Only the Brave: The Heart-Wrenching New Story of Courage and Hope Set in Wartime Berlin by Steel Danielle

Author:Steel, Danielle [Steel, Danielle]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Historical Fiction, Historical, Fiction, War, Romance, World War II, Faith, Adult, Religion
ISBN: 9781529085815
Amazon: B0CK8GHVM8
Goodreads: 199863273
Publisher: Macmillan
Published: 2024-04-30T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

The day after the Officers’ Dinner, Lieutenant Hans Mahler came to the tailor shop again.

“I came to tell you that you were right,” he said in a low voice. The others had all gone to lunch and she hadn’t left yet, but he was careful anyway. “I complimented my boss on how well he looks in his uniform, and how well he does his job, and he invited me to spend Christmas with him and his wife at his house.” He grinned at Sophia victoriously and she smiled at him. Officers of the High Command were given houses just outside the camp, and had their families with them. And Lieutenant Mahler’s boss was second in command, and he was his aide.

“And I want to order another uniform,” he said. “He admired how well mine fits. I told him he should have you make him one. Maybe he will. Thank you for the good advice,” he said.

“Thank you for the ‘tip,’” she said cryptically, and he laughed. He had had another idea and wondered if she would be willing.

“An inmate cleans my quarters, a poor girl from Linz. She doesn’t clean very well. If you do it, we could talk,” he said, blushing, “and I could leave you some food.” It sounded to Sophia like a form of prostitution, cleaning his house in exchange for food, and whatever else he had in mind. He clearly liked her. She was tall and graceful with a good figure and a pretty face, and even in the prison uniform, he thought she was beautiful.

“Lieutenant,” she said, and he stopped her.

“Call me Hans. When no one is around of course.” She nodded, not sure if she would.

“There is something I need to tell you, that you don’t know about me. And thank you for the very generous offer. I’m not just a nurse, I’m a nun too.” He stared at her in disbelief, speechless for a minute.

“A nun? Seriously? You’ve taken all your vows? How old are you?”

“Twenty-two. I’ve taken the first ones, not the final ones. I’m a novice.” He looked relieved.

“Then you can still change your mind.”

“You can always change your mind,” she said quietly, “but I don’t want to. I’ve always wanted to be a nun.”

“That’s ridiculous and a terrible waste. You’re beautiful and you’re smart. You should marry and have children.”

“God got me first.” She smiled gently at him, which made her even more desirable. “I’m married to Him.”

“No,” he corrected her. He was Catholic too. “You’re engaged. You can break an engagement if you meet someone else. It wouldn’t need a divorce.”

She laughed at the analogy. “I just thought you should know, with your kind offer to clean your house.”

“The other woman comes twice a week. Maybe I could have you one day, and her one day, so no one is suspicious.”

“And what would you like me to do, in addition to clean the house?” she asked him directly, and he blushed. He was actually well brought-up and treated her with respect even though she was an inmate of the camp.

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