The Secret Society of Salzburg by Renee Ryan

Author:Renee Ryan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2022-10-11T11:29:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-One

Elsa

March 1936. London, England.

Elsa enjoyed her time in London. She spent every spare moment with Malvina, having no idea when they’d meet again: there’d been talk of her moving to America. Hattie and Vera joined them often and that only added pleasure to the various outings they enjoyed together. Malvina seemed settled in her position at the university. It was only an assistant professorship, but it paid well enough, and she seemed to like the work. But her housing situation was still unsettled. Although they never complained, the Featherstone sisters’ home was small and not nearly large enough for three people.

The solution came from Hattie. She pulled Elsa aside one afternoon as they circled around the Albert Memorial. “Vera and I have officially signed the lease for a larger flat. It has four bedrooms, one for us each. Another will serve as my studio, and we’re hoping Malvina will take the other. Do you think she would agree to live with us?”

“You should ask her. But, Hattie, thank you. It’s a kind offer.”

“Kind? Not at all, it’s rather selfish on our part. Vera and I adore Malvina. Her presence in our home has made our lives all the richer.”

“She feels the same.”

“Excellent. We’ll approach her with the offer later this evening.”

The matter was quickly settled, but another problem arose the next morning when Elsa met her aunt for lunch at the Savoy. “Do you remember Zara Rosenberg?” Malvina asked.

“Of course I remember her.” The woman had been Elsa’s first vocal coach. Strict, yet kind, Rosenberg had imparted the piece of wisdom that had changed the course of her life forever. Without the insistence she focus solely on her singing, over all other pursuits, Elsa might never have made a career in opera. She owed much to the woman. “Has something happened to her?”

“Like so many of us, she lost her job at the conservatory of music in Munich,” said Malvina, her expression one of anguish.

This was not pleasant news. Elsa did a quick mental calculation, coming away feeling even worse. “She must be nearing eighty by now.”

“Zara turned seventy-seven last month and is not in the best of health.”

What horrors must her former teacher be facing, an elderly, unemployed Jewish woman living in Munich, Germany? “What can be done?”

Malvina sighed. “Vera and I have a meeting with a local refugee committee. I will see about getting their support for her escape.”

“If it is a matter of money—”

“That is only one of the issues, Elsa.”

“Of course.” She knew the process of moving a Jewish refugee out of Europe was complicated. Proper paperwork needed filing, documentary proof had to be given—and those were the easiest steps. Even if all went smoothly, it would take time, a commodity a seventy-seven-year-old woman in ill health simply didn’t have. “If there is anything I can do, Tante Malvina, please let me know. Money, a word in the ear of a diplomat, whatever you need.”

Her aunt patted her arm. “You’re a good girl.”

“You will keep me apprised of the situation?”

“Every step of the way,” Malvina agreed.

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