyer?”
“You know I did. He was here, yesterday.”
That’s right. She’d forgotten. Which wasn’t like her. Maybe the good Lord truly was calling her home. A thought she loved andyet didn’t love ... all at the same time. There were still so many people to help.
“Grandmother?” Chaisley’s voice from the doorway brought a sigh to her lips.
“Come in, child.” She was seized by coughing before she could sit up properly.
Grafton stood and lifted her, patted her back, and offered her a glass of water. Always proper, that boy. Always caring. Always in his black suit. “I’ll give you two some time to catch up.”
“Thank you.” Celestia wiped at her mouth with her lace handkerchief and then waved her granddaughter closer. Oh, she was losing it. Chaisley couldn’t see the motion. “Come sit with me for a while.”
For the next hour, her granddaughter showered her with questions about her health and then shared about all she’d seen and heard the past few weeks. Great sobs seemed to overcome her. “I can’t bear what is happening, Grandmother. No matter how strong I am or how many we try and help ... the evil just seems overwhelming.”
Celestia didn’t have words. Oh, how she understood what her granddaughter felt. There were now more than fifty Jewish people taking refuge in her own home. A number that would surely continue to grow.
