Goodnight Vienna by J H Schryer

Author:J H Schryer
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780752464350
Publisher: The History Press
Published: 2011-08-12T16:00:00+00:00

An hour later Katharine lent over the balcony of the whitewashed terrace. Few were privileged to see this view. She took a long look at the Bavarian mountains stretched before her. Her body flooded with adrenalin, feeling alive and invigorated. The village of Berchtesgaden below was just visible nestling in the ridges. How quiet and peaceful it was. Behind her, a voice cleared his throat, ‘On a clear day, ma’am, you can see all the way across Austria and even into Switzerland.’

She turned, recognising him immediately from his unscheduled visit to Captain Henderson’s office. He hadn’t taken any notice of her then, but now she had to face him head on. ‘Guten tag, Herr Eichmann.’

He was sharp. He hadn’t missed anything, even though he had not spoken to her on that previous occasion. ‘We met, didn’t we, not so long ago at the office of Captain … Henderson in Vienna. Do you work there?’

‘Yes sir, I do a bit of typing. I have to supplement my earnings somehow as a musician.’

‘Quite.’ He surveyed her for a few minutes. ‘Claudia will be joining us shortly. She says she knows you from Finishing School, what a coincidence. Come and sit under the umbrella. The July heat can get to us even at this hour.’ He pulled out a chair for her. ‘What do you think of the place? The Führer had it extended a few years ago. It’s a welcome retreat.’

Katharine hesitated. Herr Eichmann had a fearsome reputation in political circles. Strange – the man who sat beside her now could not have been gentler or more charming. How deceptive he was. He had not shed his heavy, long grey overcoat for something casual, not even here out of the public eye. She found herself wondering if he knew about Jonathan’s disappearance, whether he had had anything to do with it. He must know that the musician before him, Miss Simmons, aka Mrs Walters, was married to Dr Jonathan Walters. If he did, he wasn’t mentioning it. He continued, ‘This place gives us space to relax with the Führer. Anyway, Miss Simmons, I am very much looking forward to your concert this evening. We enjoy a little culture, even up here in the mountains.’ He cleared his throat. ‘What will you play for us this evening? Some Wagner?’

Katharine smiled reassuringly. ‘I was advised on Beethoven’s Violin Sonata in A Major, the Kreutzer. You’ll love the adagio. People sometimes find slow music awful but this is an exception.’

‘Under the circumstances, Beethoven is an excellent choice. Herr Hitler is rather taken by all things Austrian at the moment, not that he’s here anyway but word will get back to him. He keeps apace of everything that goes on.’

Claudia’s voice suddenly floated across the terrace, ‘as long as there’s nothing by that Jew Mahler. His work disgusts us.’ She adjusted her slanting sunhat as she strolled over to them.

‘The view is magnificent, isn’t it? Like music itself. Its peaks and valleys stir the soul.’ She

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