The Sound of Light by Sarah Sundin

Author:Sarah Sundin [Sundin, Sarah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Historical Romance;Historical fiction;Christian fiction;Novels;FIC042030
Published: 2922-11-21T00:00:00+00:00

30

COPENHAGEN

TUESDAY, AUGUST 24, 1943

In the basement of the Institute for Theoretical Physics, the cyclotron whirred. Between two giant magnetic discs, charged particles accelerated in a spiral, propelled by increasing voltage, until a glowing beam of deuterons emerged in the clear bombardment chamber.

Else eyed the electrical gauges alongside Knudsen, Gebhardt, and the cyclotron crew.

Despite the interesting work, Else once again found concentration difficult.

Last week, she’d been distracted by Hemming’s revelation. This week by the knowledge that all the best of Hemming and the Havmand resided in the person of Henrik Ahlefeldt, a flawed but changed man. A man of both character and intellect. A man who loved her.

Falling in love with Henrik wouldn’t take long. But she couldn’t allow herself to think of him as Henrik. Hemming, Hemming, Hemming, she repeated in her head, loving the sound of his name and the meaning behind it, loving the reason he’d chosen that identity.

“Jensen?”

She looked up to Kaj Knudsen’s huge, laughing eyes. “Hmm?”

Knudsen nudged Gebhardt. “With that look on her face, she must have figured out how to separate U-235 from uranium ore.”

Else smirked. “If I had, the best thing I could do, for the sake of humanity, would be to keep it secret.”

The door opened, and Sigurd Mortensen beckoned with a smug smile. “Jensen, Knudsen—Bohr and Wolff want to talk to you.”

Oh no. It was time.

Molten lead coursed through her veins, but she followed Mortensen, with Knudsen behind her. Out of courtesy, Bohr would ask her to resign rather than expel her, but the result would be the same. Her career was dead.

Almost two weeks had passed since Bohr had said he couldn’t allow a combative situation. Since then, how many more times had Mortensen pressed his case for her removal?

Upstairs in the hallway, Knudsen fell in beside her. “What’s this about?” he whispered.

“I don’t know.” She did know, but why Knudsen? Mortensen had stopped berating him. Or was he berating him behind closed doors with Bohr?

Mortensen led them into the journal room, where Bohr and Wolff waited.

After they exchanged greetings, they all sat around a table strewn with physics journals.

Else buried her hands in her lap to conceal the fidgeting. Could she defend herself, or was it too late? If she didn’t speak up, she’d lose her career. But if she spoke up too strongly, she’d tarnish Mortensen’s reputation. She didn’t want either.

Bohr straightened his gray suit jacket. “We called you together to inform you of some changes. Jensen and Knudsen will transfer from Mortensen’s lab to Wolff’s, and Rask will transfer from Wolff’s to Mortensen’s.”

The words floated in her foggy head. She wasn’t being asked to resign? She was transferring to Wolff’s lab? Her heart buoyed up, and she grinned. “Thank you.”

“Yes, thank you.” Knudsen’s voice rose an octave. “It’s an honor.”

Else sneaked a glance at Knudsen, who beamed at her. It would indeed be an honor to work with the senior physicist—and a joy to leave Mortensen.

“Pardon?” Mortensen frowned. “I’m losing two physicists and gaining only one? How will I be able to complete my work?”

Wolff shrugged.

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