The Girl with the Red Hair: Heartbreaking and completely unforgettable World War Two historical fiction inspired by a true story (The Dutch Girls Book 2) by Imogen Matthews

Author:Imogen Matthews [Matthews, Imogen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bookouture
Published: 2024-03-20T00:00:00+00:00

THIRTY-ONE

Hannie knew she had to be brave for Maya’s sake. She slowly climbed the attic stairs, trying to work out how she was going to tell her.

Maya was standing at the window, and rushed forward when Hannie opened the door. ‘Did you find her?’ she asked, her eyes grown wide with fear.

A wave of exhaustion swept over Hannie, so strong that she could barely stand. ‘Let’s sit.’ She reached for Maya’s hand and patted it, but Maya jerked it away.

‘Something terrible has happened to Sonja. Why don’t you just tell me?’ Her voice came out jerky and angry.

Hannie gave her an anguished look. ‘There’s no easy way of telling you, but… Sonja’s dead.’

‘No! She can’t be! I only saw her a few hours ago,’ Maya keened as tears pooled in her eyes and began to trickle down her cheeks.

Hannie waited till her tears subsided before she told her how she had dragged Sonja from the Germans and struggled to bring her to safety. ‘Believe me, I tried to save her, but it wasn’t enough. The cowards shot her from behind and she died in my arms.’ Saying the words out loud didn’t make the situation any more real. Like Maya, she was unable to comprehend that Sonja, her lively, vibrant friend – her kindred spirit – was no more.

‘Are you all right?’

Hannie turned her head at Maya’s whispered words and realised she’d been sniffing back her tears. ‘I don’t know.’

The two young women gazed at each other for a long moment, then Hannie opened her arms for a hug. This time, Maya didn’t resist but let Hannie fold her arms around her. As she held her tight, Hannie vowed to keep her safe. But she knew she couldn’t do it by herself. She would need help. Would moving back to Haarlem and approaching the RVV be the solution?

Hannie stayed with Maya all day in the tiny attic room, reminiscing over the good times the three of them had when they were growing up. She’d forgotten just how close they’d been and remembering this made her feel even more protective towards Maya. A sudden thought came to her – what if the man who had betrayed Sonja knew about Maya too?

‘Maya, I think I know who the man watching Sonja could be. He lives in the next street and was looking down from his window when I went past. Did you mention him to Clara?’

Maya shook her head. ‘I didn’t want to worry her, but I wish I had. Sonja might have listened to her.’ She looked so sorrowful and lonely that Hannie knew what she must do.

‘Listen,’ she said, tilting Maya’s chin. ‘The university is closing and I’m going back home to Haarlem. Why don’t you come with me? I can’t promise anything, but I’m sure it’s safer than you staying in Amsterdam. What do you think?’

Maya looked away. She got up and went over to Sonja’s bed to pull the bedcover straight. Everywhere there was evidence of Sonja: a

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