The First Spark of Fire: A totally gripping WW2 historical novel about bravery against the odds (German Wives Book 1) by Marion Kummerow

Author:Marion Kummerow [Kummerow, Marion]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781837902781
Publisher: Bookouture
Published: 2023-04-10T16:00:00+00:00

20

The end of 1933 was approaching fast. It had brought a flurry of new laws and regulations, restricting the rights of citizens in one way or another.

Julius cursed under his breath as he pored over last month’s numbers. It was high time for the government to stop pushing out new laws faster than businesses could react to them.

Almost every day there was something new. Most regulations didn’t impact the Falkenstein bank, yet he had to stay on top of the legislation and evaluate whether it meant having to change the way he ran his business. It was tiresome to say the least.

Reluctantly he had to admit it was mostly thanks to Heinrich Goldmann, who had deeply impressed him during the interview, that he could keep up with the additional accounting work. Starting out in the smallest Berlin branch of the Falkenstein bank, Herr Goldmann had soon proven himself to be a quick-witted, fast-learning and diligent man.

Julius’ initial qualms of employing a Jew in the current political climate had evaporated at Herr Goldmann’s performance and he’d promoted him to chief accountant in the bank headquarters. He’d even thanked Edith for her intervention, albeit reminding her this case had been an exception.

A knock on his office door drew him from his musings. “Come in,” he said, wondering who the visitor could be, since his secretary hadn’t mentioned any appointments.

“Silvana! What brings you here?” he asked, delighted to see his youngest sister. He’d missed her while she and Markus had been in Rome, and was thrilled to have her back near him.

“Good morning, Julius. I came to see you as a prospective customer.” She cast him an excited smile.

He loved his youngest sister with all his heart. She was so full of life and happiness, making everyone around her feel lighter. The only disagreement between them had been her choice of husband. Markus was a good man, intelligent, well-to-do, and, unfortunately, a devout Jew. To cap it all, Silvana had embraced Judaism and even started to learn Hebrew after marrying him. For Julius it had felt like a betrayal of their family’s efforts to be as German as anyone else.

“Now I’m intrigued. Please sit.”

Never one to beat around the bush, she said, “I need a line of credit to open a school.”

“You, open a school? What are you talking about?” This must be another folly of hers.

“Oh, Julius! Don’t you follow the news?”

“I do meticulously, since my business wouldn’t flourish if it didn’t adhere to all the rules and regulations in place.” He gave her an indulgent look. “There was nothing in the newspapers about you opening up a school.”

Another woman would have been cowed or at least shocked into silence; Silvana merely rolled her eyes. “Very funny. Shall I ask Theodore for credit then?” Theodore had been a friend of their father, and also the fiercest rival for owning the biggest bank in Germany.

“Don’t you dare!”

Silvana gave him a smug smile. “So, you’re going to stop being condescending and will hear me out?”

He grumbled something akin to an agreement.

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